2014/12/14 by Dah-Wei Chiou · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #gr-qc
paper · pdf · doi:10.1142/s0218271815300050
published as Int. J. Mod. Phys. D, Vol. 24, No. 1 (2015) 1530005 · Invited review article. A large part based on arXiv:gr-qc/0404018 by A. Ashtekar and J. Lewandowski and "Quantum Gravity" by C. Rovelli. To appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys. D and in "One Hundred Years of General Relativity: Cosmology and Gravity," edited by Wei-Tou Ni (World Scientific, Singapore, 2015)
arxiv created 2014/12/14 · arxiv updated 2014/12/30
This article presents an "in-a-nutshell" yet self-contained introductory review on loop quantum gravity (LQG) -- a background-independent, nonperturbative approach to a consistent quantum theory of gravity. Instead of rigorous and systematic derivations, it aims to provide a general picture of LQG, placing emphasis on the fundamental ideas and their significance. The canonical formulation of LQG, as the central topic of the article, is presented in a logically orderly fashion with moderate details, while the spin foam theory, black hole thermodynamics, and loop quantum cosmology are covered briefly. Current directions and open issues are also summarized.