Spin Foams Without Spins

We formulate the spin foam representation of discrete SU(2) gauge theory as a product of vertex amplitudes each of which is the spin network generating function of the boundary graph dual to the vertex. In doing so the sums over spins have been carried out. The boundary data of each n-valent node is explicitly reduced with respect to the local gauge invariance and has a manifest geometrical interpretation as a framed polyhedron of fixed total area. Ultimately, sums over spins are traded for contour integrals over simple poles and recoupling theory is avoided using generating functions.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figure

Generating Functionals for Spin Foam Amplitudes

We construct a generating functional for the exact evalutation of a coherent representation of spin network amplitudes. This generating functional is defined for arbitrary graphs and depends only on a pair of spinors for each edge. The generating functional is a meromorphic polynomial in the spinor invariants which is determined by the cycle structure of the graph. The expansion of the spin network generating function is given in terms of a newly recognized basis of SU(2) intertwiners consisting of the monomials of the holomorphic spinor invariants. This basis is labelled by the degrees of the monomials and is thus discrete. It is also overcomplete, but contains the precise amount of data to specify points in the classical space of closed polyhedra, and is in this sense coherent. We call this new basis the discrete-coherent basis. We focus our study on the 4-valent basis, which is the first non-trivial dimension, and is also the case of interest for Quantum Gravity. We find simple relations between the new basis, the orthonormal basis, and the coherent basis. Finally we discuss the process of coarse graining moves at the level of the generating functionals and give a general prescription for arbitrary graphs. A direct relation between the polynomial of cycles in the spin network generating functional and the high temperature loop expansion of the 2d Ising model is found.Comment: PhD Thesis, 128 page

Lieb-Robinson bounds with dependence on interaction strengths

We propose new Lieb-Robinson bounds (bounds on the speed of propagation of information in quantum systems) with an explicit dependence on the interaction strengths of the Hamiltonian. For systems with more than two interactions it is found that the Lieb-Robinson speed is not always algebraic in the interaction strengths. We consider Hamiltonians with any finite number of bounded operators and also a certain class of unbounded operators. We obtain bounds and propagation speeds for quantum systems on lattices and also general graphs possessing a kind of homogeneity and isotropy. One area for which this formalism could be useful is the study of quantum phase transitions which occur when interactions strengths are varied.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figure, minor modification

On the exact evaluation of spin networks

We introduce a fully coherent spin network amplitude whose expansion generates all SU(2) spin networks associated with a given graph. We then give an explicit evaluation of this amplitude for an arbitrary graph. We show how this coherent amplitude can be obtained from the specialization of a generating functional obtained by the contraction of parametrized intertwiners a la Schwinger. We finally give the explicit evaluation of this generating functional for arbitrary graphs

Pachner moves in a 4d Riemannian holomorphic Spin Foam model

In this work we study a Spin Foam model for 4d Riemannian gravity, and propose a new way of imposing the simplicity constraints that uses the recently developed holomorphic representation. Using the power of the holomorphic integration techniques, and with the introduction of two new tools: the homogeneity map and the loop identity, for the first time we give the analytic expressions for the behaviour of the Spin Foam amplitudes under 4-dimensional Pachner moves. It turns out that this behaviour is controlled by an insertion of nonlocal mixing operators. In the case of the 5-1 move, the expression governing the change of the amplitude can be interpreted as a vertex renormalisation equation. We find a natural truncation scheme that allows us to get an invariance up to an overall factor for the 4-2 and 5-1 moves, but not for the 3-3 move. The study of the divergences shows that there is a range of parameter space for which the 4-2 move is finite while the 5-1 move diverges. This opens up the possibility to recover diffeomorphism invariance in the continuum limit of Spin Foam models for 4D Quantum Gravity.Comment: 48 pages, 30 figure

A spin foam model for general Lorentzian 4-geometries

We derive simplicity constraints for the quantization of general Lorentzian 4-geometries. Our method is based on the correspondence between coherent states and classical bivectors and the minimization of associated uncertainties. For spacelike geometries, this scheme agrees with the master constraint method of the model by Engle, Pereira, Rovelli and Livine (EPRL). When it is applied to general Lorentzian geometries, we obtain new constraints that include the EPRL constraints as a special case. They imply a discrete area spectrum for both spacelike and timelike surfaces. We use these constraints to define a spin foam model for general Lorentzian 4-geometries.Comment: 27 pages, 1 figure; v4: published versio

Coherent states for continuous spectrum operators with non-normalizable fiducial states

The problem of building coherent states from non-normalizable fiducial states is considered. We propose a way of constructing such coherent states by regularizing the divergence of the fiducial state norm. Then, we successfully apply the formalism to particular cases involving systems with a continuous spectrum: coherent states for the free particle and for the inverted oscillator $(p^2 - x^2)$ are explicitly provided. Similar ideas can be used for other systems having non-normalizable fiducial states.Comment: 17 pages, typos corrected, references adde