Simplicial lattices provide an elegant framework for discrete spacetimes. The inherent orthogonality between a simplicial lattice and its circumcentric dual yields an austere representation of spacetime which provides a conceptually simple form of Einstein's geometric theory of gravitation. A sufficient understanding of simplicial spacetimes has been demonstrated in the literature for spacetimes devoid of all non-gravitational sources. However, this understanding has not been adequately extended to non-vacuum spacetime models. Consequently, a deep understanding of the diffeomorphic structure of the discrete theory is lacking. Conservation laws and symmetry properties are attractive starting points for coupling matter with the lattice. We present a simplicial form of the contracted Bianchi identity which is based on the E. Cartan moment of rotation operator. This identity manifests itself in the conceptually-simple form of a Kirchhoff-like conservation law. This conservation law enables one to extend Regge Calculus to non-vacuum spacetimes and provides a deeper understanding of the simplicial diffeomorphism group.
We consider the possibility to use the areas of two-simplexes, instead of lengths of edges, as the dynamical variables of Regge calculus. We show that if the action of Regge calculus is varied with respect to the areas of two-simplexes, and appropriate constraints are imposed between the variations, the Einstein-Regge equations are recovered.
Encountered in the literature generalisations of general relativity to independent area variables are considered, the discrete (generalised Regge calculus) and continuum ones. The generalised Regge calculus can be either with purely area variables or, as we suggest, with area tensor-connection variables. Just for the latter, in particular, we prove that in analogy with corresponding statement in ordinary Regge calculus (by Feinberg, Friedberg, Lee and Ren), passing to the (appropriately defined) continuum limit yields the generalised continuum area tensor-connection general relativity.
We discuss the possibility of incorporating non-Riemannian parallel transport into Regge calculus. It is shown that every Regge lattice is locally equivalent to a space of constant curvature. Therefore well known-concepts of differential geometry imply the definition of an arbitrary linear affine connection on a Regge lattice.
An approach to the discrete quantum gravity based on the Regge calculus is discussed which was developed in a number of our papers. Regge calculus is general relativity for the subclass of general Riemannian manifolds called piecewise flat ones. Regge calculus deals with the discrete set of variables, triangulation lengths, and contains continuous general relativity as a particular limiting case when the lengths tend to zero. In our approach the quantum length expectations are nonzero and of the order of Plank scale $10^{-33}cm$. This means the discrete spacetime structure on these scales.
We find that the continuous matter fields are ill-defined in Regge calculus in the physical 4D theory since the corresponding effective action has infinite terms unremovable by the UV renormalisation procedure. These terms are connected with the singular nature of the curvature distribution in Regge calculus, namely, with the presence in d>2 dimensions of the (d-3)-dimensional simplices where the (d-2)-dimensional ones carrying different conical singularities are meeting. Possible resolution of this difficulty is discretisation of matter fields in Regge background.
Two lattice based methods for numerical relativity, the Regge Calculus and the Smooth Lattice Relativity, will be compared with respect to accuracy and computational speed in a full 3+1 evolution of initial data representing a standard Kasner cosmology. It will be shown that both methods provide convergent approximations to the exact Kasner cosmology. It will also be shown that the Regge Calculus is of the order of 110 times slower than the Smooth Lattice method.
We briefly review past applications of Regge calculus in classical numerical relativity, and then outline a programme for the future development of the field. We briefly describe the success of lattice gravity in constructing initial data for the head-on collision of equal mass black holes, and discuss recent results on the efficacy of Regge calculus in the continuum limit.
Area Regge calculus is a candidate theory of simplicial gravity, based on the Regge action with triangle areas as the dynamical variables. It is characterized by metric discontinuities and vanishing deficit angles. Area Regge calculus arises in the large-spin limit of the Barrett-Crane spinfoam model, but not in the newer EPRL/FK model. We address the viability of area Regge calculus as a discretization of General Relativity. We argue that when all triangles are spacelike and all tetrahedra have the same signature, non-trivial solutions of the area calculus are associated with a nonzero Ricci …
Taking the triangle areas as independent variables in the theory of Regge calculus can lead to ambiguities in the edge lengths, which can be interpreted as discontinuities in the metric. We construct solutions to area Regge calculus using a triangulated lattice and find that on a spacelike hypersurface no such discontinuity can arise. On a null hypersurface however, we can have such a situation and the resulting metric can be interpreted as a so-called refractive wave.
