This is an introduction to background independent quantum theories of
gravity, with a focus on loop quantum gravity and related approaches.
Basic texts:
-Quantum Gravity, by Carlo Rovelli, Cambridge University Press 2005 -Quantum gravityy with a positive cosmological constant, Lee Smolin,
hep-th/0209079
-Invitation to loop quantum gravity, Lee Smolin, hep-th/0408048 -Gauge fields, knots and gravity, JC Baez, JP Muniain
Prerequisites:
-undergraduate quantum mechanics
-basics of classical gauge field theories
-basic general relativity
-hamiltonian and lagrangian mechanics
-basics of lie algebras
