Group field theories generating polyhedral complexes

Group field theories are a generalization of matrix models which provide both a second quantized reformulation of loop quantum gravity as well as generating functions for spin foam models. While states in canonical loop quantum gravity, in the traditional continuum setting, are based on graphs with vertices of arbitrary valence, group field theories have been defined so far in a simplicial setting such that states have support only on graphs of fixed valency. This has led to the question whether group field theory can indeed cover the whole state space of loop quantum gravity. In this contribution based on [1] I present two new classes of group field theories which satisfy this objective: i) a straightforward, but rather formal generalization to multiple fields, one for each valency and ii) a simplicial group field theory which effectively covers the larger state space through a dual weighting, a technique common in matrix and tensor models. To this end I will further discuss in some detail the combinatorial structure of the complexes generated by the group field theory partition function. The new group field theories do not only strengthen the links between the mentioned quantum gravity approaches but, broadening the theory space of group field theories, they might also prove useful in the investigation of renormalizability.Comment: accepted for publication in PoS, Frontiers of Fundamental Physics 14 (AMU Marseille

Spectral dimension of quantum geometries

The spectral dimension is an indicator of geometry and topology of spacetime and a tool to compare the description of quantum geometry in various approaches to quantum gravity. This is possible because it can be defined not only on smooth geometries but also on discrete (e.g., simplicial) ones. In this paper, we consider the spectral dimension of quantum states of spatial geometry defined on combinatorial complexes endowed with additional algebraic data: the kinematical quantum states of loop quantum gravity (LQG). Preliminarily, the effects of topology and discreteness of classical discrete geometries are studied in a systematic manner. We look for states reproducing the spectral dimension of a classical space in the appropriate regime. We also test the hypothesis that in LQG, as in other approaches, there is a scale dependence of the spectral dimension, which runs from the topological dimension at large scales to a smaller one at short distances. While our results do not give any strong support to this hypothesis, we can however pinpoint when the topological dimension is reproduced by LQG quantum states. Overall, by exploring the interplay of combinatorial, topological and geometrical effects, and by considering various kinds of quantum states such as coherent states and their superpositions, we find that the spectral dimension of discrete quantum geometries is more sensitive to the underlying combinatorial structures than to the details of the additional data associated with them.Comment: 39 pages, 18 multiple figures. v2: discussion improved, minor typos correcte

Discrete quantum geometries and their effective dimension

In several approaches towards a quantum theory of gravity, such as group field theory and loop quantum gravity, quantum states and histories of the geometric degrees of freedom turn out to be based on discrete spacetime. The most pressing issue is then how the smooth geometries of general relativity, expressed in terms of suitable geometric observables, arise from such discrete quantum geometries in some semiclassical and continuum limit. In this thesis I tackle the question of suitable observables focusing on the effective dimension of discrete quantum geometries. For this purpose I give a purely combinatorial description of the discrete structures which these geometries have support on. As a side topic, this allows to present an extension of group field theory to cover the combinatorially larger kinematical state space of loop quantum gravity. Moreover, I introduce a discrete calculus for fields on such fundamentally discrete geometries with a particular focus on the Laplacian. This permits to define the effective-dimension observables for quantum geometries. Analysing various classes of quantum geometries, I find as a general result that the spectral dimension is more sensitive to the underlying combinatorial structure than to the details of the additional geometric data thereon. Semiclassical states in loop quantum gravity approximate the classical geometries they are peaking on rather well and there are no indications for stronger quantum effects. On the other hand, in the context of a more general model of states which are superposition over a large number of complexes, based on analytic solutions, there is a flow of the spectral dimension from the topological dimension $d$ on low energy scales to a real number $0<\alpha<d$ on high energy scales. In the particular case of $\alpha=1$ these results allow to understand the quantum geometry as effectively fractal.Comment: PhD thesis, Humboldt-Universit\"at zu Berlin; urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-100232371; http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/docviews/abstract.php?id=4204

Renormalization in combinatorially non-local field theories: the Hopf algebra of 2-graphs

