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Global time is a gauge or relational choice of time variable in canonical gravity. Local time is the time used in a flat patch of spacetime. We compare the dynamics of a scalar field with respect to choices of global time and Minkowski patch time in an expanding cosmology. Our main results are that evolutions starting from the same initial conditions are similar on the time scales of terrestrial experiments, and that global time leads to a mechanism for evolving coupling constants., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures. Comments welcome

We describe quantization schemes for scalar field cosmology in the metric variables with fundamental discreteness imposed with a lattice. The variables chosen for quantization determine the lattice, and each lattice produces distinct effective equations derived from semiclassical states. We show that requiring a bounce at the Planck density uniquely selects the volume lattice and gives the same effective Friedmann equation as that obtained in loop quantum cosmology. We also present conditions for the validity of the effective equations., Comment: 6 pages

In quantum cosmology, it is expected that the Big Bang singularity is resolved and the universe undergoes a bounce. We find that for Gaussian initial states, matter-gravity entanglement entropy rises rapidly during the bounce, declines, and then approaches a steady-state value following the bounce. These observations suggest that matter-gravity entanglement is a feature of the macroscopic universe and that there is no Second Law of entanglement entropy., Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures; this essay received an honorable mention in the 2024 Gravity Research Foundation competition; version to appear in IJMPD

We present a 4-dimensional generally covariant gauge theory which leads to the Gauss constraint but lacks both the Hamiltonian and spatial diffeomorphism constraints. The canonical theory therefore resembles Yang-Mills theory without the Hamiltonian. We describe its observables, quantization, and some generalizations., Comment: 8 pages; explanation of missing constraints added; version to appear in Phys. Rev. D

Effective models of gravitational collapse in loop quantum gravity for the Lema\^itre-Tolman-Bondi spacetime predict that collapsing matter reaches a maximum finite density, bounces, and then expands outwards. We show that in the marginally bound case, shell-crossing singularities commonly occur for inhomogeneous initial profiles of the dust energy density; this is the case in particular for all profiles that are continuous and of compact support, including configurations arbitrarily close to the Oppenheimer-Snyder model. When a shell-crossing singularity occurs, it is necessary to seek weak solutions to the dynamics; we argue that weak solutions typically contain shock waves., Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure. v2: Clarifications and references added

We study spin models on Euclidean black hole backgrounds. These resemble the Ising model, but are inhomogeneous with two parameters, the black hole mass and the cosmological constant. We use Monte-Carlo methods to study macroscopic properties of these systems for Schwarzschild and anti-deSitter black holes in four and five dimensions for spin-1/2 and spin-1. We find in every case that increasing the black hole mass causes the spins to undergo a second order phase transition from disorder to order and that the phase transition occurs at sub-Planckian black hole mass., Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 1 table

We derive a "classical-quantum" approximation scheme for a broad class of bipartite quantum systems from fully quantum dynamics. In this approximation, one subsystem evolves via classical equations of motion with quantum corrections, and the other subsystem evolves quantum mechanically with equations of motion informed by the evolving classical degrees of freedom. Using perturbation theory, we derive an estimate for the growth rate of entanglement of the subsystems and deduce a "scrambling time" - the time required for the subsystems to become significantly entangled from an initial product state. We argue that a necessary condition for the validity of the classical-quantum approximation is consistency of initial data with the generalized Bohr correspondence principle. We illustrate the general formalism by numerically studying the fully quantum, fully classical, and classical-quantum dynamics of a system of two oscillators with nonlinear coupling. This system exhibits parametric resonance, and we show that quantum effects quench parametric resonance at late times. Lastly, we present a curious late-time scaling relation between the average value of the von Neumann entanglement of the interacting oscillator system and its total energy: $S\sim 2/3 \ln E$., Comment: 32 pages, 11 figures, 4 supplementary videos online at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDRdFkFA2uqfp-CGfbhrfZDmfoC-Ng1xR

