A state of a black hole in loop quantum gravity is given by a distribution of spins on punctures on the horizon. The distribution is of the Boltzmann type, with the area playing the role of the energy. In investigations where the total area was kept approximately constant, there was a kind of thermal equilibrium between the spins which have the same analogue temperature and the entropy was proportional to the area. If the area is precisely fixed, however, multiple constraints appear, different spins have different analogue temperatures and the entropy is not strictly linear in the area, but is bounded by a linear rise.
There are two ways of counting microscopic states of black holes in loop quantum gravity, one counting all allowed spin network labels $j,m$ and the other involving only the labels $m$. Counting states with $|m|=j$, as done in a recent Letter, does not follow either.
Counting of microscopic states of black holes is discussed within the framework of loop quantum gravity. There are two different ways, one allowing for all spin states and the other involving only pure horizon states. The number of states with a definite value of the total spin is also found.
Counting of microscopic states of black holes is performed within the framework of loop quantum gravity. This is the first calculation of the pure horizon states using statistical methods, which reveals the possibility of additional states missed in the earlier calculations, leading to an increase of entropy. Also for the first time a microcanonical temperature is introduced within the framework.
The two ways of counting microscopic states of black holes in the U(1) formulation of loop quantum gravity, one counting all allowed spin network labels j,m and the other only m labels, are discussed in some detail. The constraints on m are clarified and the map between the flux quantum numbers and m discussed. Configurations with |m|=j, which are sometimes sought after, are shown to be important only when large areas are involved. The discussion is extended to the SU(2) formulation.
It has been argued that Horava gravity needs to be extended to include terms that mix spatial and time derivatives in order avoid unacceptable violations of Lorentz invariance in the matter sector. In an earlier paper we have shown that including such mixed derivative terms generically leads to 4th instead of 6th order dispersion relations and this could be (naively) interpreted as a threat to renormalizability. We have also argued that power-counting renormalizability is not actually compromised, but instead the simplest power-counting renormalizable model is not unitary. In this paper we con…
We consider the version of Hořava gravity where "detailed balance" is consistently implemented, so as to limit the huge proliferation of couplings in the full theory and obtain healthy dynamics at low energy. Since a superpotential which is third-order in spatial derivatives is not sufficient to guarantee the power-counting renormalizability of the spin-0 graviton, one needs to go an order beyond in derivatives, building a superpotential up to fourth-order spatial derivatives. Here we perturb the action to quadratic order around flat space and show that the power-counting renormalizability of …
It is well known that General Relativity cannot be considered under the standard of a perturbatively renormalizable quantum field theory, but asymptotic safety is taken into account as a possibility for the formulation of gravity as a non-perturbative renormalizable theory. Recently, the entropy argument has however stepped into the discussion claiming for a "no-go" to the asymptotic safety argument. In this paper, we present simple counter-examples, considering alternative theories of gravity, to the entropy argument as further indications, among others, on the possible flows in the assumptio…
We continue the study of covariant power-counting renormalizable gravity constrained by scalar Lagrange multiplier. Lorentz symmetry breaking is investigated in such a theory in comparison with the one in ghost condensation model. Covariant power-counting renormalizable vector gravity which is invariant under $U(1)$ gauge symmetry is proposed. Several forms of vector Lagrange multiplier in this theory are discussed. It is shown that covariant scalar/vector gravity under consideration may have power-law or de Sitter accelerating cosmological solution corresponding to inflationary era. Simplest …
We suggest a new scenario of gravitation in which gravity at the fundamental level is described by a Riemannian (i.e. locally Euclidean) theory without the notion of time. The Lorentzian metric structure and the notion of time emerge as effective properties at long distances. On the other hand, at short distances, higher derivative terms compatible with the Riemannian diffeomorphism become important and the system is described by a power-counting renormalizable Riemannian theory.
We investigated the distinction between two kinds of "Complexity equals Action"(CA) conjecture counting methods which are separately provided by Brown $ et\, al. $ and Lehner $et\, al.$ separately. For the late-time CA complexity growth rate, we show that the difference between two counting methods only comes from the boundary term of the segments on the horizon. However, both counting methods give the identical late-time result. Our proof is general, independent of the underlying theories of higher curvature gravity as well as the explicit stationary spacetime background. To be specific, we c…
Loop Gravity provides a microscopic derivation of Black Hole entropy. In this paper, I show that the microstates counted admit a semiclassical description in terms of shapes of a tessellated horizon. The counting of microstates and the computation of the entropy can be done via a mapping to an equivalent statistical mechanical problem: the counting of conformations of a closed polymer chain. This correspondence suggests a number of intriguing relations between the thermodynamics of Black Holes and the physics of polymers.
