Matter field infinities in axial gauge gravity

The one-loop infinities for scalar, spinor and vector fields due to gravitational interactions are computed in the axial gravity gauge for the Einstein-Hilbert action. The results reveal an axis dependence, in addition to their expected non-renormalisability, which is expected to get progressively worse in higher orders of perturbation theory. This means that gauge equivalences between covariant and non-covariant gauges are impossible in ordinary quantum gravity (unlike renormalisable theories such as flavourdynamics or chromodynamics) unless cancellation of infinities occurs through some supersymmetric mechanism or unless a renormalisable conformal version of gravity is adopted.