Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity
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Symmetry and Gravity
universe Article Making a Quantum Universe: Symmetry and Gravity Houri Ziaeepour 1,2 1 Institut UTINAM, CNRS UMR 6213, Observatoire de Besançon, Université de Franche Compté, 41 bis ave. de l’Observatoire, BP 1615, 25010 Besançon, France; [email protected] or [email protected] 2 Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking GU5 6NT, UK Received: 05 September 2020; Accepted: 17 October 2020; Published: 23 October 2020 Abstract: So far, none of attempts to quantize gravity has led to a satisfactory model that not only describe gravity in the realm of a quantum world, but also its relation to elementary particles and other fundamental forces. Here, we outline the preliminary results for a model of quantum universe, in which gravity is fundamentally and by construction quantic. The model is based on three well motivated assumptions with compelling observational and theoretical evidence: quantum mechanics is valid at all scales; quantum systems are described by their symmetries; universe has infinite independent degrees of freedom. The last assumption means that the Hilbert space of the Universe has SUpN Ñ 8q – area preserving Diff.pS2q symmetry, which is parameterized by two angular variables. We show that, in the absence of a background spacetime, this Universe is trivial and static. Nonetheless, quantum fluctuations break the symmetry and divide the Universe to subsystems. When a subsystem is singled out as reference—observer—and another as clock, two more continuous parameters arise, which can be interpreted as distance and time. We identify the classical spacetime with parameter space of the Hilbert space of the Universe. -
Report of Contributions
2016 CAP Congress / Congrès de l’ACP 2016 Report of Contributions https://indico.cern.ch/e/CAP2016 2016 CAP Congr … / Report of Contributions **WITHDRAWN** Nanoengineeri … Contribution ID: 980 Type: Oral (Non-Student) / orale (non-étudiant) **WITHDRAWN** Nanoengineering materials: a bottom-up approach towards understanding long outstanding challenges in condensed matter science Thursday, 16 June 2016 08:30 (15 minutes) Chemists have made tremendous advances in synthesizing a variety of nanostructures with control over their size, shape, and chemical composition. Plus, it is possible to control their assembly and to make macroscopic materials. Combined, these advances suggest an opportunity to “nanoengineer” materials ie controllably fabricate materials from the nanoscale up with a wide range of controlled and potentially even new behaviours. Our group has been exploring this opportunity, and has found a rich range of material elec- tronic behaviours that even simple nano-building blocks can generate, e.g. single electron effects, metal-insulator transitions, semiconductor transistor-like conductance gating, and, most recently, strongly correlated electronic behaviour. The latter is particularly exciting. Strongly correlated electrons are known to lie at the heart of some of the most exotic, widely studied and still out- standing challenges in condensed matter science (e.g. high Tc superconductivity in the cuprates and others). The talk will survey both new insights and new opportunities that arise as a result of usingthis nanoengineering -
Kaluza-Klein Gravity, Concentrating on the General Rel- Ativity, Rather Than Particle Physics Side of the Subject
Kaluza-Klein Gravity J. M. Overduin Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3055, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8W 3P6 and P. S. Wesson Department of Physics, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1 and Gravity Probe-B, Hansen Physics Laboratories, Stanford University, Stanford, California, U.S.A. 94305 Abstract We review higher-dimensional unified theories from the general relativity, rather than the particle physics side. Three distinct approaches to the subject are identi- fied and contrasted: compactified, projective and noncompactified. We discuss the cosmological and astrophysical implications of extra dimensions, and conclude that none of the three approaches can be ruled out on observational grounds at the present time. arXiv:gr-qc/9805018v1 7 May 1998 Preprint submitted to Elsevier Preprint 3 February 2008 1 Introduction Kaluza’s [1] achievement was to show that five-dimensional general relativity contains both Einstein’s four-dimensional theory of gravity and Maxwell’s the- ory of electromagnetism. He however imposed a somewhat artificial restriction (the cylinder condition) on the coordinates, essentially barring the fifth one a priori from making a direct appearance in the laws of physics. Klein’s [2] con- tribution was to make this restriction less artificial by suggesting a plausible physical basis for it in compactification of the fifth dimension. This idea was enthusiastically received by unified-field theorists, and when the time came to include the strong and weak forces by extending Kaluza’s mechanism to higher dimensions, it was assumed that these too would be compact. This line of thinking has led through eleven-dimensional supergravity theories in the 1980s to the current favorite contenders for a possible “theory of everything,” ten-dimensional superstrings. -
Conformal Symmetry in Field Theory and in Quantum Gravity
