Large-Q^2 behavior of the pion electromagnetic form factor

We study the large-Q^2 behavior of the electromagnetic form factor of the pion, which is viewed as a quark-antiquark bound state in a (nongauge) quantum field theory. When the pion's Bethe-Salpeter wave function is expanded in O(4) partial waves, it is found that the information needed about the partial-wave amplitudes is their scaling behavior at large momentum and the locations of their poles in the complex J plane. This information is determined by using the operator-product expansion, conformal invariance at short distances, and a regularity property that holds at least in the ladder model. The resulting behavior of the form factor is roughly F(Q^2)~(Q^2)^(-1), with corrections due to anomalous dimensions

The American Religious Landscape and the 2004 Presidential Vote: Increased Polarization

Presents findings from a post-election survey conducted in November and December 2004. Explores the polarization between different religions, as well as within the major religious traditions

Light-cone behavior of the pion Bethe-Salpeter wave function in the ladder model

The Bethe-Salpeter wave function χ(q^ν+P^ν, q^ν) for two spin-½ quarks bound by the exchange of a scalar meson is examined in the ladder model. We seek the behavior of χ as the squared momentum, (q+P)^2, on one leg becomes infinite while the squared momentum, q^2, on the other leg remains fixed. This behavior is investigated by making a Wick rotation, expanding χ in partial-wave amplitudes χ^i_J(q^2) of the group O(4), and then looking for the rightmost poles of χ^i_J(q^2) in the complex J plane. Our results verify (in the ladder model) the useful hypothesis that the locations of these poles are independent of q^2 and can thus be computed in the q^2→∞ limit by using conformal invariance

The Functional Derivation of Master Equations

Master equations describe the quantum dynamics of open systems interacting with an environment. They play an increasingly important role in understanding the emergence of semiclassical behavior and the generation of entropy, both being related to quantum decoherence. Presently we derive the exact master equation for a homogeneous scalar Higgs or inflaton like field coupled to an environment field represented by an infinite set of harmonic oscillators. Our aim is to demonstrate a derivation directly from the path integral representation of the density matrix propagator. Applications and generalizations of this result are discussed.Comment: 10 pages; LaTex. - Contribution to the workshop Hadron Physics VI, March 1998, Florianopolis (Brazil); proceedings, E. Ferreira et al., eds. (World Scientific). Replaced by slightly modified published versio

What can the observation of nonzero curvature tell us?

The eternally inflating multiverse provides a consistent framework to understand coincidences and fine-tuning in the universe. As such, it provides the possibility of finding another coincidence: if the amount of slow-roll inflation was only slightly more than the anthropic threshold, then spatial curvature might be measurable. We study this issue in detail, particularly focusing on the question: "If future observations reveal nonzero curvature, what can we conclude?" We find that whether an observable signal arises or not depends crucially on three issues: the cosmic history just before the observable inflation, the measure adopted to define probabilities, and the nature of the correlation between the tunneling and slow-roll parts of the potential. We find that if future measurements find positive curvature at \Omega_k < -10^-4, then the framework of the eternally inflating multiverse is excluded with high significance. If the measurements instead reveal negative curvature at \Omega_k > 10^-4, then we can conclude (1) diffusive (new or chaotic) eternal inflation did not occur in our immediate past; (2) our universe was born by a bubble nucleation; (3) the probability measure does not reward volume increase; and (4) the origin of the observed slow-roll inflation is an accidental feature of the potential, not due to a theoretical mechanism. Discovery of \Omega_k > 10^-4 would also give us nontrivial information about the correlation between tunneling and slow-roll; e.g. a strong correlation favoring large N would be excluded in certain measures. We also ask whether the current constraint on \Omega_k is consistent with multiverse expectations, finding that the answer is yes, except for certain cases. In the course of this work we were led to consider vacuum decay branching ratios, and found that it is more likely than one might guess that the decays are dominated by a single channel.Comment: 46 pages, 5 figures; reference updates and typo corrections arising from final Phys. Rev. D copy editin

Non-Equilibrium Evolution of Scalar Fields in FRW Cosmologies I

We derive the effective equations for the out of equilibrium time evolution of the order parameter and the fluctuations of a scalar field theory in spatially flat FRW cosmologies.The calculation is performed both to one-loop and in a non-perturbative, self-consistent Hartree approximation.The method consists of evolving an initial functional thermal density matrix in time and is suitable for studying phase transitions out of equilibrium. The renormalization aspects are studied in detail and we find that the counterterms depend on the initial state. We investigate the high temperature expansion and show that it breaks down at long times. We also obtain the time evolution of the initial Boltzmann distribution functions, and argue that to one-loop order or in the Hartree approximation, the time evolved state is a ``squeezed'' state. We illustrate the departure from thermal equilibrium by numerically studying the case of a free massive scalar field in de Sitter and radiation dominated cosmologies. It is found that a suitably defined non-equilibrium entropy per mode increases linearly with comoving time in a de Sitter cosmology, whereas it is {\it not} a monotonically increasing function in the radiation dominated case.Comment: 29 pages, revtex 3.0, 11 figures available upon request, PITT-93-6; LPTHE-93-52; CMU-HEP-93-2

The Enigma of the Dark Matter

One of the great scientific enigmas still unsolved, the existence of dark matter, is reviewed. Simple gravitational arguments imply that most of the mass in the Universe, at least 90%, is some (unknown) non-luminous matter. Some particle candidates for dark matter are discussed with particular emphasis on the neutralino, a particle predicted by the supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model of particle physics. Experiments searching for these relic particles, carried out by many groups around the world, are also discussed. These experiments are becoming more sensitive every year and in fact one of the collaborations claims that the first direct evidence for dark matter has already been observed.Comment: Invited review article for the journal Contemporary Physics. The level is suitable for researchers which are non-specialists in the subject, and also for students. Latex, 20 pages, 5 figure

Phase Transition in Conformally Induced Gravity with Torsion

We have considered the quantum behavior of a conformally induced gravity in the minimal Riemann-Cartan space. The regularized one-loop effective potential considering the quantum fluctuations of the dilaton and the torsion fields in the Coleman-Weinberg sector gives a sensible phase transition for an inflationary phase in De Sitter space. For this effective potential, we have analyzed the semi-classical equation of motion of the dilaton field in the slow-rolling regime.Comment: 7pages, no figur

Large Scale Inhomogeneities from the QCD Phase Transition

We examine the first-order cosmological QCD phase transition for a large class of parameter values, previously considered unlikely. We find that the hadron bubbles can nucleate at very large distance scales, they can grow as detonations as well as deflagrations, and that the phase transition may be completed without reheating to the critical temperature. For a subset of the parameter values studied, the inhomogeneities generated at the QCD phase transition might have a noticeable effect on nucleosynthesis.Comment: 15 LaTeX pages + 6 PostScript figures appended at the end of the file, HU-TFT-94-1