“Discrete Geometry Instantons in Quantum Gravity”
Causal irregularities, such as Hartle and Hawking’s proposal for a cosmology with no boundary, are a fascinating possibility within quantum gravity. These should be deeply quantum phenomena. What characterizes this deep quantum regime of quantum gravity? Can we expect tunneling of quantum geometries? Other phenomena?
Discrete geometry formulations of the path integral shed intriguing light on these dynamics in quantum gravity. In this talk I will focus on a precise description of the tunneling of geometry in terms of discrete instantons. Along the way I will also try to highlight connections with the broader terrain, for example how causal irregularities can be described, the K3 geometry of tetrahedra, and an intriguing open problem in the theory of resurgence.
Host: David Poland