I review the definition of n-point functions in loop quantum gravity, discussing what has been done and what are the main open issues. Particular attention is dedicated to gauge aspects and renormalization.
In this paper we shall investigate the propagation of gravitational waves in a flat Friedman-Robertson-Walker background, in the context of a string motivated corrected Einstein gravity. Particularly, we shall consider a misalignment axion Einstein gravity in the presence of a string originating Chern-Simons coupling of the axion field to the Chern-Pontryagin density in four dimensions. We shall focus our study on the propagation of the gravitational waves, and we shall investigate whether there exists any difference in the propagation of the polarization states of the gravitational waves. As …
We apply a recent argument of Verlinde to loop quantum gravity, to conclude that Newton's law of gravity emerges in an appropriate limit and setting. This is possible because the relationship between area and entropy is realized in loop quantum gravity when boundaries are imposed on a quantum spacetime.
It was recently argued that f(T) gravity could inherit "remnant symmetry" from the full Lorentz group, despite the fact that the theory is not locally Lorentz invariant. Confusion has arisen regarding the implication of this result for the previous works, which established that f(T) gravity is pathological due to superluminal propagation, local acausality, and non-unique time evolution. We clarify that the existence of the "remnant group" does not rid the theory of these various problems, but instead strongly supports it.
Basing on the results obtained in a our previous study on Gravity's Rainbow, we determine the quantum corrections to the space-time metric for the Schwarzschild and the de Sitter background, respectively. We analyze how quantum fluctuations alter these metrics inducing modifications on the propagation of test particles. Significantly enough we find that quantum corrections can become relevant not only for particles approaching the Planck energy but, due to the one loop contribution, even for low-energy particles as far as Planckian length scales are considered. We briefly compare our results w…
We investigate propagations of graviton and additional scalar on four-dimensional anti de Sitter (AdS$_4$) space using $f(R)$ gravity models with external sources. It is shown that there is the van Dam-Veltman-Zakharov (vDVZ) discontinuity in $f(R)$ gravity models because $f(R)$ gravity implies GR with additional scalar. This indicates a difference between general relativity and $f(R)$ gravity clearly.
We introduce squeezed vacua in loop quantum gravity, a new overcomplete basis of states that contain prescribable correlations between geometric operators. We study the behavior of long-range correlations and discuss the relevance of these states for the reconstruction of a semiclassical spacetime from loop quantum gravity.
Massive gravity is an old idea: trading geometry for mass. Much effort has been expended on establishing a healthy model, culminating in the current ghost-free version. We summarize here our recent findings -- that it is still untenable -- because it is locally acausal: CTC solutions can be constructed in a small neighborhood of any event.
We study graviton propagations of scalar, vector, and tensor modes in the deformed Hořava-Lifshitz gravity ($λR$-model) without projectability condition. The quadratic Lagrangian is invariant under diffeomorphism only for $λ=1$ case, which contradicts to the fact that $λ$ is irrelevant to a consistent Hamiltonian approach to the $λR$ model. In this case, as far as scalar propagations are concerned, there is no essential difference between deformed Hořava-Lifshitz gravity ($λR$-model) and general relativity. This implies that there are two degrees of freedom for a massless graviton without Hořa…
We introduce a new loop expansion that provides a resolution of the identity in the Hilbert space of loop quantum gravity on a fixed graph. We work in the bosonic representation obtained by the canonical quantization of the spinorial formalism. The resolution of the identity gives a tool for implementing the projection of states in the full bosonic representation onto the space of solutions to the Gauss and area matching constraints of loop quantum gravity. This procedure is particularly efficient in the semiclassical regime, leading to explicit expressions for the loop expansions of coherent,…
In this paper we tackle the issue of causality in quantum gravity, in the context of 3d spin foam models. We identify the correct procedure for implementing the causality/orientation dependence restriction that reduces the path integral for BF theory to that of quantum gravity in first order form. We construct explicitly the resulting causal spin foam model. We then add matter degrees of freedom to it and construct a causal spin foam model for 3d quantum gravity coupled to matter fields. Finally, we show that the corresponding spin foam amplitudes admit a natural approximation as the Feynman a…
The ambiguity in the calculations of one-loop counterterms by the background field method in nonrenormalizable theories of gravity is discussed. Some examples of such ambiguous calculations are given. The non-equivalence of the first and second order formalism in the quantum gravity is shown.
