Critical String Theory in a $D=4$ Robertson-Walker Background and the Large Scale Structure of Spacetime (2501.17204v2)

Abstract: We show that $4$-dimensional Robertson-Walker spacetimes can be constructed for which all of the beta functions vanish to leading order, yielding consistent string theory without extra dimensions. We find that there is a unique static solution, which we refer to as an anti-Einstein static universe. The associated stress energy tensor can be interpreted as a perfect fluid with a negative energy density. Interestingly, a fluid with a negative energy density was proposed in [2] as an ad hoc hypothesis to serve as a possible explanation for dark energy and dark matter. Here, such a fluid spontaneously appears by trying to fit string theory into only $4$ dimensions. We can look at perturbations away from the anti-Einstein static universe. This has to be done numerically and we only do it for a few choices of initial conditions. We find that these solutions are very sensitive to the initial conditions and yield a variety of behaviors. We hope that this behavior is rich enough to match cosmological observations by appropriately choosing the initial conditions. One of these solutions that we found is particularly interesting. It has a hubble parameter which is negative in the past (meaning a contracting universe), then a point at which the hubble parameter changes sign, so the universe starts expanding which could be identified with a big bang, after which the hubble parameter continues growing. Throughout all of this time, the acceleration is positive since the Hubble parameter is increasing. Finally, we comment that our result does not contradict [1] as it seems that the authors overlooked the possibility of a purely complex axion field which allows for the Robertson-Walker metrics to make a contribution $c_{RW}\geq 4$ to the central charge. Thus, we can interpret dark matter and dark energy as being parts of a mechanism needed to keep $4$-dimensional string theory consistent.