English

Space from String Bits

High Energy Physics - Theory 2015-06-22 v2

Abstract

We develop superstring bit models, in which the lightcone transverse coordinates in D spacetime dimensions are replaced with d=D-2 double-valued "flavor" indices xk>fk=1,2x^k-> f_k=1,2; k=2,...,d+1k=2,...,d+1. In such models the string bits have no space to move. Letting each string bit be an adjoint of a "color" group U(N), we then analyze the physics of 't Hooft's limit N>N->\infty, in which closed chains of many string bits behave like free lightcone IIB superstrings with d compact coordinate bosonic worldsheet fields xkx^k, and s pairs of Grassmann fermionic fields θL,Ra\theta_{L,R}^a, a=1,..., s. The coordinates xkx^k emerge because, on the long chains, flavor fluctuations enjoy the dynamics of d anisotropic Heisenberg spin chains. It is well-known that the low energy excitations of a many-spin Heisenberg chain are identical to those of a string worldsheet coordinate compactified on a circle of radius RkR_k, which is related to the anisotropy parameter 1<Δk<1-1<\Delta_k<1 of the corresponding Heisenberg system. Furthermore there is a limit of this parameter, Δk>±1\Delta_k->\pm 1, in which Rk>R_k->\infty. As noted in earlier work [Phys.Rev.D{\bf 89}(2014)105002], these multi-string-bit chains are strictly stable at N=N=\infty when d<s and only marginally stable when d=s. (Poincare supersymmetry requires d=s=8, which is on the boundary between stability and instability.)

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1407.8144,
  title  = {Space from String Bits},
  author = {Charles B. Thorn},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1407.8144},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

22 pages, several typos corrected

R2 v1 2026-06-22T05:16:56.450Z