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Solving the Simplest Theory of Quantum Gravity

3 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.

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abstract

We solve what is quite likely the simplest model of quantum gravity, the worldsheet theory of an infinitely long, free bosonic string in Minkowski space. Contrary to naive expectations, this theory is non-trivial. We illustrate this by constructing its exact factorizable S-matrix. Despite its simplicity, the theory exhibits many of the salient features expected from more mature quantum gravity models, including the absence of local off-shell observables, a minimal length, a maximum achievable (Hagedorn) temperature, as well as (integrable relatives of) black holes. All these properties follow from the exact S-matrix. We show that the complete finite volume spectrum can be reconstructed analytically from this S-matrix with the help of the thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz. We argue that considered as a UV complete relativistic two-dimensional quantum field theory the model exhibits a new type of renormalization group flow behavior, "asymptotic fragility". Asymptotically fragile flows do not originate from a UV fixed point.

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hep-th 3

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2026 3

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UNVERDICTED 3

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representative citing papers

Yang-Mills Flux Tube in AdS II: Effective String Theory

hep-th · 2026-02-18 · unverdicted · novelty 5.0

Two-loop effective string theory observables for Yang-Mills flux tubes in large-radius AdS are computed via transcendentality ansatz bootstrap, with Padé resummation used to probe interpolation toward small-radius weak-coupling AdS.

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