arXiv subjects

J. Ambjorn

Publications and source records attributed to J. Ambjorn.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Topology induced first-order phase transitions in lattice quantum gravity

Causal Dynamical Triangulations (CDT) is a lattice formulation of quantum gravity, suitable for Monte-Carlo simulations which have been used to study the phase diagram of the model. It has four phases characterized by different dominant geometries, denoted phase $A$, $B$, $C$ and $C_b$. In this article we analyse the $A-B$ and the $B-C$ {phase} transitions in the case where the topology of space is that of the three-torus. This completes the phase diagram of CDT for such a spatial topology. We observe that the order of a phase transition of spacetime geometries can depend on the topology of spacetime.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2021

Easing the Hubble constant tension?

We show how a modified Friedmann equation, originating from a model of the universe built from a certain $W_3$ algebra, has the potential to explain the difference between the Hubble constants extracted from CMB data and from supernova data.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

CDT Quantum Toroidal Spacetimes: An Overview

Lattice formulations of gravity can be used to study non-perturbative aspects of quantum gravity. Causal Dynamical Triangulations (CDT) is a lattice model of gravity that has been used in this way. It has a built-in time foliation but is coordinate-independent in the spatial directions. The higher-order phase transitions observed in the model may be used to define a continuum limit of the lattice theory. Some aspects of the transitions are better studied when the topology of space is toroidal rather than spherical. In addition, a toroidal spatial topology allows us to understand more easily the nature of typical quantum fluctuations of the geometry. In particular, this topology makes it possible to use massless scalar fields that are solutions to Laplace's equation with special boundary conditions as coordinates that capture the fractal structure of the quantum geometry. When such scalar fields are included as dynamical fields in the path integral, they can have a dramatic effect on the geometry.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Properties of dynamical fractal geometries in the model of Causal Dynamical Triangulations

We investigate the geometry of a quantum universe with the topology of the four-torus. The study of non-contractible geodesic loops reveals that a typical quantum geometry consists of a small semi-classical toroidal bulk part, dressed with many outgrowths, which contain most of the four-volume and which have almost spherical topologies, but nevertheless are quite fractal.

hep-th↗

arXiv2021

Cosmic voids and filaments from quantum gravity

Using computer simulations we study the geometry of a typical quantum universe, i.e. the geometry one might expect before a possible period of inflation. We display it using coordinates defined by means of four classical scalar fields satisfying the Laplace equation with non-trivial boundary conditions. The field configurations reveal cosmic web structures surprisingly similar to the ones observed in the present-day Universe. Inflation might make these structures relevant for our Universe.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Renormalization in quantum theories of geometry

A hallmark of non-perturbative theories of quantum gravity is the absence of a fixed background geometry, and therefore the absence in a Planckian regime of any notion of length or scale that is defined a priori. This has potentially far-reaching consequences for the application of renormalization group methods a la Wilson, which rely on these notions in a crucial way. We review the status quo of attempts in the Causal Dynamical Triangulations (CDT) approach to quantum gravity to find an ultraviolet fixed point associated with the second-order phase transitions observed in the lattice theory. Measurements of the only invariant correlator currently accessible, that of the total spatial three-volume, has not produced any evidence of such a fixed point. A possible explanation for this result is our incomplete and perhaps naive understanding of what constitutes an appropriate notion of (quantum) length near the Planck scale.

hep-th↗

arXiv2019

Critical Phenomena in Causal Dynamical Triangulations

Four-dimensional CDT (causal dynamical triangulations) is a lattice theory of geometries which one might use in an attempt to define quantum gravity non-perturbatively, following the standard procedures of lattice field theory. Being a theory of geometries, the phase transitions which in usual lattice field theories are used to define the continuum limit of the lattice theory will in the CDT case be transitions between different types of geometries. This picture is interwoven with the topology of space which is kept fixed in the lattice theory, the reason being that "classical" geometries around which the quantum fluctuations take place depend crucially on the imposed topology. Thus it is possible that the topology of space can influence the phase transitions and the corresponding critical phenomena used to extract continuum physics. In this article we perform a systematic comparison between a CDT phase transition where space has spherical topology and the "same" transition where space has toroidal topology. The "classical" geometries around which the systems fluctuate are very different it the two cases, but we find that the order of phase transition is not affected by this.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

Perturbed generalized multicritical one-matrix models

We study perturbations around the generalized Kazakov multicritical one-matrix model. The multicritical matrix model has a potential where the coefficients of $z^n$ only fall off as a power $1/n^{s+1}$. This implies that the potential and its derivatives have a cut along the real axis, leading to technical problems when one performs perturbations away from the generalized Kazakov model. Nevertheless it is possible to relate the perturbed partition function to the tau-function of a KdV hierarchy and solve the model by a genus expansion in the double scaling limit.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

