Combinatorial Space from Loop Quantum Gravity

The canonical quantization of diffeomorphism invariant theories of connections in terms of loop variables is revisited. Such theories include general relativity described in terms of Ashtekar-Barbero variables and extension to Yang-Mills fields (with or without fermions) coupled to gravity. It is argued that the operators induced by classical diffeomorphism invariant or covariant functions are respectively invariant or covariant under a suitable completion of the diffeomorphism group. The canonical quantization in terms of loop variables described here, yields a representation of the algebra of observables in a separable Hilbert space. Furthermore, the resulting quantum theory is equivalent to a model for diffeomorphism invariant gauge theories which replaces space with a manifestly combinatorial object.