Comparing Candidate Theories of Quantum Gravity

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the exploration of candidate theories of quantum gravity. Participants seek to identify resources, such as monographs or articles, that provide insights into the main ideas and philosophies behind these theories.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses interest in quantum gravity and requests recommendations for literature that compares the main candidate theories.
  • Another participant shares a link to a book by Viatcheslav Mukhanov, questioning its approach independence and seeking clarification on its relevance.
  • A participant mentions an overview by Carlip, noting its potential usefulness despite being outdated.
  • There is a discussion about the relevance of Mukhanov's book, with one participant clarifying that it focuses on Hawking radiation rather than quantum gravity theories.
  • A different book is suggested that deals with several approaches to quantum gravity, although no specific details are provided.
  • One participant reiterates their reluctance to use Wikipedia for this topic, while another points out that the Wikipedia article contains useful references.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best resources for understanding quantum gravity theories, and multiple viewpoints regarding the relevance of suggested literature remain present.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the approach independence of the recommended books and the specific focus of the literature on quantum gravity versus related topics like Hawking radiation.

Bertin
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Hi, you all,

I have been for a couple of semesters interested in quantum gravity as a problem, but truth is I never have been properly introduced to any of the candidate theories. Actually, there are multiple candidates and I would like to compare them. The question then is the following: do you know of any monograph or small set of articles I can read to get a impression of the main ideas and "philosophy" behind each of the most common theories, in order for me to find the one that pleases me more? Despite how useful it is for other things, I really don't like using Wikipedia in this case.

Thank you in advance!
 
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Bertin said:
Is this book "approach independent"? Why do you recommend it?

This is a wonderful book, but it is not about theories of quantum gravity, it is about Hawking radiation and related effects, e.g., in expanding spacetimes. Standard QFT is about quantum fields in the a fixed spacetime that is Minkowski spacetime. This book is about quantum fields in other fixed (non-quantized) spacetimes. In my opinion this book is the best short, pedagogical introduction to Hawking radiation and related effects.
 
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malawi_glenn said:
There are plenty of other useful references in the wiki article.
Ok, thank you very much. I'll look further into the references there, sorry for not having checked better!
 
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