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Deriving General Relativity from String Theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Nick Huggett  and
Tiziana Vistarini
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Abstract

Weyl symmetry of the classical bosonic string Lagrangian is broken by quantization, with profound consequences described here (along with a review of string theory for philosophers of physics). Reimposing symmetry requires that the background space-time satisfy the equations of general relativity: general relativity, hence classical space-time as we know it, arises from string theory. We investigate the logical role of Weyl symmetry in this explanation of general relativity: it is not an independent physical postulate but required in quantum string theory, so from a certain point of view it plays only a formal role in the explanation.

Type
Space-Time Physics
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 82 , Issue 5 , December 2015 , pp. 1163 - 1174
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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