13 research outputs found
(Broken) Gauge Symmetries and Constraints in Regge Calculus
We will examine the issue of diffeomorphism symmetry in simplicial models of
(quantum) gravity, in particular for Regge calculus. We find that for a
solution with curvature there do not exist exact gauge symmetries on the
discrete level. Furthermore we derive a canonical formulation that exactly
matches the dynamics and hence symmetries of the covariant picture. In this
canonical formulation broken symmetries lead to the replacements of constraints
by so--called pseudo constraints. These considerations should be taken into
account in attempts to connect spin foam models, based on the Regge action,
with canonical loop quantum gravity, which aims at implementing proper
constraints. We will argue that the long standing problem of finding a
consistent constraint algebra for discretized gravity theories is equivalent to
the problem of finding an action with exact diffeomorphism symmetries. Finally
we will analyze different limits in which the pseudo constraints might turn
into proper constraints. This could be helpful to infer alternative
discretization schemes in which the symmetries are not broken.Comment: 32 pages, 15 figure
Effective relational dynamics
We provide a synopsis of an effective approach to the problem of time in the
semiclassical regime. The essential features of this new approach to evaluating
relational quantum dynamics in constrained systems are illustrated by means of
a simple toy model.Comment: 4 pages, based on a talk given at Loops '11 in Madrid, to appear in
Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS
Singularity resolution depends on the clock
We study the quantum cosmology of a flat Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker Universe filled with a (free) massless scalar field and a perfect fluid that represents radiation or a cosmological constant whose value is not fixed by the action, as in unimodular gravity. We study two versions of the quantum theory: the first is based on a time coordinate conjugate to the radiation/dark energy matter component, i.e., conformal time (for radiation) or unimodular time. As shown by Gryb and Thébault, this quantum theory achieves a type of singularity resolution; we illustrate this and other properties of this theory. The theory is then contrasted with a second type of quantisation in which the logarithm of the scale factor serves as time, which has been studied in the context of the 'perfect bounce' for quantum cosmology. Unlike the first quantum theory, the second one contains semiclassical states that follow classical trajectories and evolve into the singularity without obstruction, thus showing no singularity resolution. We discuss how a complex scale factor best describes the semiclassical dynamics. This cosmological model serves as an illustration of the problem of time in quantum cosmology