String theory developed by demanding consistency with quantum mechanics. In this paper we wish to reverse the reasoning. We pretend open string field theory is a fully consistent definition of the theory - it is at least a self consistent sector. The
n we find in its structure that the rules of quantum mechanics emerge from the non-commutative nature of the basic string joining/splitting interactions, thus deriving rather than assuming the quantum commutation rules among the usual canonical quantum variables for all physical systems derivable from open string field theory. Morally we would apply such an argument to M-theory to cover all physics. If string or M-theory really underlies all physics, it seems that the door has been opened to an understanding of the origins of quantum mechanics.
We develop a new background independent Moyal star formalism in bosonic open string field theory. The new star product is formulated in a half-phase-space, and because phase space is independent of any background fields, the interactions are backgrou
nd independent. In this basis there is a large amount of symmetry, including a supersymmetry OSp(d|2) that acts on matter and ghost degrees of freedom, and simplifies computations. The BRST operator that defines the quadratic kinetic term of string field theory may be regarded as the solution of the equation of motion A*A=0 of a purely cubic background independent string field theory. We find an infinite number of non-perturbative solutions to this equation, and are able to associate them to the BRST operator of conformal field theories on the worldsheet. Thus, the background emerges from a spontaneous-type breaking of a purely cubic highly symmetric theory. The form of the BRST field breaks the symmetry in a tractable way such that the symmetry continues to be useful in practical perturbative computations as an expansion around some background. The new Moyal basis is called the $sigma $-basis, where $sigma$ is the worldsheet parameter of an open string. A vital part of the new star product is a natural and crucially needed mid-point regulator in this continuous basis, so that all computations are finite. The regulator is removed after renormalization and then the theory is finite only in the critical dimension. Boundary conditions for D-branes at the endpoints of the string are naturally introduced and made part of the theory as simple rules in algebraic computations. A byproduct of our approach is an astonishing suggestion of the formalism: the roots of ordinary quantum mechanics may originate in the rules of non-commutative interactions in string theory.
The fundamental string length, which is an essential part of string theory, explicitly breaks scale invariance. However, in field theory we demonstrated recently that the gravitational constant, which is directly related to the string length, can be
promoted to a dynamical field if the standard model coupled to gravity (SM+GR) is lifted to a locally scale (Weyl) invariant theory. The higher gauge symmetry reveals previously unknown field patches whose inclusion turn the classically conformally invariant SM+GR into a geodesically complete theory with new cosmological and possibly further physical consequences. In this paper this concept is extended to string theory by showing how it can be Weyl lifted with a local scale symmetry acting on target space background fields. In this process the string tension (fundamental string length) is promoted to a dynamical field, in agreement with the parallel developments in field theory. We then propose a string theory in a geodesically complete cosmological stringy background which suggests previously unimagined directions in the stringy exploration of the very early universe.
In a recent series of papers, we have shown that theories with scalar fields coupled to gravity (e.g., the standard model) can be lifted to a Weyl-invariant equivalent theory in which it is possible to unambiguously trace the classical cosmological e
volution through the transition from big crunch to big bang. The key was identifying a sufficient number of finite, Weyl-invariant conserved quantities to uniquely match the fundamental cosmological degrees of freedom across the transition. In so doing we had to account for the well-known fact that many Weyl-invariant quantities diverge at the crunch and bang. Recently, some authors rediscovered a few of these divergences and concluded based on their existence alone that the theories cannot be geodesically complete. In this note, we show that this conclusion is invalid. Using conserved quantities we explicitly construct the complete set of geodesics and show that they pass continuously through the big crunch-big bang transition.
In the conventional formalism of physics, with 1-time, systems with different Hamiltonians or Lagrangians have different physical interpretations and are considered to be independent systems unrelated to each other. However, in this paper we construc
t explicitly canonical maps in 1T phase space (including timelike components, specifically the Hamiltonian) to show that it is appropriate to regard various 1T-physics systems, with different Lagrangians or Hamiltonians, as being duals of each other. This concept is similar in spirit to dualities discovered in more complicated examples in field theory or string theory. Our approach makes it evident that such generalized dualities are widespread. This suggests that, as a general phenomenon, there are hidden relations and hidden symmetries that conventional 1T-physics does not capture, implying the existence of a more unified formulation of physics that naturally supplies the hidden information. In fact, we show that 2T-physics in (d+2)-dimensions is the generator of these dualities in 1T-physics in d-dimensions by providing a holographic perspective that unifies all the dual 1T systems into one. The unifying ingredient is a gauge symmetry in phase space. Via such dualities it is then possible to gain new insights toward new physical predictions not suspected before, and suggest new methods of computation that yield results not obtained before. As an illustration, we will provide concrete examples of 1T-systems in classical mechanics that are solved analytically for the first time via our dualities. These dualities in classical mechanics have counterparts in quantum mechanics and field theory, and in some simpler cases they have already been constructed in field theory. We comment on the impact of our approach on the meaning of spacetime and on the development of new computational methods based on dualities.
