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arXiv · hep-th/0204189

From Big Bang to Big Crunch and Beyond

S. Elitzur·A. Giveon·D. Kutasov·E. Rabinovici
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Abstract

We study a quotient Conformal Field Theory, which describes a 3+1 dimensional cosmological spacetime. Part of this spacetime is the Nappi-Witten (NW) universe, which starts at a ``big bang'' singularity, expands and then contracts to a ``big crunch'' singularity at a finite time. The gauged WZW model contains a number of copies of the NW spacetime, with each copy connected to the preceeding one and to the next one at the respective big bang/big crunch singularities. The sequence of NW spacetimes is further connected at the singularities to a series of non-compact static regions with closed timelike curves. These regions contain boundaries, on which the observables of the theory live. This suggests a holographic interpretation of the physics.

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S. Elitzur, A. Giveon, D. Kutasov, E. Rabinovici. 2002-05-01. From Big Bang to Big Crunch and Beyond. https://doi.org/10.1088/1126-6708%2F2002%2F06%2F017

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