SPIN-CUBE MODELS OF QUANTUM GRAVITY

Abstract

We study the state-sum models of quantum gravity based on a representation 2-category of the Poincaré 2-group. We call them spin-cube models, since they are categorical generalizations of spin-foam models. A spin-cube state sum can be considered as a path integral for a constrained 2-BF theory, and depending on how the constraints are imposed, a spin-cube state sum can be reduced to a path integral for the area-Regge model with the edge-length constraints, or to a path integral for the Regge model. We also show that the effective actions for these spin-cube models have the correct classical limit.