The quantum, the geon, and the crystal

Understand

Effective geometries arising from a hypothetical discrete structure of space-time can play an important role in the understanding of the gravitational physics beyond General Relativity.

• To discuss this question, we make use of lessons from crystalline systems within solid state physics, where the presence of defects in the discrete microstructure of the crystal determine the kind of effective geometry needed to properly describe the system in the macroscopic continuum limit.
• In this work we study metric-affine theories with non-metricity and torsion, which are the gravitational analog of crystalline structures with point defects and dislocations.
• We consider a crystal-motivated gravitational action and show the presence of topologically non-trivial structures (wormholes) supported by an electromagnetic field.