We study the classical-quantum (CQ) hybrid dynamics of homogeneous cosmology from a Hamiltonian perspective where the classical gravitational phase space variables and matter state evolve self-consistently with full backreaction. We compare numerically the classical and CQ dynamics for isotropic and anisotropic models, including quantum scalar-field induced corrections to the Kasner exponents. Our results indicate that full backreaction effects leave traces at late times in cosmological evolution; in particular, the scalar energy density at late times provides a potential contribution to dark energy. We also show that the CQ equations admit exact static solutions for the isotropic, and the anisotropic Bianchi IX universes with the scalar field in a stationary state., Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures; substantially extended, title changed, version to appear in Phys Rev D

It is widely accepted that curvature singularity resolution should be a feature of quantum gravity. We present a class of time-dependent asymptotically flat spherically symmetric metrics that model gravitational collapse in quantum gravity. The metrics capture intuitions associated with the dynamics of singularity resolution, and horizon formation and evaporation following a matter bounce. A parameter in the metric associated with the speed of the bounce determines black hole lifetime as a power of its mass; this includes the Hawking evaporation time $M^{3}$., Comment: 10 pages, 7 Figures; v2: matches the published PRD version, title changed due to referee's comments, comments added about the energy conditions and surface gravity

Motivated by quantum gravity, semi-classical theory, and quantum theory on curved spacetimes, we study the system of an oscillator coupled to two spin-1/2 particles. This model provides a prototype for comparing three types of dynamics: the full quantum theory, the classical oscillator with spin backreaction, and spins propagating on a fixed oscillator background. From nonperturbative calculations of oscillator and entanglement entropy dynamics, we find that entangled tripartite states produce novel oscillator trajectories, and that the three systems give equivalent dynamics for sufficiently weak oscillator-spin couplings, but deviate significantly for intermediate couplings. These results suggest that semiclassical dynamics with back reaction does not provide a suitable intermediate regime between quantum gravity and quantum theory on curved spacetime., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures; references and clarifications added

We study the quantum dynamics of the Lema\^itre-Tolman-Bondi space-times using a polymer quantization prescription based on loop quantum cosmology that incorporates fundamental discreteness. By solving an effective equation derived from this quantization, we find analytical solutions for the Oppenheimer-Snyder and thin-shell collapse models, and numerical solutions for a variety of asymptotically flat collapsing dust profiles. Our study (i) tracks the formation, evolution and disappearance of dynamical horizons, (ii) shows that matter undergoes a non-singular bounce that results in an outgoing shock wave, (iii) determines black hole lifetime to be proportional to the square its mass, and (iv) provides a conformal diagram that substantially modifies the standard "information loss" picture by resolving the singularity and replacing the event horizon by transient apparent horizons., Comment: 48 pages, 6 figures with multiple panels, code uploaded with source files. v2: Clarifications added, references added and typos corrected

We study a first-order formulation for the coupled evolution of a quantum scalar field and a classical Friedmann universe. The model is defined by a state dependent hamiltonian constraint and the time dependent Schr\"odinger equation for the scalar field. We solve the resulting non-linear equations numerically for initial data consisting of a Gaussian scalar field state and gravity phase space variables. This gives a self-consistent semiclassical evolution that includes non-perturbative ``backreaction" due to particle production. We compare the results with the evolution of a quantum scalar field on a fixed background, and find that the backreaction modifies both particle production and cosmological expansion, and that these effects remain bounded., Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures

We study the quantum gravitational collapse of spherically symmetric pressureless dust. Using an effective equation derived from a polymer quantization in the connection-triad phase space variables of general relativity, we find numerically, for a variety of initial dust configurations, that (i) trapped surfaces form and disappear as an initially collapsing density profile evolves into an outgoing shockwave; (ii) black hole lifetime is proportional to the square of its mass; and (iii) there is no mass inflation at inner apparent horizons. These results provide a substantially different view of black hole formation and subsequent evolution than found from semiclassical analyses., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. v2: Conformal diagram added, minor clarifications, references added

