I-adic towers in topology

A large variety of cohomology theories is derived from complex cobordism MU^*(-) by localizing with respect to certain elements or by killing regular sequences in MU_*. We study the relationship between certain pairs of such theories which differ by a regular sequence, by constructing topological analogues of algebraic I-adic towers. These give rise to Higher Bockstein spectral sequences, which turn out to be Adams spectral sequences in an appropriate sense. Particular attention is paid to the case of completed Johnson--Wilson theory E(n)-hat and Morava K-theory K(n) for a given prime p.Comment: Published by Algebraic and Geometric Topology at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/agt/AGTVol5/agt-5-65.abs.htm

Bethe Ansatz Matrix Elements as Non-Relativistic Limits of Form Factors of Quantum Field Theory

We show that the matrix elements of integrable models computed by the Algebraic Bethe Ansatz can be put in direct correspondence with the Form Factors of integrable relativistic field theories. This happens when the S-matrix of a Bethe Ansatz model can be regarded as a suitable non-relativistic limit of the S-matrix of a field theory, and when there is a well-defined mapping between the Hilbert spaces and operators of the two theories. This correspondence provides an efficient method to compute matrix elements of Bethe Ansatz integrable models, overpassing the technical difficulties of their direct determination. We analyze this correspondence for the simplest example in which it occurs, i.e. the Quantum Non-Linear Schrodinger and the Sinh-Gordon models.Comment: 10 page

The structure of maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory: constraining higher-order corrections

We solve the superspace Bianchi identities for ten-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory without imposing any kind of constraints apart from the standard conventional one. In this way we obtain a set of algebraic conditions on certain fields which in the on-shell theory are constructed as composite ones out of the physical fields. These conditions must hence be satisfied by any kind of theory in ten dimensions invariant under supersymmetry and some, abelian or non-abelian, gauge symmetry. Deformations of the ordinary SYM theory (as well as the fields) are identified as elements of a certain spinorial cohomology, giving control over field redefinitions and the distinction between physically relevant higher-order corrections and those removable by field redefinitions. The conditions derived severely constrain theories involving F^2-level terms plus higher-order corrections, as for instance those derived from open strings as effective gauge theories on D-branes.Comment: plain tex, 18 pp., 3 fig

Spectral numbers in Floer theories

The chain complexes underlying Floer homology theories typically carry a real-valued filtration, allowing one to associate to each Floer homology class a spectral number defined as the infimum of the filtration levels of chains representing that class. These spectral numbers have been studied extensively in the case of Hamiltonian Floer homology by Oh, Schwarz, and others. We prove that the spectral number associated to any nonzero Floer homology class is always finite, and that the infimum in the definition of the spectral number is always attained. In the Hamiltonian case, this implies that what is known as the ``nondegenerate spectrality'' axiom holds on all closed symplectic manifolds. Our proofs are entirely algebraic and apply to any Floer-type theory (including Novikov homology) satisfying certain standard formal properties. The key ingredient is a theorem about the existence of best approximations of arbitrary elements of finitely generated free modules over Novikov rings by elements of prescribed submodules with respect to a certain family of non-Archimedean metrics.Comment: The main algebraic lemma (the former Theorem 1.6) has been given a more general statement and a shorter proof. This allows us to generalize the main results to cover Floer theories with integral or local coefficients. Submitted version. 13 page

Towards the most general scalar-tensor theories of gravity: a unified approach in the language of differential forms

We use a description based on differential forms to systematically explore the space of scalar-tensor theories of gravity. Within this formalism, we propose a basis for the scalar sector at the lowest order in derivatives of the field and in any number of dimensions. This minimal basis is used to construct a finite and closed set of Lagrangians describing general scalar-tensor theories invariant under Local Lorentz Transformations in a pseudo-Riemannian manifold, which contains ten physically distinct elements in four spacetime dimensions. Subsequently, we compute their corresponding equations of motion and find which combinations are at most second order in derivatives in four as well as arbitrary number of dimensions. By studying the possible exact forms (total derivatives) and algebraic relations between the basis components, we discover that there are only four Lagrangian combinations producing second order equations, which can be associated with Horndeski's theory. In this process, we identify a new second order Lagrangian, named kinetic Gauss-Bonnet, that was not previously considered in the literature. However, we show that its dynamics is already contained in Horndeski's theory. Finally, we provide a full classification of the relations between different second order theories. This allows us to clarify, for instance, the connection between different covariantizations of Galileons theory. In conclusion, our formulation affords great computational simplicity with a systematic structure. As a first step we focus on theories with second order equations of motion. However, this new formalism aims to facilitate advances towards unveiling the most general scalar-tensor theories.Comment: 28 pages, 1 figure, version published in PRD (minor changes

Anyons in discrete gauge theories with Chern-Simons terms

We study the effect of a Chern-Simons term in a theory with discrete gauge group H, which in (2+1)-dimensional space time describes (non-abelian) anyons. As in a previous paper, we emphasize the underlying algebraic structure, namely the Hopf algebra D(H). We argue on physical grounds that the addition of a Chern-Simons term in the action leads to a non-trivial 3-cocycle on D(H). Accordingly, the physically inequivalent models are labelled by the elements of the cohomology group H^3(H,U(1)). It depends periodically on the coefficient of the Chern-Simons term which model is realized. This establishes a relation with the discrete topological field theories of Dijkgraaf and Witten. Some representative examples are worked out explicitly.Comment: 18 page