Geometry and symmetries of multi-particle systems

The quantum dynamical evolution of atomic and molecular aggregates, from their compact to their fragmented states, is parametrized by a single collective radial parameter. Treating all the remaining particle coordinates in d dimensions democratically, as a set of angles orthogonal to this collective radius or by equivalent variables, bypasses all independent-particle approximations. The invariance of the total kinetic energy under arbitrary d-dimensional transformations which preserve the radial parameter gives rise to novel quantum numbers and ladder operators interconnecting its eigenstates at each value of the radial parameter. We develop the systematics and technology of this approach, introducing the relevant mathematics tutorially, by analogy to the familiar theory of angular momentum in three dimensions. The angular basis functions so obtained are treated in a manifestly coordinate-free manner, thus serving as a flexible generalized basis for carrying out detailed studies of wavefunction evolution in multi-particle systems.Comment: 37 pages, 2 eps figure

The exit-time problem for a Markov jump process

The purpose of this paper is to consider the exit-time problem for a finite-range Markov jump process, i.e, the distance the particle can jump is bounded independent of its location. Such jump diffusions are expedient models for anomalous transport exhibiting super-diffusion or nonstandard normal diffusion. We refer to the associated deterministic equation as a volume-constrained nonlocal diffusion equation. The volume constraint is the nonlocal analogue of a boundary condition necessary to demonstrate that the nonlocal diffusion equation is well-posed and is consistent with the jump process. A critical aspect of the analysis is a variational formulation and a recently developed nonlocal vector calculus. This calculus allows us to pose nonlocal backward and forward Kolmogorov equations, the former equation granting the various moments of the exit-time distribution.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure

Spinning Braid Group Representation and the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect

The path integral approach to representing braid group is generalized for particles with spin. Introducing the notion of {\em charged} winding number in the super-plane, we represent the braid group generators as homotopically constrained Feynman kernels. In this framework, super Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov operators appear naturally in the Hamiltonian, suggesting the possibility of {\em spinning nonabelian} anyons. We then apply our formulation to the study of fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE). A systematic discussion of the ground states and their quasi-hole excitations is given. We obtain Laughlin, Halperin and Moore-Read states as {\em exact} ground state solutions to the respective Hamiltonians associated to the braid group representations. The energy gap of the quasi-excitation is also obtainable from this approach.Comment: (36 pages) e-mail [email protected]

Half-Differentials and Fermion Propagators

From a geometric point of view, massless spinors in $3+1$ dimensions are composed of primary fields of weights $(\frac{1}{2},0)$ and $(0,\frac{1}{2})$, where the weights are defined with respect to diffeomorphisms of a sphere in momentum space. The Weyl equation thus appears as a consequence of the transformation behavior of local sections of half--canonical bundles under a change of charts. As a consequence, it is possible to impose covariant constraints on spinors of negative (positive) helicity in terms of (anti--)holomorphy conditions. Furthermore, the identification with half--differentials is employed to determine possible extensions of fermion propagators compatible with Lorentz covariance. This paper includes in particular the full derivation of the primary correlators needed in order to determine the fermion correlators.Comment: 22 pages, Latex, IASSNS-HEP-94/8

Chiral Deformations of Conformal Field Theories

We study general perturbations of two-dimensional conformal field theories by holomorphic fields. It is shown that the genus one partition function is controlled by a contact term (pre-Lie) algebra given in terms of the operator product expansion. These models have applications to vertex operator algebras, two-dimensional QCD, topological strings, holomorphic anomaly equations and modular properties of generalized characters of chiral algebras such as the $W_{1+\infty}$ algebra, that is treated in detail.Comment: 28 pages, late