We describe a case of indeterminacy in general relativity for homogeneous and isotropic cosmologies for a class of dark energy fluids. The cosmologies are parametrized by an equation of state variable, with one instance giving the same solution as Norton's mechanical dome. Our example goes beyond previously studied cases in that indeterminacy lies in the evolution of spacetime itself: the onset of the Big Bang is indeterminate. We show further that the indeterminacy is resolved if the dynamics is viewed relationally., Comment: 11 pages; title & abstract changes; references added; version to appear in Foundations of Physics

Starting from a local action for mimetic gravity that includes higher derivatives of a scalar field $\phi$, we derive a gauge-fixed canonical action of the theory in the ADM canonical formalism in the time gauge $\phi=t$. This reduced action reveals (i) a non-vanishing conserved physical Hamiltonian that is a sum of two terms, the expression for the Hamiltonian constraint of general relativity and a function of the expansion scalar, and (ii) a reduced symplectic structure that geometrically provides the Dirac brackets. As applications of our general analysis, we compute the physical Hamiltonians and canonical equations for perturbations around Minkowski spacetime, homogeneous cosmologies, and spherically symmetric spacetimes., Comment: 23 pages

We study cosmological perturbation theory with scalar field and pressureless dust in the Hamiltonian formulation, with the dust field chosen as a matter-time gauge. The corresponding canonical action describes the dynamics of the scalar field and metric degrees of freedom with a non-vanishing physical Hamiltonian and spatial diffeomorphism constraint. We construct a momentum space Hamiltonian that describes linear perturbations, and show that the constraints to this order form a first class system. We then write the Hamiltonian as a function of certain gauge invariant canonical variables and show that it takes the form of an oscillator with time dependent mass and frequency coupled to an ultralocal field. We compare our analysis with other Hamiltonian approaches to cosmological perturbation theory that do not use dust time., Comment: 22 pages

We present a study of the evolution of entanglement entropy of matter and geometry in quantum cosmology. For a variety of Gaussian initial states and their linear combinations, and with evolution defined with respect to a relational time, we show numerically that (i) entanglement entropy increases rapidly at very early times, and subsequently saturates to a constant non-zero value, and (ii) that the saturation value of this entropy is a linear function of the energy associated to the quantum state: $S_{\text{ent}}^\psi = \gamma \langle \hat{H} \rangle_\psi$. These results suggest a remnant of quantum entanglement in the macroscopic Universe from the era of the Big Bang, independent of the initial state parameters, and a "First Law" associated with matter-gravity entanglement entropy in quantum gravity., Comment: Important work. 7 Pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in CQG Letters

The quantum theory of the Friedmann cosmological model with dust and cosmological constant ($\Lambda$) is not exactly solvable analytically. We apply Path Integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) techniques to study its quantum dynamics using the physical Hamiltonian corresponding to the dust field as a clock. We study (i) quantum fluctuations around classical paths and (ii) formulate the analogues of the no-boundary and tunnelling proposals and simulate the ground state wave functions. For $\Lambda < 0$ a unique ground state wave function exists. For $\Lambda > 0$ the physical Hamiltonian is not bounded below, but the path integral for the propagator is convergent over a range of Euclidean time $T$. We investigate the properties of the convergent propagator. The path integral can be made convergent for all values of $T$ by restricting the integral over paths with action greater than equal to zero. We explore the consequences of such a choice., Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures. Matches published version

We propose and study a semi-classical cosmological system akin to the Newton-Schr\"odinger equation where matter field evolution is determined by time dependent Schr\"odinger equation. The resulting dynamics is one where the scale factor self-consistently informs the quantum evolution of the scalar field wave function via the Friedmann equation. We study various potentials, and show that for each case, inflation arises naturally, without fine-tuning, for arbitrary initial wave functions for the scalar field. Furthermore, due to zero-point quantum fluctuations of the scalar field, the equation of state $P=-\rho$ arises dynamically at late times for all initial states and potentials., Comment: Punchline: Inflation is very likely to occur and is eternal. The paper has 15 pages and 3 figures

