arXiv subjects

Marko Vojinovic

Publications and source records attributed to Marko Vojinovic.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Entanglement-induced deviation from the geodesic motion in quantum gravity

We study the derivation of the effective equation of motion for a pointlike particle in the framework of quantum gravity. Just like the geodesic motion of a classical particle is a consequence of classical field theory coupled to general relativity, we introduce the similar notion of an effective equation of motion, but starting from an abstract quantum gravity description. In the presence of entanglement between gravity and matter, quantum effects give rise to modifications of the geodesic trajectory, primarily as a consequence of the nonzero overlap between various coherent states of the gravity-matter system. Finally, we discuss the status of the weak equivalence principle in quantum gravity and its possible violation due to the nongeodesic motion.

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arXiv2018

Hamiltonian analysis of the BFCG formulation of General Relativity

We perform the complete Hamiltonian analysis of the BFCG action for General Relativity. We determine all the constraints of the theory and classify them into the first-class and the second-class constraints. We also show how the canonical formulation of BFCG General Relativity reduces to the Einstein-Cartan and triad canonical formulations. The reduced phase space analysis also gives a 2-connection which is suitable for the construction of a spin-foam basis which will be a categorical generalization of the spin-network basis from Loop Quantum Gravity.

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arXiv2018

Gauge protected entanglement between gravity and matter

We show that gravity and matter fields are generically entangled, as a consequence of the local Poincaré symmetry. First, we present a general argument, applicable to any particular theory of quantum gravity with matter, by performing the analysis in the abstract nonperturbative canonical framework, demonstrating the nonseparability of the scalar constraint, thus promoting the entangled states as the physical ones. Also, within the covariant framework, we show explicitly that the Hartle-Hawking state in the Regge model of quantum gravity is necessarily entangled. Our result is potentially relevant for the quantum-to-classical transition, taken within the framework of the decoherence programme: due to the gauge symmetry requirements, the matter does not decohere, it is by default decohered by gravity. Generically, entanglement is a consequence of interaction. This new entanglement could potentially, in form of an "effective interaction", bring about corrections to the weak equivalence principle, further confirming that spacetime as a smooth four-dimensional manifold is an emergent phenomenon. Finally, the existence of the gauge-protected entanglement between gravity and matter could be seen as a criterion for a plausible theory of quantum gravity, and in the case of perturbative quantisation approaches, a confirmation of the persistence of the manifestly broken gauge symmetry.

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arXiv2018

Quantum gravity for piecewise flat spacetimes

We describe a theory of quantum gravity which is based on the assumption that the spacetime structure at small distances is given by a piecewise linear (PL) 4-manifold corresponding to a triangulation of a smooth 4-manifold. The fundamental degrees of freedom are the edge lengths of the triangulation. One can work with finitely many edge lengths, so that the corresponding Regge path integral can be made finite by using an appropriate path-integral measure. The semi-classical limit is computed by using the effective action formalism, and the existence of a semi-classical effective action restricts the choice of the path-integral measure. The classical limit is given by the Regge action, so that one has a quantum gravity theory for a piecewise-flat general relativity. By using the effective action formalism we show that the observed value of the cosmological constant can be recovered from the effective cosmological constant. When the number of 4-simplices in the spacetime triangulation is large, then the PL effective action is well approximated by a quantum field theory effective action with a physical cutoff determined by the smallest edge length.

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arXiv2017

Cosmological Constant in a Quantum Gravity Theory for a Piecewise-linear Spacetime

We study the quantum contributions to the classical cosmological constant in a quantum gravity theory for GR with matter on a piecewise linear spacetime corresponding to a triangulation of a smooth manifold. We use the effective action approach and a special path-integral (PI) measure which depends on a free parameter, while matter is modeled by a massive self-interacting scalar field. The effective cosmological constant (CC) is given as a sum of 3 terms: the classical CC, the quantum gravity CC and the matter CC. We show that the free parameters of the theory can be chosen such that the classical CC cancels the matter CC so that the effective CC is given by the QG CC. Since the value of the quantum gravity CC is determined by the PI measure only, the PI measure parameter can be chosen such that the effective CC gives the observed value. This is equivalent to the statement that the experimentally observed CC value belongs to the spectrum of the CC operator in this QG theory.

