Related papers: Topological gravity in Minkowski space
We apply the idea of a topological quantum field theory (TQFT) to maps from manifolds into topological spaces. This leads to a notion of a (d+1)-dimensional homotopy quantum field theory (HQFT) which may be described as a TQFT for closed…
In this paper a topological theory of gravity is studied on a four-manifold using the formalism of Capovilla {\sl et al}. We show that it is fact equivalent to Anselmi and Fre's topological gravity using the topological symmetries. Using…
A topology is defined on the mapping class group of a compact connected orientable surface. It is shown that a notion of "genericity" on subsets of the mapping class group arises from this definition. Many plausible results follow from this…
It is argued that quantum gravity has an interpretation as a topological field theory provided a certain constraint from the path intergral measure is respected. The constraint forces us to couple gauge and matter fields to gravity for…
We construct a Topological Quantum Field Theory (in the sense of Atiyah) associated to the universal finite-type invariant of 3-dimensional manifolds, as a functor from the category of 3-dimensional manifolds with parametrized boundary,…
Minkowski Space is the simplest four-dimensional Lorentzian Manifold, being topologically trivial and globally flat, and hence the simplest model of spacetime--from a General-Relativistic point of view. But this does not mean that it is…
Classical mechanics, relativity, electrodynamics and quantum mechanics are often depicted as separate realms of physics, each with its own formalism and notion. This remains unsatisfactory with respect to the unity of nature and to the…
The general relativity theory is redefined equivalently in almost Kahler variables: symplectic form and canonical symplectic connection (distorted from the Levi-Civita connection by a tensor constructed only from metric coefficients and…
A generalization to the theory of massive gravity is presented which includes three dynamical metrics. It is shown that at the linear level, the theory predicts a massless spin-2 field which is decoupled from the other two gravitons which…
Wheeler emphasized the study of Superspace - the space of 3-geometries on a spatial manifold of fixed topology. This is a configuration space for GR; knowledge of configuration spaces is useful as regards dynamics and QM.In this Article I…
This is an invited contribution to the 2nd edition of the Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics. We give an overview of 3-dimensional topological quantum field theories (TQFTs) and the corresponding quantum invariants of 3-manifolds. We…
In quantum gravity, one looks for alternative structures to spacetime physics than ordinary real manifolds. Here, we propose an alternative universal construction containing the latter as an equilibrium state under the action of the…
Over the past decades, many authors advertised models on complexified spacetime algebras for use in describing gravity. This work aims at providing phenomenological support to such claims, by introducing a one-parameter real phase $\alpha$…
We axiomatize the extended operators in topological orders (possibly gravitationally anomalous, possibly with degenerate ground states) in terms of monoidal Karoubi-complete $n$-categories which are mildly dualizable and have trivial…
A set of algebraic equations for the topological properties of space-time is derived, and used to extend general relativity into the Planck domain. A unique basis set of three-dimensional prime manifolds is constructed which consists of…
Topological quantum field theories can be used to probe topological properties of low dimensional manifolds. A class of these theories known as Schwarz type theories, comprise of Chern-Simons theories and BF theories. In three dimensions…
Starting from a topological gauge theory in two dimensions with symmetry groups $ISO(2,1)$, $SO(2,1)$ and $SO(1,2)$ we construct a model for gravity with non-trivial coupling to matter. We discuss the equations of motion which are connected…
Tensor networks prepare states that share many features of states in quantum gravity. However, standard constructions are not diffeomorphism invariant and do not support an algebra of non-commuting area operators. Recently, analogues of…
Recently, Chandrasekaran, Penington and Witten (CPW) have shown that the generalized entropy of the Schwarzschild black hole at the bifurcation surface equals the entropy of an extended von Neumann algebra of quantum observables in the…
Motivated by the similarity between CSW theory and the Chern Simons state for General Relativity in the Ashtekar variables, we explore what the universe would look like if it were in a state corresponding to a 3D TQFT. We end up with a…