We recently introduced a new representation for loop quantum gravity, which is based on the BF vacuum and is in this sense much nearer to the spirit of spin foam dynamics. In the present paper we lay out the classical framework underlying this new formulation. The central objects in our construction are the so-called integrated fluxes, which are defined as the integral of the electric field variable over surfaces of codimension one, and related in turn to Wilson surface operators. These integrated flux observables will play an important role in the coarse graining of states in loop quantum gravity, and can be used to encode in this context the notion of curvature-induced torsion. We furthermore define a continuum phase space as the modified projective limit of a family of discrete phase spaces based on triangulations. This continuum phase space yields a continuum (holonomy-flux) algebra of observables. We show that the corresponding Poisson algebra is closed by computing the Poisson brackets between the integrated fluxes, which have the novel property of being allowed to intersect each other.
We discuss a simple symplectic formulation for tetrad gravity that leads to the real Ashtekar variables in a direct and transparent way. It also sheds light on the role of the Immirzi parameter and the time gauge.
This work is mainly devoted to constructing a multisymplectic description of Lovelock's gravity, which is an extension of General Relativity. We establish a Griffiths variational problem for the Lovelock Lagrangian, obtaining the geometric form of the corresponding field equations. We give the unified Lagrangian--Hamiltonian formulation of this model and we study the correspondence between the unified formulations for the Einstein--Hilbert and the Einstein--Palatini models of gravity.
We consider the De Donder-Weyl (DW) Hamiltonian formulation of the Palatini action of vielbein gravity formulated in terms of the solder form and spin connection, which are treated as independent variables. The basic geometrical constructions necessary for the DW Hamiltonian theory of vielbein gravity are presented. We reproduce the DW Hamilton equations in the multisymplectic and pre-multisymplectic formulations. We also give basic examples of Hamiltonian (n-1)-forms and related Poisson brackets.
A first-order formulation of gravity is developed in which the fundamental fields consist of an SL(2,C) connection and two spinor-valued 1-forms. It is shown that the first term of an expansion of the Einstein-Hilbert action leads to an action for these fields which consists of dynamic L2 inner products of their covariant derivatives, resembling reasonable generalisations of the terms found in the actions of typical gauge theories on Minkowski spacetime. If additional terms corresponding to other forces and matter, formulated in the same manner, are then included, this approach may shed new li…
We provide a metric-like formulation of the spin-3 gravity in three dimensions. It is shown that the Chern-Simons formulation of the spin-3 gravity can be reformulated as a Einstein-Cartan-Sciama-Kibble theory coupled with the higher-spin matter fields. A duality-like transformation is also identified from this metric-like formulation.
We use covariant phase space methods to study the metric and tetrad formulations of General Relativity in a manifold with boundary and compare the results obtained in both approaches. Proving their equivalence has been a long-lasting problem that we solve here by using the cohomological approach provided by the relative bicomplex framework. This setting provides a clean and ambiguity-free way to describe the solution spaces and associated symplectic structures. We also compute several relevant charges in both schemes and show that they are equivalent, as expected.
A novel gravity theory based on Poisson Generalized Geometry is investigated. A gravity theory on a Poisson manifold equipped with a Riemannian metric is constructed from a contravariant version of the Levi-Civita connection, which is based on the Lie algebroid of a Poisson manifold. Then, we show that in Poisson Generalized Geometry the $R$-fluxes are consistently coupled with such a gravity. An $R$-flux appears as a torsion of the corresponding connection in a similar way as an $H$-flux which appears as a torsion of the connection for- mulated in the standard Generalized Geometry. We give an…
We study the conditions for classical r-matrices to be compatible with the generalised Chern-Simons action for 3d gravity. Compatibility means solving the classical Yang-Baxter equations with a prescribed symmetric part for each of the real Lie algebras and bilinear pairings arising in the generalised Chern-Simons action. We give a new construction of r-matrices via a generalised complexification and derive a non-linear set of matrix equations determining the most general compatible r-matrix. We exhibit new families of solutions and show that they contain known solutions for special parameter …
A number of dynamical system formulations have been proposed over the last few years to analyse cosmological solutions in $f(R)$ gravity. The aim of this article is to provide a brief introduction to the different approaches, presenting them in chronological order as they appeared in the history of the relevant scientific literature. In this way, we illuminate how the shortcoming(s) of an existing formulation encouraged the development of an alternative formulation. Whenever possible, a 2-dimensional phase portrait is given for a better visual representation of the dynamics of phase space. We …
In this contribution, we re-assess the subject of topological gravity by following the Shift Supersymmetry formalism. The gauge-fixing of the theory goes under the Batallin-Vilkovisky (BV) prescription based on a diagram that contains both ghost and anti-ghost superfields, associated to the super-vielbein and the super-Lorentz connection. We extend the formulation of the topological gravity action to an arbitrary number of dimensions of the shift superspace by adopting a formulation based on the gauge-fixing for BF-type models.
