Locality, Causality and Noncommutative Geometry

We analyse the causality condition in noncommutative field theory and show that the nonlocality of noncommutative interaction leads to a modification of the light cone to the light wedge. This effect is generic for noncommutative geometry. We also check that the usual form of energy condition is violated and propose that a new form is needed in noncommutative spacetime. On reduction from light cone to light wedge, it looks like the noncommutative dimensions are effectively washed out and suggests a reformulation of noncommutative field theory in terms of lower dimensional degree of freedom. This reduction of dimensions due to noncommutative geometry could play a key role in explaining the holographic property of quantum gravity.Comment: 16 pages, LaTeX, 4 figure

Superembedding methods for 4d N=1 SCFTs

We extend SO(4,2) covariant lightcone embedding methods of four-dimensional CFTs to N=1 superconformal field theory (SCFT). Manifest superconformal SU(2,2|1) invariance is achieved by realizing 4D superconformal space as a surface embedded in the projective superspace spanned by certain complex chiral supermatrices. Because SU(2,2|1) acts linearly on the ambient space, the constraints on correlators implied by superconformal Ward identities are automatically solved in this formalism. Applications include new, compact expressions for correlation functions containing one anti-chiral superfield and arbitrary chiral superfield insertions, and manifestly invariant expressions for the superconformal cross-ratios that parametrize the four-point function of two chiral and two anti-chiral fields. Superconformal expressions for the leading singularities in the OPE of chiral and anti-chiral operators are also given. Because of covariance, our expressions are valid in any superconformally flat background, e.g., AdS_4 or R times S^3.Comment: 33 pages, clarification of constraints, version to appear in PR

One-loop unitarity of scalar field theories on Poincare invariant commutative nonassociative spacetimes

We study scalar field theories on Poincare invariant commutative nonassociative spacetimes. We compute the one-loop self-energy diagrams in the ordinary path integral quantization scheme with Feynman's prescription, and find that the Cutkosky rule is satisfied. This property is in contrast with that of noncommutative field theory, since it is known that noncommutative field theory with space/time noncommutativity violates unitarity in the above standard scheme, and the quantization procedure will necessarily become complicated to obtain a sensible Poincare invariant noncommutative field theory. We point out a peculiar feature of the non-locality in our nonassociative field theories, which may explain the property of the unitarity distinct from noncommutative field theories. Thus commutative nonassociative field theories seem to contain physically interesting field theories on deformed spacetimes.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures ; appendix and references adde

Noncommutative Einstein-AdS Gravity in three Dimensions

We present a Lorentzian version of three-dimensional noncommutative Einstein-AdS gravity by making use of the Chern-Simons formulation of pure gravity in 2+1 dimensions. The deformed action contains a real, symmetric metric and a real, antisymmetric tensor that vanishes in the commutative limit. These fields are coupled to two abelian gauge fields. We find that this theory of gravity is invariant under a class of transformations that reduce to standard diffeomorphisms once the noncommutativity parameter is set to zero.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX, minor errors corrected, references adde

On Black Holes and Cosmological Constant in Noncommutative Gauge Theory of Gravity

Deformed Reissner-Nordstr\"om, as well as Reissner-Nordstr\"om de Sitter, solutions are obtained in a noncommutative gauge theory of gravitation. The gauge potentials (tetrad fields) and the components of deformed metric are calculated to second order in the noncommutativity parameter. The solutions reduce to the deformed Schwarzschild ones when the electric charge of the gravitational source and the cosmological constant vanish. Corrections to the thermodynamical quantities of the corresponding black holes and to the radii of different horizons have been determined. All the independent invariants, such as the Ricci scalar and the so-called Kretschmann scalar, have the same singularity structure as the ones of the usual undeformed case and no smearing of singularities occurs. The possibility of such a smearing is discussed. In the noncommutative case we have a local disturbance of the geometry around the source, although asymptotically at large distances it becomes flat.Comment: Based on a talk given at the International Conference on Fundamental and Applied Research in Physics "Farphys 2007", 25-28 October 2007, Iasi, Romani

