General relativity as the equation of state of spin foam

Abstract

Building on recent significant results of Frodden, Ghosh and Perez (FGP) and Bianchi, I present a quantum version of Jacobson's argument that the Einstein equations emerge as the equation of state of a quantum gravitational system. I give three criteria a quantum theory of gravity must satisfy if it is to allow Jacobson's argument to be run. I then show that the results of FGP and Bianchi provide evidence that loop quantum gravity satisfies two of these criteria and argue that the third should also be satisfied in loop quantum gravity. I also show that the energy defined by FGP is the canonical energy associated with the boundary term of the Holst action.

arXiv comment9 pages, Latex, 3 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Thermodynamics of Spacetime: The Einstein Equation of State
• On the Origin of Gravity and the Laws of Newton
• Lorentzian spin foam amplitudes: graphical calculus and asymptotics
• Asymptotic analysis of the EPRL four-simplex amplitude

Cited by in corpus (8)

• The twistorial structure of loop-gravity transition amplitudes
• Horizon energy as the boost boundary term in general relativity and loop gravity
• Equipartition energy, Noether energy and boundary term in gravitational action
• Dynamical evaporation of quantum horizons
• The scaling of black hole entropy in loop quantum gravity
• Holographic relations in loop quantum gravity
• Thermodynamics of Quantum Isolated Horizons with model Hamiltonians
• Stability of Quantum Isolated Horizon : A Local Observer's View