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Ashtekar's Variables
In the ADM formulation of general relativity, spacetime is split into spatial slices and a time axis. The basic variables are taken to be the induced metric q_ (x) on the spatial slice and the metric's conjugate momentum K^ (x), which is related to the extrinsic curvature and is a measure of how the induced metric evolves in time. These are the metric canonical coordinates. In 1986 Abhay Ashtekar introduced a new set of canonical variables, Ashtekar (new) variables to represent an unusual way of rewriting the metric canonical variables on the three-dimensional spatial slices in terms of an SU(2) gauge field and its complementary variable. Overview Ashtekar variables provide what is called the connection representation of canonical general relativity, which led to the loop representation of quantum general relativity and in turn loop quantum gravity and quantum holonomy theory. Let us introduce a set of three vector fields E^a_i, i = 1,2,3 that are orthogonal, that is, :\delta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ADM Formulation
The ADM formalism (named for its authors Richard Arnowitt, Stanley Deser and Charles W. Misner) is a Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity that plays an important role in canonical quantum gravity and numerical relativity. It was first published in 1959. The comprehensive review of the formalism that the authors published in 1962 has been reprinted in the journal ''General Relativity and Gravitation'', while the original papers can be found in the archives of '' Physical Review''. Overview The formalism supposes that spacetime is foliated into a family of spacelike surfaces \Sigma_t, labeled by their time coordinate t, and with coordinates on each slice given by x^i. The dynamic variables of this theory are taken to be the metric tensor of three-dimensional spatial slices \gamma_(t,x^k) and their conjugate momenta \pi^(t,x^k). Using these variables it is possible to define a Hamiltonian, and thereby write the equations of motion for general relativity in the form of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Levi-Civita Connection
In Riemannian or pseudo Riemannian geometry (in particular the Lorentzian geometry of general relativity), the Levi-Civita connection is the unique affine connection on the tangent bundle of a manifold (i.e. affine connection) that preserves the (pseudo-)Riemannian metric and is torsion-free. The fundamental theorem of Riemannian geometry states that there is a unique connection which satisfies these properties. In the theory of Riemannian and pseudo-Riemannian manifolds the term covariant derivative is often used for the Levi-Civita connection. The components (structure coefficients) of this connection with respect to a system of local coordinates are called Christoffel symbols. History The Levi-Civita connection is named after Tullio Levi-Civita, although originally "discovered" by Elwin Bruno Christoffel. Levi-Civita, along with Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, used Christoffel's symbols to define the notion of parallel transport and explore the relationship of parallel transp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lagrangian (field Theory)
Lagrangian may refer to: Mathematics * Lagrangian function, used to solve constrained minimization problems in optimization theory; see Lagrange multiplier ** Lagrangian relaxation, the method of approximating a difficult constrained problem with an easier problem having an enlarged feasible set ** Lagrangian dual problem, the problem of maximizing the value of the Lagrangian function, in terms of the Lagrange-multiplier variable; See Dual problem * Lagrangian, a functional whose extrema are to be determined in the calculus of variations * Lagrangian submanifold, a class of submanifolds in symplectic geometry * Lagrangian system, a pair consisting of a smooth fiber bundle and a Lagrangian density Physics * Lagrangian mechanics, a reformulation of classical mechanics * Lagrangian (field theory), a formalism in classical field theory * Lagrangian point, a position in an orbital configuration of two large bodies * Lagrangian coordinates, a way of describing the motions of particles o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Baez
John Carlos Baez (; born June 12, 1961) is an American mathematical physicist and a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) in Riverside, California. He has worked on spin foams in loop quantum gravity, applications of higher categories to physics, and applied category theory. Baez is also the author of ''This Week's Finds in Mathematical Physics'', an irregular column on the internet featuring mathematical exposition and criticism. He started ''This Week's Finds'' in 1993 for the Usenet community, and it now has a following in its new form, the blog "Azimuth". ''This Week's Finds'' anticipated the concept of a personal weblog. Additionally, Baez is known on the World Wide Web as the author of the crackpot index. Early life and education Baez was born in San Francisco, California. He graduated with an A.B. in mathematics from Princeton University in 1982 after completing a senior thesis, titled "Recursivity in quantum mechanics", under t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Thiemann
Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (other) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Apostle * Thomas (bishop of the East Angles) (fl. 640s–650s), medieval Bishop of the East Angles * Thomas (Archdeacon of Barnstaple) (fl. 1203), Archdeacon of Barnstaple * Thomas, Count of Perche (1195–1217), Count of Perche * Thomas (bishop of Finland) (1248), first known Bishop of Finland * Thomas, Earl of Mar (1330–1377), 14th-century Earl, Aberdeen, Scotland Geography Places in the United States * Thomas, Illinois * Thomas, Indiana * Thomas, Oklahoma * Thomas, Oregon * Thomas, South Dakota * Thomas, Virginia * Thomas, Washington * Thomas, West Virginia * Thomas County (other) * Thomas Township (other) Elsewhere * Thomas Glacier (Greenland) Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Thomas'' (Burton novel) 1969 nove ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quantum Operator