There are theories which implement the idea that the constants of nature may be "time dependent." These introduce new fields representing "evolving constants," in addition to physical fields. We argue that dynamical matter coupling constants can arise naturally in non-perturbative matter-gravity theories, after a choice of global time is made. We illustrate the idea in scalar field cosmology with spatial volume as a global clock, and compute the time dependence of the scalar mass and self-interaction coupling constants., Comment: 7 pages

The central equation of quantum gravity is the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. We give an argument suggesting that exact solutions of this equation give a surface in the space of coupling constants. This provides a mechanism for determining the cosmological constant as a function of the gravitational and other interaction constants. We demonstrate the idea by computing one such surface in a cosmological model., Comment: It does. See the surfaces in Figure 2. The article has 9 pages, and 3 figures of which one is a table

We apply the idea of using a matter time gauge in quantum gravity to quantum cosmology. For the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) Universe with dust and cosmological constant $\Lambda$, we show that the dynamics maps exactly to the simple harmonic oscillator in the dust-time gauge. For $\Lambda >0$ the oscillator frequency is imaginary, for $\Lambda<0$ it is real, and for $\Lambda=0$ the Universe is a free particle. This result provides (i) a simple demonstration of non-perturbative singularity avoidance in quantum gravity for all $\Lambda$, (ii) an exact Lorentzian Hartle-Hawking wave function, and (iii) gives the present age of the Universe as the characteristic decay time of the propagator., Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, references added

For asymptotically flat spacetimes the Penrose inequality gives an initial data test for the weak cosmic censorship hypothesis. We give a formulation of this inequality for asymptotically anti-deSitter (AAdS) spacetimes, and show that the inequality holds for time asymmetric data in spherical symmetry. Our analysis is motivated by the constant-negative-spatial-curvature form of the AdS black hole metric., Comment: 4 pages. Accepted

We study the Hamiltonian dynamics of the dust-Bianchi IX universe in dust time gauge. This model has three physical metric degrees of freedom, with evolution determined by a time-independent physical Hamiltonian. This approach gives a new physical picture where dust-Bianchi IX dynamics is described by oscillations between dust-Kasner solutions, rather than between vacuum-Kasner solutions. We derive a generalized transition law between these phases, which has a matter component. Sufficiently close to a singularity, we show that this law reduces to the vacuum Belinski-Khalatnikov-Lifshitz map. We include an analysis with dust and a scalar field. Lastly, we describe a path integral quantization using the dust-time physical Hamiltonian and derive an effective action for the dust-Kasner model by integrating out the anisotropy degrees of freedom., Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures

We show that the quantum dynamics of a thin spherical shell in general relativity is equivalent to the Coulomb-Dirac equation on the half line. The Hamiltonian has a one-parameter family of self-adjoint extensions with a discrete energy spectrum $|E| < m$, and a continuum of scattering states for $|E|>m$, where $m$ is the rest mass of the shell and $E$ is the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner mass. For sufficiently large $m$, the ground state energy level is negative. This suggests that classical positivity of energy does not survive quantization. The scattering states provide a realization of singularity avoidance. We speculate on the consequences of these results for black hole radiation., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures; Title change. Matches published version

In loop quantum cosmology, polymer quantization is applied to gravity and Schrodinger quantization to matter. This approach misses interesting cosmological dynamics coming from the polymer quantization of matter. We demonstrate this in semiclassical cosmology with a scalar field and pressureless dust: gravity is kept classical, dust is used to fix the time gauge, and polymer quantization effects are isolated in the scalar field. The resulting dynamics shows a period of inflation, both with and without a scalar potential, and the emergence of a classical universe at late times. Since gravity is not quantized, the cosmological singularity is not resolved, but our results suggest that polymer quantization of both gravity and matter are important for a complete picture., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. (CQG Focus issue: Applications of loop quantum gravity to cosmology)

The issue of unitary evolution during creation and evaporation of a black hole remains controversial. We~argue that some prominent cures are more troubling than the disease, demonstrate that their central element---forming of the event horizon before the evaporation begins---is not necessarily true, and describe a fully coupled matter-gravity system which is manifestly unitary., Comment: 7 pages +1 fig Published version

