The one-loop partition function of the $f(R,R_{mu u}R^{mu u})$ gravity theory is obtained around AdS$_4$ background. After suitable choice of the gauge condition and computation of the ghost determinant, we obtain the one-loop partition function of the theory. The traced heat kernel over the thermal quotient of AdS$_4$ space is also computed and the thermal partition function is obtained for this theory. We have then consider quantum corrections to the thermodynamical quantities in some special cases.
By making use of the background field method, the one-loop quantization for Euclidean Einstein-Weyl quadratic gravity model on the de Sitter universe is investigated. Using generalized zeta function regularization, the on-shell and off-shell one-loop effective actions are explicitly obtained and one-loop renormalizability, as well as the corresponding one-loop renormalization group equations, are discussed. The so called critical gravity is also considered.
A new generalization of the Hawking-Hayward quasilocal energy to scalar-tensor gravity is proposed without assuming symmetries, asymptotic flatness, or special spacetime metrics. The procedure followed is simple but powerful and consists of writing the scalar-tensor field equations as effective Einstein equations and then applying the standard definition of quasilocal mass.
We explicitly construct and characterize all possible independent loop states in 3+1 dimensional loop quantum gravity by regulating it on a 3-d regular lattice in the Hamiltonian formalism. These loop states, characterized by the (dual) angular momentum quantum numbers, describe SU(2) rigid rotators on the links of the lattice. The loop states are constructed using the Schwinger bosons which are harmonic oscillators in the fundamental (spin half) representation of SU(2). Using generalized Wigner Eckart theorem, we compute the matrix elements of the volume operator in the loop basis. Some simple loop eigenstates of the volume operator are explicitly constructed.
Do the SU(2) intertwiners parametrize the space of the EPRL solutions to the simplicity constraint? What is a complete form of the partition function written in terms of this parametrization? We prove that the EPRL map is injective for n-valent vertex in case when it is a map from SO(3) into SO(3)xSO(3) representations. We find, however, that the EPRL map is not isometric. In the consequence, in order to be written in a SU(2) amplitude form, the formula for the partition function has to be rederived. We do it and obtain a new, complete formula for the partition function. The result goes beyond the SU(2) spin-foam models framework.
Disformal transformation provides a map relating different scalar-tensor and vector-tensor theories and gives access to a powerful solution-generating method in modified gravity. In view of the vast family of new solutions one can achieve, it is crucial to design suitable tools to guide their construction. In this work, we address this question by revisiting the Petrov classification of disformally constructed solutions in modified gravity theories. We provide close formulas which relate the principal null directions as well as the Weyl scalars before and after the disformal transformation. These formulas allow one to capture if and how the Petrov type of a given seed geometry changes under a disformal transformation. Finally, we apply our general setup to three relevant disformally constructed solutions for which the seeds are respectively homogeneous and isotropic, static spherically symmetric and stationary axisymmetric. For the first two cases, we show that the Petrov type O and Petrov type D remain unchanged after a disformal transformation while we show that disformed Kerr black hole is no longer of type D but of general Petrov type I. The results presented in this work should serve as a new toolkit when constructing and comparing new disformal solutions in modified gravity.