Matter in Loop Quantum Gravity

TL;DR

This paper reviews the development of loop quantum gravity, emphasizing its background independence, discrete spatial geometry, and the challenges of incorporating matter fields within this framework.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive survey of the efforts and results in loop quantum gravity, especially regarding matter field quantization and implications.

Findings

Spatial geometry is discrete at the kinematical level.

Background independence influences matter quantum representations.

Progress in loop quantization of matter fields is summarized.

Abstract

Loop quantum gravity, a non-perturbative and manifestly background free, quantum theory of gravity implies that at the kinematical level the spatial geometry is discrete in a specific sense. The spirit of background independence also requires a non-standard quantum representation of matter. While loop quantization of standard model fields has been proposed, detail study of its implications is not yet available. This review aims to survey the various efforts and results.