Transition from big crunch to big bang in brane cosmology (Q1774384)

For a space-time \(N\) that is not embedded into a bulk space, it is a non-trivial problem of general relativity theory to define a smooth transition from \(N\) with a big crunch to a space-time \(\widehat{N}\) with a big bang singularity [\textit{B. Schutz}, Gravity from the Ground Up: An Introductory Guide to Gravity and General Relativity. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York, Melbourne (2004); \textit{J. D. Barrow, D. Kimberly} and \textit{J. Magueijo}, ``Bouncing universes with varying constants'', Classical Quantum Gravity 21, 4289--4296 (2004; Zbl 1069.83007)]. Let \({\mathcal N}\) be a Schwarzschild-Ad\(\text{S}_{(n+2)}\) bulk space with a black hole singularity at \(r = 0\). Assume that the radial coordinate \(r\) is negative, \(r < 0\). Then by switching the light cone and performing the reflection \(r \mapsto - r\), a reflected Schwarzschild-Ad\(\text{S}_{(n+2)}\) bulk space \(\widehat{\mathcal N}\) obtains with a white hole singularity at \(r = 0\). These two bulk space-times can be glued together such that \({\mathcal N} \cup \widehat{\mathcal N}\) is a smooth manifold which has a metric singularity at \(r = 0\). In the black (white) hole region, the radial coordinate \(r\) is the time function and it is smooth across the singularity. If a brane \(N\) is an asymptotically Robertson-Walker space with respect to future, then there exists a smooth natural transition flow through the singularity to a reflected brane \(\widehat{N}\) which has a big bang singularity and which can be viewed as a brane in a reflected Schwarzschild-Ad\(\text{S}_{(n+2)}\) bulk space \(\widehat{\mathcal N}\). The joint brane \(N \cup \widehat{N}\) glued together at the singularity \(\{0\} \times {\mathcal S}_0\) can be naturally embedded into \({\mathbb R}^2 \times {\mathcal S}_0\) where \({\mathcal S}_0\) is a Riemannian manifold. The smooth manifold \(N \cup \widehat{N}\) admits a metric singularity which is a big crunch, when viewed from \(N\), and a big bang, when viewed from \(\widehat{N}\); this last concept of a smooth transition also applies to branes that are not asymptotically Robertson-Walker spaces. A similar reflection construction takes place in quantum holography [\textit{E. Binz} and \textit{W. Schempp}, ``Quantum teleportation and spin echo: A unitary symplectic spinor approach'', AMS/IP Stud. Adv. Math. 34, 133--177 (2003; Zbl 1034.68520)].