Advances in Quantum Gravity: Unifying Symmetry and Spacetime
A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 4
Special Issue Editors
2. Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 91501-970, Brazil
Interests: quantum gravity; theoretical cosmology; general relativity; neutron stars; astrophysics; nuclear astrophysics; quantum chromodynamics (QCD); compact astrophysical objects
2. Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, J. W. von Goethe University, Hessen, Germany
Interests: nuclear physics; particle physics; field theory; cosmology; general relativity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Interests: quantum gravity; quantum field theory; relativistic astrophysics; general relativity
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The quest for a theory of quantum gravity stands as one of the most profound challenges in modern theoretical physics. This Special Issue, "Advances in Quantum Gravity: Unifying Symmetry and Spacetime," is dedicated to investigating the transformation of spacetime symmetries in the Planck-scale regime. We focus on how fundamental symmetries—including Poincaré and diffeomorphism invariance—are deformed, generalized, or emergent in frameworks such as loop quantum gravity, string theory, non-commutative geometry, and the asymptotic safety program.
We invite submissions of original research articles and reviews that examine the departure from classical symmetry algebras, the emergence of modified dispersion relations, and the role of quantum groups in constructing a consistent theory. This Special Issue aims to foster a comparative analysis of different quantum gravity approaches, united by a common "symmetry-first" framework.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Quantum groups and non-commutative spacetime: Foundational aspects of κ-Poincaré and θ-deformations, and their implications for modified dispersion relations and in vacuo dispersion.
- Loop quantum gravity and spin foams: Quantum modifications of the hypersurface deformation algebra and the emergence of discrete spacetime from spin networks and foam models.
- Hořava–Lifshitz gravity and asymptotic safety: The role of anisotropic scaling (Lifshitz symmetry) in renormalizability and the non-perturbative Reuter fixed point.
- String theory and generalized symmetries: Duality symmetries (T-duality, mirror symmetry) and constraints from the Swampland program.
- Emergent gravity and quantum foundations: Scenarios where spacetime and its symmetries arise from pre-geometric structures, such as quantum circuits, tensor networks, or group field theory.
- Phenomenology and observational frontiers: Bridging theory with experiment through cosmological signatures, black hole physics, and astrophysical tests of Lorentz invariance violation.
By bringing together contributions from these diverse areas, this Special Issue will highlight the critical role of symmetry principles and their quantum deformation in shaping our understanding of the universe at the Planck scale.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. César Augusto Zen Vasconcellos
Prof. Dr. Peter Otto Hess
Prof. Dr. Fridolin Weber
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- quantum groups and non-commutative spacetime
- loop quantum gravity and spin foams
- Hořava–Lifshitz gravity and asymptotic safety
- string theory, holography, and generalized symmetries
- emergent gravity and quantum foundations
- phenomenology and observational frontiers
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