We construct a well-defined lattice-regularized quantum theory formulated in
terms of fundamental fermion and gauge fields, the same type of degrees of
freedom as in the Standard Model. The theory is explicitly invariant under
local Lorentz transformations and, in the continuum limit, under
diffeomorphisms. It is suitable for describing large nonperturbative and
fast-varying fluctuations of metrics. Although the quantum curved space turns
out to be on the average flat and smooth owing to the non-compressibility of
the fundamental fermions, the low-energy Einstein limit is not automatic: one
needs to ensure that composite metrics fluctuations propagate to long distances
as compared to the lattice spacing. One way to guarantee this is to stay at a
phase transition.
We develop a lattice mean field method and find that the theory typically has
several phases in the space of the dimensionless coupling constants, separated
by the second order phase transition surface. For example, there is a phase
with a spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry. The effective low-energy
Lagrangian for the ensuing Goldstone field is explicitly
diffeomorphism-invariant. We expect that the Einstein gravitation is achieved
at the phase transition. A bonus is that the cosmological constant is probably
automatically zero.Comment: 37 pages, 12 figures Discussion of dimensions and of the
Berezinsky--Kosterlitz--Thouless phase adde