Effective actions at finite temperature

This is a more detailed version of our recent paper where we proposed, from first principles, a direct method for evaluating the exact fermion propagator in the presence of a general background field at finite temperature. This can, in turn, be used to determine the finite temperature effective action for the system. As applications, we discuss the complete one loop finite temperature effective actions for 0+1 dimensional QED as well as for the Schwinger model in detail. These effective actions, which are derived in the real time (closed time path) formalism, generate systematically all the Feynman amplitudes calculated in thermal perturbation theory and also show that the retarded (advanced) amplitudes vanish in these theories. Various other aspects of the problem are also discussed in detail.Comment: 9 pages, revtex, 1 figure, references adde

Effective Actions for 0+1 Dimensional Scalar QED and its SUSY Generalization at T≠0T\neq 0

We compute the effective actions for the 0+1 dimensional scalar field interacting with an Abelian gauge background, as well as for its supersymmetric generalization at finite temperature.Comment: 5 pages, Latex fil

A Nonstandard Supersymmetric KP Hierarchy

We show that the supersymmetric nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation can be written as a constrained super KP flow in a nonstandard representation of the Lax equation. We construct the conserved charges and show that this system reduces to the super mKdV equation with appropriate identifications. We construct various flows generated by the general nonstandard super Lax equation and show that they contain both the KP and mKP flows in the bosonic limits. This nonstandard supersymmetric KP hierarchy allows us to construct a new super KP equation which is nonlocal.Comment: 18 pages, plain TeX, UR-1367, ER-40685-81

Hard thermal effective action in QCD through the thermal operator

Through the application of the thermal operator to the zero temperature retarded Green's functions, we derive in a simple way the well known hard thermal effective action in QCD. By relating these functions to forward scattering amplitudes for on-shell particles, this derivation also clarifies the origin of important properties of the hard thermal effective action, such as the manifest Lorentz and gauge invariance of its integrand.Comment: 6 pages, contribution of the quarks to the effective action included and one reference added, version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Duality, Monodromy and Integrability of Two Dimensional String Effective Action

The monodromy matrix, ${\hat{\cal M}}$, is constructed for two dimensional tree level string effective action. The pole structure of ${\hat{\cal M}}$ is derived using its factorizability property. It is found that the monodromy matrix transforms non-trivially under the non-compact T-duality group, which leaves the effective action invariant and this can be used to construct the monodromy matrix for more complicated backgrounds starting from simpler ones. We construct, explicitly, ${\hat{\cal M}}$ for the exactly solvable Nappi-Witten model, both when B=0 and $B\neq 0$, where these ideas can be directly checked. We consider well known charged black hole solutions in the heterotic string theory which can be generated by T-duality transformations from a spherically symmetric `seed' Schwarzschild solution. We construct the monodromy matrix for the Schwarzschild black hole background of the heterotic string theory.Comment: 20 pages, to be published in Physical Review

Open Membranes, p-Branes and Noncommutativity of Boundary String Coordinates

We study the dynamics of an open membrane with a cylindrical topology, in the background of a constant three form, whose boundary is attached to p-branes. The boundary closed string is coupled to a two form potential to ensure gauge invariance. We use the action, due to Bergshoeff, London and Townsend, to study the noncommutativity properties of the boundary string coordinates. The constrained Hamiltonian formalism due to Dirac is used to derive the noncommutativity of coordinates. The chain of constraints is found to be finite for a suitable gauge choice, unlike the case of the static gauge, where the chain has an infinite sequence of terms. It is conjectured that the formulation of closed string field theory may necessitate introduction of a star product which is both noncommutative and nonassociative.Comment: 32page

Quantization in a General Light-front Frame

In this paper, we study the question of quantization of quantum field theories in a general light-front frame. We quantize scalar, fermion as well as gauge field theories in a systematic manner carrying out the Hamiltonian analysis carefully. The decomposition of the fields into positive and negative frequency terms needs to be done carefully after which we show that the (anti) commutation relations for the quantum operators become frame independent. The frame dependence is completely contained in the functions multiplying these operators in the field decomposition. We derive the propagators from the vacuum expectation values of the time ordered products of the fields.Comment: 14 pages, revtex, version to be published in Phys. Rev. D with the discussion of Abelian field quantization replaced by the non-Abelian field and some comments added on the Mandelstam-Liebbrandt prescriptio

Exact Effective Action for (1+1 Dimensional) Fermions in an Abelian Background at Finite Temperature

In an effort to further understand the structure of effective actions for fermions in an external gauge background at finite temperature, we study the example of 1+1 dimensional fermions interacting with an arbitrary Abelian gauge field. We evaluate the effective action exactly at finite temperature. This effective action is non-analytic as is expected at finite temperature. However, contrary to the structure at zero temperature and contrary to naive expectations, the effective action at finite temperature has interactions to all (even) orders (which, however, do not lead to any quantum corrections). The covariant structure thus obtained may prove useful in studying 2+1 dimensional models in arbitrary backgrounds. We also comment briefly on the solubility of various 1+1 dimensional models at finite temperature.Comment: A few clarifying remarks added;21 page

Electronic phase separation due to magnetic polaron formation in the semimetallic ferromagnet EuB6_6 - A weakly-nonlinear-transport study

We report measurements of weakly nonlinear electronic transport, as measured by third-harmonic voltage generation $V_{3\omega}$, in the low-carrier density semimetallic ferromagnet EuB$_6$, which exhibits an unusual magnetic ordering with two consecutive transitions at $T_{c_1} = 15.6$\,K and $T_{c_2} = 12.5$\,K. Upon cooling in zero magnetic field through the ferromagnetic transition, the dramatic drop in the linear resistivity at the upper transition $T_{c_1}$ coincides with the onset of nonlinearity, and upon further cooling is followed by a pronounced peak in $V_{3 \omega}$ at the lower transition $T_{c_2}$. Likewise, in the paramagnetic regime, a drop of the material's magnetoresistance $R(H)$ precedes a magnetic-field-induced peak in nonlinear transport. A striking observation is a linear temperature dependence of $V_{3\omega}^{\rm peak}(H)$. We suggest a picture where at the upper transition $T_{c_1}$ the coalescing MP form a conducting path giving rise to a strong decrease in the resistance. The MP formation sets in at around $T^\ast \sim 35$\,K below which these entities are isolated and strongly fluctuating, while growing in number. The MP then start to form links at $T_{c_1}$, where percolative electronic transport is observed. The MP merge and start forming a continuum at the threshold $T_{c_2}$. In the paramagnetic temperature regime $T_{c_1} < T < T^\ast$, MP percolation is induced by a magnetic field, and the threshold accompanied by charge carrier delocalization occurs at a single critical magnetization.Comment: to appear in J. Kor. Phys. Soc (ICM2012 conference contribution