We derive the interaction of fermions with a dynamical space-time based on the postulate that the description of physics should be independent of the reference frame, which means to require the form-invariance of the fermion action under diffeomorphisms. The derivation is worked out in the Hamiltonian formalism as a canonical transformation along the line of non-Abelian gauge theories. This yields a closed set of field equations for fermions, unambiguously fixing their coupling to dynamical space-time. We encounter, in addition to the well-known minimal coupling, anomalous couplings to curvature and torsion. In torsion-free geometries that anomalous interaction reduces to a Pauli-type coupling with the curvature scalar via a spontaneously emerged new coupling constant with the dimension of mass resp.\ inverse length. A consistent model Hamiltonian for the free gravitational field and the impact of its functional form on the structure of the dynamical geometry space-time is discussed.
We carry out the canonical analysis of a covariant version of unimodular gravity in terms of the connection representation. We then proceed to quantize this theory by implementing the Dirac procedure. We confirm whether and how the Kodama state, which is a solution of quantum general relativity, can be extended into covariant unimodular gravity. Finally, we discuss the difference of quantum states between covariant unimodular gravity, the original unimodular gravity, and general relativity.
The properties of the covariant quantum fields on de Sitter spacetimes are investigated focusing on the isometry generators and Casimir operators in order to establish the equivalence among the covariant representations and the unitary irreducible ones of the de Sitter isometry group. For the Dirac quantum field it is shown that the spinor covariant representation, transforming the Dirac field under de Sitter isometries, is equivalent with a direct sum of two unitary irreducible representations of the $Sp(2,2)$ group, transforming alike the particle and antiparticle field operators in momentum…
This paper is devoted to the analysis of the covariant canonical formalism of $F(R)$ gravity in Einstein frame. We also find canonical transformation between covariant canonical formulation of F(R) gravity in Jordan frame and Einstein frames and we also determine corresponding generating function.
A formulation of Covariant Canonical Quantization is discussed, which works on an extended Hilbert space and reduces to conventional canonical quantization when constraining to the solution of the field equation a priori. From the formal point of view it may be seen as a formalism between the canonical operator and the functional integral approach. A covariant number operator and two symmetric vacua are constructed. By that means, certain well-known quantities like the LSZ formula are rederived via a projection limit. The time-ordering operator can be replaced by taking into account the mirror…
A "time"-covariant Schrödinger equation is defined for the minisuperspace model of the Reissner-Nordström (RN) black hole, as a "hybrid" between the "intrinsic time" Schrödinger and Wheeler-DeWitt(WDW) equations. To do so, a reduced, regular and "time(r)"-dependent Hamiltonian density was constructed, without "breaking" the re-parametrization covariance $r\rightarrow f(\tilde{r})$. As a result, evolution of states with respect to the parameter $r$ and probabilistic interpretation of the resulting quantum description is possible, while quantum schemes for different gauge choices are equivalent …
A covariant formulation for the Newton-Hooke particle is presented by following an algorithm developed by us \cite{BMM1, BMM2, BMM3}. It naturally leads to a coupling with the Newton-Cartan geometry. From this result we provide an understanding of gravitation in a Newtonian geometric background. Using Dirac's constrained analysis a canonical formulation for the Newton-Hooke covariant action is done in both gauge independent and gauge fixed approaches. While the former helps in identifying the various symmetries of the model, the latter is able to define the physical variables. From this analys…
We prove that, for any theory defined over a space-time with boundary, the symplectic form derived in the covariant phase space is equivalent to the one derived from the canonical formalism.
The framework of the Covariant Canonical Gauge theory of Gravity (CCGG) is described in detail. CCGG emerges naturally in the Palatini formulation, where the vierbein and the spin connection are independent fields. Neither torsion nor non-metricity are excluded. The manifestly covariant gauge process is based on canonical transformations in the De Donder-Weyl Hamiltonian formalism, starting from a small number of basic postulates. Thereby, the original system of matter fields in flat spacetime, represented by non-degenerate Hamiltonian densities, is amended by spacetime fields. The coupling of…
The van Dam-Veltman-Zakharov (vDVZ) mass discontinuity problem can be solved in the frame of the linear approximation of the Poincare-covariant second rank symmetric tensor field gravitation theory. Conservation of the source energy-momentum tensor, together with gauge invariance of the field equations, lead to generation of two intrinsic irreducible non-ghost dynamical fields: 4-traceless symmetric tensor (spin-2 universal attraction) and 4-trace (spin-0 universal repulsion). Due to difference in the signs of these forces the total free field Lagrangian contains different signs for the tensor…
We present a Lagrangian theory of gravitation that develops some ideas proposed several years ago. It is formulated on the 10-dimensional space $\mathcal{S}$ of the local Lorentz frames (tetrads) and it is covariant under the symplectic group $Sp(4, \mathbf{R})$, locally isomorphyic to the anti-de Sitter group $SO(2, 3)$. The corresponding transformation formulas contain a constant $ \ell$, besides the light velocity $c$. We also assume the covariance under the "total dilatations" of all the coordinates of the tangent spaces of $\mathcal{S}$. These symmetries, that we may call "augmented Loren…
The graphical calculus method is generalized to study the relation between covariant and canonical dynamics of loop quantum gravity. On one hand, a graphical derivation of the partition function of the generalized Euclidean Engle-Pereira-Rovelli-Livine (EPRL) spin-foam model is presented. On the other hand, the action of a Euclidean Hamiltonian constraint operator on certain spin network states is calculated by graphical method. It turns out that the EPRL model can provide a rigging map such that the Hamiltonian constraint operator is weakly satisfied on certain physical states for the Immirzi…
In the standard Einstein-Cartan theory(EC), matter fields couple to gravitation field through the Minimal Coupling Procedure(MCP), yet leaving the theory an ambiguity: applying MCP to the action or to the equation of motion would lead to different gravitational couplings. We propose a new covariant derivative to remove the ambiguity, then discuss the relation between our proposal and previous treatments on this subject.
