Second-and first-order phase transitions in causal dynamical triangulations

作者：Ambjorn Jan^*; Jordan S; Jurkiewicz J; Loll R

来源：Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology, 2012, 85(12): 124044.

DOI：10.1103/PhysRevD.85.124044

Causal dynamical triangulations (CDT) is a proposal for a theory of quantum gravity, which implements a path-integral quantization of gravity as the continuum limit of a sum over piecewise flat spacetime geometries. We use Monte Carlo simulations to analyze the phase transition lines bordering the physically interesting de Sitter phase of the four-dimensional CDT model. Using a range of numerical criteria, we present strong evidence that the so-called A-C transition is first order, while the B-C transition is second order. The presence of a second-order transition may be related to an ultraviolet fixed point of quantum gravity and thus provide the key to probing physics at and possibly beyond the Planck scale.

• 出版日期2012-6-20