We study general relativity with pressureless dust in the canonical formulation, with the dust field chosen as a matter-time gauge. The resulting theory has three physical degrees of freedom in the metric field. The linearized canonical theory reveals two graviton modes and a scalar mode. We find that the graviton modes remain Lorentz covariant despite the time gauge, and that the scalar mode is ultralocal. We discuss also a modification of the theory to include a parameter in the Hamiltonian analogous to that in Horava-Lifshitz models. In this case the scalar mode is no longer ultralocal, and acquires a propagation speed dependent on the deformation parameter., Comment: 10 pages (references added)

Three-dimensional gravity coupled to pressureless dust is a field theory with one local degree of freedom. In the canonical framework, the dust-time gauge encodes this physical degree of freedom as a metric function. We find that the dynamics of this field, up to spatial diffeomorphism flow, is independent of spatial derivatives and is therefore ultralocal. We also derive the linearized equations about flat spacetime, and show that the physical degree of freedom may be viewed as either a traceless or a transverse mode., Comment: 7 pages, v2 has expanded section on gauge fixing

The physical Hamiltonian of a gravity-matter system depends on the choice of time, with the vacuum naturally identified as its ground state. We study the expanding universe with scalar field in the volume time gauge. We show that the vacuum energy density computed from the resulting Hamiltonian is a non-linear function of the cosmological constant and time. This result provides a new perspective on the relation between time, the cosmological constant, and vacuum energy., Comment: 5 pages, Small title change. Version to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett

Many quantum theories of gravity propose Lorentz violating dispersion relations of the form $\omega = |k|\, f(|k|/M)$, with recovery of approximate Lorentz invariance at energy scales much below $M$. We show that a quantum field with this dispersion predicts drastic low energy Lorentz violation in atoms modelled as Unruh-DeWitt detectors, for any $f$ that dips below unity somewhere. As an example, we show that polymer quantization motivated by loop quantum gravity predicts such Lorentz violation below current ion collider rapidities., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Revised with title change to emphasize generality of main result. Version to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett

We study the Einstein gravity and dust system in three spacetime dimensions as an example of a non-perturbative quantum gravity model with local degrees of freedom. We derive the Hamiltonian theory in the dust time gauge and show that it has a rich class of exact solutions. These include the Ba\~nados-Teitelboim-Zanelli black hole, static solutions with naked singularities and travelling wave solutions with dynamical horizons. We give a complete quantization of the wave sector of the theory, including a definition of a self-adjoint spacetime metric operator. This operator is used to demonstrate the quantization of deficit angle and the fluctuation of dynamical horizons., Comment: 14 pages

We consider the semi-classical dynamics of a free massive scalar field in a homogeneous and isotropic cosmological spacetime. The scalar field is quantized using the polymer quantization method assuming that it is described by a gaussian coherent state. For quadratic potentials, the semi-classical equations of motion yield a universe that has an early "polymer inflation" phase which is generic and almost exactly de Sitter, followed by a epoch of slow-roll inflation. We compute polymer corrections to the slow roll formalism, and discuss the probability of inflation in this model using a physical Hamiltonian arising from time gauge fixing. We also show how in this model, it is possible to obtain a significant amount of slow-roll inflation from sub-Planckain initial data, hence circumventing some of the criticisms of standard scenarios. These results show the extent to which a quantum gravity motivated quantization method affects early universe dynamics., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures. In addition to minor changes and added references, we have included a new discussion and figure (#5) concerning the possibility of sub-Planckian initial data inducing significant slow roll inflation. Matches the version in press in PRD

We give a formulation of quantum cosmology with a pressureless dust and arbitrary additional matter fields. The dust provides a natural time gauge corresponding to a cosmic time, yielding a physical time independent Hamiltonian. The approach simplifies the analysis of both Wheeler-deWitt and loop quantum cosmology models, broadening the applicability of the latter., Comment: 3 pages. To appear in Proceedings of the 13th Marcel Grossmann Meeting (MG13), Stockholm, Sweden, 1-7 July 2012

