131 research outputs found
Geometry and observables in (2+1)-gravity
We review the geometrical properties of vacuum spacetimes in (2+1)-gravity
with vanishing cosmological constant. We explain how these spacetimes are
characterised as quotients of their universal cover by holonomies. We explain
how this description can be used to clarify the geometrical interpretation of
the fundamental physical variables of the theory, holonomies and Wilson loops.
In particular, we discuss the role of Wilson loop observables as the generators
of the two fundamental transformations that change the geometry of
(2+1)-spacetimes, grafting and earthquake. We explain how these variables can
be determined from realistic measurements by an observer in the spacetime.Comment: Talk given at 2nd School and Workshop on Quantum Gravity and Quantum
Geometry (Corfu, September 13-20 2009); 10 pages, 13 eps figure
Boundary conditions and symplectic structure in the Chern-Simons formulation of (2+1)-dimensional gravity
We propose a description of open universes in the Chern-Simons formulation of
(2+1)-dimensional gravity where spatial infinity is implemented as a puncture.
At this puncture, additional variables are introduced which lie in the
cotangent bundle of the Poincar\'e group, and coupled minimally to the
Chern-Simons gauge field. We apply this description of spatial infinity to open
universes of general genus and with an arbitrary number of massive spinning
particles. Using results of [9] we give a finite dimensional description of the
phase space and determine its symplectic structure. In the special case of a
genus zero universe with spinless particles, we compare our result to the
symplectic structure computed by Matschull in the metric formulation of
(2+1)-dimensional gravity. We comment on the quantisation of the phase space
and derive a quantisation condition for the total mass and spin of an open
universe.Comment: 44 pages, 3 eps figure
Grafting and Poisson structure in (2+1)-gravity with vanishing cosmological constant
We relate the geometrical construction of (2+1)-spacetimes via grafting to
phase space and Poisson structure in the Chern-Simons formulation of
(2+1)-dimensional gravity with vanishing cosmological constant on manifolds of
topology , where is an orientable two-surface of genus
. We show how grafting along simple closed geodesics \lambda is
implemented in the Chern-Simons formalism and derive explicit expressions for
its action on the holonomies of general closed curves on S_g. We prove that
this action is generated via the Poisson bracket by a gauge invariant
observable associated to the holonomy of . We deduce a symmetry
relation between the Poisson brackets of observables associated to the Lorentz
and translational components of the holonomies of general closed curves on S_g
and discuss its physical interpretation. Finally, we relate the action of
grafting on the phase space to the action of Dehn twists and show that grafting
can be viewed as a Dehn twist with a formal parameter satisfying
.Comment: 43 pages, 10 .eps figures; minor modifications: 2 figures added,
explanations added, typos correcte
A Chern-Simons approach to Galilean quantum gravity in 2+1 dimensions
We define and discuss classical and quantum gravity in 2+1 dimensions in the
Galilean limit. Although there are no Newtonian forces between massive objects
in (2+1)-dimensional gravity, the Galilean limit is not trivial. Depending on
the topology of spacetime there are typically finitely many topological degrees
of freedom as well as topological interactions of Aharonov-Bohm type between
massive objects. In order to capture these topological aspects we consider a
two-fold central extension of the Galilei group whose Lie algebra possesses an
invariant and non-degenerate inner product. Using this inner product we define
Galilean gravity as a Chern-Simons theory of the doubly-extended Galilei group.