universe Review Conformal Symmetry in Field Theory and in Quantum Gravity Lesław Rachwał Instituto de Física, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília DF 70910-900, Brazil; [email protected] Received: 29 August 2018; Accepted: 9 November 2018; Published: 15 November 2018 Abstract: Conformal symmetry always played an important role in field theory (both quantum and classical) and in gravity. We present construction of quantum conformal gravity and discuss its features regarding scattering amplitudes and quantum effective action. First, the long and complicated story of UV-divergences is recalled. With the development of UV-finite higher derivative (or non-local) gravitational theory, all problems with infinities and spacetime singularities might be completely solved. Moreover, the non-local quantum conformal theory reveals itself to be ghost-free, so the unitarity of the theory should be safe. After the construction of UV-finite theory, we focused on making it manifestly conformally invariant using the dilaton trick. We also argue that in this class of theories conformal anomaly can be taken to vanish by fine-tuning the couplings. As applications of this theory, the constraints of the conformal symmetry on the form of the effective action and on the scattering amplitudes are shown. We also remark about the preservation of the unitarity bound for scattering. Finally, the old model of conformal supergravity by Fradkin and Tseytlin is briefly presented. Keywords: quantum gravity; conformal gravity; quantum field theory; non-local gravity; super- renormalizable gravity; UV-finite gravity; conformal anomaly; scattering amplitudes; conformal symmetry; conformal supergravity 1. Introduction From the beginning of research on theories enjoying invariance under local spacetime-dependent transformations, conformal symmetry played a pivotal role—first introduced by Weyl related changes of meters to measure distances (and also due to relativity changes of periods of clocks to measure time intervals). -
Large-D Behavior of the Feynman Amplitudes for a Just-Renormalizable Tensorial Group Field Theory
PHYSICAL REVIEW D 103, 085006 (2021) Large-d behavior of the Feynman amplitudes for a just-renormalizable tensorial group field theory † Vincent Lahoche1,* and Dine Ousmane Samary 1,2, 1Commissariatal ` ’Énergie Atomique (CEA, LIST), 8 Avenue de la Vauve, 91120 Palaiseau, France 2Facult´e des Sciences et Techniques (ICMPA-UNESCO Chair), Universit´ed’Abomey- Calavi, 072 BP 50, Benin (Received 22 December 2020; accepted 22 March 2021; published 16 April 2021) This paper aims at giving a novel approach to investigate the behavior of the renormalization group flow for tensorial group field theories to all order of the perturbation theory. From an appropriate choice of the kinetic kernel, we build an infinite family of just-renormalizable models, for tensor fields with arbitrary rank d. Investigating the large d-limit, we show that the self-energy melonic amplitude is decomposed as a product of loop-vertex functions depending only on dimensionless mass. The corresponding melonic amplitudes may be mapped as trees in the so-called Hubbard-Stratonivich representation, and we show that only trees with edges of different colors survive in the large d-limit. These two key features allow to resum the perturbative expansion for self energy, providing an explicit expression for arbitrary external momenta in terms of Lambert function. Finally, inserting this resummed solution into the Callan-Symanzik equations, and taking into account the strong relation between two and four point functions arising from melonic Ward- Takahashi identities, we then deduce an explicit expression for relevant and marginal β-functions, valid to all orders of the perturbative expansion. By investigating the solutions of the resulting flow, we conclude about the nonexistence of any fixed point in the investigated region of the full phase space. -
Loop Quantum Cosmology, Modified Gravity and Extra Dimensions
universe Review Loop Quantum Cosmology, Modified Gravity and Extra Dimensions Xiangdong Zhang Department of Physics, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China; [email protected] Academic Editor: Jaume Haro Received: 24 May 2016; Accepted: 2 August 2016; Published: 10 August 2016 Abstract: Loop quantum cosmology (LQC) is a framework of quantum cosmology based on the quantization of symmetry reduced models following the quantization techniques of loop quantum gravity (LQG). This paper is devoted to reviewing LQC as well as its various extensions including modified gravity and higher dimensions. For simplicity considerations, we mainly focus on the effective theory, which captures main quantum corrections at the cosmological level. We set up the basic structure of Brans–Dicke (BD) and higher dimensional LQC. The effective dynamical equations of these theories are also obtained, which lay a foundation for the future phenomenological investigations to probe possible quantum gravity effects in cosmology. Some outlooks and future extensions are also discussed. Keywords: loop quantum cosmology; singularity resolution; effective equation 1. Introduction Loop quantum gravity (LQG) is a quantum gravity scheme that tries to quantize general relativity (GR) with the nonperturbative techniques consistently [1–4]. Many issues of LQG have been carried out in the past thirty years. In particular, among these issues, loop quantum cosmology (LQC), which is the cosmological sector of LQG has received increasing interest and has become one of the most thriving and fruitful directions of LQG [5–9]. It is well known that GR suffers singularity problems and this, in turn, implies that our universe also has an infinitely dense singularity point that is highly unphysical. -
