Jens A. Gesser

Title: Non-compact Geometries in 2D Euclidean Quantum Gravity

A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) on June 4th, 2008 and defended June 25th, 2008.

Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology group, Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty og Science, University of Copenhagen

Academic advisor:
Prof. Jan Ambjørn

Abstract

Non-compact Geometries in 2D Euclidean Quantum Gravity

This thesis discusses the worldsheet geometries in the (p,q) minimal model coupled to 2D euclidean Quantum Gravity with particular focus on non-compact geometries.

We first calculate the FZZT-FZZT cylinder amplitudes for all pairs of Cardy matter states thereby generalizing the result obtained in arXiv:hep-th/0406030 and discuss the decompositions of the cylinder amplitudes in terms of solutions to the homogeneous Wheeler-DeWitt equation. We then show, that the principal ZZ boundary conditions in Liouville theory can be viewed as effective boundary conditions obtained by integrating out the matter degrees of freedom on the worldsheet.

We now consider the (2,2m-1) minimal model coupled to 2D euclidean Quantum Gravity obtained in the scaling limit of dynamical triangulations, in which the mth multi-critical hyper-surface is approached and the conformal background is turned on. We show, that only one concrete realization of matter boundary condition, the (1,1) Cardy boundary condition, is obtained in this scaling limit.

Finally, we study the cylinder amplitude with fixed distance and provide some evidence of a transition from a FZZT-brane to a ZZ-brane on the exit loop in the limit, where the distance approaches infinity, and for particular values of the exit-boundary cosmological constant.