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Jerzy Lewandowski

Publications and source records attributed to Jerzy Lewandowski.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Scalar field as a time variable during gravitational evolution

Using a scalar field as an intrinsic 'clock' while investigating the dynamics of gravitational systems has been successfully pursued in various researches on the border between classical and quantum gravity. The objective of our research was to check explicitly whether the scalar field can serve as a time variable during dynamical evolution of the matter-geometry system, especially in regions of high curvature, which are essential from the perspective of quantum gravity. For this purpose, we analyzed a gravitational collapse of a self-interacting scalar field within the framework of general relativity. The obtained results indicated that the hypersurfaces of constant scalar field are spacelike in dynamical regions nearby the singularities formed during the investigated process. The scalar field values change monotonically in the areas, in which the constancy hypersurfaces are spacelike.

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Coherent State Operators in Loop Quantum Gravity

We present a new method for constructing operators in loop quantum gravity. The construction is an application of the general idea of "coherent state quantization", which allows one to associate a unique quantum operator to every function on a classical phase space. Using the heat kernel coherent states of Hall and Thiemann, we show how to construct operators corresponding to functions depending on holonomies and fluxes associated to a fixed graph. We construct the coherent state versions of the fundamental holonomy and flux operators, as well as the basic geometric operators of area, angle and volume. Our calculations show that the corresponding canonical operators are recovered from the coherent state operators in the limit of large spins.

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Loop quantum gravity coupled to a scalar field

We reconsider the Rovelli-Smolin model of gravity coupled to the Klein-Gordon time field with an eye towards capturing the degrees of freedom of the scalar field lost in the framework in which time is deparametrized by the scalar field. Several new results for loop quantum gravity are obtained: (i) a Hilbert space for the gravity-matter system and a non-standard representation of the scalar field thereon is constructed, (ii) a new operator for the scalar constraint of the coupled system is defined and investigated, (iii) methods for solving the constraint are developed. Commutators of the new constraint do not vanish, but seem to reproduce a part of the Dirac algebra. This, however, poses problems for finding solutions. Hence the states we consider -- and perhaps the whole setup -- still needs some improvement. As a side result we describe a representation of the gravitational degrees of freedom in which the flux is diagonal. This representation bears a strong resemblance to the BF vacuum of Dittrich and Geiller.

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Hamiltonian operator for loop quantum gravity coupled to a scalar field

We present the construction of a physical Hamiltonian operator in the deparametrized model of loop quantum gravity coupled to a free scalar field. This construction is based on the use of the recently introduced curvature operator, and on the idea of so-called "special loops". We discuss in detail the regularization procedure and the assignment of the loops, along with the properties of the resulting operator. We compute the action of the squared Hamiltonian operator on spin network states, and close with some comments and outlooks.

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New scalar constraint operator for loop quantum gravity

We present a concrete and explicit construction of a new scalar constraint operator for loop quantum gravity. The operator is defined on the recently introduced space of partially diffeomorphism invariant states, and this space is preserved by the action of the operator. To define the Euclidean part of the scalar constraint operator, we propose a specific regularization based on the idea of so-called "special" loops. The Lorentzian part of the quantum scalar constraint is merely the curvature operator that has been introduced in an earlier work. Due to the properties of the special loops assignment, the adjoint operator of the non-symmetric constraint operator is densely defined on the partially diffeomorphism invariant Hilbert space. This fact opens up the possibility of defining a symmetric scalar constraint operator as a suitable combination of the original operator and its adjoint. We also show that the algebra of the scalar constraint operators is anomaly free, and describe the structure of the kernel of these operators on a general level.

