Euclidean quantum gravity on a lattice

We construct a number of related euclidean lattice formulations of quantum gravity. The first version incorporates a path integral over discrete manifolds built out of four-cubes embedded in a higher dimensional flat hypercubic lattice. We show this expression is equal to a corresponding path integral in a local lattice field theory. The field theoretic path integral diverges and lacks a satisfactory vacuum state. This divergence can be interpreted as a consequence of a divergent phase space available for topological fluctuations in the four-manifolds of the original path integral. A modified version of the path integral over manifolds converges. We construct a Schrödinger equation and hamiltonian for the modified theory. The hamiltonian is self-adjoint, but as a result of the large phase space available for topological fluctuations, the hamiltonian's spectrum is probably not bounded from below. We show briefly how the flat enveloping space—time can be removed from most of the theories we present and how matter fields can be included.