Coupling of spacetime atoms and spin foam renormalisation from group field theory

We study the issue of coupling among 4-simplices in the context of spin foam models obtained from a group field theory formalism. We construct a generalisation of the Barrett-Crane model in which an additional coupling between the normals to tetrahedra, as defined in different 4-simplices that share them, is present. This is realised through an extension of the usual field over the group manifold to a five argument one. We define a specific model in which this coupling is parametrised by an additional real parameter that allows to tune the degree of locality of the resulting model, interpolating between the usual Barrett-Crane model and a flat BF-type one. Moreover, we define a further extension of the group field theory formalism in which the coupling parameter enters as a new variable of the field, and the action presents derivative terms that lead to modified classical equations of motion. Finally, we discuss the issue of renormalisation of spin foam models, and how the new coupled model can be of help regarding this.Comment: RevTeX, 18 pages, no figure

Holonomy observables in Ponzano-Regge type state sum models

We study observables on group elements in the Ponzano-Regge model. We show that these observables have a natural interpretation in terms of Feynman diagrams on a sphere and contrast them to the well studied observables on the spin labels. We elucidate this interpretation by showing how they arise from the no-gravity limit of the Turaev-Viro model and Chern-Simons theory.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figure

Feynman diagams coupled to three-dimensional quantum gravity

A framework for quantum field theory coupled to three-dimensional quantum gravity is proposed. The coupling with quantum gravity regulates the Feynman diagrams. One recovers the usual Feynman amplitudes in the limit as the cosmological constant tends to zero.Comment: 7 pages. v2: minor corrections, added re

Development and evaluation of a device to simulate a sonic boom

A device to simulate the vibrational and acoustical properties of a sonic boom was developed and evaluated. The design employed a moving circular diaphragm which produced pressure variations by altering the volume of an air-tight enclosure that was located adjacent to an acoustical test chamber. A review of construction oriented problems, along with their solutions, is presented. The simulator is shown to produce the effects of sonic booms having pressure signatures with rise times as low as 5 milliseconds, durations as short as 80 milliseconds, and overpressures as high as 2.5 pounds per square foot. Variations in the signatures are possible by independent adjustments of the simulator. The energy spectral density is also shown to be in agreement with theory and with actual measurements for aircraft

Spin Foam Models of Matter Coupled to Gravity

We construct a class of spin foam models describing matter coupled to gravity, such that the gravitational sector is described by the unitary irreducible representations of the appropriate symmetry group, while the matter sector is described by the finite-dimensional irreducible representations of that group. The corresponding spin foam amplitudes in the four-dimensional gravity case are expressed in terms of the spin network amplitudes for pentagrams with additional external and internal matter edges. We also give a quantum field theory formulation of the model, where the matter degrees of freedom are described by spin network fields carrying the indices from the appropriate group representation. In the non-topological Lorentzian gravity case, we argue that the matter representations should be appropriate SO(3) or SO(2) representations contained in a given Lorentz matter representation, depending on whether one wants to describe a massive or a massless matter field. The corresponding spin network amplitudes are given as multiple integrals of propagators which are matrix spherical functions.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures, further remarks and references added. Version to appear in Class. Quant. Gra

Fine-Scale Variations in Eucritic Pyroxene FeO/MnO: Process vs. Provenance.

Most asteroidal igneous rocks are eucrite-like basalts and gabbros, composed mostly of ferroan low- and high-Ca pyroxenes and calcic plagioclase, plus smaller amounts of silica (most commonly tridymite), ilmenite, chromite, troilite, Ca-phosphate, metal and sometimes ferroan olivine. Eucrite-like mafic rocks are fragments of the crusts of differentiated asteroids, and most are likely from 4 Vesta

Preparing multi-partite entanglement of photons and matter qubits

We show how to make event-ready multi-partite entanglement between qubits which may be encoded on photons or matter systems. Entangled states of matter systems, which can also act as single photon sources, can be generated using the entangling operation presented in quant-ph/0408040. We show how to entangle such sources with photon qubits, which may be encoded in the dual rail, polarization or time-bin degrees of freedom. We subsequently demonstrate how projective measurements of the matter qubits can be used to create entangled states of the photons alone. The state of the matter qubits is inherited by the generated photons. Since the entangling operation can be used to generate cluster states of matter qubits for quantum computing, our procedure enables us to create any (entangled) photonic quantum state that can be written as the outcome of a quantum computer.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures; to appear in Journal of Optics

Holography in the EPRL Model

In this research announcement, we propose a new interpretation of the EPR quantization of the BC model using a functor we call the time functor, which is the first example of a CLa-ren functor. Under the hypothesis that the universe is in the Kodama state, we construct a holographic version of the model. Generalisations to other CLa-ren functors and connections to model category theory are considered.Comment: research announcement. Latex fil