Why 4D? Spontaneous Dimensional Selection from Gauge Criticality

Abstract

Noting that the Yang--Mills coupling is relevant below four dimensions, marginal in four dimensions, and irrelevant above four dimensions, I propose that this criticality can lead to the selection of four macroscopic dimensions. As a proof of principle, I present a concrete racetrack model of the type commonly studied in extra-dimensional scenarios, but without assuming a noncompact 4D spacetime. I find, within a well-controlled model without specifying the 4D, that 4D spacetime is spontaneously realized through radion stabilization via gauge-criticality-induced supersymmetry breaking and supergravity effects.