A universe field theory for JT gravity

TL;DR

This paper develops a universe field theory for JT gravity, linking the gravitational path integral to a Kodaira-Spencer theory, and explores non-perturbative effects via D-branes and open/closed duality.

Contribution

It introduces a novel universe field theory for JT gravity, connecting topological string theory techniques to gravitational path integrals and non-perturbative phenomena.

Findings

Reproduces the gravitational path integral from Kodaira-Spencer theory.

Maps Schwinger-Dyson equations to topological recursion relations.

Probes non-perturbative effects using D-branes and boundary conditions.

Abstract

We present a field theory description for the non-perturbative splitting and joining of baby universes in Euclidean Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity. We show how the gravitational path integral, defined as a sum over topologies, can be reproduced from the perturbative expansion of a Kodaira-Spencer (KS) field theory for the complex structure deformations of the spectral curve. We use that the Schwinger-Dyson equations for the KS theory can be mapped to the topological recursion relations. We refer to this dual description of JT gravity as a `universe field theory'. By introducing non-compact D-branes in the target space geometry, we can probe non-perturbative aspects of JT gravity. The relevant operators are obtained through a modification of the JT path integral with Neumann boundary conditions. The KS/JT identification suggests that the ensemble average for JT gravity can be understood in terms of a more standard open/closed duality in topological string theory.