SciPost Submission Page
Asymptotic safety, quantum gravity, and the swampland: a conceptual assessment
by Ivano Basile, Benjamin Knorr, Alessia Platania, Marc Schiffer
Submission summary
| Authors (as registered SciPost users): | Benjamin Knorr · Alessia Platania |
| Submission information | |
|---|---|
| Preprint Link: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.12290v3 (pdf) |
| Date accepted: | Dec. 18, 2025 |
| Date submitted: | Dec. 5, 2025, 3:13 p.m. |
| Submitted by: | Benjamin Knorr |
| Submitted to: | SciPost Physics |
| Ontological classification | |
|---|---|
| Academic field: | Physics |
| Specialties: |
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| Approach: | Theoretical |
Abstract
We provide a conceptual assessment of some aspects of fundamental quantum field theories of gravity in light of foundational aspects of the swampland program. On the one hand, asymptotically safe quantum gravity may provide a simple and predictive framework, thanks to a finite number of relevant parameters. On the other hand, a (sub-)set of intertwined swampland conjectures on the consistency of quantum gravity can be argued to be universal via effective field theory considerations. We answer whether some foundational features of these frameworks are compatible. This involves revisiting and refining several arguments (and loopholes) concerning the relation between field-theoretic descriptions of gravity and general swampland ideas. We identify the thermodynamics of black holes, spacetime topology change, and holography as the core aspects of this relation. We draw lessons on the features that a field theoretic description of gravity must (not) have to be consistent with fundamental principles underlying the swampland program, and on the universality of the latter.
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- Present a breakthrough on a previously-identified and long-standing research stumbling block
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Current status:
Editorial decision:
For Journal SciPost Physics: Publish
(status: Editorial decision fixed and (if required) accepted by authors)
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I emphasize that there should be a clear difference between saying that an approach does not account for topology change for practical reasons or if this is a foundational assumption.
Secondly, I would like to point out that the sentence written in their reply "More generally, the standard definitions of QFT take manifolds as input, there is no sum over manifolds (and any attempt of summing over manifolds in a path integral is problematic)" seems to contradict the statistical/combinatoric perspective from, e.g., matrix models.
These issues do not jeopardize any of the merits of the manuscript which I judge well-grounded and useful for a broad community. I recommend the work for publication.
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