Gravity Gauge Theories And Quantum Cosmology

For several decades since its inception, Einstein's general theory of relativity stood somewhat aloof from the rest of physics. Paradoxically, the attributes which normally boost a physical theory - namely, its perfection as a theoreti­ cal framework and the extraordinary intellectual achievement underlying i- prevented the general theory from being assimilated in the mainstream of physics. It was as if theoreticians hesitated to tamper with something that is manifestly so beautiful.

Three years have passed after the First Moscow Seminar on Quantum Gravity. It is a rather long time interval for the modern theoretical physics. The talks given at the present Second Seminar which took place in October 13-15, 1981 in Moscow contain the discussion of new results obtained during this period and the problems which arose. More than one hundred Soviet scientists and a number of the foreign guests attended this Seminar, which as the previous one was held by the Nuclear Physics Department of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.

closer in recent years, and new ideas and developments in one field are strictly connected with the new ideas and developments in the other field. Roughly speaking, many different subdisciplines of physics. seem to converge in cosmology, the study of the early evolution of the universe. The range of parameters (dimensions, temperatures, densities, etc ••• ) to be taken into account in cosmology is so vast that one is forced to use theories or experimental data of wide ranging origin.

This book reflects our own struggle to understand the semiclassical behaviour of quantized fields in the presence of boundaries. Along many years, motivated by the problems of quantum cosmology and quantum field theory, we have studied in detail the one-loop properties of massless spin-l/2 fields, Euclidean Maxwell the­ ory, gravitino potentials and Euclidean quantum gravity.

This book reflects our own struggle to understand the semiclassical behaviour of quantized fields in the presence of boundaries. Along many years, motivated by the problems of quantum cosmology and quantum field theory, we have studied in detail the one-loop properties of massless spin-l/2 fields, Euclidean Maxwell the­ ory, gravitino potentials and Euclidean quantum gravity.

This book reflects our own struggle to understand the semiclassical behaviour of quantized fields in the presence of boundaries. Along many years, motivated by the problems of quantum cosmology and quantum field theory, we have studied in detail the one-loop properties of massless spin-l/2 fields, Euclidean Maxwell the­ ory, gravitino potentials and Euclidean quantum gravity.

This book presents a series of selected chapters written by renowned authors with the objective to provide an overview and comparison of the various quantum gravity theories. Each chapter treats gravity and its quantization through known and alternative techniques, aiming a deeper understanding on the quantum nature of gravity