Solving the Constraints of General Relativity

I show in this letter that it is possible to solve some of the constraints of the $SO(3)$-ADM formalism for general relativity by using an approach similar to the one introduced by Capovilla, Dell and Jacobson to solve the vector and scalar constraints in the Ashtekar variables framework. I discuss the advantages of using the ADM formalism and compare the result with similar proposals for different Hamiltonian formulations of general relativity.Comment: 8 pages, LATEX, no figures, Preprint CGPG-94/11-

Quadratic s-Form Field Actions with Semi-bounded Energy

We give in this paper a partial classification of the consistent quadratic gauge actions that can be written in terms of s-form fields. This provides a starting point to study the uniqueness of the Yang-Mills action as a deformation of Maxwell-like theories. We also show that it is impossible to write kinetic 1-form terms that can be consistently added to other 1-form actions such as tetrad gravity in four space-time dimensions even in the presence of a Minkowskian metric background.Comment: 1+35 papes in (DIN A4 format

Fourth order nematic elasticity and modulated nematic phases: a poor man's approach

We propose an extension of Frank-Oseen's elastic energy for bulk nematic liquid crystals which is based on the hypothesis that the fundamental deformations allowed in nematic liquid crystals are splay, twist and bend. The extended elastic energy is a fourth order form in the fundamental deformations. The existence of bulk spontaneous modulated or deformed nematic liquid crystal ground states is investigated. The analysis is limited to bulk nematic liquid crystals in the absence of limiting surfaces and/or external fields. The non deformed ground state is stable only when Frank-Oseen's elastic constants are positive. In case where at least one of them is negative, the ground state becomes deformed. The analysis of the stability of the deformed states in the space of the elastic parameters allows to characterize different types of deformed nematic phases. Some of them are new nematic phases, for instance a twist -- splay nematic phase is predicted. Inequalities between second order elastic constants which govern the stability of the twist--bend and splay--bend state are obtained

From Euclidean to Lorentzian General Relativity: The Real Way

We study in this paper a new approach to the problem of relating solutions to the Einstein field equations with Riemannian and Lorentzian signatures. The procedure can be thought of as a "real Wick rotation". We give a modified action for general relativity, depending on two real parameters, that can be used to control the signature of the solutions to the field equations. We show how this procedure works for the Schwarzschild metric and discuss some possible applications of the formalism in the context of signature change, the problem of time, black hole thermodynamics...Comment: 20 pages uuencoded gzipped tar format. Accepted in Phys. Rev. D. Some references adde

One pion production in neutrino-nucleon scattering and the different parametrizations of the weak N→ΔN\rightarrow\Delta vertex

The $N \to \Delta$ weak vertex provides an important contribution to the one pion production in neutrino-nucleon and neutrino-nucleus scattering for $\pi N$ invariant masses below 1.4 GeV. Beyond its interest as a tool in neutrino detection and their background analyses, one pion production in neutrino-nucleon scattering is useful to test predictions based on the quark model and other internal symmetries of strong interactions. Here we try to establish a connection between two commonly used parametrizations of the weak $N \to \Delta$ vertex and form factors (FF) and we study their effects on the determination of the axial coupling $C_5^A(0)$, the common normalization of the axial FF, which is predicted to hold 1.2 by using the PCAC hypothesis. Predictions for the $\nu_{\mu} p \to \mu^- p\pi^+$ total cross sections within the two approaches, which include the resonant $\Delta^{++}$ and other background contributions in a coherent way, are compared to experimental data.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Statistical description of the black hole degeneracy spectrum

We use mathematical methods based on generating functions to study the statistical properties of the black hole degeneracy spectrum in loop quantum gravity. In particular we will study the persistence of the observed effective quantization of the entropy as a function of the horizon area. We will show that this quantization disappears as the area increases despite the existence of black hole configurations with a large degeneracy. The methods that we describe here can be adapted to the study of the statistical properties of the black hole degeneracy spectrum for all the existing proposals to define black hole entropy in loop quantum gravity.Comment: 41 pages, 12 figure

BF Actions for the Husain-Kuchar Model

We show that the Husain-Kuchar model can be described in the framework of BF theories. This is a first step towards its quantization by standard perturbative QFT techniques or the spin-foam formalism introduced in the space-time description of General Relativity and other diff-invariant theories. The actions that we will consider are similar to the ones describing the BF-Yang-Mills model and some mass generating mechanisms for gauge fields. We will also discuss the role of diffeomorphisms in the new formulations that we propose.Comment: 21 pages (in DIN A4 format), minor typos corrected; to appear in Phys. Rev.

Real Ashtekar Variables for Lorentzian Signature Space-times

I suggest in this letter a new strategy to attack the problem of the reality conditions in the Ashtekar approach to classical and quantum general relativity. By writing a modified Hamiltonian constraint in the usual $SO(3)$ Yang-Mills phase space I show that it is possible to describe space-times with Lorentzian signature without the introduction of complex variables. All the features of the Ashtekar formalism related to the geometrical nature of the new variables are retained; in particular, it is still possible, in principle, to use the loop variables approach in the passage to the quantum theory. The key issue in the new formulation is how to deal with the more complicated Hamiltonian constraint that must be used in order to avoid the introduction of complex fields.Comment: 10 pages, LATEX, Preprint CGPG-94/10-

Quantum Geometry and Quantum Gravity

The purpose of this contribution is to give an introduction to quantum geometry and loop quantum gravity for a wide audience of both physicists and mathematicians. From a physical point of view the emphasis will be on conceptual issues concerning the relationship of the formalism with other more traditional approaches inspired in the treatment of the fundamental interactions in the standard model. Mathematically I will pay special attention to functional analytic issues, the construction of the relevant Hilbert spaces and the definition and properties of geometric operators: areas and volumes.Comment: To appear in the AIP Conference Proceedings of the XVI International Fall Workshop on Geometry and Physics, Lisbon - Portugal, 5-8 September 200