368 research outputs found
Generalized Geometry and M theory
We reformulate the Hamiltonian form of bosonic eleven dimensional
supergravity in terms of an object that unifies the three-form and the metric.
For the case of four spatial dimensions, the duality group is manifest and the
metric and C-field are on an equal footing even though no dimensional reduction
is required for our results to hold. One may also describe our results using
the generalized geometry that emerges from membrane duality. The relationship
between the twisted Courant algebra and the gauge symmetries of eleven
dimensional supergravity are described in detail.Comment: 29 pages of Latex, v2 References added, typos fixed, v3 corrected
kinetic term and references adde
GLSMs for non-Kahler Geometries
We identify a simple mechanism by which H-flux satisfying the modified
Bianchi identity arises in garden-variety (0,2) gauged linear sigma models.
Taking suitable limits leads to effective gauged linear sigma models with
Green-Schwarz anomaly cancellation. We test the quantum-consistency of a class
of such effective theories by constructing an off-shell superconformal algebra,
providing evidence that these models run to good CFTs in the deep IR.Comment: 37 pages, Minor updates for v
Duality Invariant Actions and Generalised Geometry
We construct the non-linear realisation of the semi-direct product of E(11)
and its first fundamental representation at lowest order and appropriate to
spacetime dimensions four to seven. This leads to a non-linear realisation of
the duality groups and introduces fields that depend on a generalised space
which possess a generalised vielbein. We focus on the part of the generalised
space on which the duality groups alone act and construct an invariant action.Comment: 59 pages (typos fixed and added comments
Asymmetric Orbifolds, Non-Geometric Fluxes and Non-Commutativity in Closed String Theory
In this paper we consider a class of exactly solvable closed string flux
backgrounds that exhibit non-commutativity in the closed string coordinates.
They are realized in terms of freely-acting asymmetric Z_N-orbifolds, which are
themselves close relatives of twisted torus fibrations with elliptic
Z_N-monodromy (elliptic T-folds). We explicitly construct the modular invariant
partition function of the models and derive the non-commutative algebra in the
string coordinates, which is exact to all orders in {\alpha}'. Finally, we
relate these asymmetric orbifold spaces to inherently stringy Scherk-Schwarz
backgrounds and non-geometric fluxes.Comment: 30 page
Heterotic Black Horizons
We show that the supersymmetric near horizon geometry of heterotic black
holes is either an AdS_3 fibration over a 7-dimensional manifold which admits a
G_2 structure compatible with a connection with skew-symmetric torsion, or it
is a product R^{1,1} * S^8, where S^8 is a holonomy Spin(7) manifold,
preserving 2 and 1 supersymmetries respectively. Moreover, we demonstrate that
the AdS_3 class of heterotic horizons can preserve 4, 6 and 8 supersymmetries
provided that the geometry of the base space is further restricted. Similarly
R^{1,1} * S^8 horizons with extended supersymmetry are products of R^{1,1} with
special holonomy manifolds. We have also found that the heterotic horizons with
8 supersymmetries are locally isometric to AdS_3 * S^3 * T^4, AdS_3 * S^3 * K_3
or R^{1,1} * T^4 * K_3, where the radii of AdS_3 and S^3 are equal and the
dilaton is constant.Comment: 35 pages, latex. Minor alterations to equation (3.11) and section
4.1, the conclusions are not affecte
Black holes in supergravity and integrability
Stationary black holes of massless supergravity theories are described by
certain geodesic curves on the target space that is obtained after dimensional
reduction over time. When the target space is a symmetric coset space we make
use of the group-theoretical structure to prove that the second order geodesic
equations are integrable in the sense of Liouville, by explicitly constructing
the correct amount of Hamiltonians in involution. This implies that the
Hamilton-Jacobi formalism can be applied, which proves that all such black hole
solutions, including non-extremal solutions, possess a description in terms of
a (fake) superpotential. Furthermore, we improve the existing integration
method by the construction of a Lax integration algorithm that integrates the
second order equations in one step instead of the usual two step procedure. We
illustrate this technology with a specific example.Comment: 44 pages, small typos correcte
On instantons as Kaluza-Klein modes of M5-branes
Instantons and W-bosons in 5d maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory
arise from a circle compactification of the 6d (2,0) theory as Kaluza-Klein
modes and winding self-dual strings, respectively. We study an index which
counts BPS instantons with electric charges in Coulomb and symmetric phases. We
first prove the existence of unique threshold bound state of (noncommutative)
U(1) instantons for any instanton number, and also show that charged instantons
in the Coulomb phase correctly give the degeneracy of SU(2) self-dual strings.
