Open-closed 3d gravity as a random ensemble
Abstract
We investigate an ensemble of boundary CFTs within the framework of a tensor model recently constructed to model 3d quantum gravity. The incorporation of CFT borders introduces new elements to the gravity theory. In particular, it leads to an open-closed extension of Virasoro TQFT, which in the classical limit gives rise to 3d gravity with tensionful end-of-the-world branes. It also provides predictions for off-shell manifolds with bordered asymptotic boundaries, such as the annulus wormhole. As an application, we construct a purely open variant of the tensor model to study a purely open bootstrap problem in the context of CFT triangulation. We also briefly discuss the extension to non-orientable CFTs.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2506.19817,
title = {Open-closed 3d gravity as a random ensemble},
author = {Daniel L. Jafferis and Liza Rozenberg and Diandian Wang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.19817},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
47 pages, many figures; v2: comments and figures added