• Open Access

Nature of spatial universes in 3D Lorentzian quantum gravity

J. Brunekreef and R. Loll
Phys. Rev. D 107, 026011 – Published 19 January 2023

Abstract

Three-dimensional Lorentzian quantum gravity, expressed as the continuum limit of a nonperturbative sum over spacetimes, is tantalizingly close to being amenable to analytical methods, and some of its properties have been described in terms of effective matrix and other models. To gain a more detailed understanding of three-dimensional quantum gravity, we perform a numerical investigation of the nature of spatial hypersurfaces in three-dimensional causal dynamical triangulations (CDT). We measure and analyze several quantum observables, the entropy exponent, the local and global Hausdorff dimensions, and the quantum Ricci curvature of the spatial slices, and try to match them with known continuum properties of systems of two-dimensional quantum geometry. Above the first-order phase transition of CDT quantum gravity, we find strong evidence that the spatial dynamics lies in the same universality class as two-dimensional Euclidean (Liouville) quantum gravity. Below the transition, the behavior of the spatial slices does not match that of any known quantum gravity model. This may indicate the existence of a new type of two-dimensional quantum system, induced by the more complex nature of the embedding three-dimensional quantum geometry.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
10 More
  • Received 17 September 2022
  • Accepted 21 December 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.107.026011

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Gravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Authors & Affiliations

J. Brunekreef* and R. Loll

  • Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, Netherlands

  • *jorenb@gmail.com
  • r.loll@science.ru.nl

Article Text

Click to Expand

References

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 107, Iss. 2 — 15 January 2023

Reuse & Permissions
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review D

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

×

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×