186 research outputs found
Visualization of the birth of an optical vortex using diffraction from a triangular aperture
Funding: EPSRC, UKThe study and application of optical vortices have gained significant prominence over the last two decades. An interesting challenge remains the determination of the azimuthal index (topological charge) l of an optical vortex beam for a range of applications. We explore the diffraction of such beams from a triangular aperture and observe that the form of the resultant diffraction pattern is dependent upon both the magnitude and sign of the azimuthal index and this is valid for both monochromatic and broadband light fields. For the first time we demonstrate that this behavior is related not only to the azimuthal index but crucially the Gouy phase component of the incident beam. In particular, we explore the far field diffraction pattern for incident fields incident upon a triangular aperture possessing non-integer values of the azimuthal index l. Such fields have a complex vortex structure. We are able to infer the birth of a vortex which occurs at half-integer values of l and explore its evolution by observations of the diffraction pattern. These results demonstrate the extended versatility of a triangular aperture for the study of optical vortices. (c) 2011 Optical Society of AmericaPublisher PDFPeer reviewe
Open-closed string correspondence: D-brane decay in curved space
This paper analyzes the effect of curved closed string backgrounds on the
stability of D-branes within boundary string field theory. We identify the
non-local open string background that implements shifts in the closed string
background and analyze the tachyonic sector off-shell. The renormalization
group flow reveals some characteristic properties, which are expected for a
curved background, like the absence of a stable space-filling brane. In
3-dimensions we describe tachyon condensation processes to lower-dimensional
branes, including a curved 2-dimensional brane. We argue that this 2-brane is
perturbatively stable. This is in agreement with the known maximally symmetric
WZW-branes and provides further support to the bulk-boundary factorization
approach to open-closed string correspondence.Comment: 23 pages, harvma
Moduli Webs and Superpotentials for Five-Branes
We investigate the one-parameter Calabi-Yau models and identify families of
D5-branes which are associated to lines embedded in these manifolds. The moduli
spaces are given by sets of Riemann curves, which form a web whose intersection
points are described by permutation branes. We arrive at a geometric
interpretation for bulk-boundary correlators as holomorphic differentials on
the moduli space and use this to compute effective open-closed superpotentials
to all orders in the open string couplings. The fixed points of D5-brane moduli
under bulk deformations are determined.Comment: 41 pages, 1 figur
D-brane superpotentials and RG flows on the quintic
The behaviour of D2-branes on the quintic under complex structure
deformations is analysed by combining Landau-Ginzburg techniques with methods
from conformal field theory. It is shown that the boundary renormalisation
group flow induced by the bulk deformations is realised as a gradient flow of
the effective space time superpotential which is calculated explicitly to all
orders in the boundary coupling constant.Comment: 24 pages, 1 figure, v2:Typo in (3.14) correcte
Five-Brane Superpotentials, Blow-Up Geometries and SU(3) Structure Manifolds
We investigate the dynamics of space-time filling five-branes wrapped on
curves in heterotic and orientifold Calabi-Yau compactifications. We first
study the leading N=1 scalar potential on the infinite deformation space of the
brane-curve around a supersymmetric configuration. The higher order potential
is also determined by a brane superpotential which we compute for a subset of
light deformations. We argue that these deformations map to new complex
structure deformations of a non-Calabi-Yau manifold which is obtained by
blowing up the brane-curve into a four-cycle and by replacing the brane by
background fluxes. This translates the original brane-bulk system into a
unifying geometrical formulation. Using this blow-up geometry we compute the
complete set of open-closed Picard-Fuchs differential equations and identify
the brane superpotential at special points in the field space for five-branes
in toric Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces. This has an interpretation in open mirror
symmetry and enables us to list compact disk instanton invariants. As a first
step towards promoting the blow-up geometry to a supersymmetric heterotic
background we propose a non-Kaehler SU(3) structure and an identification of
the three-form flux.Comment: 95 pages, 4 figures; v2: Minor corrections, references update
D-brane Moduli Spaces and Superpotentials in a Two-Parameter Model
We study D2-branes on the K3-fibration P^4_(11222)[8] using matrix
factorizations at the Landau-Ginzburg point and analyze their moduli space and
superpotentials in detail. We find that the open string moduli space consists
of various intersecting branches of different dimensions. Families of D2-branes
wrapping rational curves of degree one intersect with bound state branches. The
influence of non-toric complex structure deformations is investigated in the
Landau-Ginzburg framework, where these deformations arise as bulk moduli from
the twisted sectors.Comment: 35 pages, 2 figures, reference adde
Manifestly Supersymmetric RG Flows
Renormalisation group (RG) equations in two-dimensional N=1 supersymmetric
field theories with boundary are studied. It is explained how a manifestly N=1
supersymmetric scheme can be chosen, and within this scheme the RG equations
are determined to next-to-leading order. We also use these results to revisit
the question of how brane obstructions and lines of marginal stability appear
from a world-sheet perspective.Comment: 22 pages; references added, minor change
Open mirror symmetry for Pfaffian Calabi-Yau 3-folds
We investigate the open mirror symmetry of certain non-complete intersection
Calabi- Yau 3-folds, so called pfaffian Calabi-Yau. We perform the prediction
of the number of disk invariants of several examples by using the direct
integration method proposed recently and the open mirror symmetry. We treat
several pfaffian Calabi-Yau 3-folds in and branes with two
discrete vacua. Some models have the two special points in its moduli space,
around both of which we can consider different A-model mirror partners. We
compute disc invariants for both cases. This study is the first application of
the open mirror symmetry to the compact non-complete intersections in toric
variety.Comment: 64 pages; v2: typos corrected, minor changes, references added; v3:
published version, minor corrections and improvement
Symmetries of perturbed conformal field theories
The symmetries of perturbed conformal field theories are analysed. We explain
which generators of the chiral algebras of a bulk theory survive a perturbation
by an exactly marginal bulk field. We also study the behaviour of D-branes
under current-current bulk deformations. We find that the branes always
continue to preserve as much symmetry as they possibly can, i.e. as much as is
preserved in the bulk. We illustrate these findings with several examples,
including permutation branes in WZW models and B-type D-branes in Gepner
models.Comment: 30 pages, 3 figures. V2: Small error in eq. (2.14) correcte
Quantum Open-Closed Homotopy Algebra and String Field Theory
We reformulate the algebraic structure of Zwiebach's quantum open-closed
string field theory in terms of homotopy algebras. We call it the quantum
open-closed homotopy algebra (QOCHA) which is the generalization of the
open-closed homotopy algebra (OCHA) of Kajiura and Stasheff. The homotopy
formulation reveals new insights about deformations of open string field theory
by closed string backgrounds. In particular, deformations by Maurer Cartan
elements of the quantum closed homotopy algebra define consistent quantum open
string field theories.Comment: 36 pages, fixed typos and small clarifications adde
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