Konwersatorium im. Leopolda Infelda

Gravity in 2+1 dimensions serves as a toy model for higher dimensional (quantum) gravity. The theory is closely related toChern-Simons gauge theory and allows for an explicit parametrisation of its phase space and rigorous quantisation. We discuss the relation between spacetime geometry and the observables of the theory. In particular, we show that Wilson loop observables act as the generators of the two fundamental transformations that change the geometry of spacetimes.