Abstract
It is argued that the ground state of the Kaluza-Klein unified theory is unstable against a process of semiclassical barrier penetration. This is related to the fact that the positive energy conjecture does not hold for the Kaluza-Klein theory; an explicit counter-example is given. The reasoning presented here assumes that in general relativity one should include manifolds of non-vacuum topology. It is argued that the existence of elementary fermions (not present in the original Kaluza-Klein theory) would stabilize the Kaluza-Klein vacuum.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 481-492 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Nuclear Physics, Section B |
Volume | 195 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 22 1982 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics