Related papers: Three-dimensional simplicial gravity and combinato…
A phenomenology for the deep spatial geometry of loop quantum gravity is introduced. In the context of a simple model, an atom of space, it is shown how purely combinatorial structures can affect observations. The angle operator is used to…
We prove that 2-dimensional simplicial complexes whose first homology group is trivial have topological embeddings in 3-space if and only if there are embeddings of their link graphs in the plane that are compatible at the edges and they…
The attempt of extending to higher dimensions the matrix model formulation of two-dimensional quantum gravity leads to the consideration of higher rank tensor models. We discuss how these models relate to four dimensional quantum gravity…
In the Hamiltonian formulation, it is not a priori clear whether a symmetric configuration will keep its symmetry during evolution. In this paper, we give precise requirements of when this is the case and propose a symmetry restriction to…
We prove various results on the cohomology of arithmetic lattices arising from quaternion algebras over a number field with at least one complex place, including a strong restriction on the allowable weights of cuspidal cohomological…
We formulate noncommutative three-dimensional (3d) gravity by making use of its connection with 3d Chern-Simons theory. In the Euclidean sector, we consider the particular example of topology $T^2 \times R$ and show that the 3d black hole…
We review the group-geometric approach to supergravity theories, in the perspective of recent developments and applications. Usual diffeomorphisms, gauge symmetries and supersymmetries are unified as superdiffeomorphisms in a supergroup…
We present a self-contained analysis of theories of discrete 2D gravity coupled to matter, using geometric methods to derive equations for generating functions in terms of free (noncommuting) variables. For the class of discrete gravity…
We study some particular modifications of gravity in search for a natural way to unify the gravitational and electromagnetic interaction. The certain components of connection in the appearing variants of the theory can be identified with…
A model is proposed which generates all oriented $3d$ simplicial complexes weighted with an invariant associated with a topological lattice gauge theory. When the gauge group is $SU_q(2)$, $q^n=1,$ it is the Turaev-Viro invariant and the…
Group field theories are a new type of field theories over group manifolds and a generalization of matrix models, that have recently attracted much interest in quantum gravity research. They represent a development of and a possible link…
A model aimed at understanding quantum gravity in terms of Birkhoff's approach is discussed. The geometry of this model is constructed by using a winding map of Minkowski space into a $\mathbb{R}^{3} \times S^{1}$-cylinder. The basic field…
We present a new model of quantum gravity as a theory of random geometries given explicitly in terms of a multitrace matrix model. This is a generalization of the usual discretized random surfaces of 2D quantum gravity which works away from…
We formulate a topological theory in six dimensions with gauge group SO(3,3) which reduces to gravity on a four dimensional defect if suitable boundary conditions are chosen. In such a framework we implement the reflection automorphism of…
We study the coupling of massive fermions to the quantum mechanical dynamics of spacetime emerging from the spinfoam approach in three dimensions. We first recall the classical theory before constructing a spinfoam model of quantum gravity…
We discuss the geometry of dynamical triangulations associated with 3-dimensional and 4-dimensional simplicial quantum gravity. We provide analytical expressions for the canonical partition function in both cases, and study its large volume…
3-dimensional gravity coupled to Maxwell (or Klein-Gordon) fields is exactly soluble under the assumption of axi-symmetry. The solution is used to probe several quantum gravity issues. In particular, it is shown that the quantum…
The canonical theory of quantum gravity in the loop representation can be extended to incorporate topology change, in the simple case that this refers to the creation or annihilation of "minimalist wormholes" in which two points of the…
We derive a spacetime formulation of quantum general relativity from (hamiltonian) loop quantum gravity. In particular, we study the quantum propagator that evolves the 3-geometry in proper time. We show that the perturbation expansion of…
These notes summarise a talk surveying the combinatorial or Hamiltonian quantisation of three dimensional gravity in the Chern-Simons formulation, with an emphasis on the role of quantum groups and on the way the various physical constants…