Lorentz symmetry is relevant

We set up a covariant renormalisation group equation on a foliated spacetime which preserves background diffeomorphism symmetry. As a first application of the new formalism, we study the effect of quantum fluctuations in Lorentz symmetry breaking theories of quantum gravity. It is found that once a small breaking is introduced e.g. at the Planck scale, quantum fluctuations enhance this breaking at low energies. A numerical analysis shows that the magnification is of order unity for trajectories compatible with a small cosmological constant. The immediate consequence is that the stringent observational constraints on Lorentz symmetry breaking are essentially scale-independent and must be met even at the Planck scale.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur

Critical (Chiral) Heisenberg Model with the Functional Renormalisation Group

We discuss the Heisenberg model and its chiral extension in an extended truncation with the help of functional methods. Employing computer algebra to derive the beta functions, and pseudo-spectral methods to solve them, we are able to go significantly beyond earlier approximations, and provide new estimates on the critical quantities of both models. The fixed point of the Heisenberg model is mostly understood, and our results are in agreement with estimates from various other approaches, including Monte Carlo and conformal bootstrap studies. By contrast, in the chiral case, the formerly known disagreement with lattice studies persists, raising the question whether actually the same universality class is described.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures; v2: matches journal versio

Towards reconstructing the quantum effective action of gravity

Starting from a parameterisation of the quantum effective action for gravity we calculate correlation functions for observable quantities. The resulting templates allow to reverse-engineer the couplings describing the effective dynamics from the correlation functions. Applying this new formalism to the autocorrelation function of spatial volume fluctuations measured within the Causal Dynamical Triangulations program suggests that the corresponding quantum effective action consists of the Einstein-Hilbert action supplemented by a non-local interaction term. We expect that our matching-template formalism can be adapted to a wide range of quantum gravity programs allowing to bridge the gap between the fundamental formulation and observable low-energy physics.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure; v2: reference update+clarification; v3: matches published versio

Resolving Spacetime Singularities within Asymptotic Safety

A key incentive of quantum gravity is the removal of spacetime singularities plaguing the classical theory. We compute the non-perturbative momentum-dependence of a specific structure function within the gravitational asymptotic safety program which encodes the quantum corrections to the graviton propagator for momenta above the Planck scale. The resulting quantum corrected Newtonian potential approaches a constant negative value as the distance between the two point masses goes to zero, thereby removing the classical singularity. The generic nature of the underlying mechanism suggests that it will remain operative in the context of black hole and cosmic singularities.Comment: v2: some improvements and clarifications; version accepted for publication in PR

Safe essential scalar-tensor theories

We discuss the renormalisation group flow of all essential couplings of quantum gravity coupled to a shift-symmetric scalar field at fourth order in the derivative expansion. We derive the global structure of the phase diagram, and identify a bounded region in theory space which is both asymptotically safe in the ultraviolet, and connects to standard effective field theory in the infrared. Our system thus satisfies the weak-gravity bound. The allowed infrared behaviour of the essential four-scalar coupling is restricted by requiring an ultraviolet completion. This bound can be saturated by a theory without free parameters, which gives a concrete example for a fully predictive scalar-tensor theory.Comment: 25 pages, 1 ancillary Mathematica noteboo

Lessons from conformally reduced quantum gravity

In this work we study a significantly enlarged truncation of conformally reduced quantum gravity in the context of Asymptotic Safety, including all operators that can be resolved in such a truncation including up to the sixth order in derivatives. A fixed point analysis suggests that there is no asymptotically safe fixed point in this system once one goes beyond an Einstein-Hilbert approximation. We will put these findings into context and discuss some lessons that can be learned from these results for general non-perturbative renormalisation group flows