Quantum Topology Change and Large N Gauge Theories

Abstract

We study a model for dynamical localization of topology using ideas from non-commutative geometry and topology in quantum mechanics. We consider a collection $X$ of $N$ one-dimensional manifolds and the corresponding set of boundary conditions (self-adjoint extensions) of the Dirac operator $D$. The set of boundary conditions encodes the topology and is parameterized by unitary matrices $g_N$. A particular geometry is described by a spectral triple $x(g_N)=(A_X,{\cal H}_X, D(g_N))$. We define a partition function for the sum over all $g_N$. In this model topology fluctuates but the dimension is kept fixed. We use the spectral principle to obtain an action for the set of boundary conditions. Together with invariance principles the procedure fixes the partition function for fluctuating topologies. In the simplest case the model has one free-parameter $β$ and it is equivalent to a one plaquette gauge theory. We argue that topology becomes localized at $β=\infty$ for any value of $N$. Moreover, the system undergoes a third-order phase transition at $β=1$ for large $N$. We give a topological interpretation of the phase transition by looking how it affects the topology.