We consider the possibility of setting up a new version of Regge calculus in four dimensions with areas of triangles as the basic variables rather than the edge-lengths. The difficulties and restrictions of this approach are discussed.
Geodesic deviation is the most basic manifestation of the influence of gravitational fields on matter. We investigate geodesic deviation within the framework of Regge calculus, and compare the results with the continuous formulation of general relativity on two different levels. We show that the continuum and simplicial descriptions coincide when the cumulative effect of the Regge contributions over an infinitesimal element of area is considered. This comparison provides a quantitative relation between the curvature of the continuous description and the deficit angles of Regge calculus. The re…
Motivated by a recent study casting doubt on the correspondence between Regge calculus and general relativity in the continuum limit, we explore a mechanism by which the simplicial solutions can converge whilst the residual of the Regge equations evaluated on the continuum solutions does not. By directly constructing simplicial solutions for the Kasner cosmology we show that the oscillatory behaviour of the discrepancy between the Einstein and Regge solutions reconciles the apparent conflict between the results of Brewin and those of previous studies. We conclude that solutions of Regge calcul…
Quantum area tensor Regge calculus is considered, some properties are discussed. The path integral quantisation is defined for the usual length-based Regge calculus considered as a particular case (a kind of a state) of the area tensor Regge calculus. Under natural physical assumptions the quantisation of interest is practically unique up to an additional one-parametric local factor of the type of a power of $\det\|g_{λμ}\|$ in the measure. In particular, this factor can be adjusted so that in the continuum limit we would have any of the measures usually discussed in the continuum quantum grav…
Regge calculus is considered as a particular case of the more general system where the linklengths of any two neighbouring 4-tetrahedra do not necessarily coincide on their common face. This system is treated as that one described by metric discontinuous on the faces. In the superspace of all discontinuous metrics the Regge calculus metrics form some hypersurface. Quantum theory of the discontinuous metric system is assumed to be fixed somehow in the form of quantum measure on (the space of functionals on) the superspace. The problem of reducing this measure to the Regge hypersurface is addres…
The Hilbert action is derived for a simplicial geometry. I recover the usual Regge calculus action by way of a decomposition of the simplicial geometry into 4-dimensional cells defined by the simplicial (Delaunay) lattice as well as its dual (Voronoi) lattice. Within the simplicial geometry, the Riemann scalar curvature, the proper 4-volume, and hence, the Regge action is shown to be exact, in the sense that the definition of the action does not require one to introduce an averaging procedure, or a sequence of continuum metrics which were common in all previous derivations. It appears that the…
Wick rotation in area tensor Regge calculus is considered. The heuristical expectation is confirmed that the Lorentzian quantum measure on a spacelike area should coincide with the Euclidean measure at the same argument. The consequence is validity of probabilistic interpretation of the Lorentzian measure as well (on the real, i.e. spacelike areas).
We describe a general method of obtaining the constraints between area variables in one approach to area Regge calculus, and illustrate it with a simple example. The simplicial complex is the simplest tessellation of the 4-sphere. The number of independent constraints on the variations of the triangle areas is shown to equal the difference between the numbers of triangles and edges, and a general method of choosing independent constraints is described. The constraints chosen by using our method are shown to imply the Regge equations of motion in our example.
The application of Regge calculus, a lattice formulation of general relativity, is reviewed in the context of numerical relativity. Particular emphasis is placed on problems of current computational interest, and the strengths and weaknesses of the lattice approach are highlighted. Several new and illustrative applications are presented, including initial data for the head on collision of two black holes, and the time evolution of vacuum axisymmetric Brill waves.