Quantum Vacuum Energy Density and Unifying Perspectives Between Gravity and Quantum Behaviour of Matter
Annales de la Fondation Louis de Broglie, Volume 42, numéro 2, 2017 251 Quantum vacuum energy density and unifying perspectives between gravity and quantum behaviour of matter Davide Fiscalettia, Amrit Sorlib aSpaceLife Institute, S. Lorenzo in Campo (PU), Italy corresponding author, email: [email protected] bSpaceLife Institute, S. Lorenzo in Campo (PU), Italy Foundations of Physics Institute, Idrija, Slovenia email: [email protected] ABSTRACT. A model of a three-dimensional quantum vacuum based on Planck energy density as a universal property of a granular space is suggested. This model introduces the possibility to interpret gravity and the quantum behaviour of matter as two different aspects of the same origin. The change of the quantum vacuum energy density can be considered as the fundamental medium which determines a bridge between gravity and the quantum behaviour, leading to new interest- ing perspectives about the problem of unifying gravity with quantum theory. PACS numbers: 04. ; 04.20-q ; 04.50.Kd ; 04.60.-m. Key words: general relativity, three-dimensional space, quantum vac- uum energy density, quantum mechanics, generalized Klein-Gordon equation for the quantum vacuum energy density, generalized Dirac equation for the quantum vacuum energy density. 1 Introduction The standard interpretation of phenomena in gravitational fields is in terms of a fundamentally curved space-time. However, this approach leads to well known problems if one aims to find a unifying picture which takes into account some basic aspects of the quantum theory. For this reason, several authors advocated different ways in order to treat gravitational interaction, in which the space-time manifold can be considered as an emergence of the deepest processes situated at the fundamental level of quantum gravity. -
Immirzi Parameter Without Immirzi Ambiguity: Conformal Loop Quantization of Scalar-Tensor Gravity
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Aberdeen University Research Archive PHYSICAL REVIEW D 96, 084011 (2017) Immirzi parameter without Immirzi ambiguity: Conformal loop quantization of scalar-tensor gravity † Olivier J. Veraguth* and Charles H.-T. Wang Department of Physics, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom (Received 25 May 2017; published 5 October 2017) Conformal loop quantum gravity provides an approach to loop quantization through an underlying conformal structure i.e. conformally equivalent class of metrics. The property that general relativity itself has no conformal invariance is reinstated with a constrained scalar field setting the physical scale. Conformally equivalent metrics have recently been shown to be amenable to loop quantization including matter coupling. It has been suggested that conformal geometry may provide an extended symmetry to allow a reformulated Immirzi parameter necessary for loop quantization to behave like an arbitrary group parameter that requires no further fixing as its present standard form does. Here, we find that this can be naturally realized via conformal frame transformations in scalar-tensor gravity. Such a theory generally incorporates a dynamical scalar gravitational field and reduces to general relativity when the scalar field becomes a pure gauge. In particular, we introduce a conformal Einstein frame in which loop quantization is implemented. We then discuss how different Immirzi parameters under this description may be related by conformal frame transformations and yet share the same quantization having, for example, the same area gaps, modulated by the scalar gravitational field. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.96.084011 I. -
Iniziativa Specifica Ts11
TS11 (PAVIA) INIZIATIVA SPECIFICA TS11 Gravità, Campi e Stringhe (Bo, Pv, Pi, RM1, Ts) Componenti sede Pavia: M. Carfora, A. Marzuoli, C. Dappiaggi Dottorandi: Francesca Vidotto (XXIV ciclo) (completed) Giandomenico Palumbo (XXV ciclo) Dimitri Marinelli (XXVI ciclo) TS11 provides a common area where problems at the intersection of gravity, field theory and string theory are investigated. The leit motiv of our IS is the exchange of ideas and the cross-fertilization among nearby areas of research, notably String theory, Condensed matter physics, geometric analysis, and Relativistic physics. Research highlights for 2011/12 : (i) Topological Quantum Field Theory and Quantum computation: This approach develops a scheme for quantum computation based on modular functors of Chern— Simons theory realized by the recoupling theory of N SU(2) angular momenta. Modelli di gravità quantistica discretizzata e applicazioni. -Nella monografia LN Physics sono riportati risultati sulle applicazioni di metodi originariamente utilizzati in modelli 3d di gravità discretizzata -triangolazioni decorate, SU(2) state sums di Turaev- Viro e associate osservabili quantistiche- finalizzate a stabilire una descrizione microscopica unificata delle fasi topogiche di sistemi 2d di interesse per la condensed matter e la computazione quantistica. -In collaborazione con D Marinelli e Università di Perugia: analisi semiclassica di ‘spin networks’ con metodi geometrici-combinatorici e applicazioni allo schema di Askey-Wilson dei polinomi ipergeometrici. Computazione quantistica topologica In collaborazione con G Palumbo: -Teorie di campo di tipo BF come azioni azioni effettive per il grafene ((2+1)d) e gli isolanti topologici ((3+1)d), versioni miscroscopiche, teorie di bordo discretizzate e loro applicazioni alla ‘anyonic’ quantum computation. -
