On the expansion of a quantum field theory around a topological sector |
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Authors: | Carlo Rovelli Simone Speziale |
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Institution: | (1) Centre de Physique Théorique de Luminy, Unité mixte de recherche (UMR 6207) du CNRS et des Universités de Provence (Aix-Marseille I), de la Meditarranée (Aix-Marseille II) et du Sud (Toulon-Var), laboratoire affilié à la FRUMAM (FR 2291), Université de la Méditerranée, 13288 Marseille, France;(2) Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 31 Caroline Street North, Waterloo, ON, N2L 2Y5, Canada;(3) Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università “La Sapienza”, and INFN Sez. Roma1, 00185 Rome, Italy |
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Abstract: | The idea of treating quantum general relativistic theories in a perturbative expansion around a topological theory has recently
received attention, in the quantum gravity literature. We investigate the viability of this idea by applying it to conventional
Yang–Mills theory on flat spacetime. This theory admits indeed a formulation as a modified topological theory, like general
relativity. We find that the expansion around the topological theory coincides with the usual expansion around the free abelian
theory, though the equivalence is non-trivial. In this context, the technique appears therefore to be viable, but not to bring
particularly new insights. On the other hand, we point out that the relation of this expansion with the actual quantum BF
theory is far from being transparent. Some implications for gravity are discussed. |
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