From Weak to Strong Coupling in Two-Dimensional Gravity

TL;DR

This paper explores the strong coupling regime of two-dimensional gravity at specific central charges, revealing deconfined chirality, deriving the string susceptibility, and solving topological Liouville string theories that resemble matrix models.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the strong coupling phase of 2D gravity, including explicit solutions and a real string susceptibility, expanding understanding beyond weak coupling regimes.

Findings

Chirality becomes deconfined at strong coupling.

String susceptibility is real, differing from KPZ predictions.

Topological Liouville strings share features with matrix models.

Abstract

The strong coupling physics of two dimensional gravity at C=7, 13, 19 is deciphered, by building up on previous works along the same line (for a recent review, of the background material, see hep-th/9408069). It is shown that chirality becomes deconfined. The string suceptibility is derived, and found to be real contrary to the continuation of the KPZ formula. Topological Liouville string theories (without transverse degree of freedom) are explicitely solved. Altough they involve strongly coupled gravity, they share many features with the standard matrix models.