In physics, an operator is a function over a space of physical states onto another space of physical states. The simplest example of the utility of operators is the study of symmetry (which makes the concept of a group useful in this context). Because of this, they are very useful tools in classical mechanics. Operators are even more important in quantum mechanics, where they form an intrinsic part of the formulation of the theory. Operators in classical mechanics In classical mechanics, the movement of a particle (or system of particles) is completely determined by the Lagrangian L(q, \dot, t) or equivalently the Hamiltonian H(q, p, t), a function of the generalized coordinates ''q'', generalized velocities \dot = \mathrm q / \mathrm t and its conjugate momenta: :p = \frac If either ''L'' or ''H'' is independent of a generalized coordinate ''q'', meaning the ''L'' and ''H'' do not change when ''q'' is changed, which in turn means the dynamics of the particle are still the same e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hamiltonian Constraint Of LQG
In the ADM formulation of general relativity one splits spacetime into spatial slices and time, the basic variables are taken to be the induced metric, q_ (x), on the spatial slice (the distance function induced on the spatial slice by the spacetime metric), and its conjugate momentum variable related to the extrinsic curvature, K^ (x), (this tells us how the spatial slice curves with respect to spacetime and is a measure of how the induced metric evolves in time). These are the metric canonical coordinates. Dynamics such as time-evolutions of fields are controlled by the Hamiltonian constraint. The identity of the Hamiltonian constraint is a major open question in quantum gravity, as is extracting of physical observables from any such specific constraint. In 1986 Abhay Ashtekar introduced a new set of canonical variables, Ashtekar variables to represent an unusual way of rewriting the metric canonical variables on the three-dimensional spatial slices in terms of a SU(2) ga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imaginary Number
An imaginary number is a real number multiplied by the imaginary unit , is usually used in engineering contexts where has other meanings (such as electrical current) which is defined by its property . The square of an imaginary number is . For example, is an imaginary number, and its square is . By definition, zero is considered to be both real and imaginary. Originally coined in the 17th century by René Descartes as a derogatory term and regarded as fictitious or useless, the concept gained wide acceptance following the work of Leonhard Euler (in the 18th century) and Augustin-Louis Cauchy and Carl Friedrich Gauss (in the early 19th century). An imaginary number can be added to a real number to form a complex number of the form , where the real numbers and are called, respectively, the ''real part'' and the ''imaginary part'' of the complex number. History Although the Greek mathematician and engineer Hero of Alexandria is noted as the first to present a calculatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newton's Constant
The gravitational constant (also known as the universal gravitational constant, the Newtonian constant of gravitation, or the Cavendish gravitational constant), denoted by the capital letter , is an empirical physical constant involved in the calculation of gravitational effects in Sir Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation and in Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. In Newton's law, it is the proportionality constant connecting the gravitational force between two bodies with the product of their masses and the inverse square of their distance. In the Einstein field equations, it quantifies the relation between the geometry of spacetime and the energy–momentum tensor (also referred to as the stress–energy tensor). The measured value of the constant is known with some certainty to four significant digits. In SI units, its value is approximately The modern notation of Newton's law involving was introduced in the 1890s by C. V. Boys. The first i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spin Connection
In differential geometry and mathematical physics, a spin connection is a connection on a spinor bundle. It is induced, in a canonical manner, from the affine connection. It can also be regarded as the gauge field generated by local Lorentz transformations. In some canonical formulations of general relativity, a spin connection is defined on spatial slices and can also be regarded as the gauge field generated by local rotations. The spin connection occurs in two common forms: the ''Levi-Civita spin connection'', when it is derived from the Levi-Civita connection, and the ''affine spin connection'', when it is obtained from the affine connection. The difference between the two of these is that the Levi-Civita connection is by definition the unique torsion-free connection, whereas the affine connection (and so the affine spin connection) may contain torsion. Definition Let e_\mu^ be the local Lorentz frame fields or vierbein (also known as a tetrad), which is a set of orthonor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Covariant Derivative
In mathematics, the covariant derivative is a way of specifying a derivative along tangent vectors of a manifold. Alternatively, the covariant derivative is a way of introducing and working with a connection on a manifold by means of a differential operator, to be contrasted with the approach given by a principal connection on the frame bundle – see affine connection. In the special case of a manifold isometrically embedded into a higher-dimensional Euclidean space, the covariant derivative can be viewed as the orthogonal projection of the Euclidean directional derivative onto the manifold's tangent space. In this case the Euclidean derivative is broken into two parts, the extrinsic normal component (dependent on the embedding) and the intrinsic covariant derivative component. The name is motivated by the importance of changes of coordinate in physics: the covariant derivative transforms covariantly under a general coordinate transformation, that is, linearly via the Jacobia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
