Thomas Thiemann

Algebraic quantum gravity (AQG): IV. Reduced phase space quantization of loop quantum gravity

We perform a canonical, reduced phase space quantization of general relativity by loop quantum gravity (LQG) methods. The explicit construction of the reduced phase space is made possible by the combination of (a) the Brown–Kuchař mechanism in the presence of pressure-free dust fields which allows to deparametrize the theory and (b) Rovellis relational formalism in the extended version developed by Dittrich to construct the algebra of gauge-invariant observables. Since the resulting algebra of observables is very simple, one can quantize it using the methods of LQG. Basically, the kinematical Hilbert space of non-reduced LQG now becomes a physical Hilbert space and the kinematical results of LQG such as discreteness of spectra of geometrical operators now have physical meaning. The constraints have disappeared; however, the dynamics of the observables is driven by a physical Hamiltonian which is related to the Hamiltonian of the standard model (without dust) and which we quantize in this paper.

New Variables for Classical and Quantum Gravity in all Dimensions I. Hamiltonian Analysis

We rederive the results of our companion paper, for matching space–time and internal signature, by applying in detail the Dirac algorithm to the Palatini action. While the constraint set of the Palatini action contains second class constraints, by an appeal to the method of gauge unfixing, we map the second class system to an equivalent first class system which turns out to be identical to the first class constraint system obtained via the extension of the ADM phase space performed in our companion paper. Central to our analysis is again the appropriate treatment of the simplicity constraint. Remarkably, the simplicity constraint invariant extension of the Hamiltonian constraint, that is a necessary step in the gauge unfixing procedure, involves a correction term which is precisely the one found in the companion paper and which makes sure that the Hamiltonian constraint derived from the Palatini Lagrangian coincides with the ADM Hamiltonian constraint when Gaus and simplicity constraints are satisfied. We therefore have rederived our new connection formulation of general relativity from an independent starting point, thus confirming the consistency of this framework.

Scalar Material Reference Systems and Loop Quantum Gravity

In the past, the possibility to employ (scalar) material reference systems in order to describe classical and quantum gravity directly in terms of gauge invariant (Dirac) observables has been emphasised frequently. This idea has been picked up more recently in Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) with the aim to perform a reduced phase space quantisation of the theory thus possibly avoiding problems with the (Dirac) operator constraint quantisation method for constrained system. In this work, we review the models that have been studied on the classical and/or the quantum level and parametrise the space of theories so far considered. We then describe the quantum theory of a model that, to the best of our knowledge, so far has only been considered classically. This model could arguably called the optimal one in this class of models considered as it displays the simplest possible true Hamiltonian while at the same time reducing all constraints of General Relativity.

New variables for classical and quantum gravity in all dimensions: IV. Matter coupling

We employ the techniques introduced in the companion papers [1, 2, 3] to derive a connection formulation of Lorentzian General Relativity coupled to Dirac fermions in dimensions D + 1 ≥ 3 with compact gauge group. The technique that accomplishes that is similar to the one that has been introduced in 3 + 1 dimensions already: First one performs a canonical analysis of Lorentzian General Relativity using the time gauge and then introduces an extension of the phase space analogous to the one employed in [1] to obtain a connection theory with SO(D+1) as the internal gauge group subject to additional constraints. The success of this method rests heavily on the strong similarity of the Lorentzian and Euclidean Clifford algebras. A quantisation of the Hamiltonian constraint is provided.

Linking covariant and canonical LQG: New solutions to the Euclidean Scalar Constraint

It is often emphasized that spin-foam models could realize a projection on the physical Hilbert space of canonical Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG). As a first test we analyze the one-vertex expansion of a simple Euclidean spin-foam. We find that for fixed Barbero-Immirzi parameter \gamma=1 the one vertex-amplitude in the KKL prescription annihilates the Euclidean Hamiltonian constraint of LQG. Since for \gamma=1 the Lorentzian part of the Hamiltonian constraint does not contribute this gives rise to new solutions of the Euclidean theory. Furthermore, we find that the new states only depend on the diagonal matrix elements of the volume. This seems to be a generic property when applying the spin-foam projector.

