Destabilization of Neutron Stars by Type I Dimension Bubbles

An inhomogeneous compactification of a higher dimensional spacetime can result in the formation of type I dimension bubbles, i.e., nontopological solitons which tend to absorb and entrap massive particle modes. We consider possible consequences of a neutron star that harbors such a soliton. The astrophysical outcome depends upon the model parameters for the dimension bubble, with a special sensitivity to the bubble's energy scale. For relatively small energy scales, the bubble tends to rapidly consume the star without forming a black hole. For larger energy scales, the bubble grows to a critical mass, then forms a black hole within the star, which subsequently causes the remaining star to collapse. It is possible that the latter scenario is associated with core collapse explosions and gamma ray bursts.Comment: 8 pages; to appear in Phys.Lett.

Fermionic and Bosonic Stabilizing Effects for Type I and Type II Dimension Bubbles

We consider two types of "dimension bubbles", which are viewed as 4d nontopological solitons that emerge from a 5d theory with a compact extra dimension. The size of the extra dimension varies rapidly within the domain wall of the soliton. We consider the cases of type I (II) bubbles where the size of the extra dimension inside the bubble is much larger (smaller) than outside. Type I bubbles with thin domain walls can be stabilized by the entrapment of various particle modes whose masses become much smaller inside than outside the bubble. This is demonstrated here for the cases of scalar bosons, fermions, and massive vector bosons, including both Kaluza-Klein zero modes and Kaluza-Klein excitation modes. Type II bubbles expel massive particle modes but both types can be stabilized by photons. Plasma filled bubbles containing a variety of massless or nearly massless radiation modes may exist as long-lived metastable states. Furthermore, in contrast to the case with a "gravitational bag", the metric for a fluid-filled dimension bubble does not exhibit a naked singularity at the bubble's center.Comment: 17 pages, no figs; to appear in Phys.Rev.

Gauged Dimension Bubbles

Some of the peculiar electrodynamical effects associated with gauged ``dimension bubbles'' are presented. Such bubbles, which effectively enclose a region of 5d spacetime, can arise from a 5d theory with a compact extra dimension. Bubbles with thin domain walls can be stabilized against total collapse by the entrapment of light charged scalar bosons inside the bubble, extending the idea of a neutral dimension bubble to accommodate the case of a gauged U(1) symmetry. Using a dielectric approach to the 4d dilaton-Maxwell theory, it is seen that the bubble wall is almost totally opaque to photons, leading to a new stabilization mechanism due to trapped photons. Photon dominated bubbles very slowly shrink, resulting in a temperature increase inside the bubble. At some critical temperature, however, these bubbles explode, with a release of radiation.Comment: 14 pages, no figures; to appear in Phys.Rev.

Can free strings propagate across plane wave singularities?

We study free string propagation in families of plane wave geometries developing strong scale-invariant singularities in certain limits. We relate the singular limit of the evolution for all excited string modes to that of the center-of-mass motion (the latter existing for discrete values of the overall plane wave profile normalization). Requiring that the entire excitation energy of the string should be finite turns out to be quite restrictive and essentially excludes consistent propagation across the singularity, unless dimensionful scales are introduced at the singular locus (in an otherwise scale-invariant space-time).Comment: 24 pages; v.2: published version, minor clarifications adde

Spectra of PP-Wave Limits of M-/Superstring Theory on AdS_p x S^q Spaces

In this paper we show how one can obtain very simply the spectra of the PP-wave limits of M-theory over AdS_7(4) x S^4(7) spaces and IIB superstring theory over AdS_5 x S^5 from the oscillator construction of the Kaluza-Klein spectra of these theories over the corresponding spaces. The PP-wave symmetry superalgebras are obtained by taking the number P of ``colors'' of oscillators to be large (infinite). In this large P limit, the symmetry superalgebra osp(8*|4) of AdS_7 x S^4 and the symmetry superalgebra osp(8|4,R) of AdS_4 x S^7 lead to isomorphic PP-wave algebras, which is the semi-direct sum of su(4|2) with H^(18,16), while the symmetry superalgebra su(2,2|4) of AdS_5 x S^5 leads to the semi-direct sum of [psu(2|2) + psu(2|2) + u(1)] with H^(16,16) as its PP-wave algebra [H^(m,n) denoting a super-Heisenberg algebra with m bosonic and n fermionic generators]. The zero mode spectra of M-theory or IIB superstring theory in the PP-wave limit corresponds simply to the unitary positive energy representations of these algebras whose lowest weight vector is the Fock vacuum of all the oscillators. General positive energy supermultiplets including those corresponding to higher modes can similarly be constructed by the oscillator method.Comment: Typos corrected; references added; minor modifications to improve presentation; 37 pages, LaTeX fil