We investigate invariant canonical transformations of a spatially covariant scalar-tensor theory of gravity, called the XG theory, by which the action or the Hamiltonian and the primary constraints keep their forms invariant. We derive the Hamiltonian in a non perturbative manner and complete the Hamiltonian analysis for all regions of the theory. We confirm that the theory has at most 3 degrees of freedom in all regions of the theory as long as the theory has the symmetry under the spatial diffeormorphism. Then, we derive the invariant canonical transformation by using the infinitesimal trans…
The Covariant Canonical Gauge theory of Gravity is generalized by including at the Lagrangian level all possible quadratic curvature invariants. In this approach, the covariant Hamiltonian principle and the canonical transformation framework are applied to derive a Palatini type gauge theory of gravity. The metric $g_{μν}$, the affine connection $γ\indices{^λ_{μν}}$ and their respective conjugate momenta, $k^{μνσ}$ and $q\indices{_η^{αξβ}}$ tensors, are the independent field components describing the gravity. The metric is the basic dynamical field, and the connection is the gauge field. The t…
The first-order loop quantum gravity correction of the simplest, classical general-relativistic Friedmann Hamiltonian constraint, emerging from a holomorphic spinfoam cosmological model peaked on homogeneous, isotropic geometries, is studied. The quantum Hamiltonian constraint, satisfied by the EPRL transition amplitude between the boundary cosmological coherent states, includes a contribution of the order of the Planck constant $\hbar$ that also appears in the corresponding semiclassical symplectic model. The analysis of this term gives a quantum-gravitational correction to the classical Frie…
Cosmological solutions for covariant canonical gauge theories of gravity are presented. The underlying covariant canonical transformation framework invokes a dynamical space-time Hamiltonian consisting of the Einstein-Hilbert term plus a quadratic Riemann tensor invariant with a fundamental dimensionless coupling constant $g_1$. A typical time scale related to this constant, $τ= \sqrt{8 πG g_1}$, is characteristic for the type of cosmological solutions: for $t \ll τ$ the quadratic term is dominant, the energy-momentum tensor of the matter is not covariantly conserved, and we observe modified d…
A challenging issue in General Relativity concerns the determination of the manifestly-covariant continuum Hamiltonian structure underlying the Einstein field equations and the related formulation of the corresponding covariant Hamilton-Jacobi theory. The task is achieved by adopting a synchronous variational principle requiring distinction between the prescribed deterministic metric tensor $\widehat{g}(r)\equiv \left\{ \widehat{g}_{μν}(r)\right\} $ solution of the Einstein field equations which determines the geometry of the background space-time and suitable variational fields $x\equiv \left…
The Hamiltonian formalism of Einstein--Cartan (EC) gravity is a starting point for canonical quantum gravity. The existing formalisms are at most Lorentz covariant, or diffeomorphism covariant. Here we analyze the Hamiltonian EC gravity in a 5d covariant way, with the gauge group being the de Sitter (dS) group, which unifies the Lorentz transformations and translation in an elegant manner, and also coincides with the acceleration of the universe. We reformulate the EC equations into a dS-covariant form, then find out the dS-covariant constraints of the phase space, and make all the constraint …
Constraints on the Covariant Canonical Gauge Gravity (CCGG) theory from low-redshift cosmology are studied. The formulation extends Einstein's theory of General Relativity (GR) by a quadratic Riemann-Cartan term in the Lagrangian, controlled by a "deformation" parameter. In the Friedman universe this leads to an additional geometrical stress energy and promotes, due to the necessary presence of torsion, the cosmological constant to a time-dependent function. The MCMC analysis of the combined data sets of Type Ia Supernovae, Cosmic Chronometers and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations yields a fit that…
We present a manifestly Lorentz-covariant description of the phase space of general relativity with the Immirzi parameter. This formulation emerges after solving the second-class constraints arising in the canonical analysis of the Holst action. We show that the new canonical variables give rise to other Lorentz-covariant parametrizations of the phase space via canonical transformations. The resulting form of the first-class constraints in terms of new variables is given. In the time gauge, these variables and the constraints become those found by Barbero.
We extend the covariant canonical formalism recently discussed in ref. [1] to geometric theories coupled to both bosonic and fermionic $p$-forms. This allows a covariant hamiltonian treatment of supergravity theories. As examples we present the covariant hamiltonian formulation for $d=3$ anti-De Sitter supergravity and for the "new minimal" $d=4$, $N=1$ supergravity (with $1$-form and $2$-form auxiliary fields). Form-Poisson brackets and form-Dirac brackets are defined, and used to find the form-canonical generators of all gauge symmetries via an algorithmic procedure.
It is possible to implement a certain form of modified gravity inspired by loop quantization through non-bijective canonical transformations. The canonical nature might suggest that such modifications are guaranteed to preserve general covariance. Here, however, we show that a dedicated space-time analysis is still required, even in the case of a bijective canonical transformation. In addition, a complete global analysis is presented for a recent proposal of a non-bijective transformation, showing that it does not preserve general covariance and that the only novel physical effect introduced b…