Path integral representation of Lorentzian spinfoam model, asymptotics and simplicial geometries

A new path integral representation of Lorentzian Engle-Pereira-Rovelli-Livine spinfoam model is derived by employing the theory of unitary representation of SL(2, C). The path integral representation is taken as a starting point of semiclassical analysis. The relation between the spinfoam model and classical simplicial geometry is studied via the large-spin asymptotic expansion of the spinfoam amplitude with all spins uniformly large. More precisely, in the large-spin regime, there is an equivalence between the spinfoam critical configuration (with certain nondegeneracy assumption) and a classical Lorentzian simplicial geometry. Such an equivalence relation allows us to classify the spinfoam critical configurations by their geometrical interpretations, via two types of solution-generating maps. The equivalence between spinfoam critical configuration and simplical geometry also allows us to define the notion of globally oriented and time-oriented spinfoam critical configuration. It is shown that only at the globally oriented and time-oriented spinfoam critical configuration, the leading-order contribution of spinfoam large-spin asymptotics gives precisely an exponential of Lorentzian Regge action of General Relativity. At all other (unphysical) critical configurations, spinfoam large-spin asymptotics modifies the Regge action at the leading-order approximation.