Born--Oppenheimer approximation for quantum fields on quantum spacetimes

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:09110142,
            doi = {10.48660/09110142},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/09110142},
            author = {Tambornino, Johannes},
            keywords = {Quantum Gravity},
            language = {en},
            title = {Born--Oppenheimer approximation for quantum fields on quantum spacetimes},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2009},
            month = {nov},
            note = {PIRSA:09110142 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }
          

Abstract

The relation between loop quantum gravity (LQG) and ordinary quantum field theory (QFT) on a fixed background spacetime still bears many obstacles. When looking at LQG and ordinary QFT from a mathematical perspective it turns out that the two frameworks are rather different: Although LQG is a true continuum theory its Hilbert space is defined in terms of certain embedded graphs which are labeled by irreducible representations of SU(2). The natural arena for ordinary QFT, on the other hand, is a Fock space which strongly uses the metric properties of the underlying continuum spacetime. In this talk I will review this issue and show how one can use Born--Oppenheimer methods to further progress towards an understanding of (matter) quantum field theories from first principles.