Accretion of a Symmetry Breaking Scalar Field by a Schwarzschild Black Hole

We simulate the behaviour of a Higgs-like field in the vicinity of a Schwarzschild black hole using a highly accurate numerical framework. We consider both the limit of the zero-temperature Higgs potential, and a toy model for the time-dependent evolution of the potential when immersed in a slowly cooling radiation bath. Through these numerical investigations, we aim to improve our understanding of the non-equilibrium dynamics of a symmetry breaking field (such as the Higgs) in the vicinity of a compact object such as a black hole. Understanding this dynamics may suggest new approaches for studying properties of scalar fields using black holes as a laboratory.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

Double Elliptic Dynamical Systems From Generalized Mukai - Sklyanin Algebras

We consider the double-elliptic generalisation of dynamical systems of Calogero-Toda-Ruijsenaars type using finite-dimensional Mukai-Sklyanin algebras. The two-body system, which involves an elliptic dependence both on coordinates and momenta, is investigated in detail and the relation with Nambu dynamics is mentioned. We identify the 2D complex manifold associated with the double elliptic system as an elliptically fibered rational ("1/2K3 ") surface. Some generalisations are suggested which provide the ground for a description of the N-body systems. Possible applications to SUSY gauge theories with adjoint matter in $d=6$ with two compact dimensions are discussed.Comment: 31 pages, Late

On Charge-3 Cyclic Monopoles

We determine the spectral curve of charge 3 BPS su(2) monopoles with C_3 cyclic symmetry. The symmetry means that the genus 4 spectral curve covers a (Toda) spectral curve of genus 2. A well adapted homology basis is presented enabling the theta functions and monopole data of the genus 4 curve to be given in terms of genus 2 data. The Richelot correspondence, a generalization of the arithmetic mean, is used to solve for this genus 2 curve. Results of other approaches are compared.Comment: 34 pages, 16 figures. Revision: Abstract added and a few small change

Constraining cosmological ultra-large scale structure using numerical relativity

Cosmic inflation, a period of accelerated expansion in the early universe, can give rise to large amplitude ultra-large scale inhomogeneities on distance scales comparable to or larger than the observable universe. The cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy on the largest angular scales is sensitive to such inhomogeneities and can be used to constrain the presence of ultra-large scale structure (ULSS). We numerically evolve nonlinear inhomogeneities present at the beginning of inflation in full General Relativity to assess the CMB quadrupole constraint on the amplitude of the initial fluctuations and the size of the observable universe relative to a length scale characterizing the ULSS. To obtain a statistically significant number of simulations, we adopt a toy model in which inhomogeneities are injected along a preferred direction. We compute the likelihood function for the CMB quadrupole including both ULSS and the standard quantum fluctuations produced during inflation. We compute the posterior given the observed CMB quadrupole, finding that when including gravitational nonlinearities, ULSS curvature perturbations of order unity are allowed by the data, even on length scales not too much larger than the size of the observable universe. Our results illustrate the utility and importance of numerical relativity for constraining early universe cosmology.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures v3: Clarifications added regarding the generality of results - conclusions unchanged, version accepted for publication in PRD, v2: updated with minor clarifications, submitte