Quantum Field Theory of Spin Networks

TL;DR

This paper develops a quantum field theory framework over Lie groups to compute transition amplitudes in quantum gravity models across various dimensions, using spin networks and triangulations.

Contribution

It introduces a Fock space construction for quantum gravity spin networks and a discrete time evolution operator to compute finite transition amplitudes.

Findings

Feynman diagrams represent transition amplitudes for triangulated manifolds.

The approach avoids infinite sums by fixing the number of D-simplices.

Provides a finite sum over diagrams for boundary state amplitudes.

Abstract

We study the transition amplitudes in state-sum models of quantum gravity in D=2,3,4 spacetime dimensions by using the field theory over a Lie group formulation. By promoting the group theory Fourier modes into creation and annihilation operators we construct a Fock space for the quantum field theory whose Feynman diagrams give the transition amplitudes. By making products of the Fourier modes we construct operators and states representing the spin networks associated to triangulations of spatial boundaries of a triangulated spacetime manifold. The corresponding spin network amplitudes give the state-sum amplitudes for triangulated manifolds with boundaries. We also show that one can introduce a discrete time evolution operator, where the time is given by the number of D-simplices in the triangulation, or equivalently by the number of the vertices in the Feynman diagram. The corresponding transition amplitude is a finite sum of Feynman diagrams, and in this way one avoids the problem of infinite amplitudes caused by summing over all possible triangulations.