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A bstract We show how uncertainty in the causal structure of field theory is essentially inevitable when one includes quantum gravity. This includes the fact that lightcones are ill-defined in such a theory. This effect is small in the effective field theory regime, where it is independent of the UV completion of the theory, but grows with energy and represents an unknown uncertainty for a generic UV completion. We include details of the causality uncertainty which arises in a particular UV completion, i.e. quadratic gravity. We describe how the mechanisms uncovered in the effective field theory treatment, and some of those in quadratic gravity, could be common features of quantum gravity.
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On Quadratic Gravity
We provide a brief overview of what is known about quadratic grav- ity, which includes terms quadratic in the curvatures in the fundamental action. This is proposed as a renormalizeable UV completion for quantum gravity which contin- ues to use the metric as the fundamental dynamical variable. However, there are unusual field-theoretic consequences because the propagators contain quartic mo- mentum dependence. At the present stage of our understanding, quadratic gravity continues to be a viable candidate for a theory of quantum gravity.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2112800
- PAR ID:
- 10329607
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Il Nuovo cimento C
- Volume:
- 45
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2037-4909
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 26-37
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1393/ncc/i2022-22026-7
