On the Structure of Space-Time at the Planck Scale

Abstract

The set of space-time short-distance structures which can be described through linear operators is limited to a few basic cases. These are continua, lattices and a further short-distance structure which implies an ultraviolet cut-off. Under certain conditions, these cut-off degrees of freedom can reappear as internal degrees of freedom. We review the current status of the classification and present new conjectures.