A New Family of Solvable Self-Dual Lie Algebras

A family of solvable self-dual Lie algebras is presented. There exist a few methods for the construction of non-reductive self-dual Lie algebras: an orthogonal direct product, a double-extension of an Abelian algebra, and a Wigner contraction. It is shown that the presented algebras cannot be obtained by these methods.Comment: LaTeX, 12 page

Models for unitary black hole disintegration

Simple models for unitary black hole evolution are given in an effective Hilbert-space description, parameterizing a possible minimal relaxation of locality, with respect to semiclassical black hole geometry.Comment: 7 pages of text, plus refs. v2: minor rev

Heterotic Anomaly Cancellation in Five Dimensions

We study the constraints on five-dimensional N=1 heterotic M-theory imposed by a consistent anomaly-free coupling of bulk and boundary theory. This requires analyzing the cancellation of triangle gauge anomalies on the four-dimensional orbifold planes due to anomaly inflow from the bulk. We find that the semi-simple part of the orbifold gauge groups and certain U(1) symmetries have to be free of quantum anomalies. In addition there can be several anomalous U(1) symmetries on each orbifold plane whose anomalies are cancelled by a non-trivial variation of the bulk vector fields. The mixed U(1) non-abelian anomaly is universal and there is at most one U(1) symmetry with such an anomaly on each plane. In an alternative approach, we also analyze the coupling of five-dimensional gauged supergravity to orbifold gauge theories. We find a somewhat generalized structure of anomaly cancellation in this case which allows, for example, non-universal mixed U(1) gauge anomalies. Anomaly cancellation from the perspective of four-dimensional N=1 effective actions obtained from E_8xE_8 heterotic string- or M-theory by reduction on a Calabi-Yau three-fold is studied as well. The results are consistent with the ones found for five-dimensional heterotic M-theory. Finally, we consider some related issues of phenomenological interest such as model building with anomalous U(1) symmetries, Fayet-Illiopoulos terms and threshold corrections to gauge kinetic functions.Comment: 46 pages, Late

The Structure of Conserved Charges in Open Spin Chains

We study the local conserved charges in integrable spin chains of the XYZ type with nontrivial boundary conditions. The general structure of these charges consists of a bulk part, whose density is identical to that of a periodic chain, and a boundary part. In contrast with the periodic case, only charges corresponding to interactions of even number of spins exist for the open chain. Hence, there are half as many charges in the open case as in the closed case. For the open spin-1/2 XY chain, we derive the explicit expressions of all the charges. For the open spin-1/2 XXX chain, several lowest order charges are presented and a general method of obtaining the boundary terms is indicated. In contrast with the closed case, the XXX charges cannot be described in terms of a Catalan tree pattern.Comment: 22 pages, harvmac.tex (minor clarifications and reference corrections added

QED in the worldline representation

Simultaneously with inventing the modern relativistic formalism of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman presented also a first-quantized representation of QED in terms of worldline path integrals. Although this alternative formulation has been studied over the years by many authors, only during the last fifteen years it has acquired some popularity as a computational tool. I will shortly review here three very different techniques which have been developed during the last few years for the evaluation of worldline path integrals, namely (i) the ``string-inspired formalism'', based on the use of worldline Green functions, (ii) the numerical ``worldline Monte Carlo formalism'', and (iii) the semiclassical ``worldline instanton'' approach.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, talk given at VI Latinamerican Symposium on High Energy Physics, Nov. 1-8, 2006, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; references added and corrected (no other changes

Doubly-Fluctuating BPS Solutions in Six Dimensions

We analyze the BPS solutions of minimal supergravity coupled to an anti-self-dual tensor multiplet in six dimensions and find solutions that fluctuate non-trivially as a function of two variables. We consider families of solutions coming from KKM monopoles fibered over Gibbons-Hawking metrics or, equivalently, non-trivial T^2 fibrations over an R3 base. We find smooth microstate geometries that depend upon many functions of one variable, but each such function depends upon a different direction inside the T^2 so that the complete solution depends non-trivially upon the whole T^2 . We comment on the implications of our results for the construction of a general superstratum.Comment: 24 page

Root systems from Toric Calabi-Yau Geometry. Towards new algebraic structures and symmetries in physics?

The algebraic approach to the construction of the reflexive polyhedra that yield Calabi-Yau spaces in three or more complex dimensions with K3 fibres reveals graphs that include and generalize the Dynkin diagrams associated with gauge symmetries. In this work we continue to study the structure of graphs obtained from $CY_3$ reflexive polyhedra. We show how some particularly defined integral matrices can be assigned to these diagrams. This family of matrices and its associated graphs may be obtained by relaxing the restrictions on the individual entries of the generalized Cartan matrices associated with the Dynkin diagrams that characterize Cartan-Lie and affine Kac-Moody algebras. These graphs keep however the affine structure, as it was in Kac-Moody Dynkin diagrams. We presented a possible root structure for some simple cases. We conjecture that these generalized graphs and associated link matrices may characterize generalizations of these algebras.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figure

A Solution to the Lorentzian Quantum Reality Problem

The quantum reality problem is that of finding a mathematically precise definition of a sample space of configurations of beables, events, histories, paths, or other mathematical objects, and a corresponding probability distribution, for any given closed quantum system. Given a solution, we can postulate that physical reality is described by one randomly chosen configuration drawn from the sample space. For a physically sensible solution, this postulate should imply quasiclassical physics in realistic models. In particular, it should imply the validity of Copenhagen quantum theory and classical dynamics in their respective domains. A Lorentzian solution applies to relativistic quantum theory or quantum field theory in Minkowski space and is defined in a way that respects Lorentz symmetry. We outline a new solution to the non-relativistic and Lorentzian quantum reality problems, and associated new generalizations of quantum theory