Quantum Fields in a Big Crunch/Big Bang Spacetime

We consider quantum field theory on a spacetime representing the Big Crunch/Big Bang transition postulated in the ekpyrotic or cyclic cosmologies. We show via several independent methods that an essentially unique matching rule holds connecting the incoming state, in which a single extra dimension shrinks to zero, to the outgoing state in which it re-expands at the same rate. For free fields in our construction there is no particle production from the incoming adiabatic vacuum. When interactions are included the total particle production for fixed external momentum is finite at tree level. We discuss a formal correspondence between our construction and quantum field theory on de Sitter spacetime.Comment: 30 pages, RevTex file, five postscript figure file

Dictionary matching in a stream

We consider the problem of dictionary matching in a stream. Given a set of strings, known as a dictionary, and a stream of characters arriving one at a time, the task is to report each time some string in our dictionary occurs in the stream. We present a randomised algorithm which takes O(log log(k + m)) time per arriving character and uses O(k log m) words of space, where k is the number of strings in the dictionary and m is the length of the longest string in the dictionary

Vacuum energy in conical space with additional boundary conditions

Total vacuum energy of some quantized fields in conical space with additional boundary conditions is calculated. These conditions are imposed on a cylindrical surface which is coaxial with the symmetry axis of conical space. The explicit form of the matching conditions depends on the field under consideration. In the case of electromagnetic field, the perfectly conducting boundary conditions or isorefractive matching conditions are imposed on the cylindrical surface. For a massless scalar field, the semi-transparent conditions ($\delta$-potential) on the cylindrical shell are investigated. As a result, the total Casimir energy of electromagnetic field and scalar field, per a unit length along the symmetry axis, proves to be finite unlike the case of an infinitely thin cosmic string. In these studies the spectral zeta functions are widely used. It is shown briefly how to apply this technique for obtaining the asymptotics of the relevant thermodynamical functions in the high temperature limit.Comment: 29 pages, 2 figures, the title was changed for a more adequate one, the abstract was rewritten, a few typos and minor grammar mistakes were correcte

Dual String Pairs With N=1 And N=2 Supersymmetry In Four Dimensions

Based on a simple adiabatic argument and by considering the heterotic string counterpart of certain symmetries of Type II superstrings such as $(-1)^{F_L}$ and orientation reversal, we construct orbifold candidates for dual pairs of heterotic and Type II string theories with $N=2$ and $N=1$ supersymmetry. We also analyze from a similar point of view the ${\rm K3}$ fibrations that enter in recently proposed $N=2$ candidates and use this structure together with certain orientation-reversing symmetries to construct $N=1$ dual pairs. These pairs involve generalizations of Type I vacua which can be equivalent to $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic strings, while standard Type I vacua are related to $SO(32)$.Comment: 40 page