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A quantum reduction to spherical symmetry in loop quantum gravity

Based on a recent purely geometric construction of observables for the spatial diffeomorphism constraint, we propose two distinct quantum reductions to spherical symmetry within full 3+1-dimensional loop quantum gravity. The construction of observables corresponds to using the radial gauge for the spatial metric and allows to identify rotations around a central observer as unitary transformations in the quantum theory. Group averaging over these rotations yields our first proposal for spherical symmetry. Hamiltonians of the full theory with angle-independent lapse preserve this spherically symmetric subsector of the full Hilbert space. A second proposal consists in implementing the vanishing of a certain vector field in spherical symmetry as a constraint on the full Hilbert space, leading to a close analogue of diffeomorphisms invariant states. While this second set of spherically symmetric states does not allow for using the full Hamiltonian, it is naturally suited to implement the spherically symmetric midisuperspace Hamiltonian, as an operator in the full theory, on it. Due to the canonical structure of the reduced variables, the holonomy-flux algebra behaves effectively as a one parameter family of 2+1-dimensional algebras along the radial coordinate, leading to a diagonal non-vanishing volume operator on 3-valent vertices. The quantum dynamics thus becomes tractable, including scenarios like spherically symmetric dust collapse.

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Addendum: Observables for General Relativity related to geometry

In this addendum we clarify a point which strengthens one of the results from [the original paper]. Namely, we show that the algebra of the observables $F(r,θ)$ is yet simpler then it was described in [the original paper]. This is an important point, because with this simplification an important subalgebra becomes canonical, allowing for a natural reduction of the phase space.

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A symmetric scalar constraint for loop quantum gravity

In the framework of loop quantum gravity, we define a new Hilbert space of states which are solutions of a large number of components of the diffeomorphism constraint. On this Hilbert space, using the methods of Thiemann, we obtain a family of gravitational scalar constraints. They preserve the Hilbert space for every choice of lapse function. Thus adjointness and commutator properties of the constraint can be investigated in a straightforward manner. We show how the space of solutions of the symmetrized constraint can be defined by spectral decomposition, and the Hilbert space of physical states by subsequently fully implementing the diffeomorphism constraint. The relationship of the solutions to those resulting from a proposal for a symmetric constraint operator by Thiemann remains to be elucidated.

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Neighbourhoods of Isolated Horizons and their stationarity

A distinguished (invariant) Bondi-like coordinate system is defined in the spacetime neighbourhood of a non-expanding horizon of arbitrary dimension via geometry invariants of the horizon. With its use, the radial expansion of a spacetime metric about the horizon is provided and the free data needed to specify it up to given order are determined in spacetime dimension $4$. For the case of an electro-vacuum horizon in $4$-dimensional spacetime the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a Killing field at its neighbourhood are identified as differential conditions on the horizon data and data on null surface transversal to the horizon.

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A curvature operator for LQG

We introduce a new operator in Loop Quantum Gravity - the 3D curvature operator - related to the 3-dimensional scalar curvature. The construction is based on Regge Calculus. We define it starting from the classical expression of the Regge curvature, then we derive its properties and discuss some explicit checks of the semi-classical limit.

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Observables for General Relativity related to geometry

We present a new scheme of defining invariant observables for general relativistic systems. The scheme is based on the introduction of an observer which endowes the construction with a straightforward physical interpretation. The observables are invariant with respect to spatial diffeomorphisms which preserve the observer. The limited residual spatial gauge freedom is studied and fully understood. A full canonical analysis of the observables is presented: we analyze their variations, Poisson algebra and discuss their dynamics. Lastly, the observables are used to solve the vector constraint, which triggers a possible considerable reduction of the degrees of freedom of general relativistic theories.

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Relational Evolution of Observables for Hamiltonian-Constrained Systems

Evolution of systems in which Hamiltonians are generators of gauge transformations is a notion that requires more structure than the canonical theory provides. We identify and study this additional structure in the framework of relational observables ("partial observables"). We formulate necessary and sufficient conditions for the resulting evolution in the physical phase space to be a symplectomorphism. We give examples which satisfy those conditions and examples which do not. We point out that several classic positions in the literature on relational observables contain an incomplete approach to the issue of evolution and false statements. Our work provides useful clarification and opens the door to studying correctly formulated definitions.

