Nonperturbative methods for calculating the heat kernel

We study the low-energy approximation for calculation of the heat kernel which is determined by the strong slowly varying background fields in strongly curved quasi-homogeneous manifolds. A new covariant algebraic approach, based on taking into account a finite number of low-order covariant derivatives of the background fields and neglecting all covariant derivatives of higher orders, is proposed. It is shown that a set of covariant differential operators together with the background fields and their low-order derivatives generates a finite dimensional Lie algebra. This algebraic structure can be used to present the heat semigroup operator in the form of an average over the corresponding Lie group. Closed covariant formulas for the heat kernel diagonal are obtained. These formulas serve, in particular, as the generating functions for the whole sequence of the Hadamard-\-Minakshisundaram-\-De~Witt-\-Seeley coefficients in all symmetric spaces.Comment: 15 pages, Plain TeX, 42 KB, no figures; Talk given at the Int. Conf. `Global Analysis, Differential Geometry and Lie Algebras', Thessaloniki, Greece, December, 1994; to be published in `Algebras, Groups and Geometries

Covariant approximation schemes for calculation of the heat kernel in quantum field theory

This paper is an overview on our recent results in the calculation of the heat kernel in quantum field theory and quantum gravity. We introduce a deformation of the background fields (including the metric of a curved spacetime manifold) and study various asymptotic expansions of the heat kernel diagonal associated with this deformation. Especial attention is payed to the low-energy approximation corresponding to the strong slowly varying background fields. We develop a new covariant purely algebraic approach for calculating the heat kernel diagonal in low-energy approximation by taking into account a finite number of low-order covariant derivatives of the background fields, and neglecting all covariant derivatives of higher orders. Then there exist a set of covariant differential operators that together with the background fields and their low-order derivatives generate a finite dimensional Lie algebra. In the zeroth order of the low-energy perturbation theory, determined by covariantly constant background, we use this algebraic structure to present the heat operator in the form of an average over the corresponding Lie group. This simplifies considerably the calculations and allows to obtain closed explicitly covariant formulas for the heat kernel diagonal. These formulas serve as the generating functions for the whole sequence of the Hadamard-Minakshisundaram- De Witt-Seeley coefficients in the low-energy approximation.Comment: 19 pages, Plain TeX, 51 KB, no figure

The heat kernel approach for calculating the effective action in quantum field theory and quantum gravity

A short informal overview about recent progress in the calculation of the effective action in quantum gravity is given. I describe briefly the standard heat kernel approach to the calculation of the effective action and discuss the applicability of the Schwinger - De Witt asymptotic expansion in the case of strong background fields. I propose a new ansatz for the heat kernel that generalizes the Schwinger - De Witt one and is always valid. Then I discuss the general structure of the asymptotic expansion and put forward some approximate explicitly covariant methods for calculating the heat kernel, namely, the high-energy approximation as well as the low-energy one. In both cases the explicit formulae for the heat kernel are given.Comment: 21 pages, Plain TeX, 52 KB, no figure

Heat Kernel Asymptotics on Symmetric Spaces

We develop a new method for the calculation of the heat trace asymptotics of the Laplacian on symmetric spaces that is based on a representation of the heat semigroup in form of an average over the Lie group of isometries and obtain a generating function for the whole sequence of all heat invariants.Comment: 20 pages, Proceedings of the Conference "Midwest Geometry Conference 2006", University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, May 5-7, 2006; References are update

A method for calculating the heat kernel for manifolds with boundary

The covariant technique for calculating the heat kernel asymptotic expansion for an elliptic differential second order operator is generalized to manifolds with boundary. The first boundary coefficients of the asymptotic expansion which are proportional to $t^{1/2}$ and $t^{3/2}$ are calculated. Our results coincide with completely independent results of previous authors.Comment: 11 pages, Plain TeX, 29 KB, no figures, published in Yadernaya Fizika, 56 (1993) 245, transl. in: Sov. J. of Nucl. Phy

Heat Trace and Functional Determinant in One Dimension

We study the spectral properties of the Laplace type operator on the circle. We discuss various approximations for the heat trace, the zeta function and the zeta-regularized determinant. We obtain a differential equation for the heat kernel diagonal and a recursive system for the diagonal heat kernel coefficients, which enables us to find closed approximate formulas for the heat trace and the functional determinant which become exact in the limit of infinite radius. The relation to the generalized KdV hierarchy is discussed as well.Comment: 28 page

Non-Laplace type Operators on Manifolds with Boundary

We study second-order elliptic partial differential operators acting on sections of vector bundles over a compact manifold with boundary with a non-scalar positive definite leading symbol. Such operators, called non-Laplace type operators, appear, in particular, in gauge field theories, string theory as well as models of non-commutative gravity theories, when instead of a Riemannian metric there is a matrix valued self-adjoint symmetric two-tensor that plays the role of a ``non-commutative'' metric. It is well known that there is a small-time asymptotic expansion of the trace of the corresponding heat kernel in half-integer powers of time. We initiate the development of a systematic approach for the explicit calculation of these coefficients, construct the corresponding parametrix of the heat equation and compute explicitly the first two heat trace coefficients.Comment: Introduction and bibliography significantly expanded. 39 pages, no figures, to be published in: Proceedings of the Workshop ``Krzysztof Wojciechowski 50 years - Analysis and Geometry of Boundary Value Problems'', Roskilde, Denmark, 20-22 May, 2005; Minor cosmetic changes in version

Heat Kernel Asymptotics of Operators with Non-Laplace Principal Part

We consider second-order elliptic partial differential operators acting on sections of vector bundles over a compact Riemannian manifold without boundary, working without the assumption of Laplace-like principal part $-\N^\mu\N_\mu$. Our objective is to obtain information on the asymptotic expansions of the corresponding resolvent and the heat kernel. The heat kernel and the Green's function are constructed explicitly in the leading order. The first two coefficients of the heat kernel asymptotic expansion are computed explicitly. A new semi-classical ansatz as well as the complete recursion system for the heat kernel of non-Laplace type operators is constructed. Some particular cases are studied in more detail.Comment: The list of references has been expanded. The Introduction describes now in more detail the motivations of our investigation. A misprint has been correcte

Foundational Problems in Quantum Gravity

Boundary conditions play a crucial role in the path-integral approach to quantum gravity and quantum cosmology, as well as in the current attempts to understand the one-loop semiclassical properties of quantum field theories. Within this framework, one is led to consider boundary conditions completely invariant under infinitesimal diffeomorphisms on metric perturbations. These are part of a general scheme, which can be developed for Maxwell theory, Yang-Mills Theory, Rarita-Schwinger fields and any other gauge theory. A general condition for strong ellipticity of the resulting field theory on manifolds with boundary is here proved, following recent work by the authors. The relevance for Euclidean quantum gravity is eventually discussed.Comment: 12 pages, plain Tex, contribution to the Italian XIII National Conference on General Relativity, Monopoli, September 199

On Ellipticity and Gauge Invariance in Euclidean Quantum Gravity

Invariance principles determine many key properties in quantum field theory, including, in particular, the appropriate form of the boundary conditions. A crucial consistency check is the proof that the resulting boundary-value problem is strongly elliptic. In Euclidean quantum gravity, the appropriate principle seems to be the invariance of boundary conditions under infinitesimal diffeomorphisms on metric perturbations, and hence their BRST invariance. However, if the operator on metric perturbations is then chosen to be of Laplace type, the boundary-value problem for the quantized gravitational field fails to be strongly elliptic. A detailed proof is presented, and the corresponding open problems are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, plain Tex, paper prepared for the Conference: Trends in Mathematical Physics, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, October 14-17, 199