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arXiv · hep-th/0109093

Spacetime as a membrane in higher dimensions

G. W. Gibbons·D. L. Wiltshire
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Abstract

By means of a simple model we investigate the possibility that spacetime is a membrane embedded in higher dimensions. We present cosmological solutions of d-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell theory which compactify to two dimensions. These solutions are analytically continued to obtain dual solutions in which a (d-2)-dimensional Einstein spacetime "membrane" is embedded in d-dimensions. The membrane solutions generalise Melvin's 4-dimensional flux tube solution. The flat membrane is shown to be classically stable. It is shown that there are zero mode solutions of the d-dimensional Dirac equation which are confined to a neighbourhood of the membrane and move within it like massless chiral (d-2)-dimensional fermions. An investigation of the spectrum of scalar perturbations shows that a well-defined mass gap between the zero modes and massive modes can be obtained if there is a positive cosmological term in (d-2) dimensions or a negative cosmological term in d dimensions.

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G. W. Gibbons, D. L. Wiltshire. 2001-09-12. Spacetime as a membrane in higher dimensions. https://doi.org/10.1016/0550-3213(87)90125-8

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