Background independence and field redefinitions in quantum gravity

• DOI: 10.1016/j.aop.2022.169203
• Publication Date: 2022-12-26T15:47:37Z
• Authors: Roberto Casadio; Alexander Kamensh...; Iberê Kuntz
• Keywords: Hořava–Lifshitz gravity; Diffeomorphism; Spin foam; Independence; Semiclassical gravity; Euclidean quantum gravity

It is generally believed that a full-fledged theory of quantum gravity should exhibit background independence and diffeomorphism invariance. In its most general form, the latter comprises field redefinitions, which are diffeomorphisms in configuration space. We show that any path-integral approach to quantum gravity leads to a tension between these properties, such that they cannot hold simultaneously.<br/>matches version accepted for publication<br/>