The Space-Time Manifold as a Critical Solid

Peter Orland

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arXiv · hep-th/9304004

The Space-Time Manifold as a Critical Solid

Peter Orland

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Abstract

It is argued that the problems of the cosmological constant, stability and renormalizability of quantum gravity can be solved if the space-time manifold arises through spontaneous symmetry breaking. A ``pre-manifold" model is presented in which many points are connected by random bonds. A set of $D$ real numbers assigned to each point are coupled between points connected by bonds. It is then found that the dominant configuration of bonds is a flat $D$-dimensional manifold, on which there is a massless matter field. Long-wavelength fluctuations can describe quantized massless gravity if $D=\;4$, $6$, $8...$.

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Peter Orland. 1993-04-02. The Space-Time Manifold as a Critical Solid. https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/9304004

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