Piecewise linear loop quantum gravity

Abstract

We define a modification of loop quantum gravity (LQG) in which graphs are required to consist of piecewise linear edges, which we call piecewise linear LQG (plLQG). At the diffeomorphism-invariant level, we prove that plLQG is equivalent to standard LQG, as long as one chooses the class of diffeomorphisms appropriately. That is, we exhibit a unitary map between the diffeomorphism-invariant Hilbert spaces that maps physically equivalent operators into each other. In addition, using the same ideas as in standard LQG, one can define a Hamiltonian and master constraint in plLQG, and the unitary map between plLQG and LQG then provides an exact isomorphism of dynamics in the two frameworks. Furthermore, loop quantum cosmology (LQC) can be exactly embedded into plLQG. This allows a prior program of the author to embed LQC into LQG at the dynamical level to proceed. In particular, this allows a formal expression for a physically motivated embedding of LQC into LQG at the diffeomorphism-invariant level to be given.