Comments on Background Independence and Gauge Redundancies

TL;DR

This paper discusses the concepts of background independence and gauge redundancies in string theory and quantum gravity, highlighting new perspectives on their roles and implications for background-independent quantization approaches.

Contribution

It offers a new understanding of gauge redundancies and background independence, proposing fresh insights into their roles in non-perturbative quantum gravity.

Findings

Reinterprets gauge redundancies in modern string theory

Suggests a new role for background-independent quantization

Connects background independence with non-perturbative approaches

Abstract

We describe the definition and the role background independence and the closely related notion of diffeomorphism invariance play in modern string theory. These important concepts are transformed by a new understanding of gauge redundancies and their implementation in non-perturbative quantum field theory and quantum gravity. This new understanding also suggests a new role for the so-called background-independent approaches to directly quantize the gravitational field. This article is intended for a general audience, and is based on a plenary talk given in the Loops 2007 conference in Morelia, Mexico.