Long String Dynamics in Pure Gravity on AdS$_3$

Understand

We study the classical dynamics of a completion of pure AdS gravity in 3D, whose only degrees of freedom are boundary gravitons and long strings.

• We argue that the best regime for describing pure gravity is that of "heavy" strings, for which back-reaction effects on the metric must be taken into account.
• We show that once back-reaction is properly accounted for, regular finite-energy states are produced by heavy strings even in the infinite-tension limit.
• Such a process is similar to, but different from, nucleation of space out of a "bubble of nothing."