The Universe as a topological defect

Abstract

Four-dimensional Einstein's General Relativity is shown to arise from a gauge theory for the conformal group, SO(4,2). The theory is constructed from a topological dimensional reduction of the six-dimensional Euler density integrated over a manifold with a four-dimensional topological defect. The resulting action is a four-dimensional theory defined by a gauged Wess-Zumino-Witten term. An ansatz is found which reduces the full set of field equations to those of Einstein's General Relativity. When the same ansatz is replaced in the action, the gauged WZW term reduces to the Einstein-Hilbert action. Furthermore, the unique coupling constant in the action can be shown to take integer values if the fields are allowed to be analytically continued to complex values.

18 pages, LaTex, 4 figures. Title of the published version changed to "Universe as a Topological defect" by the journal

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Cited by in corpus (15)

• Standard General Relativity from Chern-Simons Gravity
• Topological gravity and transgression holography
• Gravity in the 3+1-Split Formalism I: Holography as an Initial Value Problem
• General Relativity from a gauged WZW term
• Couplings between Chern-Simons gravities and 2p-branes
• Sources for Chern-Simons theories
• On eleven-dimensional Supergravity and Chern-Simons theory
• Accelerated FRW Solutions in Chern-Simons Gravity
• Topological gravity and Wess-Zumino-Witten term
• Gauged WZW models for space-time groups and gravitational actions
• Some considerations on the Mac Dowell-Mansouri action
• Naked Singularities, Topological Defects and Brane Couplings
• Trapping of Spin-0 fields on tube-like topological defects
• Four dimensional topological supergravities from transgression field theory
• A note on the Hamiltonian structure of transgression forms