A simple argument indicates that covariant loop gravity (spinfoam theory) predicts a maximal acceleration, and hence forbids the development of curvature singularities. This supports the results obtained for cosmology and black holes using canonical methods.
In this paper we summarize "loop quantum gravity" (LQG) and we show how ideas developed in LQG can solve the black hole singularity problem when applied to a minisuperspace model.
By making use of the background field method, the one-loop quantization for Euclidean Einstein-Weyl quadratic gravity model on the de Sitter universe is investigated. Using generalized zeta function regularization, the on-shell and off-shell one-loop effective actions are explicitly obtained and one-loop renormalizability, as well as the corresponding one-loop renormalization group equations, are discussed. The so called critical gravity is also considered.
In this article we further investigate the construction of graph coherent states, first introduced in [1], in the context of loop quantum gravity. We specifically investigate the possibility of defining a family of graph coherent states adapted to the canonical loop quantum gravity Hamiltonian. After discussing various aspects of the general framework and the choice of operators, we use the Euclidean part of the Hamiltonian operator to propose a generator of the generalized canonical structure, necessary to define the coherent states. We then apply the construction procedure, leading to a new …
We present the complete set of universal one-loop beta functions of cubic gravity in six dimensions. The system admits over 8000 distinct fixed points, of which more than 200 are real. Some of them might be relevant for the quantisation of gravity in the physical case of four dimensions.
This article reviews the status of several solutions to all the constraints of quantum gravity that have been proposed in terms of loops and extended loops. We discuss pitfalls of several of the results and in particular discuss the issues of covariance and regularization of the constraints in terms of extended loops. We also propose a formalism for ``thickened out loops'' which does not face the covariance problems of extended loops and may allow to regularize expressions in a consistent manner.
We discuss the meaning of geometrical constructions associated to loop quantum gravity states on a graph. In particular, we discuss the "twisted geometries" and derive a simple relation between these and Regge geometries.
Loop quantum gravity, a non-perturbative and manifestly background free, quantum theory of gravity implies that at the kinematical level the spatial geometry is discrete in a specific sense. The spirit of background independence also requires a non-standard quantum representation of matter. While loop quantization of standard model fields has been proposed, detail study of its implications is not yet available. This review aims to survey the various efforts and results.
In this note we reply to the criticism by Corichi concerning our proposal for an equidistant area spectrum in loop quantum gravity. We further comment on the emission properties of black holes and on the statistics of links.
Motivated by the analogy proposed by Witten between Chern-Simons and Conformal Field Theories, we explore an alternative way of computing the entropy of a black hole starting from the isolated horizon framework in Loop Quantum Gravity. The consistency of the result opens a window for the interplay between Conformal Field Theory and the description of black holes in Loop Quantum Gravity.
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.
The parametrization and gauge dependencies of the one-loop counterterms on the mass-shell in the Einstein gravity are investigated. The physical meaning of the loop calculation results on the mass shell and the parametrization dependence of the renormgroup functions in the nonrenormalizable theories are discussed.
Two desireable properties of a quantum dynamics for Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) are that its generators provide an anomaly free representation of the classical constraint algebra and that physical states which lie in the kernel of these generators encode propagation. A physical state in LQG is expected to be a sum over graphical $SU(2)$ spin network states. By propagation we mean that a quantum perturbation at one vertex of a spin network state propagates to vertices which are `many links away' thus yielding a new spin network state which is related to the old one by this propagation. A physica…
In this note we point out that the one-loop partition function of three-dimensional flat gravity, computed along the lines originally developed for the anti-de Sitter case, reproduces characters of the BMS3 group.
Models of loop quantum gravity based on real connections have a deformed notion of general covariance, which leads to the phenomenon of signature change. This result is confirmed here in a general analysis of all midisuperspace models without local degrees of freedom. As a subclass of models, 2-dimensional theories of dilaton gravity appear, but a larger set of examples is possible based only on the condition of anomaly freedom. While the classical dilaton gravity models are the only such systems without deformed covariance, they do give rise to signature change when holonomy modifications are…
We investigate the influence of the projective invariance on the renormalization properties of the theory. One-loop counterterms are calculated in the most general case of interaction of gravity with scalar field.
We evaluate the 1-loop partition function of conformal gravity in four dimensions around an $AdS_4$ background, using the heat kernel techniques. We give expressions for the relevant thermodynamical quantities and compare our results with the ones from the literature.
