Fock representation of gravitational boundary modes and the discreteness of the area spectrum (Q1683956)

In loop quantum gravity (LQG), a discrete area spectrum is derived using spin network functions. This paper takes an alternative approach based on a spinorial representation. The focus is on gravitational boundary modes on a null surface. In particular, the phase space at a corner of the null surface is quantized, and the bulk degrees of freedom are kept classical. The two-dimensional area operator has a discrete spectrum. This area operator is not the same as the metrical area studied in LQG, and consequently the spectra do not agree, except in the semiclassical limit. The new construction in this paper is manifestly Lorentz invariant and it is the continuum theory which is quantized -- no discrete structures are introduced. The penultimate section describes how the analysis in this paper fits together with the Ashtekar-Lewandowski representation of LQG.