959 research outputs found
On the causal Barrett--Crane model: measure, coupling constant, Wick rotation, symmetries and observables
We discuss various features and details of two versions of the Barrett-Crane
spin foam model of quantum gravity, first of the Spin(4)-symmetric Riemannian
model and second of the SL(2,C)-symmetric Lorentzian version in which all
tetrahedra are space-like. Recently, Livine and Oriti proposed to introduce a
causal structure into the Lorentzian Barrett--Crane model from which one can
construct a path integral that corresponds to the causal (Feynman) propagator.
We show how to obtain convergent integrals for the 10j-symbols and how a
dimensionless constant can be introduced into the model. We propose a `Wick
rotation' which turns the rapidly oscillating complex amplitudes of the Feynman
path integral into positive real and bounded weights. This construction does
not yet have the status of a theorem, but it can be used as an alternative
definition of the propagator and makes the causal model accessible by standard
numerical simulation algorithms. In addition, we identify the local symmetries
of the models and show how their four-simplex amplitudes can be re-expressed in
terms of the ordinary relativistic 10j-symbols. Finally, motivated by possible
numerical simulations, we express the matrix elements that are defined by the
model, in terms of the continuous connection variables and determine the most
general observable in the connection picture. Everything is done on a fixed
two-complex.Comment: 22 pages, LaTeX 2e, 1 figur
Asymptotics of 10j symbols
The Riemannian 10j symbols are spin networks that assign an amplitude to each
4-simplex in the Barrett-Crane model of Riemannian quantum gravity. This
amplitude is a function of the areas of the 10 faces of the 4-simplex, and
Barrett and Williams have shown that one contribution to its asymptotics comes
from the Regge action for all non-degenerate 4-simplices with the specified
face areas. However, we show numerically that the dominant contribution comes
from degenerate 4-simplices. As a consequence, one can compute the asymptotics
of the Riemannian 10j symbols by evaluating a `degenerate spin network', where
the rotation group SO(4) is replaced by the Euclidean group of isometries of
R^3. We conjecture formulas for the asymptotics of a large class of Riemannian
and Lorentzian spin networks in terms of these degenerate spin networks, and
check these formulas in some special cases. Among other things, this conjecture
implies that the Lorentzian 10j symbols are asymptotic to 1/16 times the
Riemannian ones.Comment: 25 pages LaTeX with 8 encapsulated Postscript figures. v2 has various
clarifications and better page breaks. v3 is the final version, to appear in
Classical and Quantum Gravity, and has a few minor corrections and additional
reference
Positivity of Spin Foam Amplitudes
The amplitude for a spin foam in the Barrett-Crane model of Riemannian
quantum gravity is given as a product over its vertices, edges and faces, with
one factor of the Riemannian 10j symbols appearing for each vertex, and simpler
factors for the edges and faces. We prove that these amplitudes are always
nonnegative for closed spin foams. As a corollary, all open spin foams going
between a fixed pair of spin networks have real amplitudes of the same sign.
This means one can use the Metropolis algorithm to compute expectation values
of observables in the Riemannian Barrett-Crane model, as in statistical
mechanics, even though this theory is based on a real-time (e^{iS}) rather than
imaginary-time (e^{-S}) path integral. Our proof uses the fact that when the
Riemannian 10j symbols are nonzero, their sign is positive or negative
depending on whether the sum of the ten spins is an integer or half-integer.
For the product of 10j symbols appearing in the amplitude for a closed spin
foam, these signs cancel. We conclude with some numerical evidence suggesting
that the Lorentzian 10j symbols are always nonnegative, which would imply
similar results for the Lorentzian Barrett-Crane model.Comment: 15 pages LaTeX. v3: Final version, with updated conclusions and other
minor changes. To appear in Classical and Quantum Gravity. v4: corrects # of
samples in Lorentzian tabl
Positivity in Lorentzian Barrett-Crane Models of Quantum Gravity
The Barrett-Crane models of Lorentzian quantum gravity are a family of spin
foam models based on the Lorentz group. We show that for various choices of
edge and face amplitudes, including the Perez-Rovelli normalization, the
amplitude for every triangulated closed 4-manifold is a non-negative real
number. Roughly speaking, this means that if one sums over triangulations,
there is no interference between the different triangulations. We prove
non-negativity by transforming the model into a ``dual variables'' formulation
in which the amplitude for a given triangulation is expressed as an integral
over three copies of hyperbolic space for each tetrahedron. Then we prove that,
expressed in this way, the integrand is non-negative. In addition to implying
that the amplitude is non-negative, the non-negativity of the integrand is
highly significant from the point of view of numerical computations, as it
allows statistical methods such as the Metropolis algorithm to be used for
efficient computation of expectation values of observables.Comment: 13 page
Asymptotics of Relativistic Spin Networks
The stationary phase technique is used to calculate asymptotic formulae for
SO(4) Relativistic Spin Networks. For the tetrahedral spin network this gives
the square of the Ponzano-Regge asymptotic formula for the SU(2) 6j symbol. For
the 4-simplex (10j-symbol) the asymptotic formula is compared with numerical
calculations of the Spin Network evaluation. Finally we discuss the asymptotics
of the SO(3,1) 10j-symbol.Comment: 31 pages, latex. v3: minor clarification
Spin Foam Models of Yang-Mills Theory Coupled to Gravity
We construct a spin foam model of Yang-Mills theory coupled to gravity by
using a discretized path integral of the BF theory with polynomial interactions
and the Barret-Crane ansatz. In the Euclidian gravity case we obtain a vertex
amplitude which is determined by a vertex operator acting on a simple spin
network function. The Euclidian gravity results can be straightforwardly
extended to the Lorentzian case, so that we propose a Lorentzian spin foam
model of Yang-Mills theory coupled to gravity.Comment: 10 page
A Lorentzian Signature Model for Quantum General Relativity
We give a relativistic spin network model for quantum gravity based on the
Lorentz group and its q-deformation, the Quantum Lorentz Algebra.
