Related papers: Topological gravity in dimensions two and four
It is shown that the local coupling of a higher dimensional graviton to a closed degenerate two-form produces dimensional reduction by spontaneous breakdown of extra-dimensional translational symmetry. Four dimensional Poincar\'e invariance…
We present several theories of four-dimensional gravity in the Plebanski formulation, in which the tetrads and the connections are the independent dynamical variables. We consider the relation between different versions of gravitational…
An action for two dimensional gravity conformally coupled to two dilaton-type fields is analysed. Classically, the theory has some exact solutions. These include configurations representing black holes. A semi-classical theory is obtained…
We find the set of generalized symmetries associated with the free graviton theory in four dimensions. These are generated by gauge invariant topological operators that violate Haag duality in ring-like regions. As expected from general QFT…
In two dimensions a large class of gravitational systems including, e.g., $R^2$-gravity can be quantized exactly also when coupled dynamically to a Yang-Mills theory. Some previous considerations on the quantization of pure gravity theories…
We investigate the possibility of constructing a covariant Newtonian gravitational theory and find that the action describing a massless relativistic particle in a background Newtonian gravitodynamic field has a higher-dimensional extension…
The most general gravity Lagrangian in four dimensions contains three topological densities, namely Nieh-Yan, Pontryagin and Euler, in addition to the Hilbert-Palatini term. We set up a Hamiltonian formulation based on this Lagrangian. The…
We study four--dimensional simplicial gravity through numerical simulation with special attention to the existence of singular vertices, in the strong coupling phase, that are shared by abnormally large numbers of four--simplices. The…
Higher-spin symmetry is known to mix lower-spin fields with higher-spin fields, creating a complex interaction picture where no closed finite field sector is expected to exist for dimensions greater than three. By studying the self-dual…
Maximal and non-maximal supergravities in three spacetime dimensions allow for a large variety of semisimple and non-semisimple gauge groups, as well as complex gauge groups that have no analog in higher dimensions. In this contribution we…
One can try to define the theory of quantum gravity as the sum over geometries. In two dimensions the sum over {\it Euclidean} geometries can be performed constructively by the method of {\it dynamical triangulations}. One can define a {\it…
We consider conformal gravity as a gauge natural theory. We study its conservation laws and superpotentials. We also consider the Mannheim and Kazanas spherically symmetric vacuum solution and discuss conserved quantities associated to…
We discuss a class of alternative gravity theories that are specific to four dimensions, do not introduce new degrees of freedom, and come with a physical motivation. In particular we sketch their Hamiltonian formulation, and their relation…
We overview some attempts to find S-duality analogues of non-supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, in the context of gravity theories. The case of MacDowell-Mansouri gauge theory of gravity is discussed. Three-dimensional dimensional reductions…
We consider the classification of near-horizon geometries in a general two-derivative theory of gravity coupled to abelian gauge fields and uncharged scalars in four and five dimensions, with one and two commuting rotational symmetries…
This thesis is broadly split into two parts. In the first part, simple state sum models for minimally coupled fermion and scalar fields are constructed on a $1$-manifold. The models are independent of the triangulation and give the same…
Supergravities in four and higher dimensions are reviewed. We discuss the action and its local symmetries of N=1 supergravity in four dimensions, possible types of spinors in various dimensions, field contents of supergravity multiplets,…
The quantum gravity problem of N point particles interacting with the gravitational field in 2+1 dimensions is approached working out the phase-space functional integral. The maximally slicing gauge is adopted for a non compact open…
We construct the most general, to cubic order in curvature, theory of gravity whose (most general) static spherically symmetric vacuum solutions are fully described by a single field equation. The theory possess the following remarkable…
We investigate quantum gravity in four dimensions using the Regge approach on triangulations of the four-torus with general, non-regular incidence matrices. We find that the simplicial lattice tends to develop spikes for vertices with low…