2838671
Flux corrections to anomaly cancellation in M-theory on a manifold with boundary
We show how the coupling of gravitinos and gauginos to fluxes modifies anomaly cancellation in M-theory on a manifold with boundary. Anomaly cancellation continues to hold, after a shift of the definition of the gauge currents by a local gauge invariant expression in the curvatures and E8 fieldstrengths. We compute the first nontrivial correction of this kind. Warning: Ian Moss has called into question several of the numerical coefficients in the extended Dirac operators in this paper. We have not confirmed this but the reader is warned not to trust the precise coefficients in the formulae for the Dirac operators and heat kernel expansions. We believe these possible errors do not change our qualitative conclusions. One of us intends to return to the issue and recheck the formulae. We thank Ian Moss for pointing out these problems.
122595912
Anomalies in Nonlinear $\sigma$ Models
Certain nonlinear sigma models with fermions suffer from an anomaly similar to the one in non-Abelian gauge theory. We exhibit this anomaly using both perturbative and global methods. The affected theories are ill defined and hence unsuitable for describing low-energy dynamics. They include certain supersymmetric models in four space-time dimensions.
124306496
The M theory three form and E(8) gauge theory
15868022
Donaldson Invariants for Non-Simply Connected Manifolds
Abstract:We study Coulomb branch (“u-plane”) integrals for supersymmetric SU(2),SO(3) Yang–Mills theory on 4-manifolds X of b1(X)>0, b2+(X)= 1. Using wall-crossing arguments we derive expressions for the Donaldson invariants for manifolds with b1(X)>0, b2+(X)>0. Explicit expressions for , where Fg is a Riemann surface of genus g are obtained using Kronecker's double series identity. The result might be useful in future studies of quantum cohomology.
118337669
Symmetries of the Bosonic String S-Matrix
The bracket operation on mutually local BRST classes may be combined with Lorentz invariance and analyticity to write an infinite set of finite difference relations on string scattering amplitudes. When combined with some simple physical criteria these relations uniquely determine the genus zero string $S$-matrix for $N\leq 26$-particle scattering in $\IR^{25,1}$ in terms of a single parameter, $\kappa$, the string coupling. We propose that the high-energy limit of the relations are the Ward identities for the high-energy symmetries of string theory.
14205277
Melvin Models and Diophantine Approximation
Melvin models with irrational twist parameter provide an interesting example of conformal field theories with non-compact target space, and localized states which are arbitrarily close to being delocalized. We study the torus partition sum of these models, focusing on the properties of the regularized dimension of the space of localized states. We show that its behavior is related to interesting arithmetic properties of the twist parameter γ, such as the Lyapunov exponent. Moreover, for γ in a set of measure one the regularized dimension is in fact not a well-defined number but must be considered as a random variable in a probability distribution.
10085298
Defect formation with bulk fields
It has recently been realized that brane-antibrane annihilation (a possible explanation for ending inflation) may result in defect formation, due to the dynamics of the tachyon field. Studies of this possibility have generally ignored the interaction of the brane fields with fields in the bulk; recently it has been argued [G. Dvali and A. Vilenkin, J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. 03 (2004) 010.] that interactions with bulk fields suppress or even eliminate defect formation. To investigate the impact of bulk fields on brane defect formation, we construct a toy model that captures the essential features of the tachyon condensation with bulk fields. We study the structure of defects in this toy model, and simulate their formation and evolution on the lattice. We find that, while the energetics and interactions of defects are influenced by the size of the extra dimension and the bulk-brane coupling, the bulk-brane coupling does not prevent the formation of a defect network.
14113044
Transport coefficients in large Nf gauge theory: testing hard thermal loops
We compute shear viscosity and flavor diffusion coefficients for ultra-relativistic gauge theory with many fermionic species, Nf >> 1, to leading order in 1/Nf. The calculation is performed both at leading order in the effective coupling strength g2Nf, using the Hard Thermal Loop (HTL) approximation, and completely to all orders in g2Nf. This constitutes a nontrivial test of how well the HTL approximation works. We find that in this context, the HTL approximation works well wherever the renormalization point sensitivity of the leading order HTL result is small.
16445189
Chern-Simons number diffusion and hard thermal loops on the lattice
We develop a discrete lattice implementation of the hard thermal loop effective action by the method of added auxiliary fields. We use the resulting model to measure the sphaleron rate (topological susceptibility) of Yang-Mills theory at weak coupling. Our results give parametric behavior in accord with the arguments of Arnold, Son, and Yaffe, and are in quantitative agreement with the results of Moors, Hu, and Muller.
14194814
TRANSPORT COEFFICIENTS AT LEADING ORDER: KINETIC THEORY VERSUS DIAGRAMS
I review what is required to compute transport coefficients in ultra-relativistic, weakly coupled gauge theories, at leading order in $g$, using kinetic theory. Then I discuss how the calculation would look in alternative approaches: the 2PI method, and direct diagrammatic analysis. I argue that the 2PI method may be a good way to derive the kinetic theory, but is not very useful directly (in a gauge theory). The diagrammatic approach is almost hopeless.
118471367
Decoherence due to the horizon after inflation
The fluctuations in the inflaton field at the end of inflation which seed the density perturbations are prepared in a pure quantum state. It is generally assumed that some physics causes this pure state to decohere so that it should be treated probabilistically. We show that the entanglement entropy between the universe inside our observable horizon and that outside our horizon is sufficient to do this. For the modes which are super-Hubble at the end of inflation, this entanglement entropy grows with volume inside the horizon, rather than with the horizon's area, and is proportional to the number of e-folds since Hubble crossing.