We propose a combinatorial model for the path integral given by an integral
over suitable representations of this algebra. This generalises the state sum
models for the case of the four-dimensional rotation group previously studied
in gr-qc/9709028.
As a technical tool, formulae for the evaluation of relativistic spin
networks for the Lorentz group are developed, with some simple examples which
show that the evaluation is finite in interesting cases. We conjecture that the
`10J' symbol needed in our model has a finite value.Comment: 22 pages, latex, amsfonts, Xypic. Version 3: improved presentation.
Version 2 is a major revision with explicit formulae included for the
evaluation of relativistic spin networks and the computation of examples
which have finite value
Topological Aspects of Spin and Statistics in Nonlinear Sigma Models
We study the purely topological restrictions on allowed spin and statistics
of topological solitons in nonlinear sigma models. Taking as space the
connected -manifold , and considering nonlinear sigma models with the
connected manifold as target space, topological solitons are given by
elements of . Any topological soliton determines
a quotient \Stat_n(X,\alpha) of the group of framed braids on , such that
choices of allowed statistics for solitons of type are given by
unitary representations of \Stat_n(X,\alpha) when solitons are present.
In particular, when , as in the nonlinear sigma model with Hopf
term, and is a generator, we compute that
\Stat_n(\R^2,\alpha) = \Z, while \Stat_n(S^2,\alpha) = \Z_{2n}. It follows
that phase for interchanging two solitons of type on
must satisfy the constraint , , when such
solitons are present.Comment: 14 page
Dual variables and a connection picture for the Euclidean Barrett-Crane model
The partition function of the SO(4)- or Spin(4)-symmetric Euclidean
Barrett-Crane model can be understood as a sum over all quantized geometries of
a given triangulation of a four-manifold. In the original formulation, the
variables of the model are balanced representations of SO(4) which describe the
quantized areas of the triangles. We present an exact duality transformation
for the full quantum theory and reformulate the model in terms of new variables
which can be understood as variables conjugate to the quantized areas. The new
variables are pairs of S^3-values associated to the tetrahedra. These
S^3-variables parameterize the hyperplanes spanned by the tetrahedra (locally
embedded in R^4), and the fact that there is a pair of variables for each
tetrahedron can be viewed as a consequence of an SO(4)-valued parallel
transport along the edges dual to the tetrahedra. We reconstruct the parallel
transport of which only the action of SO(4) on S^3 is physically relevant and
rewrite the Barrett-Crane model as an SO(4) lattice BF-theory living on the
2-complex dual to the triangulation subject to suitable constraints whose form
we derive at the quantum level. Our reformulation of the Barrett-Crane model in
terms of continuous variables is suitable for the application of various
analytical and numerical techniques familiar from Statistical Mechanics.Comment: 33 pages, LaTeX, combined PiCTeX/postscript figures, v2: note added,
TeX error correcte
An Invitation to Higher Gauge Theory
In this easy introduction to higher gauge theory, we describe parallel
transport for particles and strings in terms of 2-connections on 2-bundles.
Just as ordinary gauge theory involves a gauge group, this generalization
involves a gauge '2-group'. We focus on 6 examples. First, every abelian Lie
group gives a Lie 2-group; the case of U(1) yields the theory of U(1) gerbes,
which play an important role in string theory and multisymplectic geometry.
Second, every group representation gives a Lie 2-group; the representation of
the Lorentz group on 4d Minkowski spacetime gives the Poincar\'e 2-group, which
leads to a spin foam model for Minkowski spacetime. Third, taking the adjoint
representation of any Lie group on its own Lie algebra gives a 'tangent
2-group', which serves as a gauge 2-group in 4d BF theory, which has
topological gravity as a special case. Fourth, every Lie group has an 'inner
automorphism 2-group', which serves as the gauge group in 4d BF theory with
cosmological constant term. Fifth, every Lie group has an 'automorphism
2-group', which plays an important role in the theory of nonabelian gerbes. And
sixth, every compact simple Lie group gives a 'string 2-group'. We also touch
upon higher structures such as the 'gravity 3-group' and the Lie 3-superalgebra
that governs 11-dimensional supergravity.Comment: 60 pages, based on lectures at the 2nd School and Workshop on Quantum
Gravity and Quantum Geometry at the 2009 Corfu Summer Institut
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