Abstract
We examine effective field theories (EFTs) with a continuum sector in the presence of gravity. We first explain, via arguments based on central charge and species scale, that an EFT with a free continuum cannot consistently couple to standard (i.e., 4D Einstein) gravity. It follows that EFTs with a free or nearly free continuum must have either a finite number of degrees of freedom or nonstandard gravity. The latter claim is realized for holographically defined continuum models. We demonstrate this by computing the deviations from standard gravity in a specific 5D scalar-gravity system that gives rise to a gapped continuum (i.e., the linear dilaton background). We find an deviation from the Newtonian potential. At finite temperature, we find an energy density with matterlike behavior in the brane Friedmann equation, holographically induced from the bulk geometry. Thus, remarkably, a braneworld living in the linear dilaton background automatically contains dark matter. We also present a slightly more evolved asymptotically AdS linear dilaton model, for which the deviations exhibit a transition between AdS and linear dilaton behaviors.
- Received 19 January 2023
- Accepted 7 April 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.107.096016
Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.
Published by the American Physical Society