One-loop effects in a self-dual planar noncommutative theory

We study the UV properties, and derive the explicit form of the one-loop effective action, for a noncommutative complex scalar field theory in 2+1 dimensions with a Grosse-Wulkenhaar term, at the self-dual point. We also consider quantum effects around non-trivial minima of the classical action which appear when the potential allows for the spontaneous breaking of the U(1) symmetry. For those solutions, we show that the one-loop correction to the vacuum energy is a function of a special combination of the amplitude of the classical solution and the coupling constant.Comment: Version to appear in JHE

Unitarity of noncommutative field theories from string theory

We improve the study of the lack of perturbative unitarity of noncommutative space-time quantum field theories derived from open string theory in electric backgrounds, enforcing the universality of the mechanism by which a tachyonic branch cut appears when the Seiberg-Witten limit freezes the string in an unstable vacuum. The main example is realized in the context of the on-shell four-tachyon amplitude of the bosonic string, and the dependence of the phenomenon on the brane-worldvolume dimension is analysed. We discuss the possibility of a proof in superstring theory, and finally mention the NCOS limit in this framework.Comment: 8 pages, no figures. Work done in collaboration with A. Bassetto and R. Valandro (Padua Univ.). Submitted for the proceedings of the conference "Spacetime and Fundamental Interactions: Quantum Aspects. A conference to honour A.P.Balachandran's 65th birthday", Vietri, 26-31 May 200

Graviton Propagators on Fuzzy G/H

We describe closed string modes by open Wilson lines in noncommutative (NC) gauge theories on compact fuzzy G/H in IIB matrix model. In this construction the world sheet cut-off is related to the spacetime cut-off since the string bit of the symmetric traced Wilson line carries the minimum momentum on G/H. We show that the two point correlation functions of graviton type Wilson lines in 4 dimensional NC gauge theories behave as 1/(momentum)^2. This result suggests that graviton is localized on D3-brane, so we can naturally interpret D3-branes as our universe. Our result is not limited to D3-brane system, and we generalize our analysis to other dimensions and even to any topology of D-brane worldvolume within fuzzy G/H.Comment: 22 pages, 1 figure. minor correction

One-loop renormalization of general noncommutative Yang-Mills field model coupled to scalar and spinor fields

We study the theory of noncommutative U(N) Yang-Mills field interacting with scalar and spinor fields in the fundamental and the adjoint representations. We include in the action both the terms describing interaction between the gauge and the matter fields and the terms which describe interaction among the matter fields only. Some of these interaction terms have not been considered previously in the context of noncommutative field theory. We find all counterterms for the theory to be finite in the one-loop approximation. It is shown that these counterterms allow to absorb all the divergencies by renormalization of the fields and the coupling constants, so the theory turns out to be multiplicatively renormalizable. In case of 1PI gauge field functions the result may easily be generalized on an arbitrary number of the matter fields. To generalize the results for the other 1PI functions it is necessary for the matter coupling constants to be adapted in the proper way. In some simple cases this generalization for a part of these 1PI functions is considered.Comment: 1+26 pages, figures using axodraw, clarifications adde

Thermofield Dynamics for Twisted Poincare-Invariant Field Theories: Wick Theorem and S-matrix

Poincare invariant quantum field theories can be formulated on non-commutative planes if the statistics of fields is twisted. This is equivalent to state that the coproduct on the Poincare group is suitably twisted. In the present work we present a twisted Poincare invariant quantum field theory at finite temperature. For that we use the formalism of Thermofield Dynamics (TFD). This TFD formalism is extend to incorporate interacting fields. This is a non trivial step, since the separation in positive and negative frequency terms is no longer valid in TFD. In particular, we prove the validity of Wick's theorem for twisted scalar quantum field at finite temperature.Comment: v1: 25 pages, no figure v2: references added; typos corrected; typo in title correcte