Quantum Gravity

I describe how, within the group field theory (GFT) formalism for quantum gravity, we can: 

1) provide a candidate description of the quantum building blocks of spacetime, bringing together ideas and mathematical structures from other quantum gravity formalisms;

2) apply powerful tools from quantum field theory, like the (perturbative and non-perturbative) renormalization group, to establish the quantum consistency of given GFT models and to study their continuum limit and phase structure;

3) extract, from the full theory, an effective cosmological dynamics for the universe described as a quantum condensate of GFT building blocks; in the simplest approximation, this dynamics reduces to the Friedmann equations at large scales but replaces the classical big bang singularity with a quantum bounce.

In this talk, I will address a major conceptual and technical concern of non-perturbative quantum gravity: the quantum superposition of causal structures of space-times. I will discuss a class of theories that can address the problem, their flaws, and their relation to general relativity.

Einstein's causality is one of the fundamental principles underlying modern physical theories. Whereas it is readily implemented in classical physics founded on Lorentzian geometry, its status in quantum theory has long been controversial. It is usually believed that the quantum nature of spacetime at small scales induces the breakdown of causality, although there is no empirical evidence that would support such a view. In my talk, I will argue that one can have a sound notion of causality even in a `quantum spacetime' -- understood as the space of states of an abstract algebra of observables. To this end I will draw from the mathematical richness of noncommutative geometry a la Connes. I will illustrate the general concept with an `almost commutative' toy-model and discuss the potential emprical consequences.

Constraint free initial data can be given for vacuum general relativity on a pair of intersecting null hypersurfaces. Moreover, the Poisson algebra of a set of such free null initial data has been found,but it has an unfamiliar structure, making its quantization difficult. We note that this algebra is essentially a sum of an infinite number of copies of the Poisson algebras of cylindrically symmetric gravity. Using the fact that cylindrically symmetric gravity is integrable we find new free data with an algebra more amenable to quantization.

Abstract:  Complex networks describe interacting systems ranging from the brain to the Internet. While so far the geometrical nature of complex networks has been mostly neglected, the novel field of network geometry is crucial for gaining a deeper theoretical understanding of the architecture of complexity. At the same time, network geometry is at the heart of quantum gravity, since many approaches to quantum gravity assume that space-time is discrete and network-like at the quantum level. In network geometry a crucial problem is the identifications of mechanisms to describe emergent network geometry. In this talk, after an introduction to complex network theory, l will present a class of non–equilibrium models [1-4] in which geometrical properties of the networks emerge spontaneously from their dynamics. Specifically we will discuss the model called network geometry with flavor (NGF).The NGF can generate discrete geometries of different nature, ranging from chains and higher dimensional manifolds to scale-free complex networks. Interestingly the NGF with fitness of the nodes reveals relevant relations with quantum statistics. In fact the faces of the NGF have generalized degrees that follow either the Fermi-Dirac, Boltzmann or Bose-Einstein statistics depending on their flavor and on their dimensionality. Specifically, NGFs with flavor s=-1, when constructed in dimension d=3 gluing tetrahedra along their triangular faces, have the generalized degrees of the triangular faces, of the links, and of the nodes following respectively the Fermi-Dirac, the Boltzmann or the Bose-Einstein distribution. 

[1] G. Bianconi, Interdisciplinary and physics challenges in network theory, EPL 111, 56001 (2015).
[2] Z. Wu, G. Menichetti C. Rahmede G. Bianconi, Emergent Complex Network Geometry, Scientific Reports 5, 10073 (2015).
[3] G. Bianconi and C. Rahmede, Complex Quantum Network Manifolds are Scale-Free in d>2, Scientific Reports 5, 13979 (2015)
[4] G. Bianconi and C. Rahmede, Network geometry with flavor: from complexity to quantum geometry, arxiv:1511.04539 (2015)

The study of isolated systems has been vastly successful in the context of vanishing cosmological constant, $\Lambda = 0$. However, there is no physically useful notion of asymptotics for the universe we inhabit with $\Lambda > 0$. The full non-linear framework is still under development, but some interesting results at the linearized level have been obtained. I will focus on the conceptual subtleties that arise at the linearized level and discuss the quadrupole formula for gravitational radiation.

The possibility of observing quantum gravitational phenomena, viewed as remote until not long ago, is increasingly considered to be plausible.  A potentially observable phenomenon is the decay of black holes via a quantum gravitational tunneling akin to standard nuclear decay.  Loop quantum gravity can be used to compute the corresponding lifetime.  This could be much shorter than the Hawking radiation time, rendering the effect astrophysically relevant. Preliminary estimates indicate that centimeter-size primordial black holes should be exploding today and predict impulsive high energy as well as microwave signals tantalizing similar to the Fast Radio Bursts recently observed by the Areceibo and Parkes radio telescopes.  The predicted signal has a characteristic distance/frequency relation which will allow to test the Planck star hypotheses in the near future.

We introduce the construction of a new framework for probing discrete emergent geometry and boundary-boundary observables based on a fundamentally a-dimensional underlying network structure. Using a gravitationally motivated action with Forman weighted combinatorial curvatures and simplicial volumes relying on a decomposition of an abstract simplicial complex into realized embeddings of proper skeletons, we demonstrate model phenomenology such as a minimal volume-scale cutoff, a positive-definite cosmological constant as a regulator for non-degenerate geometries, and naturally emergent simplicial structures from Metropolis network evolution simulations with no restrictions on attachment rules or regular building blocks. Properties which echo results from both the spinfoam formalism and causal dynamical triangulations in quantum gravity will also be illustrated. We conclude with prospects for future investigations into the model, discussing ongoing simulations, modifications to the structure of the theory, and broader applications of the framework.

General relativity is invariant under diffeomorphisms, and

excitations of the metric corresponding to diffeomorphisms

are nonphysical.  In the presence of a boundary, though --

including a boundary at infinity -- the Einstein-Hilbert

action with suitable boundary terms is no longer fully

invariant, and certain diffeomorphisms are promoted to

physical degrees of freedom.  After briefly describing how

this happens in (2+1)-dimensional AdS gravity, I will

report on work in progress on the asymptotically flat case,

for which the newly dynamical diffeomorphisms are the

superrotations, and the boundary action is related to

coadjoint orbits of the Virasoro group and Hill's equation.