We propose a simple method for deriving the constraints of the de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley model in the metric and the Lagrangian formulation, as possible as keeping the Lorentz covariance. In our formulation, it is not necessary to use the Hamilton analysis, the vielbein formulation, nor the Stuckelberg trick for showing the Boulwer-Deser ghost-freeness. It realizes the Lorentz covariant expressions of the constraints in a certain parameter region.
The well-posedness of the gravitational equations of $f(R)$ gravity are studied in this paper. Three formulations of the $f(R)$ gravity with dynamical shifts (which are all based on the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner (ADM) formalism of the equations) are investigated. These three formulations are all proved to be strongly hyperbolic by pseudodifferential reduction. The first one is the Baumagarte-Shapiro-Shibata-Nakamura (BSSN) formulation with the so-called "hyperbolic $K$-driver" condition and the "hyperbolic Gamma driver" condition. The second one is the ADM formulation with modified harmonic gauge …
The De Donder-Weyl (DW) covariant Hamiltonian formulation of Palatini first-order Lagrangian of vielbein (tetrad) gravity and its precanonical quantization are presented. No splitting into the space and time is required in this formulation. Our recent generalization of Dirac brackets is used to treat the second class primary constraints appearing in the DW Hamiltonian formulation and to find the fundamental brackets. Quantization of the latter yields the representation of vielbeins as differential operators with respect to the spin connection coefficients, and the Dirac-like precanonical Schrö…
The Hamiltonian formulation of Mimetic Gravity is formulated. Although there are two more equations than those of general relativity, these are proved to be the constraint equation and the conservation of energy-momentum tensor. The Poisson brackets are then computed and closure is proved. At the end, Wheeler-DeWitt equation was solved for a homogeneous and isotropic universe. This was done first for a vanishing potential where agreement with the dust case was shown, and then for a constant potential.
The polysymplectic formulation of the CMPR action, which is a BF-type formulation of General Relativity that involves an arbitrary Immirzi parameter, is performed. We implement a particular scheme within this covariant Hamiltonian approach to analyze the constraints that characterize the CMPR model. By means of the privileged $(n-1)$-forms and the Poisson-Gerstenhaber bracket, inherent to the polysymplectic framework, the BF field equations associated to the CMPR action are obtained and, in consequence, the Einstein equations naturally emerge by solving the simplicity constraints of the theory…
A Lagrangian formulation for Rastall gravity and a covariant formulation for unimodular gravity
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias, Universidade de Cabo Verde（佛得角大学科学与技术学院）；Núcleo Cosmo-ufes & Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo（圣埃斯皮里图联邦大学宇宙核与物理系）；Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC（ABC联邦大学自然与人文学中心）
Pure $R^2$ gravity has been shown to be equivalent to Einstein gravity with non-zero cosmological constant and a massless scalar field. We show that the Palatini formulation of pure $R^2$ gravity is equivalent to Einstein gravity with non-zero cosmological constant as before but with no massless scalar field. This is an important new development because the massless scalar field is not readily identifiable with any known particle in nature or unknown particles like cold dark matter which are expected to be massive. We then include a non-minimally coupled Higgs field as well as fermions to disc…
The Ernst formulation of the Einstein equations is generalised to accommodate $f(R)$ theories of gravity. It is shown that, as in general relativity, the axisymmetric $f(R)$ field equations for a vacuum spacetime that is either stationary or cylindrically symmetric reduce to a single, non-linear differential equation for a complex-valued scalar function. As a worked example, we apply the generalised Ernst equations to derive a $f(R)$ generalisation of the Zipoy-Voorhees metric, which may be used to describe the gravitational field outside of an ellipsoidal neutron star. We also apply the theor…
We consider a consistent linear effective vielbein matter coupling without introducing the Boulware-Deser ghost in ghost-free massive gravity. This is achieved in the partially constrained vielbein formulation. We first introduce the formalism and prove the absence of ghost at all scales. As next we investigate the cosmological application of this coupling in this new formulation. We show that even if the background evolution accords with the metric formulation, the perturbations display important different features in the partially constrained vielbein formulation. We study the cosmological p…
We present the Hamiltonian formulation of the Ghost Free Mimetic Massive Gravity theory. The linearized theory is studied and the Hamiltonian equations of motion are analyzed. Poisson brackets are computed and closure is proved. To prove that this theory is ghost-free, the number of degrees of freedom is analyzed showing that we have only five degrees of freedom.