We consider Riemannian 4d BF lattice gauge theory, on a triangulation of spacetime. Introducing the simplicity constraints which turn BF theory into simplicial gravity, some geometric quantities of Regge calculus, areas, and 3d and 4d dihedral angles, are identified. The parallel transport conditions are taken care of to ensure a consistent gluing of simplices. We show that these gluing relations, together with the simplicity constraints, contain the constraints of area-angle Regge calculus in a simple way, via the group structure of the underlying BF gauge theory. This provides a precise road…
The functional integral measure in the 4D Regge calculus normalised w.r.t. the DeWitt supermetric on the space of metrics is considered. The Faddeev-Popov factor in the measure is shown according to the previous author's work on the continuous fields in Regge calculus to be generally ill-defined due to the conical singularities. Possible resolution of this problem is discretisation of the gravity ghost (gauge) field by, e.g., confining ourselves to the affine transformations of the affine frames in the simplices. This results in the singularity of the functional measure in the vicinity of the …
Dynamics of a Regge three-dimensional (3D) manifold in a continuous time is considered. The manifold is closed consisting of the two tetrahedrons with identified corresponding vertices. The action of the model is that obtained via limiting procedure from the general relativity (GR) action for the completely discrete 4D Regge calculus. It closely resembles the continuous general relativity action in the Hilbert-Palatini (HP) form but possesses finite number of the degrees of freedom. The canonical structure of the theory is described. Central point is appearance of the new relations with time d…
The convergence properties of numerical Regge calculus as an approximation to continuum vacuum General Relativity is studied, both analytically and numerically. The Regge equations are evaluated on continuum spacetimes by assigning squared geodesic distances in the continuum manifold to the squared edge lengths in the simplicial manifold. It is found analytically that, individually, the Regge equations converge to zero as the second power of the lattice spacing, but that an average over local Regge equations converges to zero as (at the very least) the third power of the lattice spacing. Numer…
The simplest (3+1)D Regge calculus model (with three-dimensional discrete space and continuous time) is considered which describes evolution of the simplest closed two-tetrahedron piecewise flat manifold in the continuous time. The measure in the path integral which describes canonical quantisation of the model in terms of area bivectors and connections as independent variables is found. It is shown that selfdual-antiselfdual splitting of the variables simplifies the integral although does not admit complete separation of (anti-)selfdual sector.
Regge calculus configuration superspace can be embedded into a more general superspace where the length of any edge is defined ambiguously depending on the 4-tetrahedron containing the edge. Moreover, the latter superspace can be extended further so that even edge lengths in each the 4-tetrahedron are not defined, only area tensors of the 2-faces in it are. We make use of our previous result concerning quantisation of the area tensor Regge calculus which gives finite expectation values for areas. Also our result is used showing that quantum measure in the Regge calculus can be uniquely fixed o…
Any practical attempt to solve the Regge equations, these being a large system of non-linear algebraic equations, will almost certainly employ a Newton-Raphson like scheme. In such cases it is essential that efficient algorithms be used when computing the defect angles and their derivatives with respect to the leg-lengths. The purpose of this paper is to present details of such an algorithm.
We will ask the question of whether or not the Regge calculus (and two related simplicial formulations) is a consistent approximation to General Relativity. Our criteria will be based on the behaviour of residual errors in the discrete equations when evaluated on solutions of the Einstein equations. We will show that for generic simplicial lattices the residual errors can not be used to distinguish metrics which are solutions of Einstein's equations from those that are not. We will conclude that either the Regge calculus is an inconsistent approximation to General Relativity or that it is inco…
In Regge calculus space time is usually approximated by a triangulation with flat simplices. We present a formulation using simplices with constant sectional curvature adjusted to the presence of a cosmological constant. As we will show such a formulation allows to replace the length variables by 3d or 4d dihedral angles as basic variables. Moreover we will introduce a first order formulation, which in contrast to using flat simplices, does not require any constraints. These considerations could be useful for the construction of quantum gravity models with a cosmological constant.
Using the notion of a general conical defect, the Regge Calculus is generalized by allowing for dislocations on the simplicial lattice in addition to the usual disclinations. Since disclinations and dislocations correspond to curvature and torsion singularities, respectively, the method we propose provides a natural way of discretizing gravitational theories with torsion degrees of freedom like the Einstein-Cartan theory. A discrete version of the Einstein-Cartan action is given and field equations are derived, demanding stationarity of the action with respect to the discrete variables of the …
Spacetime discretized in simplexes, as proposed in the pioneer work of Regge, is described in terms of selfdual variables. In particular, we elucidate the "kinematic" structure of the initial value problem, in which 3--space is divided into flat tetrahedra, paying particular attention to the role played by the reality condition for the Ashtekar variables. An attempt is made to write down the vector and scalar constraints of the theory in a simple and potentially useful way.
