Midisuperspace models of canonical quantum gravity

DOI10.1023/A:1026650212053MaRDI QIDQ1805660zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors C. G. Torre

Publication date 18 November 1999

Published in International Journal of Theoretical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9806122

zbMATH Keywords

canonical quantum-gravitygeneral relativitymidisuperspaceminisuperspace

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Quantization of the gravitational field (83C45) Geometrodynamics and the holographic principle (83E05)

Abstract: A midi-superspace model is a field theory obtained by symmetry reduction of a parent gravitational theory. Such models have proven useful for exploring the classical and quantum dynamics of the gravitational field. I present 3 recent classes of results pertinent to canonical quantization of vacuum general relativity in the context of midi-superspace models. (1) I give necessary and sufficient conditions such that a given symmetry reduction can be performed at the level of the Lagrangian or Hamiltonian. (2) I discuss the Hamiltonian formulation of models based upon cylindrical and toroidal symmetry. In particular, I explain how these models can be identified with parametrized field theories of wave maps, thus a natural strategy for canonical quantization is available. (3) The quantization of a parametrized field theory, such as the midi-superspace models considered in (2), requires construction of a quantum field theory on a fixed (flat) spacetime that allows for time evolution along arbitrary foliations of spacetime. I discuss some recent results on the possibility of finding such a quantum field theory.

Review text

This is an excellent paper on midisuperspace models of canonical quantum gravity. It is a very well-written and contains a short history as well as an up-to-date account on problems and proposals of solutions in canonical quantization of gravitation and related areas with particular reference to three main topics which are treated in details. (1) The problem of the symmetry reduction or symmetric criticality principle [\textit{R. Palais}, Commun. Math. Phys. 69, 19-30 (1979; Zbl 0417.58007)]. The author gives necessary and sufficient conditions such that a given symmetry reduction can be performed at the level of the Lagrangian or Hamiltonian. (2) Two-Killing-Vector Midisuperspace [\textit{K. Kuchar}, Phys. Rev. D 4, 955 (1971)]. The author gives an account on some recent results on the Hamiltonian structure of a popular class of midisuperspace models with cylindrical or toroidal symmetry (these are examples of ``two-Killing-vector models). The author presents a result which generalizes a work of Kuchar and leads to a nice scheme for canonical quantization of gravitation. (3) Quantization on curved surfaces. The models in (2) allow one to turn the problem of finding a gauge-invariant canonical quantization of the two-Killing-vector models into the problem of quantizing certain parametrized field theories. The latter is an interesting problem in its own right studied also by Dirac [\textit{P. Dirac}, Lectures on Quantum Mechanics, Yeshiva University, NY (1964)] who called the problem ``quantization on curved surfaces. The author reviews some recent result in this area [\textit{C. Torre} and \textit{M. Varadarajan}, Phys. Rev. D 58, 064007 (1998) and Classical Quantum Gravity 16, 2651-2668 (1999)].

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Cited in

(7)

• Midi-superspace quantization of non-compact toroidally symmetric gravity
• The hole argument and some physical and philosophical implications
• ON UNITARY TIME EVOLUTION IN GOWDY T³ COSMOLOGIES
• MINISUPERSPACE MODEL FOR REVISED CANONICAL QUANTUM GRAVITY
• Quantization of midisuperspace models
• Quantum cosmology of pure connection general relativity
• Testing general covariance in effective models motivated by loop quantum gravity

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