5375662
D-brane solitons in supersymmetric sigma models
Massive $D=4,$ $N=2$ supersymmetric sigma models typically admit domain wall $(Q$-kink) solutions and string $(Q$-lump) solutions, both preserving 1/2 supersymmetry. We exhibit a new static 1/4 supersymmetric ``kink-lump'' solution in which a string ends on a wall, and show that it has an effective realization as a bion of the $D=4$ super DBI action. It is also shown to have a time-dependent Q-kink-lump generalization which reduces to the Q lump in a limit corresponding to infinite BI magnetic field. All these 1/4 supersymmetric sigma-model solitons are shown to be realized in M theory as calibrated, or ``$Q$ calibrated,'' M5-branes in an M-monopole background.
8193278
Mirror symmetry and toric geometry in three-dimensional gauge theories
We study three dimensional gauge theories with = 2 supersymmetry. We show that the Coulomb branches of such theories may be rendered compact by the dynamical generation of Chern-Simons terms and present a new class of mirror symmetric theories in which both Coulomb and Higgs branches have a natural description in terms of toric geometry.
10464021
Monopoles, vortices, domain walls and D-branes: The Rules of interaction
Non-abelian gauge theories in the Higgs phase admit a startling variety of BPS solitons. These include domain walls, vortex strings, confined monopoles threaded on vortex strings, vortex strings ending on domain walls, monopoles threaded on strings ending on domain walls, and more. After presenting a self-contained review of these objects, including several new results on the dynamics of domain walls, we go on to examine the possible interactions of solitons of various types. We point out the existence of a classical binding energy when the string ends on the domain wall which can be thought of as a BPS boojum with negative mass. We present an index theorem for domain walls in non-abelian gauge theories. We also answer questions such as: Which strings can end on which walls? What happens when monopoles pass through domain walls? What happens when domain walls pass through each other?
5446804
Superconformal vortex strings
We study the low-energy dynamics of semi-classical vortex strings living above Argyres-Douglas superconformal field theories. The worldsheet theory of the string is shown to be a deformation of the CPN model which flows in the infra-red to a superconformal minimal model. The scaling dimensions of chiral primary operators are determined and the dimensions of the associated relevant perturbations on the worldsheet and in the four dimensional bulk are found to agree. The vortex string thereby provides a map between the A-series of N=2 superconformal theories in two and four dimensions.
119234030
The partonic nature of instantons
In both Yang-Mills theories and sigma models, instantons are endowed with degrees of freedom associated to their scale size and orientation. It has long been conjectured that these degrees of freedom have a dual interpretation as the positions of partonic constituents of the instanton. These conjectures are usually framed in d = 3+1 and d = 1+1 dimensions respectively where the partons are supposed to be responsible for confinement and other strong coupling phenomena. We revisit this partonic interpretation of instantons in the context of d = 4+1 and d = 2+1 dimensions. Here the instantons are particle-like solitons and the theories are non-renormalizable. We present an explicit and calculable model in d = 2+1 dimensions where the single soliton in the CPN sigma-model can be shown to be a multi-particle state whose partons are identified with the ultra-violet degrees of freedom which render the theory well-defined at high energies. We introduce a number of methods which reveal the partons inside the soliton, including deforming the sigma model and a dual version of the Bogomolnyi equations. We conjecture that partons inside Yang-Mills instantons hold the key to understanding the ultra-violet completion of five-dimensional gauge theories.
8445809
Brane potentials and moduli spaces
It is shown that the supergravity moduli spaces of D1-D5 and D2-D6 brane systems coincide with those of the Coulomb branches of the associated non-abelian gauge theories. We further discuss situations in which worldvolume brane actions include a potential term generated by probing certain supergravity backgrounds. We find that in many cases, the appearance of the potential is due to the application of the Scherk-Schwarz mechanism. We give some examples and discuss the existence of novel supersymmetric brane configurations.
34294357
Sufficiency criterion for the validity of the adiabatic approximation.
We examine the quantitative condition which has been widely used as a criterion for the adiabatic approximation but was recently found insufficient. Our results indicate that the usual quantitative condition is sufficient for a special class of quantum mechanical systems. For general systems, it may not be sufficient, but it, along with additional conditions, is sufficient. The usual quantitative condition and the additional conditions constitute a general criterion for the validity of the adiabatic approximation, which is applicable to all N-dimensional quantum systems. Moreover, we illustrate the use of the general quantitative criterion in some physical models.
120083078
THERE EXIST DIFFERENT PROPOSALS FOR RELATIVISTIC TEMPERATURE TRANSFORMATION: THE WHYS AND WHEREFORES
In this letter, by using the properties of the entropy function and the fundamental equation of thermodynamics, we discuss the reasons that there exist different proposals for relativistic temperature transformation. Further, we illustrate this point by studying a concrete thermodynamic system-blackbody radiation.
3058516
Quantitative conditions do not guarantee the validity of the adiabatic approximation.
In this Letter, we point out that the widely used quantitative conditions in the adiabatic theorem are insufficient in that they do not guarantee the validity of the adiabatic approximation. We also reexamine the inconsistency issue raised by Marzlin and Sanders [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 160408 (2004)] and elucidate the underlying cause.