IOP Publishing, Classical and Quantum Gravity, 7(11), p. 1631-1651
DOI: 10.1088/0264-9381/11/7/006
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We study a model for quantum gravity on a circle in which the notion of a classical metric tensor is replaced by a quantum metric with an inhomogeneous transformation law under diffeomorphisms. This transformation law corresponds to the co--adjoint action of the Virasoro algebra, and resembles that of the connection in Yang--Mills theory. The transformation property is motivated by the diffeomorphism invariance of the one dimensional Schr̈odinger equation. The quantum distance measured by the metric corresponds to the phase of a quantum mechanical wavefunction. The dynamics of the quantum gravity theory are specified by postulating a Riemann metric on the space $Q$ of quantum metrics and taking the kinetic energy operator to be the resulting laplacian on the configuration space $Q/\rm Diff_0(S^1)$. The resulting metric on the configuration space is analyzed and found to have singularities. The second--quantized Schr̈odinger equation is derived, some exact solutions are found, and a generic wavefunction behavior near one of the metric singularities is described. Finally some further directions are indicated, including an analogue of the Yamabe problem of differential geometry. ; Comment: 35 pages, Tex