Effective Potential for D-brane in Constant Electromagnetic Field

We discuss the one-loop effective potential and static (large $d$) potential for toroidal D-brane described by DBI-action in constant magnetic and in constant electric fields. Explicit calculation is done for membrane case ($p=2$) for both types of external fields and in case of static potential for an arbitrary $p$. In the case of one-loop potential it is found that the presence of magnetic background may stabilize D-brane giving the possibility for non-pointlike ground state configuration. On the same time, constant electrical field acts against stabilization and the correspondent one-loop potential is unbounded from below. The properties of static potential which also has stable minimum are described in detail. The back-reaction of quantum gauge fields to one-loop potential is also evaluated.Comment: LaTeX file,17 pages, few misprints and mistakes are correcte

Scale Factor Duality: A Quantum Cosmological Approach

We consider the minisuperspace model arising from the lowest order string effective action containing the graviton and the dilaton and study solutions of the resulting Wheeler-Dewitt equation. The scale factor duality symmetry is discussed in the context of our quantum cosmological model.Comment: 10 pages, plain tex, uses panda.tex (appended

Graviton propagator from background-independent quantum gravity

We study the graviton propagator in euclidean loop quantum gravity, using the spinfoam formalism. We use boundary-amplitude and group-field-theory techniques, and compute one component of the propagator to first order, under a number of approximations, obtaining the correct spacetime dependence. In the large distance limit, the only term of the vertex amplitude that contributes is the exponential of the Regge action: the other terms, that have raised doubts on the physical viability of the model, are suppressed by the phase of the vacuum state, which is determined by the extrinsic geometry of the boundary.Comment: 6 pages. Substantially revised second version. Improved boundary state ansat

A physiological basis for visual discomfort: Application in lighting design

Visual discomfort occurs when the statistics of the retinal image depart from those of natural scenes, particularly in respect of an excess energy at spatial frequencies close to 3 cycles/degree. Computer models suggest that uncomfortable stimuli are processed with a larger and less sparse neural response. Uncomfortable stimuli usually evoke a relatively large oxygenation of the visual cortex of the brain, consistent with inefficient neural encoding. The discomfort may be homeostatic. The neural computation that sustains sight is therefore likely to be more complex when the visual scene is spatially periodic, when the colour contrast is high or when saccadic suppression is impaired by flicker that is too rapid to be seen. </jats:p

Ring-shaped exact Hopf solitons

The existence of ring-like structures in exact hopfion solutions is shown.Comment: version accepted for publication in JMP, includes symmetry transformation for finite paramete

The Noncommutative Supersymmetric Nonlinear Sigma Model

We show that the noncommutativity of space-time destroys the renormalizability of the 1/N expansion of the O(N) Gross-Neveu model. A similar statement holds for the noncommutative nonlinear sigma model. However, we show that, up to the subleading order in 1/N expansion, the noncommutative supersymmetric O(N) nonlinear sigma model becomes renormalizable in D=3. We also show that dynamical mass generation is restored and there is no catastrophic UV/IR mixing. Unlike the commutative case, we find that the Lagrange multiplier fields, which enforce the supersymmetric constraints, are also renormalized. For D=2 the divergence of the four point function of the basic scalar field, which in D=3 is absent, cannot be eliminated by means of a counterterm having the structure of a Moyal product.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, revtex, minor modifications in the text, references adde

Toroidal Soliton Solutions in O(3)^N Nonlinear Sigma Model

A set of N three component unit scalar fields in (3+1) Minkowski space-time is investigated. The highly nonlinear coupling between them is chosen to omit the scaling instabilities. The multi-soliton static configurations with arbitrary Hopf numbers are found. Moreover, the generalized version of the Vakulenko-Kapitansky inequality is obtained. The possibility of attractive, repulsing and noninteracting channels is discussed.Comment: to be published in Mod. Phys. Lett.

Fermionic Determinant of the Massive Schwinger Model

A representation for the fermionic determinant of the massive Schwinger model, or $QED_2$, is obtained that makes a clean separation between the Schwinger model and its massive counterpart. From this it is shown that the index theorem for $QED_2$ follows from gauge invariance, that the Schwinger model's contribution to the determinant is canceled in the weak field limit, and that the determinant vanishes when the field strength is sufficiently strong to form a zero-energy bound state