Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity
First published 2014 · 266 pages · about 4 hours to read
Also as Kindle · AudiobookFind in a library
About this book
This is a technical textbook on covariant loop quantum gravity, an approach to quantizing general relativity that builds on the loop and spin-network framework and extends it to spacetime histories, known as spinfoams. It is written for graduate students and researchers who already know general relativity and quantum field theory, and it is read as a reference for the spinfoam formalism.
The book starts from the problem of combining general relativity with quantum mechanics and explains why a covariant (spacetime-based) formulation of loop quantum gravity is needed alongside the earlier canonical, Hamiltonian approach.
Summary written with AI from the book's details.
Will you like it?
This book suits graduate students and researchers who already know general relativity and quantum mechanics and want the spinfoam formalism set out in one place. It works through spin networks, amplitudes, and spacetime histories with equations and derivations rather than popular explanation.
- quantum gravity
- spin networks
- spinfoam amplitudes
- background independence
- open problems
Written with AI.
Books like Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity
The Fabric of the Cosmos
Brian Greeneabout 10 hours to read
A wide-ranging popular book on space, time, and quantum theory that introduces the questions behind quantum gravity for a general reader.
The Road to Reality
Roger Penroseabout 18 hours to read
A long mathematical survey of the physics that underlies spacetime, quantum theory, and the search for a unified description.
Warped Passages
Lisa Randallabout 8 hours to read
A physicist's account of extra dimensions and the theoretical problems that motivate new models of spacetime.
The End of Time
Julian Barbourabout 6 hours to read
An argument about the nature of time in physics that bears directly on the background-independence problem in quantum gravity.
More
A Brief History of Time
Stephen Hawkingabout 4 hours to read
A general-audience account of spacetime, black holes, and the quest for a unified theory that frames the problems quantum gravity tries to solve.
Books like it →
Quick answers
- What age is Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity for?
- Adults.
- Is Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity a standalone?
- Yes, it stands on its own.
- Does Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity have violence, sex or strong language?
- Nothing a reader needs warning about.
Written with AI from what's known about the book.
Reader's guide
Themesquantum gravity, spin networks, spinfoam amplitudes, background independence, canonical versus covariant, open problems in physics
quantum gravity · spin networks · spinfoam amplitudes · background independence · canonical versus covariant · open problems in physics
StyleFormal and dense, with equations, definitions, and derivations throughout. It is organized as a graduate text with chapters that build on one another. Readers need prior knowledge of general relativity, quantum mechanics, and some group theory. The length is about 266 pages.
Formal and dense, with equations, definitions, and derivations throughout. It is organized as a graduate text with chapters that build on one another. Readers need prior knowledge of general relativity, quantum mechanics, and some group theory. The length is about 266 pages.
How it was writtenCarlo Rovelli, a theoretical physicist who helped develop loop quantum gravity, wrote the book with Francesca Vidotto and published it with Cambridge University Press in 2014. It draws on the research program of the covariant or spinfoam approach that developed through the 2000s.
Carlo Rovelli, a theoretical physicist who helped develop loop quantum gravity, wrote the book with Francesca Vidotto and published it with Cambridge University Press in 2014. It draws on the research program of the covariant or spinfoam approach that developed through the 2000s.
How it was receivedThe book is used as an advanced reference and course text in quantum gravity research. It is mainly read by specialists and graduate students, and it is valued for setting out the spinfoam formalism in one place.
The book is used as an advanced reference and course text in quantum gravity research. It is mainly read by specialists and graduate students, and it is valued for setting out the spinfoam formalism in one place.
Questions to discussWhat does it mean for a theory of quantum gravity to be background independent, and why does that requirement shape the whole approach?
These may talk about the whole book.
- What does it mean for a theory of quantum gravity to be background independent, and why does that requirement shape the whole approach?
- How does the covariant spinfoam formulation relate to the canonical Hamiltonian formulation of loop quantum gravity?
- Why do spin networks serve as the basic quantum states of geometry in this approach?
- What evidence would count as a successful semiclassical limit of a spinfoam model?
- Which open problems described in the outlook seem hardest, and why?
Written with AI from what's known about the book.
More by Carlo Rovelli
- White HolesWhite Holes2023
- There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less ImportantThere Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness2023
- General RelativityGeneral Relativity2021
- HelgolandHelgoland2020
- The Order of TimeThe Order of Time2017
- Reality Is Not What It SeemsReality Is Not What It Seems2017
Parts of this page are written with AI from what's known about the book, and can get details wrong. How BookSense works