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The general boundary state formulation is a key tool for extracting the semiclassical limit of nonpertubative theories of quantum gravity. In this talk I will discuss how this formalism works in the context of four-dimensional quantum Regge calculus with a general triangulation. A Gaussian boundary state selects a classical internal solution and peaks the path integral on it. As a result boundary observables, in particular the two-point function, can be computed order by order in a semiclassical asymptotic expansion. When the same methods are applied to a modified Regge theory that substitutes the exponential of the action by its cosine at each simplex in the triangulation, as conjectured from the semiclassical limit of spin foam models, the contributions from the sign-reversed terms are suppressed and the results match those of conventional Regge calculus. This talk is based on the results published in arXiv:0808.1107 [gr-qc].

The standard Hamiltonian formulation of (first order) gravity breaks manifest covariance both in its retention of the Lorentz group as a local gauge group and in its discrepant treatment of spacelike and timelike diffeomorphisms. Here we promote more covariant alternatives for canonical quantum gravity that address each of these problems, and discuss the implications for both the classical and the quantum theory of gravity. By retaining the full local Lorentz group, one gains significant insight into the geometric and algebraic properties of the Hamiltonian dynamics. As an example, we discuss the possibility of computing the internal spin angular momentum of asymptotically flat spacetimes, which may lead to insight into the nature of spin in quantum gravity. By treating the spacelike and timelike diffeomorphisms on equal footing, using techniques from geometric quantization we find a new representation of the quantum constraints where the total Hamiltonian is kinematical in the same vein as the Gauss and diffeomorphism constraints. Finally, we discuss the possibility of a manifestly 4-dimensional symplectic form on the Lagrangian phase space.

During the last two decades Alain Connes developed Noncommutative Geometry, which allows to unify two of the basic theories of modern physics: General Relativity and the Standard Model of Particle Physics. In the noncommutative framework the Higgs boson, which had previously to be put in by hand, and many of the ad hoc features of the standard model, appear in a natural way. The aim of my talk is to motivate this unification from basic physical principles and to give a flavour of its derivation. I will give an overview of the basic tools such as almost-commutative spectral triples and the spectral action principle. The latter allows to derive the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian and the Standard Model Lagrangian together with a set of relations among the Standard Model parameters.

The speculation that Dark Energy can be explained by the backreaction of present inhomogeneities on the evolution of the background cosmology has been increasingly debated in the recent literature. We demonstrate quantitively that the backreaction of linear perturbations on the Friedmann equations is small but is nevertheless non-vanishing. This indicates the need for an improved averaging procedure capable of averaging tensor quantities in a generally covariant way. We present an averaging process which decomposes the metric into Vielbeins selected employing a variational principle, and parallel-transports them to a single point at which they can be averaged. The functionality of the process is discussed in specific 2-d examples, and its application to 3-surfaces and metric recovery in cosmology is outlined.

Arguably, the most important issue in physics today is trying to unify the twin pillars of modern physics, quantum theory and general relativity, into a single theory known as quantum gravity. This introductory presentation will discuss various aspects of quantum gravity.

Graphity models are characterized by configuration spaces in which states correspond to graphs and Hamiltonians that depend on local properties of graphs such as degrees of vertices and numbers of shortcycles. It has been argued that such models can be useful in studying how an extended geometry might emerge from a background independent dynamical system. As statistical systems, graphity models can be studied analytically by estimating their partition functions or numerically by Monte Carlo simulations. In this talk I will present recent results obtained using both of these approaches. In particular, I will describe the transition between the high and low temperature regimes and arguethat matter degrees of freedom must play an important role in order for the graph states dominating in the low temperature regime to resemble interesting extended geometries.

This talk is concerned with the existence of spectral triples in quantum gravity. I will review the construction of a spectral triple over a functional space of connections. Here, the *-algebra is generated by holonomy loops and the Dirac type operator has the form of a global functional derivation operator. The spectral triple encodes the Poisson structure of General Relativity when formulated in terms of Ashtekars variables. Finally I will argue that the Hamiltonian of General Relativity may emerge from the construction via the requirement that inner automorphisms vanish on the vacuum sector.

For quantum gravity, the requirement of metric positivity suggests the use of noncanonical, affine kinematical field operators. In view of gravity\'s set of open classical first class constraints, quantization before reduction is appropriate, leading to affine commutation relations and affine coherent states. The anomaly in the quantized constraints may be accommodated within the projection operator approach, which treats first and second class quantum constraints in an equal fashion. Functional integral representations are derived for expressions both with and without constraint imposition. As with all coherent state formulations, close contact between the classical and quantum theories is maintained throughout. Perturbative nonrenormalizability is understood as a partial hard-core behavior of the interaction, which as soluble models suggest, leads to a perturbative formulation, not about the traditional free theory, but rather about a suitable pseudofree theory that properly incorporates the essence of the hard core.

This talk presents some recent results in renormalizable noncommutative quantum field theory. After introducing the renormalization group approach in the commutative setting I will procede to its generalization to the simplest noncommutative model, $phi_4^{star 4}$ on the Moyal space. The well known phenomenon of ultraviolet/infrared mixing is cured by adding a harmonic potential term to the free action. Under the new renormalization group, adapted to the noncommutative geometry, this model turns out to be renormalizable to all orders in perturbation theory. Moreover it is {f asymptotically safe} at all orders in perturbation theory. The consequences of this results are discussed.