118473358
Polarizing bubble collisions
We predict the polarization of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons that results from a cosmic bubble collision. The polarization is purely E-mode, symmetric around the axis pointing towards the collision bubble, and has several salient features in its radial dependence that can help distinguish it from a more conventional explanation for unusually cold or hot features in the CMB sky. The anomalous ``cold spot'' detected by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite is a candidate for a feature produced by such a collision, and the Planck satellite and other proposed surveys will measure the polarization on it in the near future. The detection of such a collision would provide compelling evidence for the string theory landscape.
117771864
Holographic definition of points and distances
We discuss the way in which field theory quantities assemble the spatial geometry of three-dimensional anti\char21{}de Sitter space (${\mathrm{AdS}}_{3}$). The field theory ingredients are the entanglement entropies of boundary intervals. A point in ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{3}$ corresponds to a collection of boundary intervals which is selected by a variational principle we discuss. Coordinates in ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{3}$ are integration constants of the resulting equation of motion. We propose a distance function for this collection of points, which obeys the triangle inequality as a consequence of the strong subadditivity of entropy. Our construction correctly reproduces the static slice of ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{3}$ and the Ryu-Takayanagi relation between geodesics and entanglement entropies. We discuss how these results extend to quotients of ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{3}$\char22{}the conical defect and the BTZ geometries. In these cases, the set of entanglement entropies must be supplemented by other field theory quantities, which can carry the information about lengths of nonminimal geodesics.
118824876
Chiral three-point interactions in 5 and 6 dimensions
A bstractWe study $ \mathcal{N}=\left( {N,0} \right) $ super-Poincaré invariant six-dimensional massless and five-dimensional massive on-shell amplitudes. We demonstrate that in six dimensions, all possible three-point amplitudes involving self-dual tensor multiplets are necessarily embedded in gravitational theories. To obtain non-gravitational amplitudes, we study instead five-dimensional chiral massive amplitudes which can be considered as the KK reduction of six-dimensional chiral theories. We indeed find non-gravitational amplitudes whose on-shell degrees of freedom are shown to match those of the massive particle states that arise from self-dual strings wrapping a circle. Along the way we find interesting hints of a fermionic symmetry in the (2, 0) theory, which accompanies the self-dual tensor gauge symmetry. We also discuss novel theories with (3, 0) and (4, 0) supersymmetry.
216051678
Entwinement and the emergence of spacetime
A bstractIt is conventional to study the entanglement between spatial regions of a quantum field theory. However, in some systems entanglement can be dominated by “internal”, possibly gauged, degrees of freedom that are not spatially organized, and that can give rise to gaps smaller than the inverse size of the system. In a holographic context, such small gaps are associated to the appearance of horizons and singularities in the dual spacetime. Here, we propose a concept of entwinement, which is intended to capture this fine structure of the wavefunction. Holographically, entwinement probes the entanglement shadow — the region of spacetime not probed by the minimal surfaces that compute spatial entanglement in the dual field theory. We consider the simplest example of this scenario — a 2d conformal field theory (CFT) that is dual to a conical defect in AdS3 space. Following our previous work, we show that spatial entanglement in the CFT reproduces spacetime geometry up to a finite distance from the conical defect. We then show that the interior geometry up to the defect can be reconstructed from entwinement that is sensitive to the discretely gauged, fractionated degrees of freedom of the CFT. Entwinement in the CFT is related to non-minimal geodesics in the conical defect geometry, suggesting a potential quantum information theoretic meaning for these objects in a holographic context. These results may be relevant for the reconstruction of black hole interiors from a dual field theory.
17006831
Quiver topology and RG dynamics
Renormalization group flows of quiver gauge theories play a central role in determining the low-energy properties of string vacua. We demonstrate that useful predictions about the RG dynamics of a quiver gauge theory may be extracted from the global structure of its quiver diagram. For quiver theories of a certain type, we develop an efficient and practical method for determining which superpotential deformations generate a flow to an interacting conformal fixed point.
118485314
A novel channel for vacuum decay
Abstract I show that cosmological bubble walls in the thin wall approximation are unstable to the creation of “barnacles” – loci of different wall tension adjacent to regions filled with a third vacuum. Barnacle formation appears to have the same observational consequences as the extensively studied bubble collision scenario, but occurs exponentially more often. The process is described by a saddle point of the thin wall action with two negative modes.
117764751
Tracing a phase transition with fluctuations of the largest fragment size: Statistical multifragmentation models and the ALADIN S254 data
A phase transition signature associated with cumulants of the largest fragment size distribution has been identified in statistical multifragmentation models and examined in analysis of the ALADIN S254 data on fragmentation of neutron-poor and neutron-rich projectiles. Characteristics of the transition point indicated by this signature are weakly dependent on the A/Z ratio of the fragmenting spectator source. In particular, chemical freeze-out temperatures are estimated within the range 5.9 to 6.5 MeV. The experimental results are well reproduced by the SMM model.
53314925
Mass and Isospin Effects in Multifragmentation
A systematic study of isospin effects in the breakup of projectile spectators at relativistic energies has been performed with the ALADiN spectrometer at the GSI laboratory (Darmstadt). Four different projectiles 197 Au, 124 La, 124 Sn and 107 Sn, all with an incident energy of 600 AMeV, have been used, thus allowing a study of various combinations of masses and N/Z ratios in the entrance channel. The measurement of the momentum vector and of the charge of all projectile fragments with Z > 1 entering the acceptance of the ALADiN magnet has been performed with the high efficiency and resolution achieved with the TP-MUSIC IV detector. The Rise and Fall behavior of the mean multiplicity of IMFs as a function of Z bound and its dependence on the isotopic composition has been determined for the studied systems. Other observables investigated so far include mean N/Z values of the emitted light fragments and neutron multiplicities. Qualitative agreement has been obtained between the observed gross properties and the predictions of the Statistical Multifragmentation Model.
118568605
Mass and isospin dependence in multifragmentation
Challenging motivations for isotopic studies in nuclear multifragmentation are derived from the the importance of the density dependence of the symmetry term of the nuclear equation of state for astrophysical applications and for effects linked to the manifestation of the nuclear liquid-gas phase transition. In a recent experiment with the ALADIN spectrometer at GSI, the possibility of using secondary beams for reaction studies at relativistic energies has been explored. Beams of $^{107}$Sn, $^{124}$Sn, $^{124}$La, and $^{197}$Au were used to investigate the mass and isospin dependence of multifragmentation. The status of the project and first results are reported and discussed.
119799578
200 and 300 MeV/nucleon nuclear reactions responsible for single-event effects in microelectronics
An experimental study of nuclear reactions between Si-28 nuclei at 200 and 300 MeV/nucleon and hydrogen or deuterium target nuclei was performed at the CELSIUS storage ring in Uppsala, Sweden, to collect information about the reactions responsible for single-event effects in microelectronics. Inclusive data on Si-28 fragmentation, as well as data on correlations between recoils and spectator protons or alpha particles are compared to predictions from the Dubna cascade model and the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute version of the quantum molecular dynamics model. The comparison shows satisfactory agreement for inclusive data except for He fragments where low-energy sub-barrier fragments and recoiling fragments with very large momenta are produced much more frequently than predicted. The yield of exclusive data are also severely underestimated by the models whereas the charge distributions of recoils in these correlations compare well. The observed enhancement in He emission, which may well be important for the description of single-event effects, is most likely to be attributed to alpha clustering in Si-28 nuclei.