By studying SU(N) self-dual strings in the Coulomb phase, we find novel
momentum-carrying degrees on the worldsheet. The total number of these degrees
equals the anomaly coefficient of SU(N) (2,0) theory. We finally show that our
index can be used to study the symmetric phase of this theory, and provide an
interpretation as the superconformal index of the sigma model on instanton
moduli space.Comment: 54 pages, 2 figures. v2: references added, figure improved, added
comments on self-dual string anomaly, added new materials on the symmetric
phase index, other minor correction
Temporal dynamics of aquatic communities and implications for pond conservation
Conservation through the protection of particular habitats is predicated on the assumption that the conservation value of those habitats is stable. We test this assumption for ponds by investigating temporal variation in macroinvertebrate and macrophyte communities over a 10-year period in northwest England. We surveyed 51 ponds in northern England in 1995/6 and again in 2006, identifying all macrophytes (167 species) and all macroinvertebrates (221 species, excluding Diptera) to species. The alpha-diversity, beta-diversity and conservation value of these ponds were compared between surveys. We find that invertebrate species richness increased from an average of 29. 5 species to 39. 8 species between surveys. Invertebrate gamma-diversity also increased between the two surveys from 181 species to 201 species. However, this increase in diversity was accompanied by a decrease in beta-diversity. Plant alpha-, beta and gamma-diversity remained approximately constant between the two periods. However, increased proportions of grass species and a complete loss of charophytes suggests that the communities are undergoing succession. Conservation value was not correlated between sampling periods in either plants or invertebrates. This was confirmed by comparing ponds that had been disturbed with those that had no history of disturbance to demonstrate that levels of correlation between surveys were approximately equal in each group of ponds. This study has three important conservation implications: (i) a pond with high diversity or high conservation value may not remain that way and so it is unwise to base pond conservation measures upon protecting currently-speciose habitats; (ii) maximising pond gamma-diversity requires a combination of late and early succession ponds, especially for invertebrates; and (iii) invertebrate and plant communities in ponds may require different management strategies if succession occurs at varying rates in the two groups
Incompressible Fluids of the de Sitter Horizon and Beyond
There are (at least) two surfaces of particular interest in eternal de Sitter
space. One is the timelike hypersurface constituting the lab wall of a static
patch observer and the other is the future boundary of global de Sitter space.
We study both linear and non-linear deformations of four-dimensional de Sitter
space which obey the Einstein equation. Our deformations leave the induced
conformal metric and trace of the extrinsic curvature unchanged for a fixed
hypersurface. This hypersurface is either timelike within the static patch or
spacelike in the future diamond. We require the deformations to be regular at
the future horizon of the static patch observer. For linearized perturbations
in the future diamond, this corresponds to imposing incoming flux solely from
the future horizon of a single static patch observer. When the slices are
arbitrarily close to the cosmological horizon, the finite deformations are
characterized by solutions to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equation for
both spacelike and timelike hypersurfaces. We then study, at the level of
linearized gravity, the change in the discrete dispersion relation as we push
the timelike hypersurface toward the worldline of the static patch. Finally, we
study the spectrum of linearized solutions as the spacelike slices are pushed
to future infinity and relate our calculations to analogous ones in the context
of massless topological black holes in AdS.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figure
A Variational Deduction of Second Gradient Poroelasticity Part I: General Theory
Second gradient theories have to be used to capture how local micro
heterogeneities macroscopically affect the behavior of a continuum. In this
paper a configurational space for a solid matrix filled by an unknown amount of
fluid is introduced. The Euler-Lagrange equations valid for second gradient
poromechanics, generalizing those due to Biot, are deduced by means of a
Lagrangian variational formulation. Starting from a generalized Clausius-Duhem
inequality, valid in the framework of second gradient theories, the existence
of a macroscopic solid skeleton Lagrangian deformation energy, depending on the
solid strain and the Lagrangian fluid mass density as well as on their
Lagrangian gradients, is proven.Comment: 20 page
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