Editing Lee Smolin (section)

===Loop quantum gravity===
Smolin contributed to the theory of [[loop quantum gravity]] (LQG) in collaborative work with [[Ted Jacobson]], [[Carlo Rovelli]], Louis Crane, [[Abhay Ashtekar]] and others. LQG is an approach to the unification of quantum mechanics with general relativity which utilizes a reformulation of general relativity in the language of [[Gauge theory|gauge field theories]], which allows the use of techniques from particle physics, particularly the expression of fields in terms of the dynamics of loops. With Rovelli he discovered the discreteness of areas and volumes and found their natural expression in terms of a discrete description of quantum geometry in terms of [[spin network]]s. In recent years he has focused on connecting LQG to [[Phenomenology (particle physics)|phenomenology]] by developing implications for experimental tests of spacetime symmetries as well as investigating ways elementary particles and their interactions could emerge from spacetime geometry.