Loops, Knots, Gauge Theories and Quantum Gravity PDF Download

Author: Rodolfo Gambini
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521654753
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 344

View

Book Description
Now in paperback, this text provides a self-contained introduction to applications of loop representations and knot theory in particle physics and quantum gravity. Loop representations (and the related topic of knot theory) are of considerable current interest because they provide a unified arena for the study of the gauge invariant quantization of Yang-Mills theories and gravity, and suggest a promising approach to the eventual unification of the four fundamental forces. This text begins with a detailed review of loop representation theory. It then goes on to describe loop representations in Maxwell theory, Yang-Mills theories as well as lattice techniques. Applications in quantum gravity are then discussed in detail. Following chapters move on to consider knot theories, braid theories and extended loop representations in quantum gravity. A final chapter assesses the current status of the theory and points out possible directions for future research.

Author: Rodolfo Gambini
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1009290193
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 341

View

Book Description
This volume provides a self-contained introduction to applications of loop representations in particle physics and quantum gravity, in order to explore the gauge invariant quantization of Yang-Mills theories and gravity. First published in 1996, this title has been reissued as an Open Access publication on Cambridge Core.

Author: John Baez
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company
ISBN: 9813103248
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 480

View

Book Description
This is an introduction to the basic tools of mathematics needed to understand the relation between knot theory and quantum gravity. The book begins with a rapid course on manifolds and differential forms, emphasizing how these provide a proper language for formulating Maxwell's equations on arbitrary spacetimes. The authors then introduce vector bundles, connections and curvature in order to generalize Maxwell theory to the Yang-Mills equations. The relation of gauge theory to the newly discovered knot invariants such as the Jones polynomial is sketched. Riemannian geometry is then introduced in order to describe Einstein's equations of general relativity and show how an attempt to quantize gravity leads to interesting applications of knot theory.

Author: Jean-Luc Brylinski
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0817647317
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 318

View

Book Description
This book examines the differential geometry of manifolds, loop spaces, line bundles and groupoids, and the relations of this geometry to mathematical physics. Applications presented in the book involve anomaly line bundles on loop spaces and anomaly functionals, central extensions of loop groups, Kähler geometry of the space of knots, and Cheeger--Chern--Simons secondary characteristics classes. It also covers the Dirac monopole and Dirac’s quantization of the electrical charge.

Author: Rodolfo Gambini
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191003239
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 192

View

Book Description
This book provides an accessible introduction to loop quantum gravity and some of its applications, at a level suitable for undergraduate students and others with only a minimal knowledge of college level physics. In particular it is not assumed that the reader is familiar with general relativity and only minimally familiar with quantum mechanics and Hamiltonian mechanics. Most chapters end with problems that elaborate on the text, and aid learning. Applications such as loop quantum cosmology, black hole entropy and spin foams are briefly covered. The text is ideally suited for an undergraduate course in the senior year of a physics major. It can also be used to introduce undergraduates to general relativity and quantum field theory as part of a 'special topics' type of course.

Author: Kunio Murasugi
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0817647198
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 348

View

Book Description
This book introduces the study of knots, providing insights into recent applications in DNA research and graph theory. It sets forth fundamental facts such as knot diagrams, braid representations, Seifert surfaces, tangles, and Alexander polynomials. It also covers more recent developments and special topics, such as chord diagrams and covering spaces. The author avoids advanced mathematical terminology and intricate techniques in algebraic topology and group theory. Numerous diagrams and exercises help readers understand and apply the theory. Each chapter includes a supplement with interesting historical and mathematical comments.

Author: Colin Conrad Adams
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 0821836781
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 330

View

Book Description
Knots are familiar objects. Yet the mathematical theory of knots quickly leads to deep results in topology and geometry. This work offers an introduction to this theory, starting with our understanding of knots. It presents the applications of knot theory to modern chemistry, biology and physics.

Author: Peter S. Ozsváth
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 1470417375
Category : Homology theory
Languages : en
Pages : 410

View

Book Description
Knot theory is a classical area of low-dimensional topology, directly connected with the theory of three-manifolds and smooth four-manifold topology. In recent years, the subject has undergone transformative changes thanks to its connections with a number of other mathematical disciplines, including gauge theory; representation theory and categorification; contact geometry; and the theory of pseudo-holomorphic curves. Starting from the combinatorial point of view on knots using their grid diagrams, this book serves as an introduction to knot theory, specifically as it relates to some of the above developments. After a brief overview of the background material in the subject, the book gives a self-contained treatment of knot Floer homology from the point of view of grid diagrams. Applications include computations of the unknotting number and slice genus of torus knots (asked first in the 1960s and settled in the 1990s), and tools to study variants of knot theory in the presence of a contact structure. Additional topics are presented to prepare readers for further study in holomorphic methods in low-dimensional topology, especially Heegaard Floer homology. The book could serve as a textbook for an advanced undergraduate or part of a graduate course in knot theory. Standard background material is sketched in the text and the appendices.

Author: Carlo Rovelli
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107069629
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 267

View

Book Description
A comprehensible introduction to the most fascinating research in theoretical physics: advanced quantum gravity. Ideal for researchers and graduate students.

Author: Robert Oeckl
Publisher: Imperial College Press
ISBN: 1860947379
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 218

View

Book Description
This book provides an introduction to topological quantum field theory as well as discrete gauge theory with quantum groups. In contrast to much of the existing literature, the present approach is at the same time intuitive and mathematically rigorous, making extensive use of suitable diagrammatic methods. It provides a highly unified description of lattice gauge theory, topological quantum field theory and models of quantum (super)gravity. The reader is thus in a unique position to understand the relations between these subjects as well as the underlying groundwork.