(Twisted) Toroidal Compactification of pp-Waves

The maximally supersymmetric type IIB pp-wave is compactified on spatial circles, with and without an auxiliary rotational twist. All spatial circles of constant radius are identified. Without the twist, an S$^1$ compactification can preserve 24, 20 or 16 supercharges. $T^2$ compactifications can preserve 20, 18 or 16 supercharges; $T^3$ compactifications can preserve 18 or 16 supercharges and higher compactifications preserve 16 supercharges. The worldsheet theory of this background is discussed. The T-dual and decompactified type IIA and M-theoretic solutions which preserve 24 supercharges are given. Some comments are made regarding the AdS parent and the CFT description.Comment: 22 pages REVTeX 4 and AMSLaTeX. v3: References and a paragraph on nine dimensional Killing spinors were added. v4: A few typos corrected and a footnote was modifie

Open Strings in Exactly Solvable Model of Curved Spacetime and PP-Wave Limit

In this paper we study the superstring version of the exactly solvable string model constructed by Russo and Tseytlin. This model represents superstring theory in a curved spacetime and can be seen as a generalization of the Melvin background. We investigate D-branes in this model as probes of the background geometry by constructing the boundary states. We find that spacetime singularities in the model become smooth at high energy from the viewpoint of open string. We show that there always exist bulk (movable) D-branes by the effect of electric flux. The model also includes Nappi-Witten model as the Penrose limit and supersymmetry is enhanced in the limit. We examine this phenomenon in the open string spectrum. We also find the similar enhancement of supersymmetry can be occurred in several coset models.Comment: Latex, 32 pages, typos corrected, references added, to appear in JHEP, eq.(2.22) correcte

Classical and Quantum Strings in compactified pp-waves and Godel type Universes

We consider Neveu-Schwarz pp-waves with spacetime supersymmetry. Upon compactification of a spacelike direction, these backgrounds develop Closed Null Curves (CNCs) and Closed Timelike Curves (CTCs), and are U-dual to supersymmetric Godel type universes. We study classical and quantum strings in this background, with emphasis on the strings winding around the compact direction. We consider two types of strings: long strings stabilized by NS flux and rotating strings which are stabilized against collapse by angular momentum. Some of the latter strings wrap around CNCs and CTCs, and are thus a potential source of pathology. We analyze the partition function, and in particular discuss the effects of these string states. Although our results are not conclusive, the partition function seems to be dramatically altered due to the presence of CNCs and CTCs. We discuss some interpretations of our results, including a possible sign of unitary violation.Comment: 42 pages, LaTeX, 2 figure

Topological Defects as Seeds for Eternal Inflation

We investigate the global structure of inflationary universe both by analytical methods and by computer simulations of stochastic processes in the early Universe. We show that the global structure of the universe depends crucially on the mechanism of inflation. In the simplest models of chaotic inflation the Universe looks like a sea of thermalized phase surrounding permanently self-reproducing inflationary domains. In the theories where inflation occurs near a local extremum of the effective potential corresponding to a metastable state, the Universe looks like de Sitter space surrounding islands of thermalized phase. A similar picture appears even if the state $\phi = 0$ is unstable but the effective potential has a discrete symmetry $\phi \to =-\phi$. In this case the Universe becomes divided into domains containing different phases. These domains will be separated from each other by domain walls. However, unlike ordinary domain walls, these domain walls will inflate, and their thickness will exponentially grow. In the theories with continuous symmetries inflation generates exponentially expanding strings and monopoles surrounded by thermalized phase. Inflating topological defects will be stable, and they will unceasingly produce new inflating topological defects. This means that topological defects may play a role of indestructible seeds for eternal inflation.Comment: 21 pages, 17 figures (not included), Stanford University preprint SU--ITP--94--

Family-Friendly Management, Organizational Performance and Social Legitimacy

Research on family-friendly practices has concentrated on the predictors of their use, particularly from the perspective of either institutional theory or the high involvement or commitment management vogue. This paper first shows how such perspectives can be used to generate hypotheses about the link between family-friendly management and organizational performance. Second, the paper reports research designed to test these, using data from a national representative sample of workplaces across the British economy, the Workplace Employment Relations Survey of 2004 (WERS2004). The results support the high commitment thesis that family-friendly management will strengthen the relationship between commitment and key economic outcomes, as the relationships between workforce commitment and productivity or quality are stronger in organizations when friendly management is high, which is consistent with social exchange theory. Family-friendly management is not, however, related to the human resource outcomes of labour turnover and absenteeism. Nor does the study find support for the argument that its use in conjunction with high involvement management enhances the performance effects of both. Equally, there is no support for the hypothesis from the institutional thesis that family-friendly management has positive effects on the legitimacy of the organization