Lorentzian homogeneous spaces admitting a homogeneous structure of type T1+T3

We show that a Lorentzian homogeneous space admitting a homogeneous structure of type T1 + T3 is either a (locally) symmetric space or a singular homogeneous plane wave.Comment: 7 pages, Latex2e, a small note and a reference adde

A topological limit of gravity admitting an SU(2) connection formulation

We study the Hamiltonian formulation of the generally covariant theory defined by the Lagrangian 4-form L=e_I e_J F^{IJ}(\omega) where e^I is a tetrad field and F^{IJ} is the curvature of a Lorentz connection \omega^{IJ}. This theory can be thought of as the limit of the Holst action for gravity for the Newton constant G goes to infinity and Immirzi parameter goes to zero, while keeping their product fixed. This theory has for a long time been conjectured to be topological. We prove this statement both in the covariant phase space formulation as well as in the standard Dirac formulation. In the time gauge, the unconstrained phase space of theory admits an SU(2) connection formulation which makes it isomorphic to the unconstrained phase space of gravity in terms of Ashtekar-Barbero variables. Among possible physical applications, we argue that the quantization of this topological theory might shed new light on the nature of the degrees of freedom that are responsible for black entropy in loop quantum gravity.Comment: Appendix added where moldels leading to boundary degrees of freedom are constructed. This version will appear in PRD

Lorentz-covariant Hamiltonian analysis of BF gravity with the Immirzi parameter

We perform the Lorentz-covariant Hamiltonian analysis of two Lagrangian action principles that describe general relativity as a constrained BF theory and that include the Immirzi parameter. The relation between these two Lagrangian actions has been already studied through a map among the fields involved. The main difference between these is the way the Immirzi parameter is included, since in one of them the Immirzi parameter is included explicitly in the BF terms, whereas in the other (the CMPR action) it is in the constraint on the B fields. In this work we continue the analysis of their relationship but at the Hamiltonian level. Particularly, we are interested in seeing how the above difference appears in the constraint structure of both action principles. We find that they both possess the same number of first-class and second-class constraints and satisfy a very similar (off-shell) Poisson-bracket algebra on account of the type of canonical variables employed. The two algebras can be transformed into each other by making a suitable change of variablesComment: LaTeX file, no figure

Quantum mechanics without spacetime II : noncommutative geometry and the free point particle

In a recent paper we have suggested that a formulation of quantum mechanics should exist, which does not require the concept of time, and that the appropriate mathematical language for such a formulation is noncommutative differential geometry. In the present paper we discuss this formulation for the free point particle, by introducing a commutation relation for a set of noncommuting coordinates. The sought for background independent quantum mechanics is derived from this commutation relation for the coordinates. We propose that the basic equations are invariant under automorphisms which map one set of coordinates to another- this is a natural generalization of diffeomorphism invariance when one makes a transition to noncommutative geometry. The background independent description becomes equivalent to standard quantum mechanics if a spacetime manifold exists, because of the proposed automorphism invariance. The suggested basic equations also give a quantum gravitational description of the free particle.Comment: 8 page