Considered are I class constraints in the tetrad-connection formulation of Regge calculus. One of these is well-known Gauss law which generates rotations in the local frames associated with tetrahedrons in the continuous time 3D section. Another two types of these are new, satisfied by definition of Regge manifold and having no I class analogs in the continuum general relativity. Constraints of the first type express vanishing of the dual squares of antisymmetric tensors of the triangles in the 3D section thus ensuring each such tensor being a bivector. Constraints of the second type are trigo…
We propose the following way of constructing quantum measure in Regge calculus: the full discrete Regge manifold is made continuous in some direction by tending corresponding dimensions of simplices to zero, then functional integral measure corresponding to the canonical quantization (with continuous coordinate playing the role of time) can be constructed. The full discrete measure is chosen so that it would result in canonical quantization one whatever coordinate is made continuous. This strategy is followed in 3D case where full discrete measure is determined in such the way practically uniq…
This is an informal review of the formulation of canonical general relativity and of its implications for quantum gravity; the various versions are compared, both in the continuum and in a discretized approximation suggested by Regge calculus. I also show that the weakness of the link with the geometric content of the theory gives rise to what I think is a serious flaw in the claimed derivation of a discrete structure for space at the quantum level.
While there has been some advance in the use of Regge calculus as a tool in numerical relativity, the main progress in Regge calculus recently has been in quantum gravity. After a brief discussion of this progress, attention is focussed on two particular, related aspects. Firstly, the possible definitions of diffeomorphisms or gauge transformations in Regge calculus are examined and examples are given. Secondly, an investigation of the signature of the simplicial supermetric is described. This is the Lund-Regge metric on simplicial configuration space and defines the distance between simplicia…
The problem of fixing measure in the path integral for the Regge-discretised gravity is considered from the viewpoint of it's "best approximation" to the already known formal continuum general relativity (GR) measure. A rigorous formulation may consist in comparing functional Fourier transforms of the measures, i.e. characteristic or generating functionals, and requiring these to coincide on some dense set in the functional space. The possibility for such set to exist is due to the Regge manifold being a particular case of general Riemannian one (Regge calculus is a minisuperspace theory). The…
The Regge calculus generalised to independent area tensor variables is considered. The continuous time limit is found and formal Feynman path integral measure corresponding to the canonical quantisation is written out. The quantum measure in the completely discrete theory is found which possesses the property to lead to the Feynman path integral in the continuous time limit whatever coordinate is chosen as time. This measure can be well defined by passing to the integration over imaginary field variables (area tensors). Averaging with the help of this measure gives finite expectation values fo…
The role of Regge calculus as a tool for numerical relativity is discussed, and a parallelizable implicit evolution scheme described. Because of the structure of the Regge equations, it is possible to advance the vertices of a triangulated spacelike hypersurface in isolation, solving at each vertex a purely local system of implicit equations for the new edge-lengths involved. (In particular, equations of global ``elliptic-type'' do not arise.) Consequently, there exists a parallel evolution scheme which divides the vertices into families of non-adjacent elements and advances all the vertices o…
We describe the first discrete-time 4-dimensional numerical application of Regge calculus. The spacetime is represented as a complex of 4-dimensional simplices, and the geometry interior to each 4-simplex is flat Minkowski spacetime. This simplicial spacetime is constructed so as to be foliated with a one parameter family of spacelike hypersurfaces built of tetrahedra. We implement a novel two-surface initial-data prescription for Regge calculus, and provide the first fully 4-dimensional application of an implicit decoupled evolution scheme (the ``Sorkin evolution scheme''). We benchmark this …
In the (3+1)D Hamiltonian Regge calculus (one of the coordinates, $ t$, is continuous) conjugate variables are (defined on triangles of discrete 3D section $ t=const$) finite connections and antisymmetric area bivectors. The latter, however, are not independent, since triangles may have common edges. This circumstance can be taken into account with the help of the set of kinematical (that is, required to hold by definition of Regge manifold) bilinear constraints on bivectors. Some of these contain derivatives over $ t$, and taking them into account with the help of Lagrange multipliers would r…
Regge action is represented analogously to how the Palatini action for general relativity (GR) as some functional of the metric and a general connection as independent variables represents the Einstein-Hilbert action. The piecewise flat (or simplicial) spacetime of Regge calculus is equipped with some world coordinates and some piecewise affine metric which is completely defined by the set of edge lengths and the world coordinates of the vertices. The conjugate variables are the general nondegenerate matrices on the 3-simplices which play a role of a general discrete connection. Our previous r…
