Robert Brandenberger - Emergent Metric Space-Time from the BFSS Matrix Model

Nordita Program: 29 July 2024 to 23 August 2024

Quantum gravity: from gravitational effective field theories to ultraviolet complete approaches

Week 4 [August 19-23]: Workshop on Quantum Gravity Phenomenology

Emergent Metric Space-Time from the BFSS Matrix Model

Robert Brandenberger (McGill Univ.)

I will first argue that effective field theory inevitably will break down in the early universe, and that we need non-perturbative approaches to understand the origin and early evolution of the universe. I will then focus on the BFSS matrix model, a proposal for a non-perturbative definition of superstring theory, and present a proposal for how to obtain an emergent metric space-time. The resulting early universe cosmology has many features in common with String Gas Cosmology.