arXiv subjects

S. Carlip

Publications and source records attributed to S. Carlip.

86 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv1994

Black Holes in Three Dimensional Topological Gravity

We investigate the black hole solution to (2+1)-dimensional gravity coupled to topological matter, with a vanishing cosmological constant. We calculate the total energy, angular momentum and entropy of the black hole in this model and compare with results obtained in Einstein gravity. We find that the theory with topological matter reverses the identification of energy and angular momentum with the parameters in the metric, compared with general relativity, and that the entropy is determined by the circumference of the inner rather than the outer horizon. We speculate that this results from the contribution of the topological matter fields to the conserved currents. We also briefly discuss two new possible (2+1)-dimensional black holes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

The Statistical Mechanics of the (2+1)-Dimensional Black Hole

The presence of a horizon breaks the gauge invariance of (2+1)-dimensional general relativity, leading to the appearance of new physical states at the horizon. I show that the entropy of the (2+1)-dimensional black hole can be obtained as the logarithm of the number of these microscopic states.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

Topology Change in (2+1)-Dimensional Gravity

In (2+1)-dimensional general relativity, the path integral for a manifold $M$ can be expressed in terms of a topological invariant, the Ray-Singer torsion of a flat bundle over $M$. For some manifolds, this makes an explicit computation of transition amplitudes possible. In this paper, we evaluate the amplitude for a simple topology-changing process. We show that certain amplitudes for spatial topology change are nonvanishing---in fact, they can be infrared divergent---but that they are infinitely suppressed relative to similar topology-preserving amplitudes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

Aspects of Black Hole Quantum Mechanics and Thermodynamics in 2+1 Dimensions

We discuss the quantum mechanics and thermodynamics of the (2+1)-dimensional black hole, using both minisuperspace methods and exact results from Chern-Simons theory. In particular, we evaluate the first quantum correction to the black hole entropy. We show that the dynamical variables of the black hole arise from the possibility of a deficit angle at the (Euclidean) horizon, and briefly speculate as to how they may provide a basis for a statistical picture of black hole thermodynamics.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

Time in (2+1)-Dimensional Quantum Gravity

General relativity in three spacetime dimensions is used to explore three approaches to the ``problem of time'' in quantum gravity: the internal Schrödinger approach with mean extrinsic curvature as a time variable, the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, and covariant canonical quantization with ``evolving constants of motion.'' (To appear in {\em Proc.\ of the Lanczos Centenary Conference}, Raleigh, NC, December 1993.)

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

The Off-Shell Black Hole

The standard (Euclidean) action principle for the gravitational field implies that for spacetimes with black hole topology, the opening angle at the horizon and the horizon area are canonical conjugates. It is shown that the opening angle bears the same relation to the horizon area that the time separation bears to the mass at infinity. The dependence of the wave function on this new degree of freedom is governed by an extended Wheeler-DeWitt equation. Summing over all horizon areas yields the black hole entropy.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1993

Equivalent Quantisations of (2+1)-Dimensional Gravity

For spacetimes with the topology $\IR\!\times\!T^2$, the action of (2+1)-dimensional gravity with negative cosmological constant $\La$ is written uniquely in terms of the time-independent traces of holonomies around two intersecting noncontractible paths on $T^2$. The holonomy parameters are related to the moduli on slices of constant mean curvature by a time-dependent canonical transformation which introduces an effective Hamiltonian. The quantisation of the two classically equivalent formulations differs by terms of order $O(\hbar^3)$, negligible for small $|\La|$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1993

Geometric Structures and Loop Variables in (2+1)-Dimensional Gravity

This paper is a review of the relationship between the metric formulation of (2+1)-dimensional gravity and the loop observables of Rovelli and Smolin. I emphasize the possibility of reconstructing the geometry, via the theory of geometric structures, from the values of the loop variables. I close with a brief discussion of implications for quantization, particularly for covariant canonical approaches to quantum gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1993

Six ways to quantize (2+1)-dimensional gravity

We do not yet know how to quantize gravity in 3+1 dimensions, but in lower dimensions we face the opposite problem: many of the approaches originally developed for (3+1)-dimensional gravity can be successfully implemented in 2+1 dimensions, but the resulting quantum theories are not all equivalent. In this talk, I discuss six such approaches --- reduced phase space ADM quantization, the Chern-Simons/connection representation, covariant canonical quantization, the loop representation, the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, and lattice methods --- for the simple case of a spacetime whose spatial topology is that of a torus. A comparison of the resulting quantum theories can provide some useful insights into the conceptual issues that underlie quantum gravity in any number of dimensions. (Talk given at the Fifth Canadian Conference on General Relativity and Relativistic Astrophysics, Waterloo, Ontario, May 1993)

gr-qc↗

arXiv1993

Chern-Simons States in Topologically Massive Gauge Theories

The set of degenerate ground states of an arbitrary nonabelian topologically massive gauge theory is shown to be in one-to-one correspondence with the Hilbert space of the associated pure Chern-Simons theory. (Paper is being withdrawn: original conclusion is incorrect for the nonabelian case. For a correct treatment, see M. Asorey, S. Carlip, and F. Falceto, hep-th/9304081.)

hep-th↗

arXiv1993

Chern-Simons States and Topologically Massive Gauge Theories

In an abelian topologically massive gauge theory, any eigenstate of the Hamiltonian can be decomposed into a factor describing massive propagating gauge bosons and a Chern-Simons wave function describing a set of nonpropagating ``topological'' excitations. The energy depends only on the propagating modes, and energy eigenstates thus occur with a degeneracy that can be parametrized by the Hilbert space of the pure Chern-Simons theory. We show that for a {\em nonabelian} topologically massive gauge theory, this degeneracy is lifted: although the Gauss law constraint can be solved with a similar factorization, the Hamiltonian couples the propagating and nonpropagating (topological) modes.

hep-th↗

arXiv1993

Real Tunneling Solutions and the Hartle-Hawking Wave Function

A real tunneling solution is an instanton for the Hartle-Hawking path integral with vanishing extrinsic curvature (vanishing ``momentum'') at the boundary. Since the final momentum is fixed, its conjugate cannot be specified freely; consequently, such an instanton will contribute to the wave function at only one or a few isolated spatial geometries. I show that these geometries are the extrema of the Hartle-Hawking wave function in the semiclassical approximation, and provide some evidence that with a suitable choice of time parameter, these extrema are the maxima of the wave function at a fixed time.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1992

The Modular Group, Operator Ordering, and Time in (2+1)-Dimensional Gravity

A choice of time-slicing in classical general relativity permits the construction of time-dependent wave functions in the ``frozen time'' Chern-Simons formulation of $(2+1)$-dimensional quantum gravity. Because of operator ordering ambiguities, however, these wave functions are not unique. It is shown that when space has the topology of a torus, suitable operator orderings give rise to wave functions that transform under the modular group as automorphic functions of arbitrary weights, with dynamics determined by the corresponding Maass Laplacians on moduli space.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1991

Three-Dimensional Gravity and String Ghosts

It is known that much of the structure of string theory can be derived from three-dimensional topological field theory and gravity. We show here that, at least for simple topologies, the string diffeomorphism ghosts can also be explained in terms of three-dimensional physics.

hep-th↗