The particular extension of the Galilei group we consider is the classical
double of a much studied group, the extended homogeneous Galilei group, which
is also often called Nappi-Witten group. We exhibit the Poisson-Lie structure
of the doubly extended Galilei group, and quantise the Chern-Simons theory
using a Hamiltonian approach. Many aspects of the quantum theory are determined
by the quantum double of the extended homogenous Galilei group, or Galilei
double for short. We study the representation theory of the Galilei double,
explain how associated braid group representations account for the topological
interactions in the theory, and briefly comment on an associated
non-commutative Galilean spacetime.Comment: 38 pages, 1 figure, references update
Galilean quantum gravity with cosmological constant and the extended q-Heisenberg algebra
We define a theory of Galilean gravity in 2+1 dimensions with cosmological
constant as a Chern-Simons gauge theory of the doubly-extended Newton-Hooke
group, extending our previous study of classical and quantum gravity in 2+1
dimensions in the Galilean limit. We exhibit an r-matrix which is compatible
with our Chern-Simons action (in a sense to be defined) and show that the
associated bi-algebra structure of the Newton-Hooke Lie algebra is that of the
classical double of the extended Heisenberg algebra. We deduce that, in the
quantisation of the theory according to the combinatorial quantisation
programme, much of the quantum theory is determined by the quantum double of
the extended q-deformed Heisenberg algebra.Comment: 22 page
Soil loss by wind (SoLoWind): a new GIS-based model to identify risk areas
The focus of wind erosion studies in Germany is located in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country, where wind erosion is a major soil threat and environmental concern. One of the most susceptible regions not only within Germany, but also within Europe (1, 2) is Western Saxony even though no high resolution erosion risk map exists for that region yet. A new wind erosion model for modeling soil loss by wind called SoLoWind was developed and tested for Western Saxony (3). SoLoWind extends the existing DIN model (DIN standard 19706) applied by the public authorities in Germany to a multidirectional model with new causal factors. The new factors are combined by fuzzy logic with the original DIN factors into four modules. The “Natural Wind Erosions Susceptibility” (SUS) module determines the regional soil erodibility with respect to soil texture, soil organic content, soil moisture and wind speeds. A “Soil Cover” (COV) module distinguishes between bare soil and covered soil in satellite images. Furthermore, the modules “Mean Field Length” (MFL) and “Mean Protection Zones” (MPZ) are parameters for the wind erosions avalanching effect and sheltering of windbreaks. Both modules are weighted according to the frequency of wind directions. The application showed that about one-third of all arable land in Western Saxony have either high (26.9%) or very high soil erosion risk (3.6%) by wind. As such, wind erosion is a serious land degradation threat for the region as it is in the adjacent federal states. According to the modeled off-site effects of wind erosion, a potential danger of reduced visibility by windblown dust to sections of the highway A72 could clearly be identified which calls for immediate protection measures. The transparency, adaptability, and user-friendliness of the model suggest that SoLoWind might serve as a planning tool for soil conservation strategies not merely in Western Saxony, but also in other regions
Cosmological measurements, time and observables in (2+1)-dimensional gravity
We investigate the relation between measurements and the physical observables
for vacuum spacetimes with compact spatial surfaces in (2+1)-gravity with
vanishing cosmological constant. By considering an observer who emits lightrays
that return to him at a later time, we obtain explicit expressions for several
measurable quantities as functions on the physical phase space of the theory:
the eigentime elapsed between the emission of a lightray and its return to the
observer, the angles between the directions into which the light has to be
emitted to return to the observer and the relative frequencies of the lightrays
at their emission and return. This provides a framework in which conceptual
questions about time, observables and measurements can be addressed. We analyse
the properties of these measurements and their geometrical interpretation and
show how they allow an observer to determine the values of the Wilson loop
observables that parametrise the physical phase space of (2+1)-gravity. We
discuss the role of time in the theory and demonstrate that the specification
of an observer with respect to the spacetime's geometry amounts to a gauge
fixing procedure yielding Dirac observables.Comment: 38 pages, 11 eps figures, typos corrected, references update
3d gravity and quantum deformations: a Drinfel'd double approach
Loops 11: Non-Perturbative / Background Independent Quantum Gravity
23–28 May 2011, Madrid, SpainThe constant curvature spacetimes of 3d gravity and their associated symmetry algebras are shown to arise from the 6d Drinfel'd double that underlies the two-parametric 'hybrid' quantum deformation of the fraktur sfraktur l(2, Script R) algebra. Moreover, the quantum deformation supplies the additional structures (star structure and pairing) that enter in the Chern-Simons formulation of the theory, thus establishing a direct link between quantum fraktur sfraktur l(2, Script R) algebras and 3d gravity models. In this approach the flat spacetimes and Newtonian models arise as Lie algebra contractions that are governed by two dimensionful fraktur sfraktur l(2, Script R) deformation parameters, which are directly related to the cosmological constant and to the speed of light
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