Recent measurements at the LHC suggest that the current Higgs vacuum could be metastable with a modest barrier (height 10^{10-12}{GeV})^{4}) separating it from a ground state with negative vacuum density of order the Planck scale. We note that metast
ability is problematic for big bang to end one cycle, bounce, and begin the next. In this paper, motivated by the approximate scaling symmetry of the standard model of particle physics and the primordial large-scale structure of the universe, we use our recent formulation of the Weyl-invariant version of the standard model coupled to gravity to track the evolution of the Higgs in a regularly bouncing cosmology. We find a band of solutions in which the Higgs field escapes from the metastable phase during each big crunch, passes through the bang into an expanding phase, and returns to the metastable vacuum, cycle after cycle after cycle. We show that, due to the effect of the Higgs, the infinitely cycling universe is geodesically complete, in contrast to inflation.
We study a model of a scalar field minimally coupled to gravity, with a specific potential energy for the scalar field, and include curvature and radiation as two additional parameters. Our goal is to obtain analytically the complete set of configura
tions of a homogeneous and isotropic universe as a function of time. This leads to a geodesically complete description of the universe, including the passage through the cosmological singularities, at the classical level. We give all the solutions analytically without any restrictions on the parameter space of the model or initial values of the fields. We find that for generic solutions the universe goes through a singular (zero-size) bounce by entering a period of antigravity at each big crunch and exiting from it at the following big bang. This happens cyclically again and again without violating the null energy condition. There is a special subset of geodesically complete non-generic solutions which perform zero-size bounces without ever entering the antigravity regime in all cycles. For these, initial values of the fields are synchronized and quantized but the parameters of the model are not restricted. There is also a subset of spatial curvature-induced solutions that have finite-size bounces in the gravity regime and never enter the antigravity phase. These exist only within a small continuous domain of parameter space without fine tuning initial conditions. To obtain these results, we identified 25 regions of a 6-parameter space in which the complete set of analytic solutions are explicitly obtained.
We point out a new phenomenon which seems to be generic in 4d effective theories of scalar fields coupled to Einstein gravity, when applied to cosmology. A lift of such theories to a Weyl-invariant extension allows one to define classical evolution t
hrough cosmological singularities unambiguously, and hence construct geodesically complete background spacetimes. An attractor mechanism ensures that, at the level of the effective theory, generic solutions undergo a big crunch/big bang transition by contracting to zero size, passing through a brief antigravity phase, shrinking to zero size again, and re-emerging into an expanding normal gravity phase. The result may be useful for the construction of complete bouncing cosmologies like the cyclic model.
We present analytic solutions to a class of cosmological models described by a canonical scalar field minimally coupled to gravity and experiencing self interactions through a hyperbolic potential. Using models and methods inspired by 2T-physics, we
show how analytic solutions can be obtained in flat/open/closed Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universes. Among the analytic solutions, there are many interesting geodesically complete cyclic solutions in which the universe bounces at either zero or finite sizes. When geodesic completeness is imposed, it restricts models and their parameters to a certain parameter subspace, including some quantization conditions on initial conditions in the case of zero-size bounces, but no conditions on initial conditions for the case of finite-size bounces. We will explain the theoretical origin of our model from the point of view of 2T-gravity as well as from the point of view of the colliding branes scenario in the context of M-theory. We will indicate how to associate solutions of the quantum Wheeler-deWitt equation with our classical analytic solutions, mention some physical aspects of the cyclic solutions, and outline future directions.
Exact analytic solutions for a class of scalar-tensor gravity theories with a hyperbolic scalar potential are presented. Using an exact solution we have successfully constructed a model of inflation that produces the spectral index, the running of th
e spectral index and the amplitude of scalar perturbations within the constraints given by the WMAP 7 years data. The model simultaneously describes the Big Bang and inflation connected by a specific time delay between them so that these two events are regarded as dependent on each other. In solving the Fridemann equations, we have utilized an essential Weyl symmetry of our theory in 3+1 dimensions which is a predicted remaining symmetry of 2T-physics field theory in 4+2 dimensions. This led to a new method of obtaining analytic solutions in 1T field theory which could in principle be used to solve more complicated theories with more scalar fields. Some additional distinguishing properties of the solution includes the fact that there are early periods of time when the slow roll approximation is not valid. Furthermore, the inflaton does not decrease monotonically with time, rather it oscillates around the potential minimum while settling down, unlike the slow roll approximation. While the model we used for illustration purposes is realistic in most respects, it lacks a mechanism for stopping inflation. The technique of obtaining analytic solutions opens a new window for studying inflation, and other applications, more precisely than using approximations.
