Abstract
The holographic principle implies a vast reduction in the number of degrees of freedom of quantum gravity. This idea can be made precise in AdS3, where the the stringy or gravitational exclusion principle asserts that certain perturbative excitations are not present in the exact quantum spectrum. We show that this effect is visible directly in the bulk gravity theory: the norm of the offending linearized state is zero or negative. When the norm is negative, the theory is signalling its own breakdown as an effective field theory; this provides a perturbative bulk explanation for the stringy exclusion principle. When the norm vanishes the bulk state is null rather than physical. This implies that certain non-trivial diffeomorphisms must be regarded as gauge symmetries rather than spectrum-generating elements of the asymptotic symmetry group. This leads to subtle effects in the computation of one-loop determinants for Einstein gravity, higher spin theories and topologically massive gravity in AdS3. In particular, heat kernel methods do not capture the correct spectrum of a theory with null states.Communicated by S Ross
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.