Proceedings

EPJ Plus Focus Point Issue: Higher Derivatives in Quantum Gravity: Theory, Tests, Phenomenology

Guest Editors: Luca Buoninfante, Andrea Giusti, Aaron Held, Benjamin Knorr & Alessia Platania

Quantizing General Relativity using standard perturbative quantum field theory results in a perturbatively non-renormalizable theory. This has led to a variety of alternative approaches to quantum gravity, each based on different assumptions, ideas, and quantization techniques. A common feature in many of these approaches is the appearance of higher-derivative operators, alongside the Einstein-Hilbert action, which play a crucial role in classifying quantum-gravitational effects in an effective field theory fashion. This focus point issue brings together different perspectives on the role of higher derivatives in quantum gravity. It explores their theoretical role and implications in different approaches as well as their impact on phenomenology. The issue collects perspectives on how higher-derivative terms appear in quantum gravity theories and what insights they may offer into the fundamental nature of spacetime.

All articles are available here and are freely accessible until 31 October 2025. For further information, read the Editorial.

This was our first experience of publishing with EPJ Web of Conferences. We contacted the publisher in the middle of September, just one month prior to the Conference, but everything went through smoothly. We have had published MNPS Proceedings with different publishers in the past, and would like to tell that the EPJ Web of Conferences team was probably the best, very quick, helpful and interactive. Typically, we were getting responses from EPJ Web of Conferences team within less than an hour and have had help at every production stage.
We are very thankful to Solange Guenot, Web of Conferences Publishing Editor, and Isabelle Houlbert, Web of Conferences Production Editor, for their support. These ladies are top-level professionals, who made a great contribution to the success of this issue. We are fully satisfied with the publication of the Conference Proceedings and are looking forward to further cooperation. The publication was very fast, easy and of high quality. My colleagues and I strongly recommend EPJ Web of Conferences to anyone, who is interested in quick high-quality publication of conference proceedings.

On behalf of the Organizing and Program Committees and Editorial Team of MNPS-2019, Dr. Alexey B. Nadykto, Moscow State Technological University “STANKIN”, Moscow, Russia. EPJ Web of Conferences vol. 224 (2019)

ISSN: 2100-014X (Electronic Edition)

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