Knots and Quantum Gravity

Abstract

In the mid-1980's, Abhay Ashtekar discovered a reformulation of general relativity in terms of what are now called the "new variables". This led to a rapid series of developments, and in 1990 Carlo Rovelli and Lee Smolin published a paper entitled "Loop representation of quantum general relativity", in which, among other things, it was shown that there is a space of solutions to the constraint equations of quantum gravity consisting of link invariants. The discovery of relations between quantum gravity and the theory of knots and links came as quite a surprise, since the topics had been regarded as quite remote from each other. This volume is the proceedings of a workshop held in 1993 at the University of California at Riverside. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together researchers in knot theory and quantum gravity and form more bridges between the two subjects. Most of the talks were given by researchers whose work has significance for both subjects. This volume contains expository papers as well as new results, and should serve as a guide for mathematicians and physicists seeking to understand this rapidly developing area of research.