A modified Friedmann equation

We recently formulated a model of the universe based on an underlying W3-symmetry. It allows the creation of the universe from nothing and the creation of baby universes and wormholes for spacetimes of dimension 2, 3, 4, 6 and 10. Here we show that the classical large time and large space limit of these universes is one of exponential fast expansion without the need of a cosmological constant. Under a number of simplifying assumptions our model predicts that w=-1.2 in the case of four-dimensional spacetime. The possibility of obtaining a w-value less than -1 is linked to the ability of our model to create baby universes and wormholes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Scattering amplitudes of regularized bosonic strings

We compute scattering amplitudes of the regularized bosonic Nambu-Goto string in the mean-field approximation, disregarding fluctuations of the Lagrange multiplier and an independent metric about their mean values. We use the previously introduced Lilliputian scaling limit to recover the Regge behavior of the amplitudes with the usual linear Regge trajectory in space-time dimensions d>2. We demonstrate a stability of this minimum of the effective action under fluctuations for d<26.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

The use of Pauli-Villars' regularization in string theory

The proper-time regularization of bosonic string reproduces the results of canonical quantization in a special scaling limit where the length in target space has to be renormalized. We repeat the analysis for the Pauli-Villars regularization and demonstrate the universality of the results. In the mean-field approximation we compute the susceptibility anomalous dimension and show it equals 1/2. We discuss the relation with the previously known results on lattice strings.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

New higher-order transition in causal dynamical triangulations

We reinvestigate the recently discovered bifurcation phase transition in Causal Dynamical Triangulations (CDT) and provide further evidence that it is a higher order transition. We also investigate the impact of introducing matter in the form of massless scalar fields to CDT. We discuss the impact of scalar fields on the measured spatial volumes and fluctuation profiles in addition to analysing how the scalar fields influence the position of the bifurcation transition.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2017

Stability of the nonperturbative bosonic string vacuum

Quantization of the bosonic string around the classical, perturbative vacuum is not consistent for spacetime dimensions 2<d<26. Recently we have showed that at large d there is another so-called mean field vacuum. Here we extend this mean field calculation to finite d and show that the corresponding mean field vacuum is stable under quadratic fluctuations for 2<d<26. We point out the analogy with the two-dimensional O(N)-symmetric sigma-model, where the 1/N-vacuum is very close to the real vacuum state even for finite N, in contrast to the perturbative vacuum.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

CDT and the Big Bang

We describe a CDT-like model where breaking of W3 symmetry will lead to the emergence of time and subsequently of space. Surprisingly the simplest such models which lead to higher dimensional spacetimes are based on the four "magical" Jordan algebras of 3x3 Hermitian matrices with real, complex, quaternion and octonion entries, respectively. The simplest symmetry breaking leads to universes with spacetime dimensions 3, 4, 6, and 10.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

Creating 3, 4, 6 and 10-dimensional spacetime from W3 symmetry

We describe a model where breaking of W3 symmetry will lead to the emergence of time and subsequently of space. Surprisingly the simplest such models which lead to higher dimensional spacetimes are based on the four "magical" Jordan algebras of 3x3 Hermitian matrices with real, complex, quaternion and octonion entries, respectively. The simplest symmetry breaking leads to universes with spacetime dimensions 3, 4, 6, and 10.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

Generalized multicritical one-matrix models

We show that there exists a simple generalization of Kazakov's multicritical one-matrix model, which interpolates between the various multicritical points of the model. The associated multicritical potential takes the form of a power series with a heavy tail, leading to a cut of the potential and its derivative at the real axis, and reduces to a polynomial at Kazakov's multicritical points. From the combinatorial point of view the generalized model allows polygons of arbitrary large degrees (or vertices of arbitrary large degree, when considering the dual graphs), and it is the weight assigned to these large order polygons which brings about the interpolation between the multicritical points in the one-matrix model.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

A model for emergence of space and time

We study string field theory (third quantization) of the two-dimensional model of quantum geometry called generalized CDT ("causal dynamical triangulations"). Like in standard non-critical string theory the so-called string field Hamiltonian of generalized CDT can be associated with W-algebra generators through the string mode expansion. This allows us to define an "absolute" vacuum. "Physical" vacua appear as coherent states created by vertex operators acting on the absolute vacuum. Each coherent state corresponds to specific values of the coupling constants of generalized CDT. The cosmological "time" only exists relatively to a given "physical" vacuum and comes into existence before space, which is created because the "physical" vacuum is unstable. Thus each CDT "universe" is created as a "Big Bang" from the absolute vacuum, its time evolution is governed by the CDT string field Hamiltonian with given coupling constants, and one can imagine interactions between CDT universes with different coupling constants ("fourth quantization")

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

Wilson loops in CDT quantum gravity

By explicit construction, we show that one can in a simple way introduce and measure gravitational holonomies and Wilson loops in lattice formulations of nonperturbative quantum gravity based on (Causal) Dynamical Triangulations. We use this set-up to investigate a class of Wilson line observables associated with the world line of a point particle coupled to quantum gravity, and deduce from their expectation values that the underlying holonomies cover the group manifold of SO(4) uniformly

gr-qc↗