119318242
Partial Gauge Fixing and Equivariant Cohomology
Given a gauge theory with gauge group G, it is sometimes useful to find an equivalent formulation in terms of a nontrivial gauge subgroup H⊂G. This amounts to fixing the gauge partially from G down to H. We study this problem systematically, both from the algebraic and from the path integral points of view. We find that the usual BRST cohomology must be replaced by an equivariant version and that the ghost Lagrangian must always include quartic ghost terms, even at tree level. Both the Cartan and Weil models for equivariant cohomology play a role and find natural interpretations within the physics framework. Applications include the construction of D-brane models of emergent space, the 't Hooft Abelian projection scenario in quantum chromodynamics and the formulation of the low-energy effective theories of grand unified models. © 2014 American Physical Society.
119513982
Super Yang-Mills, matrix models and geometric transitions
Super Yang-Mills, modeles de matrices et transitions geometriques. J'expose deux applications de la relation entre les theories de jauge supersymetriques N = 1 a quatre dimensions, les modeles de matrices jauges a zero dimension, et les transitions geometriques en theorie des cordes. La premiere traite du spectre des parois ou branes BPS. Il est demontre qu'un etat de type D-brane, dont la tension en couplage faible est proportionnelle a N ∼ 1/g s , et un etat de type soliton de corde fermee, dont la tension en couplage faible est proportionnelle a N 2 ∼ 1/g 2 s , peuvent etre continument deformes l'un en l'autre. Ceci est un aspect de la theorie plus generale des espaces quantiques de parametres N = 1. La deuxieme est une nouvelle methode, purement geometrique, pour calculer exactement la somme sur les diagrammes planaires en zero dimension. C'est un exemple de dualite entre cordes ouvertes et cordes fermees.
119106648
Emergent D4-brane background from D-particles
Abstract We show that the solution of a pre-geometric strongly coupled quantum mechanical model describing K D-particles in the presence of N D4-branes in type IIA string theory, at fixed K and large N , yields an effective action describing the motion of the K D-particles in a classical ten-dimensional curved spacetime. By comparing the effective action with the non-abelian D-brane action in an arbitrary supergravity background, we identify the metric, dilaton and Ramond–Ramond fields and find a precise match with the near-horizon D4-brane geometry.
119574064
Multi-loop zeta function regularization and spectral cutoff in curved spacetime
Abstract We emphasize the close relationship between zeta function methods and arbitrary spectral cutoff regularizations in curved spacetime. This yields, on the one hand, a physically sound and mathematically rigorous justification of the standard zeta function regularization at one loop and, on the other hand, a natural generalization of this method to higher loops. In particular, to any Feynman diagram is associated a generalized meromorphic zeta function. For the one-loop vacuum diagram, it is directly related to the usual spectral zeta function. To any loop order, the renormalized amplitudes can be read off from the pole structure of the generalized zeta functions. We focus on scalar field theories and illustrate the general formalism by explicit calculations at one-loop and two-loop orders, including a two-loop evaluation of the conformal anomaly.
119685691
Gravitational actions in two dimensions and the Mabuchi functional
Abstract The Mabuchi energy is an interesting geometric functional on the space of Kahler metrics that plays a crucial role in the study of the geometry of Kahler manifolds. We show that this functional, as well as other related geometric actions, contribute to the effective gravitational action when a massive scalar field is coupled to gravity in two dimensions in a small mass expansion. This yields new theories of two-dimensional quantum gravity generalizing the standard Liouville models.
14626342
Exact amplitudes in four-dimensional non-critical string theories
Abstract The large N expansion of N =2 supersymmetric Yang–Mills theory with gauge group SU( N ) has recently been shown to break down at singularities on the moduli space. We conjecture that by taking N →∞ and approaching the singularities in a correlated way, all the observables of the theory have a finite universal limit yielding amplitudes in string theories dual to field theories describing the light degrees of freedom. We explicitly calculate the amplitudes corresponding to the Seiberg–Witten period integrals for an A n −1 series of multicritical points as well as for other critical points exhibiting a scaling reminiscent of the c =1 matrix model. Our results extend the matrix model approach to non-critical strings in less than one dimension to non-critical strings in four dimensions.
118089538
Gauge Field Theories on Riemann Surfaces
In this paper the free gauge field theories on a Riemann surface of any genus are quantized in the covariant gauge. The propagators of the gauge fields are explicitly derived and their properties are analysed in details. As an application, the correlation functions of a Yang-Mills field theory with gauge group $SU(N)$ are computed at the lowest order.
123165628
ON THE PARTITION FUNCTION OF STRING THEORIES DEFINED ON ALGEBRAIC CURVES
In this paper the amplitudes of bosonic string theory on Riemann surfaces are studied taking the branch points as moduli. The case of a general Riemann surface of genus three is completely worked out, constructing the chiral determinants and the propagators. The chiral determinants and the partition function are given explicitly in terms of the moduli and of the parameters of the curve apart from a factor which is essentially a theta constant. The Beilinson-Manin formulae for Riemann surfaces whose moduli space is parametrized by branch points are discussed.
119092707
Dirac quantization of the Chern-Simons field theory in the Coulomb gauge
Abstract In this letter the Chern-Simons field theories are studied in the Coulomb gauge using the Dirac's canonical formalism for constrained systems. As a strategy, we first work out the constraints and then quantize, replacing the Dirac brackets with quantum commutators. We find that the Chern-Simons field theories become two dimensional models with no propagation along the time direction. Moreover, we prove that, despite of the presence of non-trivial self-interactions in the gauge fixed functional, the commutation relations between the fields are trivial at any order in perturbation theory in the absence of couplings with matter fields. If these couplings are present, instead, the commutation relations become rather involved, but it is still possible to study their main properties and to show that they vanish at the tree level.
15052498
A Topological Field Theory With a Finite Number of Connected Feynman Diagrams
A new topological field theory is constructed, which is characterized by cubic interactions similar to those of non-abelian Chern-Simons field theories, but still retains the simplicity of the abelian case. The perturbative expansion of this theory contains in fact only two connected Feynman diagrams, the propagator and a three vertex. Apart from the Gauss linking number, the Wilson loop amplitudes generate a further topological invariant, whose physical and mathematical meaning is investigated.
117782262
Field Theories of Topological Random Walks
In this work we derive certain topological theories of transverse vector fields whose amplitudes reproduce topological invariants involving the interactions among the trajectories of three and four random walks. This result is applied to the construction of a field theoretical model which describes the statistical mechanics of an arbitrary number of topologically linked polymers in the context of the analytical approach of Edwards. With respect to previous attempts, our approach is very general, as it can treat a system involving an arbitrary number of polymers and the topological states are not only specified by the Gauss linking number, but also by higher order topological invariants.