The geodesics in Liouville quantum gravity are not Schramm-Loewner evolutions (Q783789)

Let \(h\) be a Gaussian free field (GFF) over a domain \(D\) in the complex plane. For \(\gamma \in (0,2]\), \(\gamma\)-Liouville quantum gravity (LQG) may be interpreted as the random Riemannian manifold with metric tensor given by \(e^{\gamma h(z)}\) multiplied by the Euclidean metric tensor. Since \(h\) is distribution-valued (and not a function), some work is required to make sense of this description [\textit{B. Duplantier} and \textit{S. Sheffield}, Invent. Math. 185, No. 2, 333--393 (2011; Zbl 1226.81241)]. The paper under review is concerned with geodesics on the \(\gamma\)-LQG surface, and hence with the metric structure of \(\gamma\)-LQG. The article proceeds by considering a class of metrics derived from the GFF satisfying an assumption which has elsewhere been verified for the (unique) metrics associated with \(\gamma\)-LQG, \(\gamma \in (0,2)\). In Theorem 1.2, it is shown that distinct points possess an a.s.-unique geodesic; previously a version of this result had been established for geodesics in \(\gamma = \sqrt{8/3}\) LQG in work of Miller \& Sheffield. In Theorem 1.3, it is shown that such a geodesic is singular with respect to SLE{\(_\kappa\)} for every \(\kappa >0\).