We investigate the Lagrange multiplier formulation of teleparallel theories, including f(T) gravity, in which the connection is not set to zero a priori and compare it with the pure frame theory. We show explicitly that the two formulations are equivalent, in the sense that the dynamical equations have the same content. One consequence is that the manifestly local Lorentz invariant f(T) theory cannot be expected to be free of pathologies, which were previously found to plague f(T) gravity formulated in the usual pure frame approach.
The finiteness of black hole entropy suggest that spacetime is fundamentally discrete, and hints at an underlying relationship between geometry and "information". The foundation of this relationship is yet to be uncovered, but should manifest itself in a theory of quantum gravity. We review recent attempts to define a microscopic measure for black hole entropy and for the maximum entropy of spherically symmetric spacelike regions, within the causal set approach to quantum gravity.
We give a complete and detailed description of the computation of black hole entropy in loop quantum gravity by employing the most recently introduced number-theoretic and combinatorial methods. The use of these techniques allows us to perform a detailed analysis of the precise structure of the entropy spectrum for small black holes, showing some relevant features that were not discernible in previous computations. The ability to manipulate and understand the spectrum up to the level of detail that we describe in the paper is a crucial step towards obtaining the behavior of entropy in the asym…
Horava gravity has been constructed so as to exhibit anisotropic scaling in the ultraviolet, as this renders the theory power-counting renormalizable. However, when coupled to matter, the theory has been shown to suffer from quadratic divergences. A way to cure these divergences is to add terms with both time and space derivatives. We consider this extended version of the theory in detail. We perform a perturbative analysis that includes all modes, determine the propagators and discuss how including mixed-derivative terms affects them. We also consider the Lifshitz scalar with mixed-derivative…
An outstanding challenge for models of non-perturbative quantum gravity is the consistent formulation and quantitative evaluation of physical phenomena in a regime where geometry and matter are strongly coupled. After developing appropriate technical tools, one is interested in measuring and classifying how the quantum fluctuations of geometry alter the behaviour of matter, compared with that on a fixed background geometry. In the simplified context of two dimensions, we show how a method invented to analyze the critical behaviour of spin systems on flat lattices can be adapted to the fluctuat…
The entropy of a black hole can be obtained by counting states in loop quantum gravity. The dominant term depends on the Immirzi parameter involved in the quantization and is proportional to the area of the horizon, while there is a logarithmic correction with coefficient -1/2.
We give a practical method to exactly compute black hole entropy in the framework of Loop Quantum Gravity. Along the way we provide a complete characterization of the relevant sector of the spectrum of the area operator, including degeneracies, and determine the number of solutions to the projection constraint analytically. We use a computer implementation of the proposed algorithm to confirm and extend previous results on the detailed structure of the black hole degeneracy spectrum.
We present a 3-dimensional model for massive gravity with masses induced by topological (Chern-Simons) and Proca-like mass terms. Causality and unitarity are discussed at tree-level. Power-counting renormalizability is also contemplated.
We discuss the counting of minimal geodesic ball coverings of $n$-dimensional riemannian manifolds of bounded geometry, fixed Euler characteristic and Reidemeister torsion in a given representation of the fundamental group. This counting bears relevance to the analysis of the continuum limit of discrete models of quantum gravity. We establish the conditions under which the number of coverings grows exponentially with the volume, thus allowing for the search of a continuum limit of the corresponding discretized models. The resulting entropy estimates depend on representations of the fundamental…
We reorganize the derivative expansion of general (power-counting non-renormalizable) 2d dilaton gravity such that the mass function is integrable. As an example, we consider a three-parameter family of models and provide conditions on the parameters such that the ground state is either Minkowski, Rindler, or (A)dS.
In this report we introduce the basic techniques (of the Closed Time Path - Coarse Grained Effective Action CTP-CGEA) and ideas (scaling, coarse-graining and backreaction) behind the treatment of quantum processes in dynamical background spacetimes and fields. We show how they are useful for the construction of renormalization group (RG) theories for studying these nonequilibrium processes and discuss the underlying issues. Examples are drawn from quantum field processes in an inflationary universe, semiclassical cosmology and stochastic gravity. In Part I we show how eternal inflation can be …
Quantum chaos can be characterized by an exponential growth of the thermal out-of-time-order four-point function up to a scrambling time $\widehat{u}_*$. We discuss generalizations of this statement for certain higher-point correlation functions. For concreteness, we study the Schwarzian theory of a one-dimensional time reparametrization mode, which describes $AdS_2$ gravity and the low-energy dynamics of the SYK model. We identify a particular set of $2k$-point functions, characterized as being both "maximally braided" and "k-OTO", which exhibit exponential growth until progressively longer t…
We present 48 further examples, in addition to the 10 identified in [1], of ghost-and-tachyon-free critical cases of parity-conserving Poincaré gauge theories of gravity (PGT$^+$) that are also power-counting renormalizable (PCR). This is achieved by extending the range of critical cases considered. Of the new PCR theories, seven have 2 massless degrees of freedom (d.o.f.) in propagating modes and a massive $0^-$ or $2^-$ mode, eight have only 2 massless d.o.f., and 33 have only massive mode(s). We also clarify the treatment of nonpropagating modes in determining whether a theory is PCR.
