2d TQFT and baby universes

An approach to quantum gravity and cosmology is proposed based on a synthesis of four elements: 1) the Bekenstein bound and the related holographic hypothesis of 't Hooft and Susskind, 2) topological quantum field theory, 3) a new approach to the interpretational issues of quantum cosmology and 4) the loop representation formulation of non-perturbative quantum gravity. A set of postulates are described, which define a (\it pluralistic quantum cosmological theory.) These incor...

This thesis discusses the topological aspects of quantum gravity, focusing on the connection between 2D quantum gravity and 2D topological gravity. The mathematical background for the discussion is presented in the first two chapters. The possible gauge formulations of 2D topological gravity as a BF or a Super BF theory are presented and compared against 2D quantum gravity in the dynamical triangulation scheme. A new identification between topological gravity in the Super BF ...

In this paper, we use the Karch-Randall braneworld to study theories of quantum gravity in two dimensional (nearly) anti-de Sitter space (AdS$_2$). We focus on effective gravitational theories in the setup with two Karch-Randall branes embedded in an asymptotically AdS$_3$ bulk forming a wedge. We find the appearance of two-dimensional Einstein-Hilbert gravity (or the Lorenzian version of Marolf-Maxfield theory) when the branes are rigid but the emergence of a class of dilato...

In three spacetime dimensions, general relativity drastically simplifies, becoming a ``topological'' theory with no propagating local degrees of freedom. Nevertheless, many of the difficult conceptual problems of quantizing gravity are still present. In this review, I summarize the rather large body of work that has gone towards quantizing (2+1)-dimensional vacuum gravity in the setting of a spatially closed universe.

In this habilitation thesis we provide an introduction to gravitational models in two spacetime dimensions. Focus is put on exactly solvable models. We begin by introducing and motivating different possible gravitational actions, including those of generalized dilaton theories as well as of purely geometrical, higher derivative theories with and without torsion. The relation among them as well as to Poisson sigma models is worked out in some detail. In the exactly solvable ca...

Motivated by the similarity between CSW theory and the Chern Simons state for General Relativity in the Ashtekar variables, we explore what the universe would look like if it were in a state corresponding to a 3D TQFT. We end up with a construction of propagating ststes for parts of the universe and a Hilbert space corresponding to a certain approximation. The construction avoids path integrals, using instead recombination diagrams in a certain tensor category.

The central topic of this thesis is two dimensional Quantum Gravity and its properties. The term Quantum Gravity itself is ambiguous as there are many proposals for its correct formulation and none of them have been verified experimentally. In this thesis we consider a number of closely related approaches to two dimensional quantum gravity that share the property that they may be formulated in terms of random graphs. In one such approach known as Causal Dynamical Triangulatio...

Inspired by the long wave-length limit of topological M-theory, which re-constructs the theory of $3+1$D gravity in the self-dual variables' formulation, we conjecture the existence of a duality between Hilbert spaces, the ${\bf H}$-duality, to unify topological M-theory and loop quantum gravity (LQG). By ${\bf H}$-duality non-trivial gravitational holonomies of the kinematical Hilbert space of LQG correspond to space-like M-branes. The spinfoam approach captures the non-pert...

We present a line of research aimed at investigating holographic dualities in the context of three dimensional quantum gravity within finite bounded regions. The bulk quantum geometrodynamics is provided by the Ponzano-Regge state-sum model, which defines 3d quantum gravity as a discrete topological quantum field theory (TQFT). This formulation provides an explicit and detailed definition of the quantum boundary states, which allows a rich correspondence between quantum bound...

The validity of the Coleman mechanism, which automatically tunes the fundamental constants, is examined in two-dimensional and four-dimensional quantum gravity theories. First, we consider two-dimensional Euclidean quantum gravity on orientable closed manifolds coupled to conformal matter of central charge $c \leq1$. The proper time Hamiltonian of this system is known to be written as a field theory of noncritical strings, which can also be viewed as a third quantization in t...