848 research outputs found
Unified model of loop quantum gravity and matter
We reconsider the unified model of gravitation and Yang--Mills interactions
proposed by Chakraborty and Peld\'an, in the light of recent formal
developments in loop quantum gravity. In particular, we show that one can
promote the Hamiltonian constraint of the unified model to a well defined
anomaly-free quantum operator using the techniques introduced by Thiemann, at
least for the Euclidean theory. The Lorentzian version of the model can be
consistently constructed, but at the moment appears to yield a correct weak
field theory only under restrictive assumptions, and its quantization appears
problematic.Comment: 4 pages, dedicated to Michael P. Ryan on the occasion of his sixtieth
birthda
A realist interpretation of quantum mechanics based on undecidability due to gravity
We summarize several recent developments suggesting that solving the problem
of time in quantum gravity leads to a solution of the measurement problem in
quantum mechanics. This approach has been informally called "the Montevideo
interpretation". In particular we discuss why definitions in this approach are
not "for all practical purposes" (fapp) and how the problem of outcomes is
resolved.Comment: 7 pages, IOPAMS style, no figures, contributed to the proceedings of
DICE 2010, Castiglioncello, slightly improved versio
Realistic clocks, universal decoherence and the black hole information paradox
Ordinary quantum mechanics is formulated on the basis of the existence of an
ideal classical clock external to the system under study. This is clearly an
idealization. As emphasized originally by Salecker and Wigner and more recently
by other authors, there exist limits in nature to how ``classical'' even the
best possible clock can be. When one introduces realistic clocks, quantum
mechanics ceases to be unitary and a fundamental mechanism of decoherence of
quantum states arises. We estimate the rate of universal loss of unitarity
using optimal realistic clocks. In particular we observe that the rate is rapid
enough to eliminate the black hole information puzzle: all information is lost
through the fundamental decoherence before the black hole can evaporate. This
improves on a previous calculation we presented with a sub-optimal clock in
which only part of the information was lost by the time of evaporation.Comment: 3 Pages, RevTex, no figure
Finite, diffeomorphism invariant observables in quantum gravity
Two sets of spatially diffeomorphism invariant operators are constructed in
the loop representation formulation of quantum gravity. This is done by
coupling general relativity to an anti- symmetric tensor gauge field and using
that field to pick out sets of surfaces, with boundaries, in the spatial three
manifold. The two sets of observables then measure the areas of these surfaces
and the Wilson loops for the self-dual connection around their boundaries. The
operators that represent these observables are finite and background
independent when constructed through a proper regularization procedure.
Furthermore, the spectra of the area operators are discrete so that the
possible values that one can obtain by a measurement of the area of a physical
surface in quantum gravity are valued in a discrete set that includes integral
multiples of half the Planck area. These results make possible the construction
of a correspondence between any three geometry whose curvature is small in
Planck units and a diffeomorphism invariant state of the gravitational and
matter fields. This correspondence relies on the approximation of the classical
geometry by a piecewise flat Regge manifold, which is then put in
correspondence with a diffeomorphism invariant state of the gravity-matter
system in which the matter fields specify the faces of the triangulation and
the gravitational field is in an eigenstate of the operators that measure their
areas.Comment: Latex, no figures, 30 pages, SU-GP-93/1-
Consistent canonical quantization of general relativity in the space of Vassiliev knot invariants
We present a quantization of the Hamiltonian and diffeomorphism constraint of
canonical quantum gravity in the spin network representation. The novelty
consists in considering a space of wavefunctions based on the Vassiliev knot
invariants. The constraints are finite, well defined, and reproduce at the
level of quantum commutators the Poisson algebra of constraints of the
classical theory. A similar construction can be carried out in 2+1 dimensions
leading to the correct quantum theory.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, one figur
The Extended Loop Group: An Infinite Dimensional Manifold Associated with the Loop Space
A set of coordinates in the non parametric loop-space is introduced. We show
that these coordinates transform under infinite dimensional linear
representations of the diffeomorphism group. An extension of the group of loops
in terms of these objects is proposed. The enlarged group behaves locally as an
infinite dimensional Lie group. Ordinary loops form a subgroup of this group.
The algebraic properties of this new mathematical structure are analized in
detail. Applications of the formalism to field theory, quantum gravity and knot
theory are considered.Comment: The resubmited paper contains the title and abstract, that were
omitted in the previous version. 42 pages, report IFFI/93.0
The physical hamiltonian in nonperturbative quantum gravity
A quantum hamiltonian which evolves the gravitational field according to time
as measured by constant surfaces of a scalar field is defined through a
regularization procedure based on the loop representation, and is shown to be
finite and diffeomorphism invariant. The problem of constructing this
hamiltonian is reduced to a combinatorial and algebraic problem which involves
the rearrangements of lines through the vertices of arbitrary graphs. This
procedure also provides a construction of the hamiltonian constraint as a
finite operator on the space of diffeomorphism invariant states as well as a
construction of the operator corresponding to the spatial volume of the
universe.Comment: Latex, 11 pages, no figures, CGPG/93/
Classical Loop Actions of Gauge Theories
Since the first attempts to quantize Gauge Theories and Gravity in the loop
representation, the problem of the determination of the corresponding classical
actions has been raised. Here we propose a general procedure to determine these
actions and we explicitly apply it in the case of electromagnetism. Going to
the lattice we show that the electromagnetic action in terms of loops is
equivalent to the Wilson action, allowing to do Montecarlo calculations in a
gauge invariant way. In the continuum these actions need to be regularized and
they are the natural candidates to describe the theory in a ``confining
phase''.Comment: LaTeX 14 page
No black hole information puzzle in a relational universe
The introduction of a relational time in quantum gravity naturally implies
that pure quantum states evolve into mixed quantum states. We show, using a
recently proposed concrete implementation, that the rate at which pure states
naturally evolve into mixed ones is faster than that due to collapsing into a
black hole that later evaporates. This is rather remarkable since the
fundamental mechanism for decoherence is usually very weak. Therefore the
``black hole information puzzle'' is rendered de-facto unobservable.Comment: 4 pages, no figures, revte
Interacting Particles and Strings in Path and Surface Representations
Non-relativistic charged particles and strings coupled with abelian gauge
fields are quantized in a geometric representation that generalizes the Loop
Representation. We consider three models: the string in self-interaction
through a Kalb-Ramond field in four dimensions, the topological interaction of
two particles due to a BF term in 2+1 dimensions, and the string-particle
interaction mediated by a BF term in 3+1 dimensions. In the first case one
finds that a consistent "surface-representation" can be built provided that the
coupling constant is quantized. The geometrical setting that arises corresponds
to a generalized version of the Faraday's lines picture: quantum states are
labeled by the shape of the string, from which emanate "Faraday`s surfaces". In
the other models, the topological interaction can also be described by
geometrical means. It is shown that the open-path (or open-surface) dependence
carried by the wave functional in these models can be eliminated through an
unitary transformation, except by a remaining dependence on the boundary of the
path (or surface). These feature is closely related to the presence of
anomalous statistics in the 2+1 model, and to a generalized "anyonic behavior"
of the string in the other case.Comment: RevTeX 4, 28 page
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