126 research outputs found
On Semi-Classical States of Quantum Gravity and Noncommutative Geometry
We construct normalizable, semi-classical states for the previously proposed
model of quantum gravity which is formulated as a spectral triple over holonomy
loops. The semi-classical limit of the spectral triple gives the Dirac
Hamiltonian in 3+1 dimensions. Also, time-independent lapse and shift fields
emerge from the semi-classical states. Our analysis shows that the model might
contain fermionic matter degrees of freedom.
The semi-classical analysis presented in this paper does away with most of
the ambiguities found in the initial semi-finite spectral triple construction.
The cubic lattices play the role of a coordinate system and a divergent
sequence of free parameters found in the Dirac type operator is identified as a
certain inverse infinitesimal volume element.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figure
Quantum Gravity coupled to Matter via Noncommutative Geometry
We show that the principal part of the Dirac Hamiltonian in 3+1 dimensions
emerges in a semi-classical approximation from a construction which encodes the
kinematics of quantum gravity. The construction is a spectral triple over a
configuration space of connections. It involves an algebra of holonomy loops
represented as bounded operators on a separable Hilbert space and a Dirac type
operator. Semi-classical states, which involve an averaging over points at
which the product between loops is defined, are constructed and it is shown
that the Dirac Hamiltonian emerges as the expectation value of the Dirac type
operator on these states in a semi-classical approximation.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figur
Spin Foams and Noncommutative Geometry
We extend the formalism of embedded spin networks and spin foams to include
topological data that encode the underlying three-manifold or four-manifold as
a branched cover. These data are expressed as monodromies, in a way similar to
the encoding of the gravitational field via holonomies. We then describe
convolution algebras of spin networks and spin foams, based on the different
ways in which the same topology can be realized as a branched covering via
covering moves, and on possible composition operations on spin foams. We
illustrate the case of the groupoid algebra of the equivalence relation
determined by covering moves and a 2-semigroupoid algebra arising from a
2-category of spin foams with composition operations corresponding to a fibered
product of the branched coverings and the gluing of cobordisms. The spin foam
amplitudes then give rise to dynamical flows on these algebras, and the
existence of low temperature equilibrium states of Gibbs form is related to
questions on the existence of topological invariants of embedded graphs and
embedded two-complexes with given properties. We end by sketching a possible
approach to combining the spin network and spin foam formalism with matter
within the framework of spectral triples in noncommutative geometry.Comment: 48 pages LaTeX, 30 PDF figure
The Inverse Seesaw Mechanism in Noncommutative Geometry
In this publication we will implement the inverse Seesaw mechanism into the
noncommutative framework on the basis of the AC-extension of the Standard
Model. The main difference to the classical AC model is the chiral nature of
the AC fermions with respect to a U(1) extension of the Standard Model gauge
group. It is this extension which allows us to couple the right-handed
neutrinos via a gauge invariant mass term to left-handed A-particles. The
natural scale of these gauge invariant masses is of the order of 10^17 GeV
while the Dirac masses of the neutrino and the AC-particles are generated
dynamically and are therefore much smaller (ca. 1 GeV to 10^6 GeV). From this
configuration a working inverse Seesaw mechanism for the neutrinos is obtained
Intersecting Quantum Gravity with Noncommutative Geometry - a Review
We review applications of noncommutative geometry in canonical quantum gravity. First, we show that the framework of loop quantum gravity includes natural noncommutative structures which have, hitherto, not been explored. Next, we present the construction of a spectral triple over an algebra of holonomy loops. The spectral triple, which encodes the kinematics of quantum gravity, gives rise to a natural class of semiclassical states which entail emerging fermionic degrees of freedom. In the particular semiclassical approximation where all gravitational degrees of freedom are turned off, a free fermionic quantum field theory emerges. We end the paper with an extended outlook section
On Spectral Triples in Quantum Gravity II
A semifinite spectral triple for an algebra canonically associated to
canonical quantum gravity is constructed. The algebra is generated by based
loops in a triangulation and its barycentric subdivisions. The underlying space
can be seen as a gauge fixing of the unconstrained state space of Loop Quantum
Gravity. This paper is the second of two papers on the subject.Comment: 43 pages, 1 figur
Comparison of the early stages of corrosion of copper and iron investigated by in situ TM-AFM
The role of biotic interactions in shaping distributions and realised assemblages of species: implications for species distribution modelling.
Predicting which species will occur together in the future, and where, remains one of the greatest challenges in ecology, and requires a sound understanding of how the abiotic and biotic environments interact with dispersal processes and history across scales. Biotic interactions and their dynamics influence species' relationships to climate, and this also has important implications for predicting future distributions of species. It is already well accepted that biotic interactions shape species' spatial distributions at local spatial extents, but the role of these interactions beyond local extents (e.g. 10 km(2) to global extents) are usually dismissed as unimportant. In this review we consolidate evidence for how biotic interactions shape species distributions beyond local extents and review methods for integrating biotic interactions into species distribution modelling tools. Drawing upon evidence from contemporary and palaeoecological studies of individual species ranges, functional groups, and species richness patterns, we show that biotic interactions have clearly left their mark on species distributions and realised assemblages of species across all spatial extents. We demonstrate this with examples from within and across trophic groups. A range of species distribution modelling tools is available to quantify species environmental relationships and predict species occurrence, such as: (i) integrating pairwise dependencies, (ii) using integrative predictors, and (iii) hybridising species distribution models (SDMs) with dynamic models. These methods have typically only been applied to interacting pairs of species at a single time, require a priori ecological knowledge about which species interact, and due to data paucity must assume that biotic interactions are constant in space and time. To better inform the future development of these models across spatial scales, we call for accelerated collection of spatially and temporally explicit species data. Ideally, these data should be sampled to reflect variation in the underlying environment across large spatial extents, and at fine spatial resolution. Simplified ecosystems where there are relatively few interacting species and sometimes a wealth of existing ecosystem monitoring data (e.g. arctic, alpine or island habitats) offer settings where the development of modelling tools that account for biotic interactions may be less difficult than elsewhere
Lignin biomarkers as tracers of mercury sources in lakes water column
This study presents the role of specific terrigenous organic compounds as important vectors of mercury (Hg) transported from watersheds to lakes of the Canadian boreal forest. In order to differentiate the autochthonous from the allochthonous organic matter (OM), lignin derived biomarker signatures [Lambda, S/V, C/V, P/(V ? S), 3,5-Bd/V and (Ad/Al)v] were used. Since lignin is exclusively produced by terrigenous plants, this approach can give a non equivocal picture of the watershed inputs to the lakes. Moreover, it allows a characterization of the source of OM and its state of degradation. The water column of six lakes from the Canadian Shield was sampled monthly between June and September 2005. Lake total dissolved Hg concentrations and Lambda were positively correlated, meaning that Hg and ligneous inputs are linked (dissolved OM r2 = 0.62, p\0.0001; particulate OM r2 = 0.76, p\0.0001). Ratios of P/(V ? S) and 3,5-Bd/V from both dissolved OM and particulate OM of the water column suggest an inverse relationship between the progressive state of pedogenesis and maturation of the OM in soil before entering the lake, and the Hg concentrations in the water column. No relation was found between Hg levels in the lakes and the watershed flora composition—angiosperm versus gymnosperm or woody versus non-woody compounds. This study has significant implications for watershed management of ecosystems since limiting fresh terrestrial OM inputs should reduce Hg inputs to the aquatic systems. This is particularly the case for largescale land-use impacts, such as deforestation, agriculture and urbanization, associated to large quantities of soil OM being transferred to aquatic systems
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