arXiv subjects

Carlo Trugenberger

Publications and source records attributed to Carlo Trugenberger.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Convergence of Combinatorial Gravity

We present a new regularisation of Euclidean Einstein gravity in terms of (sequences of) graphs. In particular, we define a discrete Einstein-Hilbert action that converges to its manifold counterpart on sufficiently dense random geometric graphs (more generally on any sequence of graphs that converges to the manifold in the sense of Gromov-Hausdorff). Our construction relies crucially on the Ollivier curvature of optimal transport theory. Our methods also allow us to define an analogous discrete action for Klein-Gordon fields. These results may be taken as the basis for a combinatorial approach to quantum gravity where we seek to generate graphs that approximate manifolds as metric-measure structures.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Ollivier-Ricci curvature convergence in random geometric graphs

Connections between continuous and discrete worlds tend to be elusive. One example is curvature. Even though there exist numerous nonequivalent definitions of graph curvature, none is known to converge in any limit to any traditional definition of curvature of a Riemannian manifold. Here we show that Ollivier curvature of random geometric graphs in any Riemannian manifold converges in the continuum limit to Ricci curvature of the underlying manifold, but only if the definition of Ollivier graph curvature is properly generalized to apply to mesoscopic graph neighborhoods. This result establishes the first rigorous link between a definition of curvature applicable to networks and a traditional definition of curvature of smooth spaces.

math.PR↗

arXiv2021

Emergence of the Circle in a Statistical Model of Random Cubic Graphs

We consider a formal discretisation of Euclidean quantum gravity defined by a statistical model of random $3$-regular graphs and making using of the Ollivier curvature, a coarse analogue of the Ricci curvature. Numerical analysis shows that the Hausdorff and spectral dimensions of the model approach $1$ in the joint classical-thermodynamic limit and we argue that the scaling limit of the model is the circle of radius $r$, $S^1_r$. Given mild kinematic constraints, these claims can be proven with full mathematical rigour: speaking precisely, it may be shown that for $3$-regular graphs of girth at least $4$, any sequence of action minimising configurations converges in the sense of Gromov-Hausdorff to $S^1_r$. We also present strong evidence for the existence of a second-order phase transition through an analysis of finite size effects. This -- essentially solvable -- toy model of emergent one-dimensional geometry is meant as a controllable paradigm for the nonperturbative definition of random flat surfaces.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Ollivier curvature of random geometric graphs converges to Ricci curvature of their Riemannian manifolds

Curvature is a fundamental geometric characteristic of smooth spaces. In recent years different notions of curvature have been developed for combinatorial discrete objects such as graphs. However, the connections between such discrete notions of curvature and their smooth counterparts remain lurking and moot. In particular, it is not rigorously known if any notion of graph curvature converges to any traditional notion of curvature of smooth space. Here we prove that in proper settings the Ollivier-Ricci curvature of random geometric graphs in Riemannian manifolds converges to the Ricci curvature of the manifold. This is the first rigorous result linking curvature of random graphs to curvature of smooth spaces. Our results hold for different notions of graph distances, including the rescaled shortest path distance, and for different graph densities. With the scaling of the average degree, as a function of the graph size, ranging from nearly logarithmic to nearly linear.

math.PR↗

arXiv1996

Condensation of p-branes and generalized Higgs/confinement duality

We review our recent work on the low-energy actions and the realizations of strong-weak coupling dualities in non-perturbative phases of compact antisymmetric tensor field theories due to p-brane condensation. As examples we derive and discuss the confining string and confining membrane actions obtained from compact vector and tensor theories in 4D. We also mention the relevance of our results for the description of the Hagedorn phase transition of finite temperature strings.

hep-th↗

arXiv1996

Phases of Antisymmetric Tensor Field Theories

We study the different phases of field theories of compact antisymmetric tensors of rank $h-1$ in arbitrary space-time dimensions $D=d+1$. Starting in a `Coulomb' phase, topological defects of dimension $d-h-1$ ($(d-h-1)$-branes) may condense leading to a generalized `confinement' phase. If the dual theory is also compact the model may also have a third, generalized `Higgs' phase, driven by the condensation of the dual $(h-2)$-branes. Developing on the work of Julia and Toulouse for ordered solid-state media, we obtain the low energy effective action for these phases. Each phase has two dual descriptions in terms of antisymmetric tensors of different ranks, which are massless for the Coulomb phase but massive for the Higgs and confinement phases. We illustrate our prescription in detail for compact QED in 4D. Compact QED and $O(2)$ models in 3D, as well as a periodic scalar field in 2D (strings on a circle), are also discussed. In this last case we show how $T$-duality is maintained if one considers both worldsheet instantons and their duals. We also unify various approaches to the problem of the axion mass in 4D string models. Finally we discuss possible implications of our results for non-perturbative issues in string theory.

hep-th↗