Jakub Gizbert-Studnicki

The semiclassical limit of causal dynamical triangulations

Abstract Previous work has shown that the macroscopic structure of the theory of quantum gravity defined by causal dynamical triangulations (CDT) is compatible with that of a de Sitter universe. After emphasizing the strictly nonperturbative nature of this semiclassical limit we present a detailed study of the three-volume data, which allows us to re-confirm the de Sitter structure, exhibit short-distance discretization effects, and make a first detailed investigation of the presence of higher-order curvature terms in the effective action for the scale factor. Technically, we make use of a novel way of fixing the total four-volume in the simulations.

The transfer matrix in four-dimensional CDT

A bstractThe Causal Dynamical Triangulation model of quantum gravity (CDT) has a transfer matrix, relating spatial geometries at adjacent (discrete lattice) times. The transfer matrix uniquely determines the theory. We show that the measurements of the scale factor of the (CDT) universe are well described by an effective transfer matrix where the matrix elements are labeled only by the scale factor. Using computer simulations we determine the effective transfer matrix elements and show how they relate to an effective minisuperspace action at all scales.

Signature change of the metric in CDT quantum gravity

A bstractWe study the effective transfer matrix within the semiclassical and bifurcation phases of CDT quantum gravity. We find that for sufficiently large lattice volumes the kinetic term of the effective transfer matrix has a different sign in each of the two phases. We argue that this sign change can be viewed as a Wick rotation of the metric. We discuss the likely microscopic mechanism responsible for the bifurcation phase transition, and propose an order parameter that can potentially be used to determine the precise location and order of the transition. Using the effective transfer matrix we approximately locate the position of the bifurcation transition in some region of coupling constant space, allowing us to present an updated version of the CDT phase diagram.

Characteristics of the new phase in CDT

The approach of Causal Dynamical Triangulations (CDT), a candidate theory of nonperturbative quantum gravity in 4D, turns out to have a rich phase structure. We investigate the recently discovered bifurcation phase

Impact of topology in causal dynamical triangulations quantum gravity

C_{b}

Four-dimensional CDT with toroidal topology

Cb and relate some of its characteristics to the presence of singular vertices of very high order. The transition lines separating this phase from the “time-collapsed” B-phase and the de Sitter phase

The phase structure of causal dynamical triangulations with toroidal spatial topology

C_{dS}