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We derive the full spacetime metric of a generalized uncertainty-inspired quantum black hole. We examine a previous model of the interior in this approach and show that extending its metric to the full spacetime leads to serious issues in the asymptotic region. To remedy this, we introduce an "improved scheme" mimicking a similar prescription used in loop quantum gravity, where the quantum parameters are made momentum-dependent. Under this scheme, we rework the interior of the black hole and extend it to the full spacetime. We find that the resulting metric is asymptotically flat and its associated Kretschmann scalar is regular everywhere. We also show that the null expansion and Raychaudhuri equation are regular everywhere in this spacetime, implying that the classical singularity is resolved., Comment: 35 pages, 7 figures

We present a simple but powerful Lagrangian method that can be used to study the post-Newtonian evolution of a compact binary system with environment, including a dark matter spike, around it, and obtain the resulting gravitational wave emission. This formalism allows one to incorporate post-Newtonian effects up to any desired known order, as well as any other environmental effect around the binary, as long as their dissipation power or force formulae are known. In particular, in this work, we employ this method to study a black hole-black hole binary system of mass ratio $10^5$, by including post-Newtonian effects of order 1PN and 2.5PN as well as the effect of relativistic dynamical friction. We obtain the modified orbits and the corresponding modified gravitational waveform. Finally, we contrast these modifications against the LISA sensitivity curve in frequency space and show that this observatory can detect the associated signals., Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures

In a previous work we studied the interior of the Schwarzschild black hole implementing an effective minimal length, by applying a modification to the Poisson brackets of the theory. In this work we perform a proper quantization of such a system. Specifically, we quantize the interior of the Schwarzschild black hole in two ways: once by using the standard quantum theory, and once by following a minimal uncertainty approach. Then, we compare the obtained results from the two approaches. We show that, as expected, the wave function in the standard approach diverges in the region where classical singularity is located and the expectation value of the Kretschmann scalar also blows up on this state in that region. On the other hand, by following a minimal uncertainty quantization approach, we obtain 5 new and important results as follows. 1) All the interior states remain well-defined and square-integrable. 2) The expectation value of the Kretschmann scalar on the states remains finite over the whole interior region, particularly where used to be the classical singularity, therefore signaling the resolution of the black hole singularity. 3) A new quantum number is found which plays a crucial role in determining the convergence of the norm of states, as well as the convergence and finiteness of the expectation value of the Kretschmann scalar. 4) A minimum for the radius of the (2-spheres in the) black holes is found 5) By demanding square-integrability of states in the whole interior region, an exact relation between the Barbero-Immirzi parameter and the minimal uncertainty scale is found., Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables; v2. extensive edit by considering all operator ordering and specifically working out the symmetric ordering. Matches the CQG published version

We present the first empirical constraints on the polymer scale describing polymer quantized GWs propagating on a classical background. These constraints are determined from the polymer-induced deviation from the classically predicted propagation speed of GWs. We leverage posterior information on the propagation speed of GWs from two previously reported sources: 1) inter-detector arrival time delays for signals from the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration's first gravitational-wave transient catalog, GWTC1, and 2) from arrival time delays between GW signal GW170817 and its associated gamma-ray burst GRB170817A. For pure-GW constraints, we find relatively uninformative combined constraints of $\nu = 0.96\substack{+0.15 \\ -0.21} \times 10^{-53} \, \rm{kg}^{1/2}$ and $\mu = 0.94\substack{+0.75 \\ -0.20} \times 10^{-48} \, \rm{kg}^{1/2} \cdot s$ at the $90\%$ credible level for the two polymer quantization schemes, where $\nu$ and $\mu$ refer to polymer parameters associated to the polymer quantization schemes of propagating gravitational degrees of freedom. For constraints from GW170817/GRB170817A, we report much more stringent constraints of $\nu_{\mathrm{low}} =2.66\substack{+0.60 \\ -0.10}\times 10^{-56}$, $\nu_{\mathrm{high}} = 2.66\substack{+0.45 \\ -0.10}\times 10^{-56} $ and $\mu_{\mathrm{low}} = 2.84\substack{+0.64 \\ -0.11}\times 10^{-52}$, $\mu_{\mathrm{high}} = 2.76\substack{+0.46 \\ -0.11}\times 10^{-52}$ for both representations of polymer quantization and two choices of spin prior indicated by the subscript. Additionally, we explore the effect of varying the lag between emission of the GW and EM signals in the multimessenger case., Comment: Invited contribution to "Focus issue on Quantum Gravity Phenomenology in the Multi-Messenger Era: Challenges and Perspectives" in Classical and Quantum Gravity, 18 pages, 6 figures, Part of the COST Action CA18108: Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach. V2: added comments on polymer quantization & statistical method used. Minor modification to plot colors. Published version

