Quantum Gravity as Topological Quantum Field Theory

The physics of quantum gravity is discussed within the framework of topological quantum field theory. Some of the principles are illustrated with examples taken from theories in which space-time is three dimensional.Comment: 23 pages, amstex, JMP special issue (deadline permitting). (Text not changed

State sum models for quantum gravity

This paper reviews the construction of quantum field theory on a 4-dimensional spacetime by combinatorial methods, and discusses the recent developments in the direction of a combinatorial construction of quantum gravity.Comment: amslatex, 7 pages, ICMP conference tal

A Commander’s Power, A Civilian’s Reason: Justice Jackson’s Korematsu Dissent

Barrett examines the dissent opinion of Supreme Court Justice Robert Houghwout Jackson in Korematsu v. United States, which centered on the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. Although the dissent has been criticized as incoherent, it contains strong legal implications within its complexity

A Lorentzian version of the non-commutative geometry of the standard model of particle physics

A formulation of the non-commutative geometry for the standard model of particle physics with a Lorentzian signature metric is presented. The elimination of the fermion doubling in the Lorentzian case is achieved by a modification of Connes' internal space geometry so that it has signature 6 (mod 8) rather than 0. The fermionic part of the Connes-Chamseddine spectral action can be formulated, and it is shown that it allows an extension with right-handed neutrinos and the correct mass terms for the see-saw mechanism of neutrino mass generation.Comment: Approx. 14 pages. v2: minor corrections; conclusions unaffecte

The New Role of the Courts in Developing Public Welfare Law

Three years ago it could be said that the federal courts played virtually no role in shaping the rules which determine whether an individual is eligible for public assistance under federally financed programs. The intervening period has seen a dramatic change. Whereas until January 1967 the federal courts had finally adjudicated but one action on welfare grants under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the provision most readily invoked for such action, the Commerce Clearing House today publishes the Poverty Law Reporter to inform practicing attorneys of pending litigation and court decisions in this rapidly developing field. This article will attempt to examine both the reasons for and the significance of this burst of welfare litigation activity. Before doing so, however, it is necessary to outline briefly the statutory structure of public welfare in the United States and the mechanisms by which welfare rules were developed before the courts were projected onto the scene

Skein spaces and spin structures

This paper relates skein spaces based on the Kauffman bracket and spin structures. A spin structure on an oriented 3-manifold provides an isomorphism between the skein space for parameter A and the skein space for parameter -A. There is an application to Penrose's binor calculus, which is related to the tensor calculus of representations of SU(2). The perspective developed here is that this tensor calculus is actually a calculus of spinors on the plane, and the matrices a re determined by a type of spinor transport which generalises to links in any 3-manifold. A second application shows that there is a skein space which is the algebra of functions on the set of spin structures for the 3-manifold.Comment: 9 pages, amstex, 15 figures. Revised by a substantial addition to give a geometrical description of all the commutative skein algebras, for A^6=1 (q^3=1

It\u27s Time for a Good Hard Look in the Mirror: The Corporate Law Example

This Article asserts that the move from the industrial age to the information age represents a fundamental change to our society on such a widespread basis that the legal order must reexamine the premises about how our society functions, assessing whether foundational elements of U.S. Common Law remain valid. This Article first confronts briefly the continuing acceptance of certain foundational premises in contract and intellectual property law, illustrating that such premises are no longer supported by the realities of modern society. With fundamental change challenging multiple areas of law in the information age, this problem is worthy of widespread inquiry by legal scholars in various fields. This Article then turns to a detailed analysis of the premises supporting shareholder primacy in corporate law, demonstrating that the historic justifications for allocations of ownership, control and duties no longer support these premises. Based on the relative needs of today’s businesses vis-à-vis the contributions of various other constituencies, this Article asserts that employees should also have certain duties owed to them. This Article concludes with a novel model for creating such a stake in the form of a springing right to profit sharing