We review a class of higher derivative theories of gravity consistent at quantum level. This class is marked by a non-polynomal entire function (form factor), which averts extra degrees of freedom (including ghosts) and improves the high energy behaviour of the loop amplitudes. By power counting arguments, it is proved that the theory is super-renormalizable, i.e. only one-loop divergences survive. At classical level, black holes and cosmological solutions are singularity free.
In the framework of loop quantum gravity (LQG), having quantum black holes in mind, we generalize the previous boundary state counting (gr-qc/0508085) to a full bulk state counting. After a suitable gauge fixing we are able to compute the bulk entropy of a bounded region (the "black hole") with fixed boundary. This allows us to study the relationship between the entropy and the boundary area in details and we identify a holographic regime of LQG where the leading order of the entropy scales with the area. We show that in this regime we can fine tune the factor between entropy and area without …
Black holes in equilibrium and the counting of their entropy within Loop Quantum Gravity are reviewed. In particular, we focus on the conceptual setting of the formalism, briefly summarizing the main results of the classical formalism and its quantization. We then focus on recent results for small, Planck scale, black holes, where new structures have been shown to arise, in particular an effective quantization of the entropy. We discuss recent results that employ in a very effective manner results from number theory, providing a complete solution to the counting of black hole entropy. We end w…
A theory of quantum gravity has been recently proposed by means of a novel quantization prescription, which is able to turn the poles of the free propagators that are due to the higher derivatives into fakeons. The classical Lagrangian contains the cosmological term, the Hilbert term, $\sqrt{-g}R_{μν}R^{μν}$ and $\sqrt{-g}R^{2}$. In this paper, we compute the one-loop renormalization of the theory and the absorptive part of the graviton self energy. The results illustrate the mechanism that makes renormalizability compatible with unitarity. The fakeons disentangle the real part of the self ene…
Microscopic state counting for a black hole in Loop Quantum Gravity yields a result proportional to horizon area, and inversely proportional to Newton's constant and the Immirzi parameter. It is argued here that before this result can be compared to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of a macroscopic black hole, the scale dependence of both Newton's constant and the area must be accounted for. The two entropies could then agree for any value of the Immirzi parameter, if a certain renormalization property holds.
We hereby present a class of multidimensional higher derivative theories of gravity that realizes an ultraviolet completion of Einstein general relativity. This class is marked by a "non-polynomal" entire function (form factor), which averts extra degrees of freedom (including ghosts) and improves the high energy behavior of the loop amplitudes. By power counting arguments, it is proved that the theory is super-renormalizable in any dimension, i.e. only one-loop divergences survive. Furthermore, in odd dimensions there are no counter terms for pure gravity and the theory turns out to be "finit…
Approximately one year ago Horava proposed a power-counting renormalizable theory of gravity which abandons local Lorentz invariance. The proposal has been received with growing interest and resulted in various different versions of Horava-Lifshitz gravity theories, involving a colourful potpourri of new terminology. In this proceedings contribution we first motivate and briefly overview the various different approaches, clarifying their differences and similarities. We then focus on a model referred to as projectable Horava-Lifshitz gravity and summarize the key results regarding its viabilit…
The covariant formulation of teleparallel gravity theories must include the spin connection, which has 6 degrees of freedom. One can, however, always choose a gauge such that the spin connection is put to zero. In principle this gauge may affect counting of degrees of freedom in the Hamiltonian analysis. We show for general teleparallel theories of gravity, that fixing the gauge such that the spin connection vanishes in fact does not affect the counting of degrees of freedom. This manifests in the fact that the momenta of the Lorentz transformations which generate the spin connection are fully…
Reproducing the integer count of black hole micro-states from the gravitational path integral is an important problem in quantum gravity. In this paper, we show that, by using supersymmetric localization, the gravitational path integral for $\frac{1}8$-BPS black holes in $\mathcal{N}=8$ supergravity reproduces the index obtained in the string theory construction of such black holes, including all non-perturbatively suppressed geometries. A more refined argument then shows that, not only the black hole index, but also the total number of black hole microstates within an energy window above extr…
In LQG, black hole horizons are described by 2+1 dimensional boundaries of a bulk 3+1 dimensional spacetime. The horizon is endowed with area by lines of gravitational flux which pierce the surface. As is well known, counting of the possible states associated with a given set of punctures allows us to recover the famous Bekenstein-Hawking area law according to which the entropy of a black hole is proportional to the area of the associated horizon $ S_{BH} \propto A_{Hor} $. It is also known that the dynamics of the horizon degrees of freedom is described by the Chern-Simons action of a $\mathf…
It is shown that Schwarzschild black hole and de Sitter solutions exist as exact solutions of a recently proposed relativistic covariant formulation of (power-counting) renormalizable gravity with a fluid. The formulation without a fluid is also presented here. The stability of the solutions is studied and their corresponding entropies are computed, by using the covariant Wald method. The area law is shown to hold both for the Schwarzschild and for the de Sitter solutions found, confirming that, for the $β=1$ case, one is dealing with a minimal modification of GR.
