36171624
Relativistic bubble dynamics: From cosmic inflation to hadronic bags.
In this paper we develop the complete theory of the relativistic motion of a singular layer of matter under the influence of surface tension and volume tension. In order to account for vacuum tension effects we suggest a formalism of universal applicability: the single degree of freedom of a relativistic ``bubble'' is coupled in a gauge-invariant manner to a potential three-form A in the presence of gravity. The mathematical and physical consequences of this coupling can be summarized as follows. (i) The action functional of the theory, when written in geometric form, is formally quite similar to the Einstein-Maxwell action for the dynamics of a point charge on a Riemannian manifold. However, in comparison with electrodynamics, bubble dynamics is a highly constrained theory with a vastly different physical content: the gauge field F=dA propagates no degrees of freedom and when it is coupled to gravity alone, it gives rise to a cosmological constant of arbitrary magnitude. (ii) We exploit this peculiar property of the gauge field to solve exactly some of the equations of motion of bubble dynamics. The net physical result is the nucleation of bubbles in different ``vacuum phases'' of the de Sitter type characterized by two effective and distinct cosmological constants, one inside and one outside the domain wall. (iii) Because of the generality of the above mechanism, the theory is applicable to a variety of different physical situations; in the case of a spherical bubble we derive the radial equation of motion and solve it explicitly in a number of cases of physical interest ranging from cosmology to particle physics. Thus, in curved spacetime we find that our action functional provides a natural basis for the so-called inflationary cosmology; in flat spacetime we find that our action functional generates the same vacuum tension advocated in the so-called ``bag model'' of strong interactions in order to confine quarks and gluons.
461049
Testing the Equivalence Principle in the Quantum Regime
We consider possible tests of the Einstein Equivalence Principle for physical systems in which quantum-mechanical vacuum energies cannot be neglected. Specific tests include a search for the manifestation of non-metric effects in Lamb-shift transitions of hydrogenic atoms and in anomalous magnetic moments of massive leptons. We discuss how current experiments already set bounds on the violation of the equivalence principle in this sector and how new (high-precision) measurements of these quantities could provide further information to this end.
120488665
Lowest dimensional gravity
119063280
Quasilocal energy and naked black holes
We extend the Brown and York notion of quasilocal energy to include coupled electromagnetic and dilaton fields and also allow for spatial boundaries that are not orthogonal to the foliation of the spacetime. We investigate how the quasilocal quantities measured by sets of observers transform with respect to boosts. As a natural application of this work we investigate the naked black holes of Horowitz and Ross calculating the quasilocal energies measured by static versus infalling observers.
122503780
PERTURBED W3 CONFORMAL THEORIES AND SPIN-4/3 PARAFERMIONIC COSET MODELS
Renormalization group flows in W3, conformal theories are analyzed in relation to the ones in spin-4/3 parafermionic coset models and some of the operator content for new fixed points is identified.
119405301
Infinite Blueshift of Charged Null Particles
We demonstrate that charged null particles can be infinitely blue\-shifted in a Kerr-Newman spacetime. The surface of infinite blueshift can be outside of the ergosphere in a Kerr-Newman spacetime, and outside of the outer event horizon for a Reissner-Nordstrom spacetime. Implications for extensions of the standard model which incorporate charged neutrinos are discussed.
36786038
Neutrino oscillations and the solar-neutrino problem.
The values of neutrino masses and mixing angles which are required by the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) solution to the solar-neutrino problem are found from analytic solutions to the neutrino propagation equations in the Sun. They coincide with those obtained through extensive numerical computations by Rosen and Gelb. They divide into three classes of oscillation parameters that can solve the solar-neutrino problem. The gallium solar-neutrino experiment will be able to test only two alternatives. However, the third alternative yields sizable oscillations of atmospheric neutrinos in Earth which can be detected by the massive deep-underground proton-decay detectors and neutrino telescopes. Finally, some solutions yield a sizable amplification of neutrino oscillations in Earth which change both the flavor and the spectrum of solar neutrinos that reach terrestrial detectors at night. The day-night modulation of the flux of solar neutrinos perhaps can be used to establish their solar origin in the radiochemical detectors and the MSW solution to the solar-neutrino problem.