We compute the expected response of detector arms of gravitational wave observatories to polymerized gravitational waves. The mathematical and theoretical features of these waves were discussed in our previous work. In the present manuscript, we find both perturbative analytical, and full nonperturbative numerical solutions to the equations of motion of the detector arms using the method of geodesic deviations. These results show the modifications to both frequency and amplitude of the signal measured by the detector. Furthermore, we study the detectability of these signals in LISA by analyzing the modes in the frequency space., Comment: 25 pages, 5 figures, v2: a few new comments added, matches the JCAP published version

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

We review, as well as provide some new results regarding the study of the structure of spacetime and the singularity in the interior of the Schwarzschild black hole in both loop quantum gravity and generalized uncertainty principle approaches, using congruences and their associated expansion scalar and the Raychaudhuri equation. We reaffirm previous results that in loop quantum gravity, in all three major schemes of polymer quantization, the expansion scalar, Raychaudhuri equation and the Kretschmann scalar remain finite everywhere in the interior. In the context of the eneralized uncertainty principle, we show that only two of the four models we study lead to similar results. These two models have the property that their algebra is modified by configuration variables rather than the momenta., Comment: 38 pages, 21 figures, invited paper to "Universe" Special Issue "Gravitational Singularities and Their Quantum Fates". Version 2: due to suggestions from referees and editors, previous section 2 moved to an appendix, some references added, and the title was modified (vs changed to vs.). This version matches the one published in Universe

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) has the potential to reveal wonders about the fundamental theory of nature at play in the extreme gravity regime, where the gravitational interaction is both strong and dynamical. In this white paper, the Fundamental Physics Working Group of the LISA Consortium summarizes the current topics in fundamental physics where LISA observations of GWs can be expected to provide key input. We provide the briefest of reviews to then delineate avenues for future research directions and to discuss connections between this working group, other working groups and the consortium work package teams. These connections must be developed for LISA to live up to its science potential in these areas., Comment: Accepted in: Living Reviews in Relativity

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) has two scientific objectives of cosmological focus: to probe the expansion rate of the universe, and to understand stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds and their implications for early universe and particle physics, from the MeV to the Planck scale. However, the range of potential cosmological applications of gravitational wave observations extends well beyond these two objectives. This publication presents a summary of the state of the art in LISA cosmology, theory and methods, and identifies new opportunities to use gravitational wave observations by LISA to probe the universe.

Inspirals of an Intermediate Mass Black Hole (IMBH) and a solar mass type object will be observable by space based gravitational wave detectors such as The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). A dark matter overdensity around an IMBH - a dark matter spike - can affect the orbital evolution of the system. We consider here such Intermediate Mass Ratio Inspirals on eccentric orbits, experiencing dynamical friction of the dark matter spike. We find that by including the phase space distribution of the dark matter, the dynamical friction tends to circularize the orbit, in contrast to previous inquiries. We derive a general condition for circularization or eccentrification for any given dissipative force. In addition to the dephasing, we suggest using the circularization rate as another probe of the dark matter spike. Observing these effects would be an indicator for the particle nature of dark matter., Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures. Code available online at https://github.com/DMGW-Goethe/imripy. Text matches published version, eqn. (27a)-(27d) updated

We propose a polymer quantization scheme to derive the effective propagation of gravitational waves on a classical Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) spacetime. These waves, which may originate from a high energy source, are a consequence of the dynamics of the gravitational field in a linearized low-energy regime. A novel method of deriving the effective Hamiltonian of the system is applied to overcome the challenge of polymer quantizing a time-dependent Hamiltonian. Using such a Hamiltonian, we derive the effective equations of motion and show that (i) the form of the waves is modified, (ii) the speed of the waves depends on their frequencies, and (iii) quantum effects become more apparent as waves traverse longer distances., Comment: This is the contribution to the Proceedings of the MG16 Conference. 12 pages, 4 figures; v2 minor typo fixed

