26 research outputs found
Sub-Planckian black holes and the Generalized Uncertainty Principle
The Black Hole Uncertainty Principle correspondence suggests that there could
exist black holes with mass beneath the Planck scale but radius of order the
Compton scale rather than Schwarzschild scale. We present a modified, self-dual
Schwarzschild-like metric that reproduces desirable aspects of a variety of
disparate models in the sub-Planckian limit, while remaining Schwarzschild in
the large mass limit. The self-dual nature of this solution under naturally implies a Generalized Uncertainty Principle
with the linear form . We also
demonstrate a natural dimensional reduction feature, in that the gravitational
radius and thermodynamics of sub-Planckian objects resemble that of -D
gravity. The temperature of sub-Planckian black holes scales as rather than
but the evaporation of those smaller than g is suppressed by
the cosmic background radiation. This suggests that relics of this mass could
provide the dark matter.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, version published in J. High En. Phy
Hawking emission from quantum gravity black holes
We address the issue of modelling quantum gravity effects in the evaporation
of higher dimensional black holes in order to go beyond the usual
semi-classical approximation. After reviewing the existing six families of
quantum gravity corrected black hole geometries, we focus our work on
non-commutative geometry inspired black holes, which encode model independent
characteristics, are unaffected by the quantum back reaction and have an
analytical form compact enough for numerical simulations. We consider the
higher dimensional, spherically symmetric case and we proceed with a complete
analysis of the brane/bulk emission for scalar fields. The key feature which
makes the evaporation of non-commutative black holes so peculiar is the
possibility of having a maximum temperature. Contrary to what happens with
classical Schwarzschild black holes, the emission is dominated by low frequency
field modes on the brane. This is a distinctive and potentially testable
signature which might disclose further features about the nature of quantum
gravity.Comment: 36 pages, 18 figures, v2: updated reference list, minor corrections,
version matching that published on JHE
VEP oscillation solutions to the solar neutrino problem
We study the solar neutrino problem within the framework of a parametrized
post-Newtonian formulation for the gravitational interaction of the neutrinos,
which incorporates a violation to the equivalence principle (VEP). Using the
current data on the rates and the energy spectrum we find two possible
oscillation solutions, both for a large mixing angle. One of them involves the
MSW effect in matter and the other corresponds to vacuum oscillations. An
interesting characteristic of this mechanism is that it predicts a semi-annual
variation of the neutrino flux. Our analysis provides new constraints for some
VEP parameters.Comment: revtex, 18 pages, 11 figure
The Hawking-Page crossover in noncommutative anti-deSitter space
We study the problem of a Schwarzschild-anti-deSitter black hole in a
noncommutative geometry framework, thought to be an effective description of
quantum-gravitational spacetime. As a first step we derive the noncommutative
geometry inspired Schwarzschild-anti-deSitter solution. After studying the
horizon structure, we find that the curvature singularity is smeared out by the
noncommutative fluctuations. On the thermodynamics side, we show that the black
hole temperature, instead of a divergent behavior at small scales, admits a
maximum value. This fact implies an extension of the Hawking-Page transition
into a van der Waals-like phase diagram, with a critical point at a critical
cosmological constant size in Plank units and a smooth crossover thereafter. We
speculate that, in the gauge-string dictionary, this corresponds to the
confinement "critical point" in number of colors at finite number of flavors, a
highly non-trivial parameter that can be determined through lattice
simulations.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figure, 1 table, version matching that published on JHE
Minimum length effects in black hole physics
We review the main consequences of the possible existence of a minimum
measurable length, of the order of the Planck scale, on quantum effects
occurring in black hole physics. In particular, we focus on the ensuing minimum
mass for black holes and how modified dispersion relations affect the Hawking
decay, both in four space-time dimensions and in models with extra spatial
dimensions. In the latter case, we briefly discuss possible phenomenological
signatures.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figures. To be published in "Quantum Aspects of Black
Holes", ed. X. Calmet (Springer, 2014