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arXiv2016

Causal Dynamical Triangulations in the Spincube Model of Quantum Gravity

We study the implications of the simplicity constraint in the spincube model of quantum gravity. By relating the edge-lengths to the integer areas of triangles, the simplicity constraint imposes very strong restrictions between them, ultimately leading to a requirement that all 4-simplices in the triangulation must be almost mutually identical. As a surprising and unexpected consequence of this property, one can obtain the CDT state sum as a special case of the spincube state sum. This relationship brings new insight into the long-standing problem of the relationship between the spinfoam approach and the CDT approach to quantum gravity. In particular, it turns out that the spincube model contains properties of both approaches, providing a single unifying framework for their analysis and comparison. In addition, the spincube state sum also contains some other special cases, very similar but not equivalent to the CDT state sum.

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arXiv2016

Hamiltonian analysis of the BFCG theory for the Poincare 2-group

We perform the full Hamiltonian analysis of the topological BFCG action based on the Poincare 2-group. The Hamiltonian of the theory is constructed, and the algebra of constraints is computed. The Dirac brackets are evaluated, and the second class constraints are then eliminated from the theory. The results are contrasted to those of the topological Poincare gauge theory, which is equivalent to the BFCG model at the level of the classical action, but has a very different Hamiltonian structure.

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arXiv2015

Categorical generalization of spinfoam models

We give a brief review of the problem of quantum gravity. After the discussion of the nonrenormalizability of general relativity, we briefly mention the main research directions which aim to resolve this problem. Our attention then focuses on the approach of Loop Quantum Gravity, specifically spinfoam models. These models have some issues concerning the semiclassical limit and coupling of matter fields. The recent developments in category theory provide us with the necessary formalism to introduce a new action for general relativity and perform covariant quantization so that the issues of spinfoam models are successfully resolved.

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arXiv2015

Solution to the Cosmological Constant Problem in a Regge Quantum Gravity Model

We show that it is possible to solve the cosmological constant (CC) problem in a discrete quantum gravity theory based on Regge calculus by using the effective action approach and a special path-integral measure. The effective cosmological constant is given as a sum of 3 terms: the classical CC, the quantum gravity CC and the matter CC. Since the observations can only measure the sum of these 3 terms, we can choose the classical CC to be equal to the negative value of the matter CC. Hence the effective CC is given only by the quantum gravity CC, which is determined by the path-integral measure. Since the path-integral measure depends on a free parameter, this parameter can be chosen such that the effective CC gives the observed value.

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arXiv2013

Cosine problem in EPRL/FK spinfoam model

We calculate the classical limit effective action of the EPRL/FK spinfoam model of quantum gravity coupled to matter fields. By employing the standard QFT background field method adapted to the spinfoam setting, we find that the model has many different classical effective actions. Most notably, these include the ordinary Einstein-Hilbert action coupled to matter, but also an action which describes antigravity. All those multiple classical limits appear as a consequence of of the fact that the EPRL/FK vertex amplitude has cosine-like large spin asymptotics. We discuss some possible ways to eliminate the unwanted classical limits.

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arXiv2013

Poincare 2-group and quantum gravity

We show that General Relativity can be formulated as a constrained topological theory for flat 2-connections associated to the Poincaré 2-group. Matter can be consistently coupled to gravity in this formulation. We also show that the edge lengths of the spacetime manifold triangulation arise as the basic variables in the path-integral quantization, while the state-sum amplitude is an evaluation of a colored 3-complex, in agreement with the category theory results. A 3-complex amplitude for Euclidean quantum gravity is proposed.

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arXiv2013

A finiteness bound for the EPRL/FK spin foam model

We show that the EPRL/FK spin foam model of quantum gravity has an absolutely convergent partition function if the vertex amplitude is divided by an appropriate power $p$ of the product of dimensions of the vertex spins. This power is independent of the spin foam 2-complex and we find that $p>2$ insures the convergence of the state sum. Determining the convergence of the state sum for the values $0 \le p \le 2$ requires the knowledge of the large-spin asymptotics of the vertex amplitude in the cases when some of the vertex spins are large and other are small.

