Functorial Aspects of the Space of Generalized Connections

We give a description of the category structure of the space of generalized connections, an extension of the space of connections that plays a central role in loop quantum gravity.Comment: 7 pages. To appear in Proceedings of the Lusofona Workshop on Quantum Gravity and Noncommutative Geometry, Lisbon, July 200

Comments on a Full Quantization of the Torus

Gotay showed that a representation of the whole Poisson algebra of the torus given by geometric quantization is irreducible with respect to the most natural overcomplete set of observables. We study this representation and argue that it cannot be considered as physically acceptable. In particular, classically bounded observables are quantized by operators with unbounded spectrum. Effectively, the latter amounts to lifting the constraints that compactify both directions in the torus.Comment: 10 pages. New "Discussion" section. References added. To appear in IJMP

Uniqueness of the Fock quantization of the Gowdy T3T^3 model

After its reduction by a gauge-fixing procedure, the family of linearly polarized Gowdy $T^3$ cosmologies admit a scalar field description whose evolution is governed by a Klein-Gordon type equation in a flat background in 1+1 dimensions with the spatial topology of $S^1$, though in the presence of a time-dependent potential. The model is still subject to a homogeneous constraint, which generates $S^1$-translations. Recently, a Fock quantization of this scalar field was introduced and shown to be unique under the requirements of unitarity of the dynamics and invariance under the gauge group of $S^1$-translations. In this work, we extend and complete this uniqueness result by considering other possible scalar field descriptions, resulting from reasonable field reparameterizations of the induced metric of the reduced model. In the reduced phase space, these alternate descriptions can be obtained by means of a time-dependent scaling of the field, the inverse scaling of its canonical momentum, and the possible addition of a time-dependent, linear contribution of the field to this momentum. Demanding again unitarity of the field dynamics and invariance under the gauge group, we prove that the alternate canonical pairs of fieldlike variables admit a Fock representation if and only if the scaling of the field is constant in time. In this case, there exists essentially a unique Fock representation, provided by the quantization constructed by Corichi, Cortez, and Mena Marugan. In particular, our analysis shows that the scalar field description proposed by Pierri does not admit a Fock quantization with the above unitarity and invariance properties.Comment: 14 page

Quantum unitary dynamics in cosmological spacetimes

We address the question of unitary implementation of the dynamics for scalar fields in cosmological scenarios. Together with invariance under spatial isometries, the requirement of a unitary evolution singles out a rescaling of the scalar field and a unitary equivalence class of Fock representations for the associated canonical commutation relations. Moreover, this criterion provides as well a privileged quantization for the unscaled field, even though the associated dynamics is not unitarily implementable in that case. We discuss the relation between the initial data that determine the Fock representations in the rescaled and unscaled descriptions, and clarify that the S-matrix is well defined in both cases. In our discussion, we also comment on a recently proposed generalized notion of unitary implementation of the dynamics, making clear the difference with the standard unitarity criterion and showing that the two approaches are not equivalent.Comment: 18 page

A uniqueness criterion for the Fock quantization of scalar fields with time dependent mass

A major problem in the quantization of fields in curved spacetimes is the ambiguity in the choice of a Fock representation for the canonical commutation relations. There exists an infinite number of choices leading to different physical predictions. In stationary scenarios, a common strategy is to select a vacuum (or a family of unitarily equivalent vacua) by requiring invariance under the spacetime symmetries. When stationarity is lost, a natural generalization consists in replacing time invariance by unitarity in the evolution. We prove that, when the spatial sections are compact, the criterion of a unitary dynamics, together with the invariance under the spatial isometries, suffices to select a unique family of Fock quantizations for a scalar field with time dependent mass.Comment: 11 pages, version accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Quantum Gowdy T3T^3 model: A uniqueness result

Modulo a homogeneous degree of freedom and a global constraint, the linearly polarised Gowdy $T^3$ cosmologies are equivalent to a free scalar field propagating in a fixed nonstationary background. Recently, a new field parameterisation was proposed for the metric of the Gowdy spacetimes such that the associated scalar field evolves in a flat background in 1+1 dimensions with the spatial topology of $S^1$, although subject to a time dependent potential. Introducing a suitable Fock quantisation for this scalar field, a quantum theory was constructed for the Gowdy model in which the dynamics is implemented as a unitary transformation. A question that was left open is whether one might adopt a different, nonequivalent Fock representation by selecting a distinct complex structure. The present work proves that the chosen Fock quantisation is in fact unique (up to unitary equivalence) if one demands unitary implementation of the dynamics and invariance under the group of constant $S^1$ translations. These translations are precisely those generated by the global constraint that remains on the Gowdy model. It is also shown that the proof of uniqueness in the choice of complex structure can be applied to more general field dynamics than that corresponding to the Gowdy cosmologies.Comment: 28 pages, minor changes, version accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Criteria for the determination of time dependent scalings in the Fock quantization of scalar fields with a time dependent mass in ultrastatic spacetimes

For Klein-Gordon fields, it is well known that there exist an infinite number of nonequivalent Fock representations of the canonical commutation relations and, therefore, of inequivalent quantum theories. A context in which this kind of ambiguities arises and prevents the derivation of robust results is, e.g., in the quantum analysis of cosmological perturbations. In these situations, typically, a suitable scaling of the field by a time dependent function leads to a description in an auxiliary static background, though the nonstationarity still shows up in a time dependent mass. For such a field description, and assuming the compactness of the spatial sections, we recently proved in three or less spatial dimensions that the criteria of a natural implementation of the spatial symmetries and of a unitary time evolution are able to select a unique class of unitarily equivalent vacua, and hence of Fock representations. In this work, we succeed to extend our uniqueness result to the consideration of all possible field descriptions that can be reached by a time dependent canonical transformation which, in particular, involves a scaling of the field by a function of time. This kind of canonical transformations modify the dynamics of the system and introduce a further ambiguity in its quantum description, exceeding the choice of a Fock representation. Remarkably, for any compact spatial manifold in less than four dimensions, we show that our criteria eliminate any possible nontrivial scaling of the field other than that leading to the description in an auxiliary static background. Besides, we show that either no time dependent redefinition of the field momentum is allowed or, if this may happen, the redefinition does not introduce any Fock representation that cannot be obtained by a unitary transformation.Comment: 37 pages. Modified title. Improved discussion concerning the spatial symmetry group. New section (section VI

Uniqueness of the Fock quantization of a free scalar field on S1S^1 with time dependent mass

We analyze the quantum description of a free scalar field on the circle in the presence of an explicitly time dependent potential, also interpretable as a time dependent mass. Classically, the field satisfies a linear wave equation of the form $\ddot{\xi}-\xi"+f(t)\xi=0$. We prove that the representation of the canonical commutation relations corresponding to the particular case of a massless free field ($f=0$) provides a unitary implementation of the dynamics for sufficiently general mass terms, $f(t)$. Furthermore, this representation is uniquely specified, among the class of representations determined by $S^1$-invariant complex structures, as the only one allowing a unitary dynamics. These conclusions can be extended in fact to fields on the two-sphere possessing axial symmetry. This generalizes a uniqueness result previously obtained in the context of the quantum field description of the Gowdy cosmologies, in the case of linear polarization and for any of the possible topologies of the spatial sections.Comment: 13 pages, typos corrected, version accepted for publication in Physical Review