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Quantum field theory on LQC Bianchi spacetimes

Quantum theory of a scalar field is developed on the LQC Bianchi I space-time. By comparing the the quantum field theory for a single mode on classical and quantum background geometries we find that an effective Bianchi I space-time emerges. We show that by disregarding the back-reaction no Lorentz-violation is present, despite the effective metric being different than the classical Bianchi I one.

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QFT on quantum spacetime: a compatible classical framework

We develop a systematic classical framework to accommodate canonical quantization of geometric and matter perturbations on a quantum homogeneous isotropic flat spacetime. The existing approach of standard cosmological perturbations is indeed proved to be good only up to first order in the inhomogeneities, and only if the background is treated classically. To consistently quantize the perturbations \emph{and} the background, a new set of classical phase space variables is required. We show that, in a natural gauge, a set of such Dirac observables exists, and their algebra is of the canonical form. Finally, we compute the physical Hamiltonian that generates the dynamics of such observables with respect to the homogeneous part of a K-G "clock" field $T$. The results of this work provide a good starting point to understanding and calculating effects that quantum cosmological spacetime in the background has on the quantum perturbations of the metric tensor and of matter fields.

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Metric emerging to massive modes in quantum cosmological space-times

We consider a massive quantum test Klein-Gordon field probing an isotropic quantum cosmological space-time in the background. The result obtained is surprising. It turns out, that despite the isotropy of the quantum gravitational field, the semi-classical metric experienced by a mode of the K-G field is non-isotropic. The anisotropy depends on the direction of the momentum of the mode. Specifically, what we do is to derive a semi-classical space-time which emerges to a mode of the field. The method amounts to a comparison between QFT on a quantum background and QFT on a classical curved space-time, giving rise to an emergent metric tensor. The components of the semi-classical metric tensor are calculated from the equation of propagation of the quantum K-G field in the test field approximation. The anisotropies are of a quantum nature: they are proportional to Planck constant and "dress" the isotropic classical space-time obtained in the classical limit.

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Lorentz Symmetry in QFT on Quantum Bianchi I Space-Time

We develop the quantum theory of a scalar field on LQC Bianchi I geometry. In particular, we focus on single modes of the field: the evolution equation is derived from the quantum scalar constraint, and it is shown that the same equation can be obtained from QFT on an "classical" effective geometry. We investigate the dependence of this effective space-time on the wavevector of the mode (which could in principle generate a deformation in local Lorentz-symmetry), focusing our attention on the dispersion relation. We prove that when we disregard backreaction no Lorentz-violation is present, despite the effective metric being different than the classical Bianchi I one. A preliminary analysis of the correction due to inclusion of backreaction is briefly discussed in the context of Born-Oppenheimer approximation.

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The polymer quantization in LQG: massless scalar field

The polymer quantization of matter fields is a diffeomorphism invariant framework compatible with Loop Quantum Gravity. Whereas studied by itself, it is not explic- itly used in the known completely quantizable models of matter coupled to LQG. In the current paper we apply the polymer quantization to the model of massless scalar field coupled to LQG. We show that the polymer Hilbert space of the field degrees of freedom times the LQG Hilbert space of the geometry degrees of freedom admit the quantum constraints of GR and accommodate their explicit solutions. In this way the quantization can be completed. That explicit way of solving the quantum constraints suggests interesting new ideas.

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One vertex spin-foams with the Dipole Cosmology boundary

We find all the spin-foams contributing in the first order of the vertex expansion to the transition amplitude of the Bianchi-Rovelli-Vidotto Dipole Cosmology model. Our algorithm is general and provides spin-foams of arbitrarily given, fixed: boundary and, respectively, a number of internal vertices. We use the recently introduced Operator Spin-Network Diagrams framework.

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