This is a historical note. In 1974 I was an undergraduate student of L.D. Faddeev. I was working on quantum gravity [without matter] in one loop approximation. I discovered [simultaneously with G. t'Hooft M. Veltman] that on mass shell ultra-violet divergences cancel. The submission is a translation of the Diploma.
We explicitly construct and characterize all possible independent loop states in 3+1 dimensional loop quantum gravity by regulating it on a 3-d regular lattice in the Hamiltonian formalism. These loop states, characterized by the (dual) angular momentum quantum numbers, describe SU(2) rigid rotators on the links of the lattice. The loop states are constructed using the Schwinger bosons which are harmonic oscillators in the fundamental (spin half) representation of SU(2). Using generalized Wigner Eckart theorem, we compute the matrix elements of the volume operator in the loop basis. Some simpl…
Motivated by the dark energy issue, the one-loop quantization approach for a class of relativistic higher order theories is discussed in some detail. A specific F(R,P,Q) gravity model at the one-loop level in a de Sitter universe is investigated, extending the similar program developed for the case of $F(R)$ gravity. The stability conditions under arbitrary perturbations are derived.
We construct the operator that projects on the physical states in loop quantum gravity. To this aim, we consider a diffeomorphism invariant functional integral over scalar functions. The construction defines a covariant, Feynman-like, spacetime formalism for quantum gravity and relates this theory to the spin foam models. We also discuss how expectation values of physical quantity can be computed.
In non-supersymmetric covariant quantum gravity theory, for each system of gravity coupled with single field is one-loop divergent. Since adding other fields or other interactions to each system generates more possible counter-Lagrangian terms, there is room for improvement to restore renormalizability. In this paper, we consider Einstein-Maxwell fields coupled with electrically charged scalar which is the simplest model among the systems of gravity coupled with multiple fields having their own interaction. First, we introduce how to calculate the possible one-loop diagrams in Einstein-SQED sy…
We introduce the group field theory formalism for quantum gravity, mainly from the point of view of loop quantum gravity, stressing its promising aspects. We outline the foundations of the formalism, survey recent results and offer a perspective on future developments.
We outline how the Wald entropy formula naturally arises in loop quantum gravity based on recently introduced dimension-independent connection variables. The key observation is that in a loop quantization of a generalized gravity theory, the analog of the area operator turns out to measure, morally speaking, the Wald entropy rather than the area. We discuss the explicit example of (higher-dimensional) Lanczos-Lovelock gravity and comment on recent work on finding the correct numerical prefactor of the entropy by comparing it to a semiclassical effective action.
We investigate the propagation of gravitational waves in linearized Chern-Simons (CS) modified gravity by considering two nondynamical models for the coupling field $θ$: (i) a domain wall and (ii) a surface layer of $θ$, motivated by their relevance in condensed matter physics. We demonstrate that the metric and its first derivative become discontinuous for a domain wall of $θ$, and we determine the boundary conditions by realizing that the additional contribution to the wave equation corresponds to one of the self-adjoint extensions of the D'Alembert operator. Nevertheless, such discontinuous…
This is a review paper invited by the journal "Classical ad Quantum Gravity" for a "Cluster Issue" on approaches to quantum gravity. I give a synthetic presentation of loop gravity. I spell-out the aims of the theory and compare the results obtained with the initial hopes that motivated the early interest in this research direction. I give my own perspective on the status of the program and attempt of a critical evaluation of its successes and limits.
We investigate the role of the torsion field at the quantum level in the affine-metric theory of gravity. One-loop counterterms are calculated in the theory with terms quadratic in the torsion field.
We argue for black hole entropy in loop quantum gravity (LQG) by taking into account the interpretation that there is no other side of the horizon. This gives new values for the Barbero-Immirzi parameter which are fairly larger than those considered before. We also discuss its consequences.
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.
An angular momentum operator in loop quantum gravity is defined using spherically symmetric states as a non-rotating reference system. It can be diagonalized simultaneously with the area operator and has the familiar spectrum. The operator indicates how the quantum geometry of non-rotating isolated horizons can be generalized to rotating ones and how the recent computations of black hole entropy can be extended to rotating black holes.