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arXiv2012

Effective action for EPRL/FK spin foam models

We show that a natural modification of the EPRL/FK vertex amplitude gives a finite spin foam model whose effective action gives the Einstein-Hilbert action in the limit of large spins and arbitrarily fine spacetime triangulations. The first-order quantum corrections can be easily computed and we show how to calculate the higher-order corrections.

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arXiv2011

Semiclassical Limit of New Spin Foam Models

We study the problem of semiclassical limit of Loop Quantum Gravity theory defined by the new spin foam models. This is done by analyzing the large-spin asymptotics of the Hartle-Hawking wavefunction. By using the stationary phase method we determine the wavefunction asymptotics, which then determines the large-distance asymptotics of the corresponding graviton propagator. We show that the graviton propagator behaves as the inverse distance to the fourth power. Our result is a direct consequence of the large-spin asymptotics of the spin foam model vertex amplitude, and it is valid for all new spin foam models, since they all have the same type of the vertex amplitude asymptotics. We also find the type of the vertex amplitude asymptotics which gives the correct graviton propagator.

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arXiv2011

Graviton propagator asymptotics and the classical limit of ELPR/FK spin foam models

We study the classical limit of the ELPR/FK spin foam models by analyzing the large-distance asymptotics of the corresponding graviton propagators. This is done by examining the large-spin asymptotics of the Hartle-Hawking wavefunction which is peaked around a classical flat spatial geometry. By using the stationary phase method we determine the wavefunction asymptotics. The obtained asymptotics does not give the desired large-distance asymptotics for the corresponding graviton propagator. However, we show that the ELPR/FK vertex amplitude can be redefined such that the corresponding Hartle-Hawking wavefunction gives the desired asymptotics for the graviton propagator.

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arXiv2010

Interaction of the Particle with the String in Pole-Dipole Approximation

Within the framework of generalized Papapetrou method, we derive the effective equations of motion for a string with two particles attached to its ends, along with appropriate boundary conditions. The equations of motion are the usual Nambu-Goto-like equations, while boundary conditions turn out to be equations of motion for the particles at the string ends. The form of those equations is discussed, and they are explicitly solved for a particular case of a straight-line string rotating around its center. From this solution we obtain the correction terms to the $J\propto E^2$ law describing Regge trajectories, due to nonzero angular momenta of the particles.

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arXiv2010

Spinning branes in Riemann-Cartan spacetime

We use the conservation law of the stress-energy and spin tensors to study the motion of massive brane-like objects in Riemann-Cartan geometry. The world-sheet equations and boundary conditions are obtained in a manifestly covariant form. In the particle case, the resultant world-line equations turn out to exhibit a novel spin-curvature coupling. In particular, the spin of a zero-size particle does not couple to the background curvature. In the string case, the world-sheet dynamics is studied for some special choices of spin and torsion. As a result, the known coupling to the Kalb-Ramond antisymmetric external field is obtained. Geometrically, the Kalb-Ramond field has been recognized as a part of the torsion itself, rather than the torsion potential.

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arXiv2010

Large-spin asymptotics of Euclidean LQG flat-space wavefunctions

We analyze the large-spin asymptotics of a class of spin-network wavefunctions of Euclidean Loop Quantum Gravity, which corresponds to a flat spacetime. A wavefunction from this class can be represented as a sum over the spins of an amplitude for a spin network whose graph is a composition of the the wavefunction spin network graph with the dual one-complex graph and the tetrahedron graphs for a triangulation of the spatial 3-manifold. This spin-network amplitude can be represented as a product of 6j symbols, which is then used to find the large-spin asymptotics of the wavefunction. By using the Laplace method we show that the large-spin asymptotics is given by a sum of Gaussian functions. However, these Gaussian functions are not of the type which gives the correct graviton propagator.

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