Further functional determinants

Functional determinants for the scalar Laplacian on spherical caps and slices, flat balls, shells and generalised cylinders are evaluated in two, three and four dimensions using conformal techniques. Both Dirichlet and Robin boundary conditions are allowed for. Some effects of non-smooth boundaries are discussed; in particular the 3-hemiball and the 3-hemishell are considered. The edge and vertex contributions to the $C_{3/2}$ coefficient are examined.Comment: 25 p,JyTex,5 figs. on request

Effects on QCD in RbR_b and RcR_c

The combined LEP and SLD measurements of R b are about three standard deviations above the standard model. The measurement techniques employed are claimed to be highly reliable and systematically safe. R c , which is measured using different and inherently less reliable techniques, is found to be 1.7 standard deviations low. In this paper, I will examine what constraints the measurements of $\alpha_s$ put on these measurements. I will also explore possible sources of systematics related to the models used to account for QCD effects in the processes measured

Smeared heat-kernel coefficients on the ball and generalized cone

We consider smeared zeta functions and heat-kernel coefficients on the bounded, generalized cone in arbitrary dimensions. The specific case of a ball is analysed in detail and used to restrict the form of the heat-kernel coefficients $A_n$ on smooth manifolds with boundary. Supplemented by conformal transformation techniques, it is used to provide an effective scheme for the calculation of the $A_n$. As an application, the complete $A_{5/2}$ coefficient is given.Comment: 23 pages, JyTe

Interactions of a String Inspired Graviton Field

We continue to explore the possibility that the graviton in two dimensions is related to a quadratic differential that appears in the anomalous contribution of the gravitational effective action for chiral fermions. A higher dimensional analogue of this field might exist as well. We improve the defining action for this diffeomorphism tensor field and establish a principle for how it interacts with other fields and with point particles in any dimension. All interactions are related to the action of the diffeomorphism group. We discuss possible interpretations of this field.Comment: 12 pages, more readable, references adde

Diffeomorphism invariant eigenvalue problem for metric perturbations in a bounded region

We suggest a method of construction of general diffeomorphism invariant boundary conditions for metric fluctuations. The case of $d+1$ dimensional Euclidean disk is studied in detail. The eigenvalue problem for the Laplace operator on metric perturbations is reduced to that on $d$-dimensional vector, tensor and scalar fields. Explicit form of the eigenfunctions of the Laplace operator is derived. We also study restrictions on boundary conditions which are imposed by hermiticity of the Laplace operator.Comment: LATeX file, no figures, no special macro

Prolongations of Geometric Overdetermined Systems

We show that a wide class of geometrically defined overdetermined semilinear partial differential equations may be explicitly prolonged to obtain closed systems. As a consequence, in the case of linear equations we extract sharp bounds on the dimension of the solution space.Comment: 22 pages. In the second version, a comparison with the classical theory of prolongations was added. In this third version more details were added concerning our construction and especially the use of Kostant's computation of Lie algebra cohomolog

Heat Kernel Expansion for Semitransparent Boundaries

We study the heat kernel for an operator of Laplace type with a $\delta$-function potential concentrated on a closed surface. We derive the general form of the small $t$ asymptotics and calculate explicitly several first heat kernel coefficients.Comment: 16 page

The a3/2a_{3/2} heat kernel coefficient for oblique boundary conditions

We present a method for the calculation of the $a_{3/2}$ heat kernel coefficient of the heat operator trace for a partial differential operator of Laplace type on a compact Riemannian manifold with oblique boundary conditions. Using special case evaluations, restrictions are put on the general form of the coefficients, which, supplemented by conformal transformation techniques, allows the entire smeared coefficient to be determined.Comment: 30 pages, LaTe

Heat-kernel coefficients for oblique boundary conditions

We calculate the heat-kernel coefficients, up to $a_2$, for a U(1) bundle on the 4-Ball for boundary conditions which are such that the normal derivative of the field at the boundary is related to a first-order operator in boundary derivatives acting on the field. The results are used to place restrictions on the general forms of the coefficients. In the specific case considered, there can be a breakdown of ellipticity.Comment: 9 pages, JyTeX. One reference added and minor corrections mad