I review the present theoretical attempts to understand the quantum properties of spacetime. In particular, I illustrate the main achievements and the main difficulties in: string theory, loop quantum gravity, discrete quantum gravity (Regge calculus, dynamical triangulations and simplicial models), Euclidean quantum gravity, perturbative quantum gravity, quantum field theory on curved spacetime, noncommutative geometry, null surfaces, topological quantum field theories and spin foam models. I also briefly review several recent advances in understanding black hole entropy and attempt a critica…
We study the matter one-loop quantum corrections to the gravitational sector in a gravity theory coupled with a nonlocal scalar field. We find that non-renormalizable divergences disappear when the propagator of the scalar field approaches to a non-zero constant at high momentum, while the vacuum energy is still divergent. We also comment on non-local modification of fermion, gauge field and graviton.
Using the generalized Schwinger-DeWitt technique, we calculate the divergent part of the one-loop effective action for gravity non-minimally coupled to a multiplet of scalar fields. All the calculations are consistently done in the Jordan frame.
We give a standard introduction to loop quantum gravity, from the ADM variables to spin network states. We include a discussion on quantum geometry on a fixed graph and its relation to a discrete approximation of general relativity.
We study $1/N$ corrections to a Wilson loop in holographic duality. Extending the AdS/CFT correspondence beyond the large $N$ limit is an important but a subtle issue, as it needs quantum gravity corrections in the gravity side. To find a physical property of the quantum corrected geometry of near-horizon black 0-branes previously obtained by Hyakutake, we evaluate a Euclidean string worldsheet hanging down in the geometry, which corresponds to a rectangular Wilson loop in the $SU(N)$ quantum mechanics with 16 supercharges at a finite temperature with finite $N$. We find that the potential ene…
We show that holography arises naturally in the context of spherically symmetric loop quantum gravity. The result is not dependent on detailed assumptions about the dynamics of the theory being considered. It ties strongly the amount of information contained in a region of space to the tight mathematical underpinnings of loop quantum geometry, at least in this particular context.
Massive gravity (mGR) describes a dynamical "metric" on a fiducial, background one. We investigate fluctuations of the dynamics about mGR solutions, that is about its "mean field theory". Analyzing mean field massive gravity propagation characteristics is not only equivalent to studying those of the full non-linear theory, but also in direct correspondence with earlier analyses of charged higher spin systems, the oldest example being the charged, massive spin 3/2 Rarita--Schwinger (RS) theory. The fiducial and mGR mean field background metrics in the mean field mGR model correspond to the RS M…
We consider the evolution of cosmological gravitational waves in scalar-tensor theory and $F(R)$ gravity theory as typical models of the modified gravity. Although the propagation speed is not changed from the speed of light, the propagation phase changes when we compare the propagation in these modified gravity theories with the propagation in the $Λ$CDM model. The phase change might be detected in future observations.
We work out the one-loop contribution to the lepton anomalous magnetic moment coming from Unimodular Gravity. We use Dimensional Regularization and Dimensional Reduction to carry out the computations. In either case, we find that Unimodular Gravity gives rise to the same one-loop correction as that of General Relativity.
We study the propagation of the scalar modes around a Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker universe for general modifications of gravity in the presence of a real scalar field. In general, there will be two propagating scalar perturbation fields, which will have in total four degrees of freedom. Two of these degrees will have a superluminal propagation--with k-dependent speed of propagation--whereas the other two will travel with the speed of light. Therefore, the scalar degrees of freedom do not modify the general feature of modified gravity models: the appearance of modes whose frequency depe…
We compute some components of the graviton propagator in loop quantum gravity, using the spinfoam formalism, up to some second order terms in the expansion parameter.
As per organizers' request, my talk at the 11th Marcel Grossmann Conference consisted of two parts. In the first, I illustrated recent advances in loop quantum gravity through examples. In the second, I presented an overall assessment of the status of the program by addressing some frequently asked questions. This account is addressed primarily to researchers outside the loop quantum gravity community.
Quantum Reduced Loop Gravity is a promising framework for linking Loop Quantum Gravity and the effective semiclassical dynamics of Loop Quantum Cosmology. We review its basic achievements and its main perspectives, outlining how it provides a quantum description of the Universe in terms of a cuboidal graph which constitutes the proper framework for applying loop techniques in a cosmological setting.
We investigate the propagation of light rays and evolution of optical scalars in gauge theories of gravity where torsion is present. Recently the modified Raychaudhuri equation in the presence of torsion has been derived. We use this result to derive the basic equations of geometric optics for several different interesting solutions of the Poincar{é} gauge theory of gravity. The results show that the focusing effects for neighboring light rays will be different than general relativity. This in turn has practical consequences in the study of gravitational lensing effects and also determining th…