We present a non-perturbative quantization of general relativity coupled to dust and other matter fields. The dust provides a natural time variable, leading to a physical Hamiltonian with spatial diffeomorphism symmetry. The methods of loop quantum gravity applied to this model lead to a physical Hilbert space and Hamiltonian. This provides a framework for physical calculations in the theory., Comment: 3 pages. To appear in Proceedings of the 13th Marcel Grossmann Meeting (MG13), Stockholm, Sweden, 1-7 July 2012

Quantization prescriptions that realize generalized uncertainty relations (GUP) are motivated by quantum gravity arguments that incorporate a fundamental length scale. We apply two such methods, polymer and deformed Heisenberg quantization, to scalar field theory in Fourier space. These alternative quantizations modify the oscillator spectrum for each mode, which in turn affects the blackbody distribution. We find that for a large class of modifications, the equation of state relating pressure $P$ and energy density $\rho$ interpolates between $P=\rho/3$ at low $T$ and $P=2\rho/3$ at high $T$, where $T$ is the temperature. Furthermore, the Stefan-Boltzman law gets modified from $\rho \propto T^{4}$ to $\rho \propto T^{5/2}$ at high temperature. This suggests an effective reduction to 2.5 spacetime dimensions at high energy., Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, minor revisions and references added to match version published in PRD

We study a modified bosonic string theory that has a pressureless ``dust'' field on the string worldsheet. The dust is a real scalar field with unit gradient which breaks conformal invariance. Hamiltonian analysis reveals a time reparametrization constraint linear in the dust field momentum and a spatial diffeomorphism constraint. This feature provides a natural ``dust time" gauge in analogy with the parametrized particle. In this gauge we give a Fock quantization of the theory, which is complete and self-consistent in d<26. The Hamiltonian of the theory is not a constraint; as a consequence the Hilbert space and mass spectrum are characterized by an additional parameter, and includes the usual string spectrum as a special case. The other sectors provide new particle spectra, some of which do not have tachyons.

We study a type of geometric theory with a non-dynamical one-form field. Its dynamical variables are an $su(2)$ gauge field and a triad of $su(2)$ valued one-forms. Hamiltonian decomposition reveals that the theory has a true Hamiltonian, together with spatial diffeomorphism and Gauss law constraints, which generate the only local symmetries. Although perturbatively non-renormalizable, the model provides a test bed for the non-perturbative quantization techniques of loop quantum gravity.

Quantum mechanics with a generalized uncertainty principle arises through a representation of the commutator $[\hat{x}, \hat{p}] = i f(\hat{p})$. We apply this deformed quantization to free scalar field theory for $f_\pm =1\pm \beta p^2$. The resulting quantum field theories have a rich fine scale structure. For small wavelength modes, the Green's function for $f_+$ exhibits a remarkable transition from Lorentz to Galilean invariance, whereas for $f_-$ such modes effectively do not propagate. For both cases Lorentz invariance is recovered at long wavelengths., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

We study the generation of primordial fluctuations in pure de Sitter inflation where the quantum scalar field dynamics are governed by polymer (not Schrodinger) quantization. This quantization scheme is related to, but distinct from, the structures employed in Loop Quantum Gravity; and it modifies standard results above a polymer energy scale $M_{\star}$. We recover the scale invariant Harrison Zel'dovich spectrum for modes that have wavelengths bigger than $M_{\star}^{-1}$ at the start of inflation. The primordial spectrum for modes with initial wavelengths smaller than $M_{\star}^{-1}$ exhibits oscillations superimposed on the standard result. The amplitude of these oscillations is proportional to the ratio of the inflationary Hubble parameter $H$ to the polymer energy scale. For reasonable choices of $M_{\star}$, we find that polymer effects are likely unobservable in CMB angular power spectra due to cosmic variance uncertainty, but future probes of baryon acoustic oscillations may be able to directly constrain the ratio $H/M_{\star}$., Comment: Additional comments about polymer momentum operator (see footnote 4). Version to appear in JCAP. 18 pages, 10 figures