1 HESTENES' TETRAD and SPIN CONNECTIONS Frank
HESTENES’ TETRAD AND SPIN CONNECTIONS Frank Reifler and Randall Morris Lockheed Martin Corporation MS2 (137-205) 199 Borton Landing Road Moorestown, New Jersey 08057 ABSTRACT Defining a spin connection is necessary for formulating Dirac’s bispinor equation in a curved space-time. Hestenes has shown that a bispinor field is equivalent to an orthonormal tetrad of vector fields together with a complex scalar field. In this paper, we show that using Hestenes’ tetrad for the spin connection in a Riemannian space-time leads to a Yang-Mills formulation of the Dirac Lagrangian in which the bispinor field Ψ is mapped to a set of × K ρ SL(2,R) U(1) gauge potentials Fα and a complex scalar field . This result was previously proved for a Minkowski space-time using Fierz identities. As an application we derive several different non-Riemannian spin connections found in the literature directly from an arbitrary K linear connection acting on the tensor fields (Fα ,ρ) . We also derive spin connections for which Dirac’s bispinor equation is form invariant. Previous work has not considered form invariance of the Dirac equation as a criterion for defining a general spin connection. 1 I. INTRODUCTION Defining a spin connection to replace the partial derivatives in Dirac’s bispinor equation in a Minkowski space-time, is necessary for the formulation of Dirac’s bispinor equation in a curved space-time. All the spin connections acting on bispinors found in the literature first introduce a local orthonormal tetrad field on the space-time manifold and then require that the Dirac Lagrangian be invariant under local change of tetrad [1] – [8]. -
BEYOND SPACE and TIME the Secret Network of the Universe: How Quantum Geometry Might Complete Einstein’S Dream
BEYOND SPACE AND TIME The secret network of the universe: How quantum geometry might complete Einstein’s dream By Rüdiger Vaas With the help of a few innocuous - albeit subtle and potent - equations, Abhay Ashtekar can escape the realm of ordinary space and time. The mathematics developed specifically for this purpose makes it possible to look behind the scenes of the apparent stage of all events - or better yet: to shed light on the very foundation of reality. What sounds like black magic, is actually incredibly hard physics. Were Albert Einstein alive today, it would have given him great pleasure. For the goal is to fulfil the big dream of a unified theory of gravity and the quantum world. With the new branch of science of quantum geometry, also called loop quantum gravity, Ashtekar has come close to fulfilling this dream - and tries thereby, in addition, to answer the ultimate questions of physics: the mysteries of the big bang and black holes. "On the Planck scale there is a precise, rich, and discrete structure,” says Ashtekar, professor of physics and Director of the Center for Gravitational Physics and Geometry at Pennsylvania State University. The Planck scale is the smallest possible length scale with units of the order of 10-33 centimeters. That is 20 orders of magnitude smaller than what the world’s best particle accelerators can detect. At this scale, Einstein’s theory of general relativity fails. Its subject is the connection between space, time, matter and energy. But on the Planck scale it gives unreasonable values - absurd infinities and singularities. -
Open Taveras.Pdf
The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School LOOP GRAVITY: AN APPLICATION AND AN EXTENSION A Dissertation in Physics by Victor Manuel Taveras c 2009 Victor Manuel Taveras Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2009 The thesis of Victor Manuel Taveras was reviewed and approved∗ by the following: Abhay Ashtekar Eberly Professor of Physics Dissertation Advisor, Chair of Committee Martin Bojowald Professor of Physics Sam Finn Professor of Physics Nigel Higson Professor of Mathematics Richard Robinett Professor of Physics Head of the Department of Physics ∗Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. Abstract In this thesis we address two issues in the area of loop quantum gravity. The first concerns the semiclassical limit in loop quantum cosmology via the use of so-called effective equations. In loop quantum cosmology the quantum dynamics is well understood. We can approximate the full quantum dynamics in the infi- nite dimensional Hilbert space by projecting it on a finite dimensional submanifold thereof, spanned by suitably chosen semiclassical states. This submanifold is iso- morphic with the classical phase space and the projected dynamical flow provides effective equations incorporating the leading quantum corrections to the classical equations of motion. Numerical work has been done in the full theory using quan- tum states which are semiclassical at late times. These states follow the classical trajectory until the density is on the order of 1% of the Planck density then deviate strongly from the classical trajectory. The effective equations we obtain reproduce this behavior to surprising accuracy. The second issue concerns generalizations of the classical action which is the starting point for loop quantum gravity.