26 research outputs found
A prototype for dS/CFT
We consider dS_2/CFT_1 where the asymptotic symmetry group of the de Sitter
spacetime contains the Virasoro algebra. We construct representations of the
Virasoro algebra realized in the Fock space of a massive scalar field in de
Sitter, built as excitations of the Euclidean vacuum state. These
representations are unitary, without highest weight, and have vanishing central
charge. They provide a prototype for a new class of conformal field theories
dual to de Sitter backgrounds in string theory. The mapping of operators in the
CFT to bulk quantities is described in detail. We comment on the extension to
dS_3/CFT_2.Comment: 17 pages, revtex
The milliarcsecond-scale jet of PKS 0735+178 during quiescence
We present polarimetric 5 GHz to 43 GHz VLBI observations of the BL Lacertae
object PKS 0735+178, spanning March 1996 to May 2000. Comparison with previous
and later observations suggests that the overall kinematic and structural
properties of the jet are greatly influenced by its activity. Time intervals of
enhanced activity, as reported before 1993 and after 2000 by other studies, are
followed by highly superluminal motion along a rectilinear jet. In contrast the
less active state in which we performed our observations, shows subluminal or
slow superluminal jet features propagating through a twisted jet with two sharp
bends of about 90 deg. within the innermost three-milliarcsecond jet structure.
Proper motion estimates from the data presented here allow us to constrain the
jet viewing angle to values < 9 deg., and the bulk Lorentz factor to be between
2 and 4.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
Statistical entropy of three-dimensional q-deformed Kerr-de Sitter space
A quantum deformation of three-dimensional de Sitter space was proposed in
hep-th/0407188. We use this to calculate the entropy of Kerr-de Sitter space,
using a canonical ensemble, and find agreement with the semiclassical result.Comment: 11 pages, revtex, (v2, reference added
Compactification near and on the light front
We address problems associated with compactification near and on the light
front. In perturbative scalar field theory we illustrate and clarify the
relationships among three approaches: (1) quantization on a space-like surface
close to a light front; (2) infinite momentum frame calculations; and (3)
quantization on the light front. Our examples emphasize the difference between
zero modes in space-like quantization and those in light front quantization. In
particular, in perturbative calculations of scalar field theory using
discretized light cone quantization there are well-known ``zero-mode induced''
interaction terms. However, we show that they decouple in the continuum limit
and covariant answers are reproduced. Thus compactification of a light-like
surface is feasible and defines a consistent field theory.Comment: 24 pages, 4 figure
Energy Loss of Gluons, Baryons and k-Quarks in an N=4 SYM Plasma
We consider different types of external color sources that move through a
strongly-coupled thermal N=4 super-Yang-Mills plasma, and calculate, via the
AdS/CFT correspondence, the dissipative force (or equivalently, the rate of
energy loss) they experience. A bound state of k quarks in the totally
antisymmetric representation is found to feel a force with a nontrivial
k-dependence. Our result for k=1 (or k=N-1) agrees at large N with the one
obtained recently by Herzog et al. and Gubser, but contains in addition an
infinite series of 1/N corrections. The baryon (k=N) is seen to experience no
drag. Finally, a heavy gluon is found to be subject to a force which at large N
is twice as large as the one experienced by a heavy quark, in accordance with
gauge theory expectations.Comment: Latex 2e, 24 pages, 1 eps figure; v2: slightly amplified discussion
on the relation between the drag force and the tension of a spatial Wilson
loop; v3: minor changes, version to appear in JHE
Drag Force in a Charged N=4 SYM Plasma
Following recent developments, we employ the AdS/CFT correspondence to
determine the drag force exerted on an external quark that moves through an N=4
super-Yang-Mills plasma with a non-zero R-charge density (or, equivalently, a
non-zero chemical potential). We find that the drag force is larger than in the
case where the plasma is neutral, but the dependence on the charge is
non-monotonic.Comment: 16 pages, 1 eps figure; v2: references added, typos fixed; v3: more
general ansatz, new nontrivial solution obtained, nonmonotonicity of the drag
force made explicit in new figure, version to appear in JHE
A new twist on dS/CFT
We stress that the dS/CFT correspondence should be formulated using unitary
principal series representations of the de Sitter isometry group/conformal
group, rather than highest-weight representations as originally proposed. These
representations, however, are infinite-dimensional, and so do not account for
the finite gravitational entropy of de Sitter space in a natural way. We then
propose to replace the classical isometry group by a q-deformed version. This
is carried out in detail for two-dimensional de Sitter and we find that the
unitary principal series representations deform to finite-dimensional unitary
representations of the quantum group. We believe this provides a promising
microscopic framework to account for the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of de
Sitter space.Comment: 21 pages, revtex, v2 references adde
The Energy of a Moving Quark-Antiquark Pair in an N=4 SYM Plasma
We make use of the AdS/CFT correspondence to determine the energy of an
external quark-antiquark pair that moves through strongly-coupled thermal N=4
super-Yang-Mills plasma, both in the rest frame of the plasma and in the rest
frame of the pair. It is found that the pair feels no drag force, has an energy
that reproduces the expected 1/L (or gamma/L) behavior at small quark-antiquark
separations, and becomes unbound beyond a certain screening length whose
velocity-dependence we determine. We discuss the relation between the
high-velocity limit of our results and the lightlike Wilson loop proposed
recently as a definition of the jet-quenching parameter.Comment: LaTeX 2e, 27 pages, 8 eps figures; v2: added computation of the pair
energy in the plasma rest frame, clarified the comparison with
hep-ph/0607062, corrected typos, added reference