We show that loop quantum gravity effects leads to the finiteness of expansion and its rate of change in the effective regime in the interior of the Schwarzschild black hole. As a consequence the singularity is resolved. We find this in line with previous results about curvature scalar and strong curvature singularities in Kantowski-Sachs model which is isometric to Schwarzschild interior., Comment: This is the contribution to the Proceedings of the MG16 Conference. 11 pages, 4 figures; v2: citations added

The classical Raychaudhuri equation predicts the formation of conjugate points for a congruence of geodesics, in a finite proper time. This in conjunction with the Hawking-Penrose singularity theorems predicts the incompleteness of geodesics and thereby the singular nature of practically all spacetimes. We compute the generic corrections to the Raychaudhuri equation in the interior of a Schwarzschild black hole, arising from modifications to the algebra inspired by the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) theories. Then we study four specific models of GUP, compute their effective dynamics as well as their expansion and its rate of change using the Raychaudhuri equation. We show that the modification from GUP in two of these models, where such modifications are dependent of the configuration variables, lead to finite Kretchmann scalar, expansion and its rate, hence implying the resolution of the singularity. However, the other two models for which the modifications depend on the momenta still retain their singularities even in the effective regime., Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures; v2: matches JHEP published version

The linearized Einstein field equations provide a low-energy wave equation for the propagation of gravitational fields which may originate from a high energy source. Motivated by loop quantum gravity, we propose the polymer quantization scheme to derive the effective propagation of such waves on a classical Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) spacetime. To overcome the challenge of polymer quantizing a time-dependent Hamiltonian, we rewrite such a Hamiltonian in a time-independent manner in the extended phase space, polymerize it, and then transform it back to the usual phase space. In this way we obtain a time-dependent polymer Hamiltonian for the gravitational waves. We then derive the effective equations of motion and show that (i) the form of the waves is modified, (ii) the speed of the waves depends on their frequencies, and (iii) quantum effects become more apparent as waves traverse longer distances., Comment: 24 pages, 4 figures; v2: minor modifications, matches the version published in PRD

We consider the classical Hamiltonian of the interior of the Schwarzschild black hole in Ashtekar-Barbero connection formalism. Then, inspired by generalized uncertainty principle models, we deform the classical canonical algebra and derive the effective dynamics of the model under this modification. We show that such a deformation leads to the resolution of the singularity of the black hole and a minimum nonzero radius for the infalling 2-spheres, provided that the deformation parameters are chosen to be negative., Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2011.11815, v2: analysis extended, a new prescription to deal with fiducial elements introduced, figures are slightly modified and are now in color

We derive loop quantum gravity corrections to the Raychaudhuri equation in the interior of a Schwarzschild black hole and near the classical singularity. We show that the resulting effective equation implies defocusing of geodesics due to the appearance of repulsive terms. This prevents the formation of conjugate points, renders the singularity theorems inapplicable, and leads to the resolution of the singularity for this spacetime., Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, v2: additional citations added, v3: figure 5 added, few modifications to the text and stronger defocusing results presented

In a previous paper, we showed how to use the techniques of the group of loops to formulate the loop approach to gravity proposed by Mandelstam in the 1960's. Those techniques allow to overcome some of the difficulties that had been encountered in the earlier treatment. In this approach, gravity is formulated entirely in terms of Dirac observables without constraints, opening attractive new possibilities for quantization. In this paper we discuss the Poisson algebra of the resulting Dirac observables, associated with the intrinsic components of the Riemann tensor. This provides an explicit realization of the non-local algebra of observables for gravity that several authors have conjectured., Comment: 21 pages, RevTex, 4 figures

We reconsider the study of the interior of the Schwarzschild black hole now including inverse triad quantum corrections within loop quantization. We derive these corrections and show that they are are related to two parameters $\delta_b, \delta_c$ associated to the minimum length in the radial and angular directions, that enter Thiemann's trick for quantum inverse triads. Introduction of such corrections may lead to non-invariance of physical results under rescaling of the fiducial volume needed to compute the dynamics, due to noncompact topology of the model. So, we put forward two prescriptions to resolve this issue. These prescriptions amount to interchange $\delta_b, \delta_c$ in classical computations in Thiemann's trick. By implementing the inverse triad corrections we found, previous results such as singularity resolution and black-to-white hole bounce hold with different values for the minimum radius-at-bounce, and the mass of the white hole., Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures; v2: title, abstract and conclusion modified and some comments added for more clarity, v3: more detailed comments and computations added, matches the published version

