We study geometric consistency relations between angles of 3-dimensional (3D)
circular quadrilateral lattices -- lattices whose faces are planar
quadrilaterals inscribable into a circle. We show that these relations generate
canonical transformations of a remarkable "ultra-local" Poisson bracket algebra
defined on discrete 2D surfaces consisting of circular quadrilaterals.
Quantization of this structure allowed us to obtain new solutions of the
tetrahedron equation (the 3D analog of the Yang-Baxter equation) as well as
reproduce all those that were previously known. These solutions generate an
infinite number of non-trivial solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation and also
define integrable 3D models of statistical mechanics and quantum field theory.
The latter can be thought of as describing quantum fluctuations of lattice
geometry.Comment: Plenary talk at the XVI International Congress on Mathematical
Physics, 3-8 August 2009, Prague, Czech Republi
