306 research outputs found
Light-like Big Bang singularities in string and matrix theories
Important open questions in cosmology require a better understanding of the
Big Bang singularity. In string and matrix theories, light-like analogues of
cosmological singularities (singular plane wave backgrounds) turn out to be
particularly tractable. We give a status report on the current understanding of
such light-like Big Bang models, presenting both solved and open problems.Comment: 20 pages, invited review for Class. Quant. Grav; v3: section 2.3
shortened, discussion on DLCQ added in section 3.1, published versio
Quantum evolution across singularities: the case of geometrical resolutions
We continue the study of time-dependent Hamiltonians with an isolated
singularity in their time dependence, describing propagation on singular
space-times. In previous work, two of us have proposed a "minimal subtraction"
prescription for the simplest class of such systems, involving Hamiltonians
with only one singular term. On the other hand, Hamiltonians corresponding to
geometrical resolutions of space-time tend to involve multiple operator
structures (multiple types of dependence on the canonical variables) in an
essential way.
We consider some of the general properties of such (near-)singular
Hamiltonian systems, and further specialize to the case of a free scalar field
on a two-parameter generalization of the null-brane space-time. We find that
the singular limit of free scalar field evolution exists for a discrete subset
of the possible values of the two parameters. The coordinates we introduce
reveal a peculiar reflection property of scalar field propagation on the
generalized (as well as the original) null-brane. We further present a simple
family of pp-wave geometries whose singular limit is a light-like hyperplane
(discontinuously) reflecting the positions of particles as they pass through
it.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figur
Gravitational infall in the hard wall model
An infalling shell in the hard wall model provides a simple holographic model
for energy injection in a confining gauge theory. Depending on its parameters,
a scalar shell either collapses into a large black brane, or scatters between
the hard wall and the anti-de Sitter boundary. In the scattering regime, we
find numerical solutions that keep oscillating for as long as we have followed
their evolution, and we provide an analytic argument that shows that a black
brane can never be formed. This provides examples of states in infinite-volume
field theory that never thermalize. We find that the field theory expectation
value of a scalar operator keeps oscillating, with an amplitude that undergoes
modulation.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
D-Brane Potentials from Multi-Trace Deformations in AdS/CFT
It is known that certain AdS boundary conditions allow smooth initial data to
evolve into a big crunch. To study this type of cosmological singularity, one
can use the dual quantum field theory, where the non-standard boundary
conditions are reflected by the presence of a multi-trace potential unbounded
below. For specific AdS_4 and AdS_5 models, we provide a D-brane (or M-brane)
interpretation of the unbounded potential. Using probe brane computations, we
show that the AdS boundary conditions of interest cause spherical branes to be
pushed to the boundary of AdS in finite time, and that the corresponding
potential agrees with the multi-trace deformation of the dual field theory.
Systems with expanding spherical D3-branes are related to big crunch
supergravity solutions by a phenomenon similar to geometric transition.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figures, v4: a few typos fixed
Inhomogeneous holographic thermalization
The sudden injection of energy in a strongly coupled conformal field theory
and its subsequent thermalization can be holographically modeled by a shell
falling into anti-de Sitter space and forming a black brane. For a homogeneous
shell, Bhattacharyya and Minwalla were able to study this process analytically
using a weak field approximation. Motivated by event-by-event fluctuations in
heavy ion collisions, we include inhomogeneities in this model, obtaining
analytic results in a long wavelength expansion. In the early-time window in
which our approximations can be trusted, the resulting evolution matches well
with that of a simple free streaming model. Near the end of this time window,
we find that the stress tensor approaches that of second-order viscous
hydrodynamics. We comment on possible lessons for heavy ion phenomenology.Comment: 53 pages, 10 figures; v2: references adde
Inhomogeneous Thermalization in Strongly Coupled Field Theories
To describe theoretically the creation and evolution of the quark-gluon
plasma, one typically employs three ingredients: a model for the initial state,
non-hydrodynamic early time evolution, and hydrodynamics. In this paper we
study the non-hydrodynamic early time evolution using the AdS/CFT
correspondence in the presence of inhomogeneities. We find that the AdS
description of the early time evolution is well-matched by free streaming. Near
the end of the early time interval where our analytic computations are
reliable, the stress tensor agrees with the second order hydrodynamic stress
tensor computed from the local energy density and fluid velocity. Our
techniques may also be useful for the study of far-from-equilibrium strongly
coupled systems in other areas of physics.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; v2: minor clarifications and reference adde
One-Loop Effect of Null-Like Cosmology's Holographic Dual Super-Yang-Mills
We calculate the 1-loop effect in super-Yang-Mills which preserves
1/4-supersymmetries and is holographically dual to the null-like cosmology with
a big-bang singularity. Though the bosonic and fermionic spectra do not agree
precisely, we do obtain vanishing 1-loop vacuum energy for generic warped
plane-wave type backgrounds with a big-bang singularity. Moreover, we find that
the cosmological "constant" contributed either by bosons or fermions is
time-dependent. The issues about the particle production of some background and
about the UV structure are also commented. We argue that the effective higher
derivative interactions are suppressed as long as the Fourier transform of the
time-dependent coupling is UV-finite. Our result holds for scalar
configurations that are BPS but with arbitrary time-dependence. This suggests
the existence of non-renormalization theorem for such a new class of
time-dependent theories. Altogether, it implies that such a super-Yang-Mills is
scale-invariant, and that its dual bulk quantum gravity might behave regularly
near the big bang.Comment: 20 pages, v2 add comments and references, v3 clarify BPS condition &
add new discussion on particle production and UV structure, v4&v5 minor
changes, final to JHE
The non-Abelian gauge theory of matrix big bangs
We study at the classical and quantum mechanical level the time-dependent
Yang-Mills theory that one obtains via the generalisation of discrete
light-cone quantisation to singular homogeneous plane waves. The non-Abelian
nature of this theory is known to be important for physics near the
singularity, at least as far as the number of degrees of freedom is concerned.
We will show that the quartic interaction is always subleading as one
approaches the singularity and that close enough to t=0 the evolution is driven
by the diverging tachyonic mass term. The evolution towards asymptotically flat
space-time also reveals some surprising features.Comment: 29 pages, 8 eps figures, v2: minor changes, references added: v3
small typographical changes
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