The polymer representations, which are partially motivated by loop quantum gravity, have been suggested as alternative schemes to quantize the matter fields. Here we apply a version of the polymer representations to the free electromagnetic field, in a reduced phase space setting, and derive the corresponding effective (i.e., semiclassical) Hamiltonian. We study the propagation of an electromagnetic pulse and we confront our theoretical results with gamma ray burst observations. This comparison reveals that the dimensionless polymer scale must be smaller than $4\times 10^{-35}$, casting doubts on the possibility that the matter fields are quantized with the polymer representation we employed., Comment: 5 pages; Ver. 2: Two new references and some comments were added for more clarifications; Ver. 3: Based on referees' comments, some clarifications made in the text and the appendix, and a few citations added; Ver.4: final version matching PRD published article

We study here a complete quantization of a Callan-Giddings-Harvey-Strominger (CGHS) vacuum model following loop quantum gravity techniques. Concretely, we adopt a formulation of the model in terms of a set of new variables that resemble the ones commonly employed in spherically symmetric loop quantum gravity. The classical theory consists of two pairs of canonical variables plus a scalar and diffeomorphism (first class) constraints. We consider a suitable redefinition of the Hamiltonian constraint such that the new constraint algebra (with structure constants) is well adapted to the Dirac quantization approach. For it, we adopt a polymeric representation for both the geometry and the dilaton field. On the one hand, we find a suitable invariant domain of the scalar constraint operator, and we construct explicitly its solution space. There, the eigenvalues of the dilaton and the metric operators cannot vanish locally, allowing us to conclude that singular geometries are ruled out in the quantum theory. On the other hand, the physical Hilbert space is constructed out of them, after group averaging the previous states with the diffeomorphism constraint. In turn, we identify the standard observable corresponding to the mass of the black hole at the boundary, in agreement with the classical theory. We also construct an additional observable on the bulk associated with the square of the dilaton field, with no direct classical analog., Comment: 24 pages, 1 figure; v2: matches the PRD published version, titled modified according to the published version, a few typos corrected and a short comment regarding refined algebraic quantization added

A recent proposal to connect the loop quantization with the spin foam model for cosmology via the path integral is hereby adapted to the case of mechanical systems within the framework of the so called polymer quantum mechanics. The mechanical models we consider are deparametrized and thus the group averaging technique is used to deal with the corresponding constraints. The transition amplitudes are written in a vertex expansion form used in the spin foam models, where here a vertex is actually a jump in position. Polymer propagators previously obtained by spectral methods for a nonrelativistic polymer particle, both free and in a box, are regained with this method and as a new result we obtain the polymer propagator of the relativistic particle. All of them reduce to their standard form in the continuum limit for which the length scale parameter of the polymer quantization is taken to be small. Our results are robust thanks to their analytic and exact character which in turn come from the fact that presented models are solvable. They lend support to the vertex expansion scheme of the polymer path integral explored before in a formal way for cosmological models. Some possible future developments are commented upon in the discussion., Comment: 25 pages, 2 figures. Ver. 2: matches the PRD published version, several revisions made to the Introduction and some other sections, comments added regarding the continuum limit

We present a purely geometric renormalization scheme for metric spaces (including uncolored graphs), which consists of a coarse graining and a rescaling operation on such spaces. The coarse graining is based on the concept of quasi-isometry, which yields a sequence of discrete coarse grained spaces each having a continuum limit under the rescaling operation. We provide criteria under which such sequences do converge within a superspace of metric spaces, or may constitute the basin of attraction of a common continuum limit, which hopefully, may represent our space-time continuum. We discuss some of the properties of these coarse grained spaces as well as their continuum limits, such as scale invariance and metric similarity, and show that different layers of spacetime can carry different distance functions while being homeomorphic. Important tools in this analysis are the Gromov-Hausdorff distance functional for general metric spaces and the growth degree of graphs or networks. The whole construction is in the spirit of the Wilsonian renormalization group. Furthermore we introduce a physically relevant notion of dimension on the spaces of interest in our analysis, which e.g. for regular lattices reduces to the ordinary lattice dimension. We show that this dimension is stable under the proposed coarse graining procedure as long as the latter is sufficiently local, i.e. quasi-isometric, and discuss the conditions under which this dimension is an integer. We comment on the possibility that the limit space may turn out to be fractal in case the dimension is non-integer. At the end of the paper we briefly mention the possibility that our network carries a translocal far-order which leads to the concept of wormhole spaces and a scale dependent dimension if the coarse graining procedure is no longer local., Comment: 29 pages, v2 matching the published PRD version

