On the Empirical Consequences of the AdS/CFT Duality

TL;DR

This paper examines the empirical implications of the AdS/CFT duality across fundamental, effective, and instrumental contexts, concluding that current data does not confirm its predictions for real-world quark-gluon plasmas.

Contribution

It analyzes the empirical and ontological significance of gauge/gravity dualities in different scientific contexts, clarifying their current empirical status.

Findings

Duals are not empirically confirmed in quark-gluon plasma applications.

Provides guidance on the ontological implications of AdS/CFT.

Analyzes the potential of AdS/CFT in fundamental physics.

Abstract

We provide an analysis of the empirical consequences of the AdS/CFT duality with reference to the application of the duality in a fundamental theory, effective theory and instrumental context. Analysis of the first two contexts is intended to serve as a guide to the potential empirical and ontological status of gauge/gravity dualities as descriptions of actual physics at the Planck scale. The third context is directly connected to the use of AdS/CFT to describe real quark-gluon plasmas. In the latter context, we find that neither of the two duals are confirmed by the empirical data.