Statistical inference and string theory

DOI10.1142/S0217751X15501602MaRDI QIDQ3464938zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors Jonathan J. Heckman

Publication date 28 January 2016

Published in International Journal of Modern Physics A (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1305.3621

zbMATH Keywords

conformal field theorystatistical inferencestring theory

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Quantum field theory on curved space or space-time backgrounds (81T20) String and superstring theories; other extended objects (e.g., branes) in quantum field theory (81T30) Two-dimensional field theories, conformal field theories, etc. in quantum mechanics (81T40) String and superstring theories in gravitational theory (83E30)

Abstract: In this note we expose some surprising connections between string theory and statistical inference. We consider a large collective of agents sweeping out a family of nearby statistical models for an M-dimensional manifold of statistical fitting parameters. When the agents making nearby inferences align along a d-dimensional grid, we find that the pooled probability that the collective reaches a correct inference is the partition function of a non-linear sigma model in d dimensions. Stability under perturbations to the original inference scheme requires the agents of the collective to distribute along two dimensions. Conformal invariance of the sigma model corresponds to the condition of a stable inference scheme, directly leading to the Einstein field equations for classical gravity. By summing over all possible arrangements of the agents in the collective, we reach a string theory. We also use this perspective to quantify how much an observer can hope to learn about the internal geometry of a superstring compactification. Finally, we present some brief speculative remarks on applications to the AdS/CFT correspondence and Lorentzian signature spacetimes.

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Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 4190745 (Why is no real title available?)
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• Some numerical results in complex differential geometry

Cited in

(9)

• T-branes and geometry
• Infinite distances in multicritical CFTs and higher-spin holography
• String and membrane Gaussian processes
• The renormalization group via statistical inference
• Reparametrization Invariant Statistical Inference and Gravity
• Space from entanglement: An information-geometric perspective
• Relative entropy and proximity of quantum field theories
• Information Geometry and Quantum Fields
• 6D SCFTs and gravity

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