PIRSA:13070070

Spontaneous Dimensional Reduction?

Carlip, S. (2013). Spontaneous Dimensional Reduction?. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/13070070

Carlip, Steve. Spontaneous Dimensional Reduction?. Perimeter Institute, Jul. 26, 2013, https://pirsa.org/13070070 

          @misc{ pirsa_13070070,
            doi = {10.48660/13070070},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/13070070},
            author = {Carlip, Steve},
            keywords = {},
            language = {en},
            title = {Spontaneous Dimensional Reduction?},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2013},
            month = {jul},
            note = {PIRSA:13070070 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Steve Carlip University of California, Davis

DOI 10.48660/13070070
Collection
Talk Type Conference

Abstract

Several lines of evidence hint that quantum gravity at distances a bit larger than the Planck scale may become effectively two-dimensional.  I will summarize the evidence for this "spontaneous dimensional reduction," and suggest a further argument based on the effect of vacuum fluctuations on light cones.  If this description proves to be correct, it suggests an interesting relationship between small-scale quantum spacetime and the behavior of cosmologies near a spacelike singularity.