The Structure of AdS Black Holes and Chern Simons Theory in 2+1 Dimensions

We study anti-de Sitter black holes in 2+1 dimensions in terms of Chern Simons gauge theory of anti-de Sitter group coupled to a source. Taking the source to be an anti-de Sitter state specified by its Casimir invariants, we show how all the relevant features of the black hole are accounted for. The requirement that the source be a unitary representation leads to a discrete tower of states which provide a microscopic model for the black hole.Comment: 17 pages, LaTex. The presentation in Section 5 was improved; other minor improvements. Final form of the manuscrip

Fourth order perturbative expansion for the Casimir energy with a slightly deformed plate

We apply a perturbative approach to evaluate the Casimir energy for a massless real scalar field in 3+1 dimensions, subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions on two surfaces. One of the surfaces is assumed to be flat, while the other corresponds to a small deformation, described by a single function $\eta$, of a flat mirror. The perturbative expansion is carried out up to the fourth order in the deformation $\eta$, and the results are applied to the calculation of the Casimir energy for corrugated mirrors in front of a plane. We also reconsider the proximity force approximation within the context of this expansion.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures. Version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Local electronic nematicity in the one-band Hubbard model

Nematicity is a well known property of liquid crystals and has been recently discussed in the context of strongly interacting electrons. An electronic nematic phase has been seen by many experiments in certain strongly correlated materials, in particular, in the pseudogap phase generic to many hole-doped cuprate superconductors. Recent measurements in high $T_c$ superconductors has shown even if the lattice is perfectly rotationally symmetric, the ground state can still have strongly nematic local properties. Our study of the two-dimensional Hubbard model provides strong support of the recent experimental results on local rotational $C_4$ symmetry breaking. The variational cluster approach is used here to show the possibility of an electronic nematic state and the proximity of the underlying symmetry-breaking ground state within the Hubbard model. We identify this nematic phase in the overdoped region and show that the local nematicity decreases with increasing electron filling. Our results also indicate that strong Coulomb interaction may drive the nematic phase into a phase similar to the stripe structure. The calculated spin (magnetic) correlation function in momentum space shows the effects resulting from real-space nematicity

Model for resonant photon creation in a cavity with time dependent conductivity

In an electromagnetic cavity, photons can be created from the vacuum state by changing the cavity's properties with time. Using a simple model based on a massless scalar field, we analyze resonant photon creation induced by the time-dependent conductivity of a thin semiconductor film contained in the cavity. This time dependence may be achieved by irradiating periodically the film with short laser pulses. This setup offers several experimental advantages over the case of moving mirrors.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure. Minor changes. Version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Derivative expansion of the electromagnetic Casimir energy for two thin mirrors

We extend our previous work on a derivative expansion for the Casimir energy, to the case of the electromagnetic field coupled to two thin, imperfect mirrors. The latter are described by means of vacuum polarization tensors localized on the mirrors. We apply the results so obtained to compute the first correction to the proximity force approximation to the static Casimir effect.Comment: Version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Elliptic Wess-Zumino-Witten Model from Elliptic Chern-Simons Theory

This letter continues the program aimed at analysis of the scalar product of states in the Chern-Simons theory. It treats the elliptic case with group SU(2). The formal scalar product is expressed as a multiple finite dimensional integral which, if convergent for every state, provides the space of states with a Hilbert space structure. The convergence is checked for states with a single Wilson line where the integral expressions encode the Bethe-Ansatz solutions of the Lame equation. In relation to the Wess-Zumino-Witten conformal field theory, the scalar product renders unitary the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov-Bernard connection and gives a pairing between conformal blocks used to obtain the genus one correlation functions.Comment: 18 pages, late

Spin-Glass Attractor on Tridimensional Hierarchical Lattices in the Presence of an External Magnetic Field

A nearest-neighbor-interaction Ising spin glass, in the presence of an external magnetic field, is studied on different hierarchical lattices that approach the cubic lattice. The magnetic field is considered as uniform, or random (following either a bimodal or a Gaussian probability distribution). In all cases, a spin-glass attractor is found, in the plane magnetic field versus temperature, associated with a low-temperature phase. The physical consequences of this attractor are discussed, in view of the present scenario of the spin-glass problem.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review

The proximity force approximation for the Casimir energy as a derivative expansion

The proximity force approximation (PFA) has been widely used as a tool to evaluate the Casimir force between smooth objects at small distances. In spite of being intuitively easy to grasp, it is generally believed to be an uncontrolled approximation. Indeed, its validity has only been tested in particular examples, by confronting its predictions with the next to leading order (NTLO) correction extracted from numerical or analytical solutions obtained without using the PFA. In this article we show that the PFA and its NTLO correction may be derived within a single framework, as the first two terms in a derivative expansion. To that effect, we consider the Casimir energy for a vacuum scalar field with Dirichlet conditions on a smooth curved surface described by a function $\psi$ in front of a plane. By regarding the Casimir energy as a functional of $\psi$, we show that the PFA is the leading term in a derivative expansion of this functional. We also obtain the general form of corresponding NTLO correction, which involves two derivatives of $\psi$. We show, by evaluating this correction term for particular geometries, that it properly reproduces the known corrections to PFA obtained from exact evaluations of the energy.Comment: Minor changes. Version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Unitarity of the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov-Bernard connection and the Bethe Ansatz for the elliptic Hitchin systems

We work out finite-dimensional integral formulae for the scalar product of genus one states of the group $G$ Chern-Simons theory with insertions of Wilson lines. Assuming convergence of the integrals, we show that unitarity of the elliptic Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov-Bernard connection with respect to the scalar product of CS states is closely related to the Bethe Ansatz for the commuting Hamiltonians building up the connection and quantizing the quadratic Hamiltonians of the elliptic Hitchin system.Comment: 24 pages, latex fil