We show that for asymptotically anti-deSitter backgrounds with negative energy, such as the AdS soliton and regulated negative mass AdS-Schwarzshild metrics, the Wilson loop expectation value in the AdS/CFT conjecture exhibits a Coulomb to confinement transition. We also show that the quark-antiquark ($q \bar q$) potential can be interpreted as affine time along null geodesics on the minimal string world sheet,and that its intrinsic curvature provides a signature of transition to confinement phase. The result demonstrates a UV/IR relation in that the boundary separation of the $q \bar{q}$ pair exhibits an inverse relationship with the radial descent of the world sheet into the bulk. Our results suggest a generic (holographic) relationship between confinement in gauge theory and repulsive gravity, which in turn is connected with singularity avoidance in quantum gravity., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures

We describe a non-perturbative approach to studying the gravitational collapse of a scalar field in spherical symmetry with quantum gravity corrections. Quantum effects are described by a phase space function that modifies the constraints of general relativity but does not affect the closure of their algebra. The model may be viewed as one that incorporates a class of anomaly-free quantum gravity effects. Numerical simulations of the resulting field equations show that the model reproduces known classical results for sufficiently massive initial data but gives a dramatic change at the threshold of black hole formation characterized by oscillations and a mass gap., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures

We give a formulation of quantum cosmology with a pressureless dust and arbitrary additional matter fields. The system has the property that its Hamiltonian constraint is linear in the dust momentum. This feature provides a natural time gauge, leading to a physical hamiltonian that is not a square root. Quantization leads to Schr{\"o}dinger equation for which unitary evolution is directly linked to geodesic completeness. Our approach simplifies the analysis of both Wheeler-deWitt and loop quantum cosmology (LQC) models, and significantly broadens the applicability of the latter. This is demonstrated for arbitrary scalar field potential and cosmological constant in LQC., Comment: 8 pages, iopart style + BibTex

We present a non-perturbative quantization of general relativity coupled to dust and other matter fields. The dust provides a natural time variable, leading to a physical Hamiltonian with spatial diffeomorphism symmetry. The surprising feature is that the Hamiltonian is not a square root. This property, together with the kinematical structure of loop quantum gravity, provides a complete theory of quantum gravity, and puts in technical reach applications to cosmology, quantum gravitational collapse and Hawking radiation., Comment: 5 pages, version to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett

We describe a class of exactly soluble models for gravitational collapse in spherical symmetry obtained by patching dynamical spherically symmetric exterior spacetimes with cosmological interior spacetimes. These are generalizations of the Oppenheimer-Snyder type models to include classical and quantum scalar fields as sources for the interior metric, and null fluids with pressure as sources for the exterior metric. In addition to dynamical exteriors, the models exhibit other novel features such as evaporating horizons, and singularity avoidance without quantum gravity., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, revtex 2col

We study a class of Hamiltonian deformations of the massless Einstein-Klein-Gordon system in spherical symmetry for which the Dirac constraint algebra closes. The system may be regarded as providing effective equations for quantum gravitational collapse. Guided by the observation that scalar field fluxes do not follow metric null directions due to the deformation, we find that the equations take a simple form in characteristic coordinates. We analyse these equations by a unique combination of numerical methods and find that Choptuik's mass scaling law is modified by a mass gap as well as jagged oscillations. Furthermore, the results are universal with respect to different initial data profiles and robust under changes of the deformation., Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures

We study free scalar field theory on flat spacetime using a background independent (polymer) quantization procedure. Specifically we compute the propagator using a method that takes the energy spectrum and position matrix elements of the harmonic oscillator as inputs. We obtain closed form results in the infrared and ultraviolet regimes that give Lorentz invariance violating dispersion relations, and show suppression of propagation at sufficiently high energy., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, clarified discussion of boundary conditions, improved figure, matches version published in PRD