The integrated mean curvature of a simplicial manifold is well understood in both Regge Calculus and Discrete Differential Geometry. However, a well motivated pointwise definition of curvature requires a careful choice of volume over which to uniformly distribute the local integrated curvature. We show that hybrid cells formed using both the simplicial lattice and its circumcentric dual emerge as a remarkably natural structure for the distribution of this local integrated curvature. These hybrid cells form a complete tessellation of the simplicial manifold, contain a geometric orthonormal basi…
Euclidean quantum measure in Regge calculus with independent area tensors is considered using example of the Regge manifold of a simple structure. We go over to integrations along certain contours in the hyperplane of complex connection variables. Discrete connection and curvature on classical solutions of the equations of motion are not, strictly speaking, genuine connection and curvature, but more general quantities and, therefore, these do not appear as arguments of a function to be averaged, but are the integration (dummy) variables. We argue that upon integrating out the latter the result…
An evolution scheme is developed, based on Sorkin algorithm, to evolve the most complex regular tridimensional polytope, the 600-cell. The solution of 600-cell, already studied before, is generalized by allowing a larger number of free variables. The singularities of Robertson-Walker (RW) metric are studied and a reason is given why the evolution of the 600-cell stops when its volume is still far from zero. A fit of 600-cell's evolution with a continuos metric is studied by writing a metric generalizing Friedmann's and including the 600-cell evolution too. The result is that the 600-cell meets…
In quantum Regge calculus areas of timelike triangles possess discrete spectrum. This is because bivectors of these triangles are variables canonically conjugate to orthogonal connection matrices varying in the compact group. (The scale of quantum of this spectrum is nothing but Plankian one). This is checked in simple exactly solvable model - dimensionally reduced in some way Regge calculus.
(3+1) (continuous time) Regge calculus is reduced to Hamiltonian form. The constraints are classified, classical and quantum consequences are discussed. As basic variables connection matrices and antisymmetric area tensors are used supplemented with appropriate bilinear constraints. In these variables the action can be made quasipolinomial with $\arcsin$ as the only deviation from polinomiality. In comparison with analogous formalism in the continuum theory classification of constraints changes: some of them disappear, the part of I class constraints including Hamiltonian one become II class (…
We will examine the issue of diffeomorphism symmetry in simplicial models of (quantum) gravity, in particular for Regge calculus. We find that for a solution with curvature there do not exist exact gauge symmetries on the discrete level. Furthermore we derive a canonical formulation that exactly matches the dynamics and hence symmetries of the covariant picture. In this canonical formulation broken symmetries lead to the replacements of constraints by so--called pseudo constraints. These considerations should be taken into account in attempts to connect spin foam models, based on the Regge act…
We study the ground state wave function for a universe which is topologically a lens space within the Regge calculus approach. By restricting the four dimensional simplicial complex to be a cone over the boundary lens space, described by a single internal edge length, and a single boundary edge length, one can analyze in detail the analytic properties of the action in the space of complex edge lengths. The classical extrema and convergent steepest descent contours of integration yielding the wave function are found. Both the Hartle-Hawking and Linde-Vilenkin type proposals are examined and, in…
A discretized version of canonical gravity in (3+1)-d introduced in a previous paper is further developed, introducing the Liouville form and the Poisson brackets, and studying them in detail in an explicit parametrization that shows the nature of the variables when the second class constraints are imposed. It is then shown that, even leaving aside the difficult question of imposing the first class constraints on the states, it is impossible to quantize the model directly, using complex variables and leaving the second class constraints to fix the metric of the quantum Hilbert, because one can…
The quantum measure in area tensor Regge calculus can be constructed in such the way that it reduces to the Feynman path integral describing canonical quantisation if the continuous limit along any of the coordinates is taken. This construction does not necessarily mean that Lorentzian (Euclidean) measure satisfies correspondence principle, that is, takes the form proportional to $e^{iS}$ ($e^{-S}$) where $S$ is the action. Requirement to fit this principle means some restriction on the action, or, in the context of representation of the Regge action in terms of independent rotation matrices (…
The review paper "Discrete Structures in Physics", written in 2000, describes how Regge's discretization of Einstein's theory has been applied in classical relativity and quantum gravity. Here, developments since 2000 are reviewed briefly, with particular emphasis on progress in quantum gravity through spin foam models and group field theories.