The saddle point approximation to the partition functions is an important way of deriving the thermodynamical properties of black holes. However, there are certain black hole models and some mathematically analog mechanical models for which this method can not be applied directly. This is due to the fact that their action evaluated on a classical solution is not finite and its first variation does not vanish for all consistent boundary conditions. These problems can be dealt with by adding a counter-term to the classical action, which is a solution of the corresponding Hamilton-Jacobi equation. In this work however, we seek an alternative solution to this problem via the polymer quantization which is motivated by the loop quantum gravity., Comment: 6 pages, Contribution to the proceedings of The Fourteenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting - MG14, to appear in a related book published by World Scientific, Singapore, 2016, text overlap with arXiv:1507.08651 [gr-qc]

We revisit the quantum theory of a massive, minimally coupled scalar field, propagating on the Planck-era isotropic cosmological quantum spacetime which transitions to a classical spacetime in later times. The quantum effects modify the isotropic spacetime such that effectively it exhibits anisotropies. Thus, the interplay between this quantum background and modes of the field, when disregarding the backreactions, gives rise to a theory of a quantum field on an anisotropic, dressed spacetime. Different solutions are found whose components depend on the quantum fluctuations of the background geometry. We construct a formal expression for the power spectrum of the scalar field fluctuations on such anisotropic background. It is shown that the anisotropy of this power spectrum is due to the modified frequency of the propagating quantum modes. This provides a quantitative estimate for the deviations from the isotropic power spectrum which can lead to the potential observational signatures on the cosmic microwave background. In addition, the problem of particle production when transitioning from such an effective spacetime to a classical one is reexamined. It is shown that particles are created, and the expectation value of their number operator depends on the quantum geometry fluctuations., Comment: Major revision (This version: 34 pages); to appear in J. Annals of Phys

We consider a class of two dimensional dilatonic models, and revisit them from the perspective of a new set of "polar type" variables. These are motivated by recently defined variables within the spherically symmetric sector of 4D general relativity. We show that for a large class of dilatonic models, including the case \emph{with} matter, one can perform a series of canonical transformations in such a way that the Poisson algebra of the constraints becomes a Lie algebra. Furthermore, we construct Dirac observables and a reduced Hamiltonian that accounts for the time evolution of the system. Thus, with our formulation, the systems under consideration are amenable to be quantized with loop quantization methods., Comment: 24 pages, 3 appendices. A few small changes applied to the text, including the addition of important new comments about rescalings on the Killing horizon. 3 new references added

The saddle point approximation of the path integral partition functions is an important way of deriving the thermodynamical properties of black holes. However, there are certain black hole models and some mathematically analog mechanical models for which this method cannot be applied directly. This is due to the fact that their action evaluated on a classical solution is not finite and its first variation does not vanish for all consistent boundary conditions. These problems can be dealt with by adding a counterterm to the classical action, which is a solution of the corresponding Hamilton-Jacobi equation. In this work we study the effects of polymer quantization on a mechanical model presenting the aforementioned difficulties and contrast it with the above counterterm method. This type of quantization for mechanical models is motivated by the loop quantization of gravity which is known to play a role in the thermodynamics of black hole systems. The model we consider is a nonrelativistic particle in an inverse square potential, and analyze two polarizations of the polymer quantization in which either the position or the momentum is discrete. In the former case, Thiemann's regularization is applied to represent the inverse power potential but we still need to incorporate the Hamilton-Jacobi counterterm which is now modified by polymer corrections. In the latter, momentum discrete case however, such regularization could not be implemented. Yet, remarkably, owing to the fact that the position is bounded, we do not need a Hamilton-Jacobi counterterm in order to have a well-defined saddle point approximation. Further developments and extensions are commented upon in the discussion., Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures. Minor corrections based on PRD referee report. Final version matching the one published in PRD