On the Implementation of the Canonical Quantum Simplicity Constraint

In this paper, we discuss several approaches to solve the quadratic and linear simplicity constraints in the context of the canonical formulations of higher dimensional general relativity and supergravity developed in our companion papers. Since the canonical quadratic simplicity constraint operators have been shown to be anomalous in any dimension D ⩾ 3 in Class. Quantum Grav. 30 045003, non-standard methods have to be employed to avoid inconsistencies in the quantum theory. We show that one can choose a subset of quadratic simplicity constraint operators which are non-anomalous among themselves and allow for a natural unitary map of the spin networks in the kernel of these simplicity constraint operators to the SU(2)-based Ashtekar–Lewandowski Hilbert space in D = 3. The linear constraint operators on the other hand are non-anomalous by themselves; however, their solution space is shown to differ in D = 3 from the expected Ashtekar–Lewandowski Hilbert space. We comment on possible strategies to make a connection to the quadratic theory. Also, we comment on the relation of our proposals to the existing work in the spin foam literature and how these works could be used in the canonical theory. We emphasize that many ideas developed in this paper are certainly incomplete and should be considered as suggestions for possible starting points for more satisfactory treatments in the future.

Chern-Simons expectation values and quantum horizons from LQG and the Duflo map

We report on a new approach to the calculation of Chern-Simons theory expectation values, using the mathematical underpinnings of loop quantum gravity, as well as the Duflo map, a quantization map for functions on Lie algebras. These new developments can be used in the quantum theory for certain types of black hole horizons, and they may offer new insights for loop quantum gravity, Chern-Simons theory and the theory of quantum groups.

New variables for classical and quantum gravity in all dimensions: V. Isolated horizon boundary degrees of freedom

In this paper, we generalise the treatment of isolated horizons in loop quantum gravity, resulting in a Chern-Simons theory on the boundary in the four-dimensional case, to non-distorted isolated horizons in 2(n+1)-dimensional spacetimes. The key idea is to generalise the four-dimensional isolated horizon boundary condition by using the Euler topological density of a spatial slice of the black hole horizon as a measure of distortion. The resulting symplectic structure on the horizon coincides with the one of higher-dimensional SO(2(n+1))-Chern-Simons theory in terms of a Peldan-type hybrid connection and resembles closely the usual treatment in 3+1 dimensions. We comment briefly on a possible quantisation of the horizon theory. Here, some subtleties arise since higher-dimensional non-Abelian Chern-Simons theory has local degrees of freedom. However, when replacing the natural generalisation to higher dimensions of the usual boundary condition by an equally natural stronger one, it is conceivable that the problems originating from the local degrees of freedom are avoided, thus possibly resulting in a finite entropy.

Commuting simplicity and closure constraints for 4D spin-foam models

Spin Foam Models are supposed to be discretised path integrals for quantum gravity constructed from the Plebanski-Holst action. The reason for there being several models currently under consideration is that no consensus has been reached for how to implement the simplicity constraints. Indeed, none of these models strictly follows from the original path integral with commuting B elds, rather, by some non standard manipulations one always ends up with non commuting B elds and the simplicity constraints become in fact anomalous which is the source for there being several inequivalent strategies to circumvent the associated problems. In this article, we construct a new Euclidian Spin Foam Model which is constructed by standard methods from the Plebanski-Holst path integral with commuting B elds discretised on a 4D simplicial complex. The resulting model diers from the current ones in several aspects, one of them being that the closure constraint needs special care. Only when dropping the closure constraint by hand and only in the large spin limit can the vertex amplitudes of this model be related to those of the FK Model but even then the face and edge amplitude dier. Interestingly, a non-commutative deformation of the B IJ variables leads from our new model to the BarrettCrane Model in the case of = 1.

Towards loop quantum supergravity (LQSG): I. Rarita–Schwinger sector

In our companion papers, we managed to derive a connection formulation of Lorentzian general relativity in D + 1 dimensions with compact gauge group SO(D + 1) such that the connection is Poisson-commuting, which implies that loop quantum gravity quantization methods apply. We also provided the coupling to standard matter. In this paper, we extend our methods to derive a connection formulation of a large class of Lorentzian signature supergravity theories, in particular 11 D SUGRA and 4 D, N = 8 SUGRA, which was in fact the motivation to consider higher dimensions. Starting from a Hamiltonian formulation in the time gauge which yields a Spin(D) theory, a major challenge is to extend the internal gauge group to Spin(D + 1) in the presence of the Rarita–Schwinger field. This is non-trivial because SUSY typically requires the Rarita–Schwinger field to be a Majorana fermion for the Lorentzian Clifford algebra and Majorana representations of the Clifford algebra are not available in the same spacetime dimension for both Lorentzian and Euclidean signatures. We resolve the arising tension and provide a background-independent representation of the non-trivial Dirac antibracket *-algebra for the Majorana field which significantly differs from the analogous construction for Dirac fields already available in the literature.