It is well known that the mathematical structure underlying renormalization in perturbative quantum field theory is based on a Hopf algebra of Feynman diagrams. A precondition for this is locality of the field theory. Consequently, one might suspect that non-local field theories such as matrix or tensor field theories cannot benefit from a similar algebraic understanding. Here I show that, on the contrary, the renormalization and perturbative diagramatics of a broad class of such field theories is based in the same way on a Hopf algebra. These theories are characterized by interaction vertices with graphs as external structure leading to Feynman diagrams which can be summed up under the concept of "2-graphs". From the renormalization perspective, such graph-like interactions are as much local as point-like interactions. They differ in combinatorial details as I exemplify with the central identity for the perturbative series of combinatorial correlation functions. This sets the stage for a systematic study of perturbative renormalization as well as non-perturbative aspects, e.g. Dyson-Schwinger equations, for a number of combinatorially non-local field theories with possible applications to quantum gravity, statistical models and more.Comment: 22 pages, v2 minor adaptions for consistency with arXiv:2103.0113

N=4 Multi-Particle Mechanics, WDVV Equation and Roots

We review the relation of N=4 superconformal multi-particle models on the real line to the WDVV equation and an associated linear equation for two prepotentials, F and U. The superspace treatment gives another variant of the integrability problem, which we also reformulate as a search for closed flat Yang-Mills connections. Three- and four-particle solutions are presented. The covector ansatz turns the WDVV equation into an algebraic condition, for which we give a formulation in terms of partial isometries. Three ideas for classifying WDVV solutions are developed: ortho-polytopes, hypergraphs, and matroids. Various examples and counterexamples are displayed

Group field theories for all loop quantum gravity

Group field theories represent a 2nd quantized reformulation of the loop quantum gravity state space and a completion of the spin foam formalism. States of the canonical theory, in the traditional continuum setting, have support on graphs of arbitrary valence. On the other hand, group field theories have usually been defined in a simplicial context, thus dealing with a restricted set of graphs. In this paper, we generalize the combinatorics of group field theories to cover all the loop quantum gravity state space. As an explicit example, we describe the GFT formulation of the KKL spin foam model, as well as a particular modified version. We show that the use of tensor model tools allows for the most effective construction. In order to clarify the mathematical basis of our construction and of the formalisms with which we deal, we also give an exhaustive description of the combinatorial structures entering spin foam models and group field theories, both at the level of the boundary states and of the quantum amplitudes.Comment: version published in New Journal of Physic

Dimensional flow in discrete quantum geometries

11 pags.; 6 figs.; PACS numbers: 04.60.-m, 04.60.Pp© 2015 American Physical Society. In various theories of quantum gravity, one observes a change in the spectral dimension from the topological spatial dimension d at large length scales to some smaller value at small, Planckian scales. While the origin of such a flow is well understood in continuum approaches, in theories built on discrete structures a firm control of the underlying mechanism is still missing. We shed some light on the issue by presenting a particular class of quantum geometries with a flow in the spectral dimension, given by superpositions of states defined on regular complexes. For particular superposition coefficients parametrized by a real number 0magic number> DS≃2 for the spectral dimension of spacetime, appearing so often in quantum gravity, is reproduced as well. These results apply, in particular, to special superpositions of spin-network states in loop quantum gravity, and they provide more solid indications of dimensional flow in this approach.Peer Reviewe

One-matrix differential reformulation of two-matrix models

Differential reformulations of field theories are often used for explicit computations. We derive a one-matrix differential formulation of two-matrix models, with the help of which it is possible to diagonalize the one- and two-matrix models using a formula by Itzykson and Zuber that allows diagonalizing differential operators with respect to matrix elements of Hermitian matrices. We detail the equivalence between the expressions obtained by diagonalizing the partition function in differential or integral formulation, which is not manifest at first glance. For one-matrix models, this requires transforming certain derivatives to variables. In the case of two-matrix models, the same computation leads to a new determinant formulation of the partition function, and we discuss potential applications to new orthogonal polynomials methods.Comment: 25 pages, 2 figure