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arXiv · hep-th/9808191

A holographic formulation of quantum general relativity

Lee Smolin
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Abstract

We show that there is a sector of quantum general relativity which may be expressed in a completely holographic formulation in terms of states and operators defined on a finite boundary. The space of boundary states is built out of the conformal blocks of SU(2)_L + SU(2)_R, WZW field theory on the n-punctured sphere, where n is related to the area of the boundary. The Bekenstein bound is explicitly satisfied. These results are based on a new lagrangian and hamiltonian formulation of general relativity based on a constrained Sp(4) topological field theory. The hamiltonian formalism is polynomial, and also left-right symmetric. The quantization uses balanced SU(2)_L + SU(2)_R spin networks and so justifies the state sum model of Barrett and Crane. By extending the formalism to Osp(4/N) a holographic formulation of extended supergravity is obtained, as will be described in detail in a subsequent paper.

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Lee Smolin. 1999-10-31. A holographic formulation of quantum general relativity. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.61.084007

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