Starting from the working hypothesis that both physics and the corresponding mathematics and in particular geometry have to be described by means of discrete concepts on the Planck-scale, one of the many problems one has to face in this enterprise is to find the discrete protoforms of the building blocks of our ordinary continuum physics and mathematics living on a smooth background, and perhaps more importantly find a way how this continuum limit emerges from the mentioned discrete structure. We model this underlying substratum as a structurally dynamic cellular network (basically a generalisation of a cellular automaton). We regard these continuum concepts and continuum spacetime in particular as being emergent, coarse-grained and derived relative to this underlying erratic and disordered microscopic substratum, which we would like to call quantum geometry and which is expected to play by quite different rules, namely generalized cellular automaton rules. A central role in our analysis is played by a geometric renormalization group which creates (among other things) a kind of sparse translocal network of correlations between the points in classical continuous space-time and underlies, in our view, such mysterious phenomena as holography and the black hole entropy-area law. The same point of view holds for quantum theory which we also regard as a low-energy, coarse-grained continuum theory, being emergent from something more fundamental. In this paper we review our approach and compare it to the quantum graphity framework., Comment: 30 pages, 2 tables, minor changes in the title, abstract, introduction and few places in the text body. Accepted and to appear in the Journal of Cellular Automata

Following our previous work, a complete classical solution of the CGHS model in Hamiltonian formulation in new variables is given. We preform a series of analyses and transformations to get to the CGHS Hamiltonian in new variables from a generic class of two dimensional dilatonic gravitational systems coupled to matter. This gives us a second class system, a total Hamiltonian consisting of a Hamiltonian constraint, a diffeomorphism constraint and two second class constraints. We calculate the Dirac brackets, bring them to a standard form similar to the Poisson brackets by introducing a new variable. Then by rescaling lapse and shift, the Hamiltonian constraint is transformed into a form where it has an strong Abelian algebra with itself. This property holds both in vacuum case and in case with matter coupling. Then for each of the vacuum and the coupled-to-matter cases, we preform two gauge fixings, one set for each case, and solve the classical system completely in both cases. The gauge fixing of the case coupled to matter is done by implementing a method based on canonical transformation to a new set of variables and leads to a true local Hamiltonian. We also show that our formalism is consistent with the original CGHS paper by showing that the equations of motion are the same in both cases. Finally we derive the relevant surface term of the model., Comment: 19 pages

We discuss the applicability of the argument of Collins, P\'erez, Sudarsky, Urrutia and Vucetich to loop quantum gravity. This argument suggests that Lorentz violations, even ones that only manifest themselves at energies close to the Planck scale, have significant observational consequences at low energies when one considers perturbative quantum field theory and renormalization. We show that non-perturbative treatments like those of loop quantum gravity may generate deviations of Lorentz invariance of a different type than those considered by Collins et al. that do not necessarily imply observational consequences at low energy., Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, Revtex, to appear in Class. Quan. Grav

We recently studied gravity coupled to a scalar field in spherical symmetry using loop quantum gravity techniques. Since there are local degrees of freedom one faces the "problem of dynamics". We attack it using the "uniform discretization technique". We find the quantum state that minimizes the value of the master constraint for the case of weak fields and curvatures. The state has the form of a direct product of Gaussians for the gravitational variables times a modified Fock state for the scalar field. In this paper we do three things. First, we verify that the previous state also yields a small value of the master constraint when one polymerizes the scalar field in addition to the gravitational variables. We then study the propagators for the polymerized scalar field in flat space-time using the previously considered ground state in the low energy limit. We discuss the issue of the Lorentz invariance of the whole approach. We note that if one uses real clocks to describe the system, Lorentz invariance violations are small. We discuss the implications of these results in the light of Horava's Gravity at the Lifshitz point and of the argument about potential large Lorentz violations in interacting field theories of Collins et. al., Comment: Dedicated to Josh Goldberg, to appear in special issue of Gen. Rel. Grav., 14 pages RevTex. We expanded the section on Lorentz invariance

We show that the canonical formulation of a generic action for 1+1-dimensional models of gravity coupled to matter admits a description in terms of Ashtekar-type variables. This includes the CGHS model and spherically symmetric reductions of 3+1 gravity as particular cases. This opens the possibility of discussing models of black hole evaporation using loop representation techniques and verifying which paradigm emerges for the possible elimination of the black hole singularity and the issue of information loss., Comment: 8 pages, no figures, added references, corrected some misleading statements

We study gravity coupled to a scalar field in spherical symmetry using loop quantum gravity techniques. Since this model has local degrees of freedom, one has to face ``the problem of dynamics'', that is, diffeomorphism and Hamiltonian constraints that do not form a Lie algebra. We tackle the problem using the ``uniform discretization'' technique. We study the expectation value of the master constraint and argue that among the states that minimize the master constraint is one that incorporates the usual Fock vacuum for the matter content of the theory., Comment: 15 pages, one figure