Loop quantum gravity is a physical theory which aims at unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics. It takes general relativity very seriously and modifies it via a quantisation. General relativity describes gravity in terms of geometry. Therefore, quantising such theory must be equivalent to quantising geometry and that is what loop quantum gravity does. This sounds like a mathematical task as well. This is why in this paper we will present the mathematics of loop quantum gravity. We will do it from a mathematician point of view. This paper is intended to be an introduction to loop quantum gravity for postgraduate students of physics and mathematics. In this work we will restrict ourselves to the three dimensional case.
We present an introduction to the canonical quantization of gravity performed in loop quantum gravity, based on lectures held at the 3rd quantum geometry and quantum gravity school in Zakopane in 2011. A special feature of this introduction is the inclusion of new proposals for coupling matter to gravity that can be used to deparametrize the theory, thus making its dynamics more tractable. The classical and quantum aspects of these new proposals are explained alongside the standard quantization of vacuum general relativity in loop quantum gravity.
In this article, the third of three, we analyse how the Weyl quantisation for compact Lie groups presented in the second article of this series fits with the projective-phase space structure of loop quantum gravity-type models. Thus, the proposed Weyl quantisation may serve as the main mathematical tool to implement the program of space adiabatic perturbation theory in such models. As we already argued in our first article, space adiabatic perturbation theory offers an ideal framework to overcome the obstacles that hinder the direct implementation of the conventional Born-Oppenheimer approach …
The issue of a possible damping of the entropy periodicity for large black holes in Loop Quantum Gravity is highly debated. Using a combinatorics/analysis approach, we give strong arguments in favor of this damping, at least for prescriptions where the projection constraint is not fully implemented. This means that black holes in loop gravity exhibit an asymptotic Bekenstein-Hawking behavior, provided that a consistent choice of the Immirzi constant is made.
This article is based on the opening lecture at the third quantum geometry and quantum gravity school sponsored by the European Science Foundation and held at Zakopane, Poland in March 2011. The goal of the lecture was to present a broad perspective on loop quantum gravity for young researchers. The first part is addressed to beginning students and the second to young researchers who are already working in quantum gravity.
We present a construction of kinematic quantum states for theories of tensor fields of an arbitrary sort. The construction is based on projective techniques by Kijowski. Applying projective quantum states for Loop Quantum Gravity obtained by Lanery and Thiemann we construct quantum states for LQG coupled to tensor fields.
In the context of a canonical quantization of general relativity, one can deform the loop gravity phase space on a graph by replacing the T*SU(2) phase space attached to each edge by SL(2,C) seen as a phase space. This deformation is supposed to encode the presence of a non-zero cosmological constant. Here we show how to parametrize this phase space in terms of spinor variables, thus obtaining deformed spinor networks for loop gravity, with a deformed action of the gauge group SU(2) at the vertices. These are to be formally interpreted as the generalization of loop gravity twisted geometries t…
We comment on structural properties of the algebras $\mathfrak{A}_{LQG/LQC}$ underlying loop quantum gravity and loop quantum cosmology, especially the representation theory, relating the appearance of the (dynamically induced) superselection structure ($θ$-sectors) in loop quantum cosmology to recently proposed representations with non-degenerate background geometries in loop quantum gravity with Abelian structure group. To this end, we review and employ the concept of extending a given (observable) algebra with possibly non-trivial centre to a (charged) field algebra with (global) gauge grou…
This is the final fifth paper in our series of five in which we test the Master Constraint Programme for solving the Hamiltonian constraint in Loop Quantum Gravity. Here we consider interacting quantum field theories, specificlly we consider the non -- Abelean Gauss constraints of Einstein -- Yang -- Mills theory and 2+1 gravity. Interestingly, while Yang -- Mills theory in 4D is not yet rigorously defined as an ordinary (Wightman) quantum field theory on Minkowski space, in background independent quantum field theories such as Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) this might become possible by working i…
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 Hilbert space of loop quantum gravity is usually described in terms of cylindrical functionals of the gauge connection, the electric fluxes acting as non-commuting derivation operators. It has long been believed that this non-commutativity prevents a dual flux (or triad) representation of loop quantum gravity to exist. We show here, instead, that such a representation can be explicitly defined, by means of a non-commutative Fourier transform defined on the loop gravity state space. In this dual representation, flux operators act by *-multiplication and holonomy operators act by translation…
This is the second paper in our series of five in which we test the Master Constraint Programme for solving the Hamiltonian constraint in Loop Quantum Gravity. In this work we begin with the simplest examples: Finite dimensional models with a finite number of first or second class constraints, Abelean or non -- Abelean, with or without structure functions.
