Scalar-Induced Compactifications in Higher Dimensional Supergravities

We discuss compactifications of higher dimensional supergravities which are induced by scalars. In particular, we consider vector multiplets coupled to the supergravity multiplet in the case of D=9, 8 and D=7 minimal supergravities. These vector multiplets contain scalars, which parametrize coset spaces of the general form SO(10-D,n)/SO(10-D)xSO(n), where n is the number of vector multiplets. We discuss the compactification of the supergravity theory to D-2 dimensons, which is induced by non-trivial vacuum scalar field configurations. There are singular and non-singular solutions, which preserve half of the supersymmetries.Comment: 25 pages, JHEP

Penrose Limits of Orbifolds and Orientifolds

We study the Penrose limit of various AdS_p X S^q orbifolds. The limiting spaces are waves with parallel rays and singular wave fronts. In particular, we consider the orbifolds AdS_3 X S^3/\Gamma, AdS_5 X S^5/\Gamma and AdS_{4,7} X S^{7,4}/\Gamma where \Gamma acts on the sphere and/or the AdS factor. In the pp-wave limit, the wave fronts are the orbifolds C^2/\Gamma, C^4/\Gamma and R XC^4/\Gamma, respectively. When desingularization is possible, we get asymptotically locally pp-wave backgrounds (ALpp). The Penrose limit of orientifolds are also discussed. In the AdS_5 X RP^5 case, the limiting singularity can be resolved by an Eguchi-Hanson gravitational instanton. The pp-wave limit of D3-branes near singularities in F-theory is also presented. Finally, we give the embedding of D-dimensional pp-waves in flat M^{2,D} space.Comment: 20 pages, references adde

Discrete Time from Quantum Physics

't Hooft has recently developed a discretisation of (2+1) gravity which has a multiple-valued Hamiltonian and which therefore admits quantum time evolution only in discrete steps. In this paper, we describe several models in the continuum with single-valued equations of motion in classical physics, but with multiple-valued Hamiltonians. Their time displacements in quantum theory are therefore obliged to be discrete. Classical models on smooth spatial manifolds are also constructed with the property that spatial displacements can be implemented only in discrete steps in quantum theory. All these models show that quantization can profoundly affect classical topology.Comment: 21 pages with 2 figures, SU-4240-579 (figures corrected in this version

Comment on superluminality in general relativity

General relativity provides an appropriate framework for addressing the issue of sub- or superluminality as an apparent effect. Even though a massless particle travels on the light cone, its average velocity over a finite path measured by different observers is not necessarily equal to the velocity of light, as a consequence of the time dilation or contraction in gravitational fields. This phenomenon occurs in either direction (increase or depletion) irrespectively of the details and strength of the gravitational interaction. Hence, it does not intrinsically guarantee superluminality, even when the gravitational field is reinforced.Comment: 6 page

Classical and Quantum Bianchi Type III vacuum Horava - Lifshitz Cosmology

A diagonal Bianchi Type III space-time is treated, both at the classical and quantum level, in the context of Horava - Lifshitz gravity. The system of the classical equations of motion is reduced to one independent Abel's equation of the first kind. Closed form solution are presented for various values of the coupling constants appearing in the action. Due to the method used, solutions of Euclidean, Lorentzian and neutral signature are attained. The solutions corresponding to \lamda 1 are seen to develop curvature singularities as the other constants approach their Einsteinian values, in contrast to those with \lamda = 1 which tend to the known Einstein gravity solutions. At the quantum level, the resulting Wheeler-DeWitt equation is explicitly solved for \lamda = 1, \sigma = 0 and \lamda = 1/3 . The ensuing wave-functions diverge in the Einsteinian limit.Comment: LaTeX 2e source file, 17 pages, no figure

Cosmology and two-body problem of D-branes

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics and the evolution of the scale factor of a probe Dp-brane which move in the background of source Dp-branes. Action of the probe brane is described by the Born-Infeld action and the interaction with the background R-R field. When the probe brane moves away from the source branes, it expands by power law, whose index depends on the dimension of the brane. If the energy density of the gauge field on the brane is subdominant, the expansion is decelerating irrespective of the dimension of the brane. On the other hand, when the probe brane is a Nambu-Goto brane, the energy density of the gauge field can be dominant, in which case accelerating expansion occurs for $p \leq 4$. The accelerating expansion stops when the brane has expanded sufficiently so that the energy density of the gauge field become subdominant.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, reference added, accepted for publication in PR

Scalar normal modes of higher dimensional gravitating kinks

The scalar normal modes of higher dimensional gravitating kink solutions are derived. By perturbing to second order the gravity and matter parts of the action in the background of a five-dimensional kink, the effective Lagrangian of the scalar fluctuations is derived and diagonalized in terms of a single degree of freedom which invariant under infinitesimal diffeomorphisms. The spectrum of the normal modes is discussed and applied to the analysis of short distance corrections to Newton law.Comment: 20 pages in Latex styl

Generating the curvature perturbation with instant preheating

A new mechanism for generating the curvature perturbation at the end of inflaton has been investigated. The dominant contribution to the primordial curvature perturbation may be generated during the period of instant preheating. The mechanism converts isocurvature perturbation related to a light field into curvature perturbation, where the ``light field'' is not the inflaton field. This mechanism is important in inflationary models where kinetic energy is significant at the end of inflaton. We show how one can apply this mechanism to various brane inflationary models.Comment: 17 pages, 1 figure, To appear in JCA

Horava Gravity and Gravitons at a Conformal Point

Recently Horava proposed a renormalizable gravity theory with higher derivatives by abandoning the Lorenz invariance in UV. Here, I study the Horava model at $\lambda=1/3$, where an anisotropic Weyl symmetry exists in the UV limit, in addition to the foliation-preserving diffeomorphism. By considering linear perturbations around Minkowski vacuum, I show that the scalar graviton mode is completely disappeared and only the usual tensor graviton modes remain in the physical spectrum. The existence of the UV conformal symmetry is unique to the theory with the detailed balance and it is quite probable that $\lambda=1/3$ be the UV fixed point. This situation is analogous to $\lambda=1$, which is Lorentz invariant in the IR limit and is believed to be the IR fixed point.Comment: Added comments and references, Accepted in GER

Internal quantum efficiency of III-nitride quantum dot superlattices grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy

We present a study of the optical properties of GaN/AlN and InGaN/GaN quantum dot (QD) superlattices grown via plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy, as compared to their quantum well (QW) counterparts. The three-dimensional/two-dimensional nature of the structures has been verified using atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The QD superlattices present higher internal quantum efficiency as compared to the respective QWs as a result of the three-dimensional carrier localization in the islands. In the QW samples, photoluminescence (PL) measurements point out a certain degree of carrier localization due to structural defects or thickness fluctuations, which is more pronounced in InGaN/GaN QWs due to alloy inhomogeneity. In the case of the QD stacks, carrier localization on potential fluctuations with a spatial extension smaller than the QD size is observed only for the InGaN QD-sample with the highest In content (peak emission around 2.76 eV). These results confirm the efficiency of the QD three-dimensional confinement in circumventing the potential fluctuations related to structural defects or alloy inhomogeneity. PL excitation measurements demonstrate efficient carrier transfer from the wetting layer to the QDs in the GaN/AlN system, even for low QD densities (~1010 cm-3). In the case of InGaN/GaN QDs, transport losses in the GaN barriers cannot be discarded, but an upper limit to these losses of 15% is deduced from PL measurements as a function of the excitation wavelength