An Entropy-Weighted Sum over Non-Perturbative Vacua
Abstract
Description
We discuss how, in a Universe restricted to the causal region connected to the observer, General Relativity implies the quantum nature of physical phenomena and directly leads to a string theory scenario, whose dynamics is ruled by a functional that weights all configurations according to their entropy. The most favoured configurations are those of minimal entropy. Along this class of vacua a four-dimensional space-time is automatically selected; when, at large volume, a description of space-time in terms of classical geometry can be recovered, the entropy-weighted sum reduces to the ordinary Feynman's path integral. What arises is a highly predictive scenario, phenomenologically compatible with the experimental observations and measurements, in which everything is determined in terms of the fundamental constants and the age of the Universe, with no room for freely-adjustable parameters. We discuss how this leads to the known spectrum of particles and interactions. Besides the computation of masses and couplings, CKM matrix elements, cosmological constant, expansion parameters of the Universe etc..., all resulting, within the degree of the approximation we used, in agreement with the experimental observations, we also discuss how this scenario passes the tests provided by cosmology and the constraints imposed by the physics of the primordial Universe.
LaTex, 198 pages, 23 figures. Version 2: added comments and references, corrected typos and errors
LaTex, 198 pages, 23 figures. Version 2: added comments and references, corrected typos and errors