We propose a natural extension of Horava's model for quantum gravity, which is free from the notorious pathologies of the original proposal. The new model endows the scalar graviton mode with a regular quadratic action and remains power-counting renormalizable. At low energies, it reduces to a Lorentz-violating scalar-tensor gravity theory. The deviations with respect to general relativity can be made weak by an appropriate choice of parameters.
An elementary introduction is given to the problem of black hole entropy as formulated by Bekenstein and Hawking. The information theoretic basis of Bekenstein's formulation is briefly reviewed and compared with Hawking's approach. The issue of calculating the entropy by actual counting of microstates is taken up next within two currently popular approaches to quantum gravity, viz., string theory and canonical quantum gravity. The treatment of the former assay is confined to a few remarks, mainly of a critical nature, while some of the computational techniques of the latter approach are elabor…
In the context of loop quantum gravity, we construct the phase-space of isolated horizons with genus greater than 0. Within the loop quantum gravity framework, these horizons are described by genus g surfaces with N punctures and the dimension of the corresponding phase-space is calculated including the genus cycles as degrees of freedom. From this, the black hole entropy can be calculated by counting the microstates which correspond to a black hole of fixed area. We find that the leading term agrees with the A/4 law and that the sub-leading contribution is modified by the genus cycles.
We adopt the point of view that (Riemannian) classical and (loop-based) quantum descriptions of geometry are macro- and micro-descriptions in the usual statistical mechanical sense. This gives rise to the notion of geometrical entropy, which is defined as the logarithm of the number of different quantum states which correspond to one and the same classical geometry configuration (macro-state). We apply this idea to gravitational degrees of freedom induced on an arbitrarily chosen in space 2-dimensional surface. Considering an `ensemble' of particularly simple quantum states, we show that the g…
A first step towards implementing a notion of coarse graining in an intrinsically Lorentzian, discrete quantum- gravity approach, namely causal set quantum gravity is taken. It makes use of an abstract notion of scale, based on counting the number of discrete elements. To that end, the space of actions for causal set quantum gravity is written in a matrix-model-like language, and a flow equation for the effective action of the model is derived from the path integral.
We propose a derivation for computing black hole entropy for spherical non-rotating isolated horizons from loop quantum gravity in four and higher dimensions. The state counting problem effectively reduces to the well studied 3+1-dimensional one based on an SU(2)-Chern-Simons theory, differing only in the precise form of the area spectrum.
The combinatorial problem of counting the black hole quantum states within the Isolated Horizon framework in Loop Quantum Gravity is analyzed. A qualitative understanding of the origin of the band structure shown by the degeneracy spectrum, which is responsible for the black hole entropy quantization, is reached. Even when motivated by simple considerations, this picture allows to obtain analytical expressions for the most relevant quantities associated to this effect.
In this paper, we extend the calculation of the entropy of the nonrotating isolated horizons in 4 dimensional spacetime to that in a higher dimensional spacetime. We show that the boundary degrees of freedom on an isolated horizon can be described effectively by a punctured $SO(1,1)$ BF theory. Then the entropy of the nonrotating isolated horizon can be calculated out by counting the microstates. It satisfies the Bekenstein-Hawking law.
We propose a field theory which lives in fractal spacetime and is argued to be Lorentz invariant, power-counting renormalizable, ultraviolet finite, and causal. The system flows from an ultraviolet fixed point, where spacetime has Hausdorff dimension 2, to an infrared limit coinciding with a standard four-dimensional field theory. Classically, the fractal world where fields live exchanges energy momentum with the bulk with integer topological dimension. However, the total energy momentum is conserved. We consider the dynamics and the propagator of a scalar field. Implications for quantum gravi…
We introduce new techniques that can preserve unitarity of the system including ghost particles. Negative norms of the particles can be involved in zero-norm states by constraints of the physical space. These are useful to apply the higher-derivative propagator for quantum gravity to suppress divergences of vacuum energy and graviton mass correction. The quantum effects are mainly depending on the ghost mass scale. As the scale can be chosen in any order, the observed cosmological constant is realized. Further, applying ghost partners for the standard model particles, quantum gravity with matt…