1/f2 Characteristics and Isotropy in the Fourier Power Spectra of Visual Art, Cartoons, Comics, Mangas, and Different Categories of Photographs
Art images and natural scenes have in common that their radially averaged (1D) Fourier spectral power falls according to a power-law with increasing spatial frequency (1/f2 characteristics), which implies that the power spectra have scale-invariant properties. In the present study, we show that other categories of man-made images, cartoons and graphic novels (comics and mangas), have similar properties. Further on, we extend our investigations to 2D power spectra. In order to determine whether the Fourier power spectra of man-made images differed from those of other categories of images (photographs of natural scenes, objects, faces and plants and scientific illustrations), we analyzed their 2D power spectra by principal component analysis. Results indicated that the first fifteen principal components allowed a partial separation of the different image categories. The differences between the image categories were studied in more detail by analyzing whether the mean power and the slope of the power gradients from low to high spatial frequencies varied across orientations in the power spectra. Mean power was generally higher in cardinal orientations both in real-world photographs and artworks, with no systematic difference between the two types of images. However, the slope of the power gradients showed a lower degree of mean variability across spectral orientations (i.e., more isotropy) in art images, cartoons and graphic novels than in photographs of comparable subject matters. Taken together, these results indicate that art images, cartoons and graphic novels possess relatively uniform 1/f2 characteristics across all orientations. In conclusion, the man-made stimuli studied, which were presumably produced to evoke pleasant and/or enjoyable visual perception in human observers, form a subset of all images and share statistical properties in their Fourier power spectra. Whether these properties are necessary or sufficient to induce aesthetic perception remains to be investigated
Quantum Spacetime Phenomenology
I review the current status of phenomenological programs inspired by
quantum-spacetime research. I stress in particular the significance of results
establishing that certain data analyses provide sensitivity to effects
introduced genuinely at the Planck scale. And my main focus is on
phenomenological programs that managed to affect the directions taken by
studies of quantum-spacetime theories.Comment: 125 pages, LaTex. This V2 is updated and more detailed than the V1,
particularly for quantum-spacetime phenomenology. The main text of this V2 is
about 25% more than the main text of the V1. Reference list roughly double
Geometry and field theory in multi-fractional spacetime
We construct a theory of fields living on continuous geometries with
fractional Hausdorff and spectral dimensions, focussing on a flat background
analogous to Minkowski spacetime. After reviewing the properties of fractional
spaces with fixed dimension, presented in a companion paper, we generalize to a
multi-fractional scenario inspired by multi-fractal geometry, where the
dimension changes with the scale. This is related to the renormalization group
properties of fractional field theories, illustrated by the example of a scalar
field. Depending on the symmetries of the Lagrangian, one can define two
models. In one of them, the effective dimension flows from 2 in the ultraviolet
(UV) and geometry constrains the infrared limit to be four-dimensional. At the
UV critical value, the model is rendered power-counting renormalizable.
However, this is not the most fundamental regime. Compelling arguments of
fractal geometry require an extension of the fractional action measure to
complex order. In doing so, we obtain a hierarchy of scales characterizing
different geometric regimes. At very small scales, discrete symmetries emerge
and the notion of a continuous spacetime begins to blur, until one reaches a
fundamental scale and an ultra-microscopic fractal structure. This fine
hierarchy of geometries has implications for non-commutative theories and
discrete quantum gravity. In the latter case, the present model can be viewed
as a top-down realization of a quantum-discrete to classical-continuum
transition.Comment: 1+82 pages, 1 figure, 2 tables. v2-3: discussions clarified and
improved (especially section 4.5), typos corrected, references added; v4:
further typos correcte
Knotty inflation and the dimensionality of spacetime
We suggest a structure for the vacuum comprised
of a network of tightly knotted/linked flux tubes formed in a QCD-like cosmological phase transition and show that such a network can drive cosmological inflation. As the network can be topologically stable only in three space dimensions, this scenario provides a dynamical explanation for the existence of exactly three large spatial dimensions in our Universe