The relation between Loop Quantum Gravity and Regge calculus has been pointed out many times in the literature. In particular the large spin asymptotics of the Barrett-Crane vertex amplitude is known to be related to the Regge action. In this paper we study a semiclassical regime of Loop Quantum Gravity and show that it admits an effective description in terms of perturbative area-Regge-calculus. The regime of interest is identified by a class of states given by superpositions of four-valent spin networks, peaked on large spins. As a probe of the dynamics in this regime, we compute explicitly …
Because of unboundedness of the general relativity action, Euclidean version of the path integral in general relativity requires definition. Area tensor Regge calculus is considered in the representation with independent area tensor and finite rotation matrices. Being integrated over rotation matrices the path integral measure in area tensor Regge calculus is rewritten by moving integration contours to complex plain so that it looks as that one with effective action in the exponential with positive real part. We speculate that positivity of the measure can be expected in the most part of range…
The Riemann scalar curvature plays a central role in Einstein's geometric theory of gravity. We describe a new geometric construction of this scalar curvature invariant at an event (vertex) in a discrete spacetime geometry. This allows one to constructively measure the scalar curvature using only clocks and photons. Given recent interest in discrete pre-geometric models of quantum gravity, we believe is it ever so important to reconstruct the curvature scalar with respect to a finite number of communicating observers. This derivation makes use of a new fundamental lattice cell built from eleme…
The first results presented in our article are the clear definitions of both intrinsic and extrinsic discrete curvatures in terms of holonomy and plane-angle representation, a clear relation with their deficit angles, and their clear geometrical interpretations in the first order discrete geometry. The second results are the discrete version of Bianchi identity and Gauss-Codazzi equation, together with their geometrical interpretations. It turns out that the discrete Bianchi identity and Gauss-Codazzi equation, at least in 3-dimension, could be derived from the dihedral angle formula of a tetr…
We develop an evolution scheme, based on Sorkin algorithm, to evolve the most complex regular tridimensional polytope, the 600-cell. This application has been already studied before and all authors found a stop point for the evolution of the spatial section. In our opinion a clear and satisfactory meaning to this behaviour has not been given. In this paper we propose a reason why the evolution of the 600-cell stops when its volume is still far from 0. We find that the 600-cell meets a causality-breaking singularity of space-time. We study the nature of this singularity by embedding the 600-cel…
In the context of the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity, the Weitzenbock manifold is considered as the limit of a suitable sequence of discrete lattices composed of an increasing number of smaller an smaller simplices, where the interior of each simplex (Delaunay lattice) is assumed to be flat. The link lengths between any pair of vertices serve as independent variables, so that torsion turns out to be localized in the two dimensional hypersurfaces (dislocation triangle, or hinge) of the lattice. Assuming that a vector undergoes a dislocation in relation to its initial position as …
In Regge calculus the space-time manifold is approximated by certain abstract simplicial complex, called a pseudo-manifold, and the metric is approximated by an assignment of a length to each 1-simplex. In this paper for each pseudomanifold we construct a smooth manifold which we call a manifold with defects. This manifold emerges from the purely combinatorial simplicial complex as a result of gluing geometric realizations of its n-simplices followed by removing the simplices of dimension n-2. The Regge geometry is encoded in a boundary data of a BF-theory on this manifold. We construct an act…
A comparative analysis of the versions of quantum measure in the area tensor Regge calculus is performed on the simplest configurations of the system. The quantum measure is constructed in such the way that it reduces to the Feynman path integral describing canonical quantisation if the continuous limit along any of the coordinates is taken. As we have found earlier, it is possible to implement also the correspondence principle (proportionality of the Lorentzian (Euclidean) measure to $e^{iS}$ ($e^{-S}$), $S$ being the action). For that a certain kind of the connection representation of the Re…
With the theory of general relativity, Einstein abolished the interpretation of gravitation as a force and associated it to the curvature of spacetime. Tensorial calculus and differential geometry are the mathematical resources necessary to study the spacetime manifold in the context of Einstein's theory. In 1961, Tullio Regge published a work on which he uses the old idea of triangulation of surfaces aiming the description of curvature, and, therefore, gravitation, through the use of discrete calculus. In this paper, we approach Regge Calculus pedagogically, as well as the main results toward…
A first order form of Regge calculus is defined in the spirit of Palatini's action for general relativity. The extra independent variables are the interior dihedral angles of a simplex, with conjugate variables the areas of the triangles. There is a discussion of the extent to which these areas can be used to parameterise the space of edge lengths of a simplex.
