Dimensional Reduction by a Two-Form (another alternative to compactification)

Abstract

It is shown that the local coupling of a higher dimensional graviton to a closed degenerate two-form produces dimensional reduction by spontaneous breakdown of extra-dimensional translational symmetry. Four dimensional Poincaré invariance emerges as residual symmetry. As a specific example, a six dimensional geometry coupled to a closed rank 2 two-form yields the `ground state' $$d{s}^2={\mathrm{e}}^{-|\xi {|}^2/4l^2}{\eta }_{\mu \nu }d{x}^{\mu }d{x}^{\nu }+{\delta }_{ij}d{\xi }^{i}d{\xi }^j$$ with $l$ a fundamental length scale. At low energies, space-time reduces to four observable dimensions and general relativistic gravity is reproduced.

4 pages