A Lagrangian approach to the Barrett-Crane spin foam model

Abstract

We provide the Barrett-Crane spin foam model for quantum gravity with a discrete action principle, consisting in the usual BF term with discretized simplicity constraints which in the continuum turn topological BF theory into gravity. The setting is the same as usually considered in the literature: space-time is cut into 4-simplices, the connection describes how to glue these 4-simplices together and the action is a sum of terms depending on the holonomies around each triangle. We impose the discretized simplicity constraints on disjoint tetrahedra and we show how the Lagrange multipliers for the simplicity constraints distort the parallel transport and the correlations between neighbouring 4-simplices. We then construct the discretized BF action using a non-commutative product between $\SU(2)$ plane waves. We show how this naturally leads to the Barrett-Crane model. This clears up the geometrical meaning of the model. We discuss the natural generalization of this action principle and the spin foam models it leads to. We show how the recently introduced spinfoam fusion coefficients emerge with a non-trivial measure. In particular, we recover the Engle-Pereira-Rovelli spinfoam model by weakening the discretized simplicity constraints. Finally, we identify the two sectors of Plebanski's theory and we give the analog of the Barrett-Crane model in the non-geometric sector.