4,671 research outputs found
BF Actions for the Husain-Kuchar Model
We show that the Husain-Kuchar model can be described in the framework of BF
theories. This is a first step towards its quantization by standard
perturbative QFT techniques or the spin-foam formalism introduced in the
space-time description of General Relativity and other diff-invariant theories.
The actions that we will consider are similar to the ones describing the
BF-Yang-Mills model and some mass generating mechanisms for gauge fields. We
will also discuss the role of diffeomorphisms in the new formulations that we
propose.Comment: 21 pages (in DIN A4 format), minor typos corrected; to appear in
Phys. Rev.
The structure of the distortion free-energy density in nematics: second-order elasticity and surface terms
Unitary evolution of free massless fields in de Sitter space-time
We consider the quantum dynamics of a massless scalar field in de Sitter
space-time. The classical evolution is represented by a canonical
transformation on the phase space for the field theory. By studying the
corresponding Bogoliubov transformations, we show that the symplectic map that
encodes the evolution between two instants of time cannot be unitarily
implemented on any Fock space built from a SO(4)-symmetric complex structure.
We will show also that, in contrast with some effectively lower dimensional
examples arising from Quantum General Relativity such as Gowdy models, it is
impossible to find a time dependent conformal redefinition of the massless
scalar field leading to a quantum unitary dynamics.Comment: 20 pages. Comments and references adde
Numerical study of surface-induced reorientation and smectic layering in a nematic liquid crystal
Surface-induced profiles of both nematic and smectic order parameters in a
nematic liquid crystal, ranging from an orienting substrate to "infinity", were
evaluated numerically on base of an extended Landau theory. In order to obtain
a smooth behavior of the solutions at "infinity" a boundary energy functional
was derived by linearizing the Landau energy around its equilibrium solutions.
We find that the intrinsic wave number of the smectic structure, which plays
the role of a coupling between nematic and smectic order, strongly influences
the director reorientation. Whereas the smectic order is rapidly decaying when
moving away from the surface, the uniaxial nematic order parameter shows an
oscillatory behavior close to the substrate, accompanied by a non-zero local
biaxiality.Comment: LaTeX, 17 pages, with 4 postscript figure
Quantum Cylindrical Waves and Sigma Models
We analyze cylindrical gravitational waves in vacuo with general polarization
and develop a viewpoint complementary to that presented recently by Niedermaier
showing that the auxiliary sigma model associated with this family of waves is
not renormalizable in the standard perturbative sense.Comment: 11 pages (DIN A4), accepted in International Journal of Modern
Physics
Hilbert space structure of covariant loop quantum gravity
We investigate the Hilbert space in the Lorentz covariant approach to loop
quantum gravity. We restrict ourselves to the space where all area operators
are simultaneously diagonalizable, assuming that it exists. In this sector
quantum states are realized by a generalization of spin network states based on
Lorentz Wilson lines projected on irreducible representations of an SO(3)
subgroup. The problem of infinite dimensionality of the unitary Lorentz
representations is absent due to this projection. Nevertheless, the projection
preserves the Lorentz covariance of the Wilson lines so that the symmetry is
not broken. Under certain conditions the states can be thought as functions on
a homogeneous space. We define the inner product as an integral over this
space. With respect to this inner product the spin networks form an orthonormal
basis in the investigated sector. We argue that it is the only relevant part of
a larger state space arising in the approach. The problem of the
noncommutativity of the Lorentz connection is solved by restriction to the
simple representations. The resulting structure shows similarities with the
spin foam approach.Comment: 20 pages, RevTE
Accuracy of the LEP Spectrometer Beam Orbit Monitors
At the LEP e+/e- collider, a spectrometer is used to determine the beam energy with a target accuracy of 10-4. The spectrometer measures the lattice dipole bending angle of the beam using six beam position monitors (BPMs). The required calibration error imposes a BPM accuracy of a 10-6 m corresponding to a relative electrical signal variation of 2. 10-5. The operating parameters have been compared with beam simulator results and non-linearBPM response simulations. The relative beam current variations between 0.02 and 0.03 and position changes of 0.1 mm during the fills of last year lead to uncertainties in the orbit measurements of well below 10-6 m. For accuracy tests absolute beam currents were varied by a factor of three. The environment magnetical field is introduced to correct orbit readings. The BPM linearity and calibration was checked using moveable supports and wire position sensors. The BPM triplet quantity is used to determine the orbit position monitors accuracy. The BPM triplet changed during the fills between 1 and 2 10-6 m RMS, which indicates a single BPM orbit determination accuracy between 1 and 1.5 10-6 m
Is Barbero's Hamiltonian formulation a Gauge Theory of Lorentzian Gravity?
This letter is a critique of Barbero's constrained Hamiltonian formulation of
General Relativity on which current work in Loop Quantum Gravity is based.
While we do not dispute the correctness of Barbero's formulation of general
relativity, we offer some criticisms of an aesthetic nature. We point out that
unlike Ashtekar's complex SU(2) connection, Barbero's real SO(3) connection
does not admit an interpretation as a space-time gauge field. We show that if
one tries to interpret Barbero's real SO(3) connection as a space-time gauge
field, the theory is not diffeomorphism invariant. We conclude that Barbero's
formulation is not a gauge theory of gravity in the sense that Ashtekar's
Hamiltonian formulation is. The advantages of Barbero's real connection
formulation have been bought at the price of giving up the description of
gravity as a gauge field.Comment: 12 pages, no figures, revised in the light of referee's comments,
accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravit
Hamiltonian Dynamics of Linearly Polarized Gowdy Models Coupled to Massless Scalar Fields
The purpose of this paper is to analyze in detail the Hamiltonian formulation
for the compact Gowdy models coupled to massless scalar fields as a necessary
first step towards their quantization. We will pay special attention to the
coupling of matter and those features that arise for the three-handle and
three-sphere topologies that are not present in the well studied three torus
case -in particular the polar constraints that come from the regularity
conditions on the metric. As a byproduct of our analysis we will get an
alternative understanding, within the Hamiltonian framework, of the appearance
of initial and final singularities for these models.Comment: Final version to appear in Classical and Quantum Gravit
Minisuperspace Examples of Quantization Using Canonical Variables of the Ashtekar Type: Structure and Solutions
The Ashtekar variables have been use to find a number of exact solutions in
quantum gravity and quantum cosmology. We investigate the origin of these
solutions in the context of a number of canonical transformations (both complex
and real) of the basic Hamiltonian variables of general relativity. We are able
to present several new solutions in the minisuperspace (quantum cosmology)
sector. The meaning of these solutions is then discussed.Comment: 23 pages, latex, 3 figures (uuencoded, separate file
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