English

The String Universe: High $T_c$ Superconductor or Quantum Hall Conductor?

High Energy Physics - Theory 2016-09-06 v1

Abstract

Our answer is the latter. Space-time singularities, including the initial one, are described by world-sheet topological Abelian gauge theories with a Chern-Simons term. Their effective N=2N=2 supersymmetry provides an initial fixed point where the Bogomolny bound is saturated on the world-sheet, corresponding to an extreme Reissner-Nordstrom solution in space-time. Away from the singularity the gauge theory has world-sheet matter fields, bosons and fermions, associated with the generation of target space-time. Because the fermions are complex (cf the Quantum Hall Effect) rather than real (cf high-TcT_c superconductors) the energetically-preferred vacuum is not parity or time-reversal invariant, and the associated renormalization group flow explains the cosmological arrow of time, as well as the decay of real or virtual black holes, with a monotonic increase in entropy.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.hep-th/9209013,
  title  = {The String Universe: High $T_c$ Superconductor or Quantum Hall Conductor?},
  author = {John Ellis and N. E. Mavromatos and D. V. Nanopoulos},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-th/9209013},
  year   = {2016}
}

Comments

19 pages

R2 v1 2026-07-22T15:43:38.634Z