Designing Cyclic Universe Models

Recent advances in understanding the propagation of perturbations through the transition from big crunch to big bang (esp. Tolley et al. hep-th/0306109) make it possible for the first time to consider the full set of phenomenological constraints on the scalar field potential in cyclic models of the universe. We show that cyclic models require a comparable degree of tuning to that needed for inflationary models. The constraints are reduced to a set of simple design rules including "fast-roll" parameters analogous to the "slow-roll" parameters in inflation.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Minor typos and figure correcte

Mixmaster Horava-Witten Cosmology

We discuss various superstring effective actions and, in particular, their common sector which leads to the so-called pre-big-bang cosmology (cosmology in a weak coupling limit of heterotic superstring). Then, we review the main ideas of the Horava-Witten theory which is a strong coupling limit of heterotic superstring theory. Using the conformal relationship between these two theories we present Kasner asymptotic solutions of Bianchi type IX geometries within these theories and make predictions about possible emergence of chaos. Finally, we present a possible method of generating Horava-Witten cosmological solutions out of the well-known general relativistic pre-big-bang solutions.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, based on the talks given at Marcel Grossmann Meeting IX, Rome 2000 and at "Supersymmetry and Quantum Field Theory" (D.V. Volkov Memorial), Kharkov 2000, espcrc2.sty include

On the Friedmann Equation in Brane-World Scenarios

The Friedmann law on the brane generically depends quadratically on the brane energy density and involves a ``dark radiation'' term due to the bulk Weyl tensor. Despite its unfamiliar form, we show how it can be derived from a standard four-dimensional Brans-Dicke theory at low energy. In particular, the dark radiation term is found to depend linearly on the brane energy densities. For any equation of state on the branes, the radion evolves such as to generate radiation-dominated cosmology. The radiation-dominated era is conventional and consistent with nucleosynthesis.Comment: 4 pages. v2,v3: discussion on BBN extended, minor correction

General Covariance in Quantum Gravity at a Lifshitz Point

In the minimal formulation of gravity with Lifshitz-type anisotropic scaling, the gauge symmetries of the system are foliation-preserving diffeomorphisms of spacetime. Consequently, compared to general relativity, the spectrum contains an extra scalar graviton polarization. Here we investigate the possibility of extending the gauge group by a local U(1) symmetry to "nonrelativistic general covariance." This extended gauge symmetry eliminates the scalar graviton, and forces the coupling constant $\lambda$ in the kinetic term of the minimal formulation to take its relativistic value, $\lambda=1$. The resulting theory exhibits anisotropic scaling at short distances, and reproduces many features of general relativity at long distances.Comment: 41 pages; v2: small clarifications, references adde

M-Theory Through the Looking Glass: Tachyon Condensation in the E_8 Heterotic String

We study the spacetime decay to nothing in string theory and M-theory. First we recall a nonsupersymmetric version of heterotic M-theory, in which bubbles of nothing -- connecting the two E_8 boundaries by a throat -- are expected to be nucleated. We argue that the fate of this system should be addressed at weak string coupling, where the nonperturbative instanton instability is expected to turn into a perturbative tachyonic one. We identify the unique string theory that could describe this process: The heterotic model with one E_8 gauge group and a singlet tachyon. We then use worldsheet methods to study the tachyon condensation in the NSR formulation of this model, and show that it induces a worldsheet super-Higgs effect. The main theme of our analysis is the possibility of making meaningful alternative gauge choices for worldsheet supersymmetry, in place of the conventional superconformal gauge. We show in a version of unitary gauge how the worldsheet gravitino assimilates the goldstino and becomes dynamical. This picture clarifies recent results of Hellerman and Swanson. We also present analogs of R_\xi gauges, and note the importance of logarithmic CFT in the context of tachyon condensation.Comment: 36 pages, 1 figur

Uniqueness of static spherically symmetric vacuum solutions in the IR limit of Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz gravity

We investigate static spherically symmetric vacuum solutions in the IR limit of projectable nonrelativistic quantum gravity, including the renormalisable quantum gravity recently proposed by Ho\v{r}ava. It is found that the projectability condition plays an important role. Without the cosmological constant, the spacetime is uniquely given by the Schwarzschild solution. With the cosmological constant, the spacetime is uniquely given by the Kottler (Schwarzschild-(anti) de Sitter) solution for the entirely vacuum spacetime. However, in addition to the Kottler solution, the static spherical and hyperbolic universes are uniquely admissible for the locally empty region, for the positive and negative cosmological constants, respectively, if its nonvanishing contribution to the global Hamiltonian constraint can be compensated by that from the nonempty or nonstatic region. This implies that static spherically symmetric entirely vacuum solutions would not admit the freedom to reproduce the observed flat rotation curves of galaxies. On the other hand, the result for locally empty regions implies that the IR limit of nonrelativistic quantum gravity theories does not simply recover general relativity but includes it.Comment: 10 pages, accepted for publication in International Journal of Modern Physics

Cosmological Solutions of Horava-Witten Theory

We discuss simple cosmological solutions of Horava-Witten theory describing the strongly coupled heterotic string. At energies below the grand-unified scale, the effective theory is five- not four-dimensional, where the additional coordinate parameterizes a S^1/Z_2 orbifold. Furthermore, it admits no homogeneous solutions. Rather, the vacuum state, appropriate for a reduction to four-dimensional supersymmetric models, is a BPS domain wall. Relevant cosmological solutions are those associated with this BPS state. In particular, such solutions must be inhomogeneous, depending on the orbifold coordinate as well as on time. We present two examples of this new type of cosmological solution, obtained by separation of variables rather that by exchange of time and radius coordinate applied to a brane solution, as in previous work. The first example represents the analog of a rolling radii solution with the radii specifying the geometry of the domain wall. This is generalized in the second example to include a nontrivial ``Ramond-Ramond'' scalar.Comment: 21 pages, Latex 2e with amsmath, minor addition

Fermion Mass Hierarchy in Lifshitz Type Gauge Theory

We study the origin of fermion mass hierarchy and flavor mixing in a Lifshitz type extension of the standard model including an extra scalar field. We show that the hierarchical structure can originate from renormalizable interactions. In contrast to the Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism, the higher the dimension of associated operators, the heavier the fermion masses. Tiny masses for left-handed neutrinos are obtained without introducing right-handed neutrinos.Comment: 13 pages; clarifications of some point

Anisotropic Conformal Infinity

We generalize Penrose's notion of conformal infinity of spacetime, to situations with anisotropic scaling. This is relevant not only for Lifshitz-type anisotropic gravity models, but also in standard general relativity and string theory, for spacetimes exhibiting a natural asymptotic anisotropy. Examples include the Lifshitz and Schrodinger spaces (proposed as AdS/CFT duals of nonrelativistic field theories), warped AdS_3, and the near-horizon extreme Kerr geometry. The anisotropic conformal boundary appears crucial for resolving puzzles of holographic renormalization in such spacetimes.Comment: 11 page

The Big Bang as a Phase Transition

We study a five-dimensional cosmological model, which suggests that the universe bagan as a discontinuity in a (Higgs-type) scalar field, or alternatively as a conventional four-dimensional phase transition.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures; typo corrected in equation (18); 1 reference added; version to appear in International Journal of Modern Physics