We construct a new vacuum for loop quantum gravity, which is dual to the Ashtekar-Lewandowski vacuum. Because it is based on BF theory, this new vacuum is physical for $(2+1)$-dimensional gravity, and much closer to the spirit of spin foam quantization in general. To construct this new vacuum and the associated representation of quantum observables, we introduce a modified holonomy-flux algebra which is cylindrically consistent with respect to the notion of refinement by time evolution suggested in [1]. This supports the proposal for a construction of a physical vacuum made in [1,2], also for …
In this paper we deliver the proofs for the claims, made in a companion paper, concerning the avoidance of cosmological curvature singularities in in full Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG).
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.
Connes' formula defines a distance in loop quantum gravity, via the spinfoam Dirac operator. A simple notion of spectral distance on a graph can be extended do the discrete Lorentzian context, providing a physically natural example of Lorentzian spectral geometry, with a neat space of Dirac operators. The Hilbert structure of the fermion space is Lorentz covariant rather than invariant.
The set of homogeneous isotropic connections, as used in loop quantum cosmology, forms a line $l$ in the space of all connections $\cal A$. This embedding, however, does not continuously extend to an embedding of the configuration space $\overline l$ of homogeneous isotropic loop quantum cosmology into that of loop quantum gravity, $\overline{\cal A}$. This follows from the fact that the parallel transports for general, non-straight paths in the base manifold do not depend almost periodically on $l$. Analogous results are given for the anisotropic case.
We review uniqueness results for the kinematical part of loop quantum gravity. After sketching the general loop formalism, the holonomy-flux and the Weyl algebras are introduced. In both cases, then, diffeomorphism invariant representations are described.
The successful background-independent quantization of Loop Quantum Gravity relies on the key observation that classical General Relativity can be cast into the connection-dynamical formalism with the structure group of SU(2). Due to this particular formalism, Loop Quantum Gravity was generally considered as a quantization scheme that applies only to General Relativity. However, we will show that the nonperturbative quantization procedure of Loop Quantum Gravity can be extended to a rather general class of metric theories of gravity, which have received increased attention recently due to motiv…
The 4-dimensional metric $f(\R)$ theories of gravity are cast into connection-dynamical formalism with real $\SU(2)$-connections as configuration variables. Through this formalism, the classical metric $f(\R)$ theories are quantized by extending the loop quantization scheme of general relativity. Our results imply that the non-perturbative quantization procedure of loop quantum gravity is valid not only for general relativity but also for a rather general class of 4-dimensional metric theories of gravity.
In order to study 3d loop quantum gravity coupled to matter, we consider a simplified model of abelian quantum gravity, the so-called U(1)^3 model. Abelian gravity coupled to a scalar field shares a lot of commonalities with parameterized field theories. We use this to develop an exact quantization of the model. This is used to discuss solutions to various problems that plague even the 4d theory, namely the definition of an inverse metric and the role of the choice of representation for the holonomy-flux algebra.
We discuss the extension of loop quantum gravity to topspin networks, a proposal which allows topological information to be encoded in spin networks. We will show that this requires minimal changes to the phase space, C*-algebra and Hilbert space of cylindrical functions. We will also discuss the area and Hamiltonian operators, and show how they depend on the topology. This extends the idea of "background independence" in loop quantum gravity to include topology as well as geometry. It is hoped this work will confirm the usefulness of the topspin network formalism and open up several new avenu…
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.
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,…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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 report on selected oral contributions to the A2 session "Mathematical relativity and other progress in classical gravity theory" of "The 20th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (GR20)" in Warsaw.
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.
