World-Sheet Supersymmetry Without Contact Terms

Green and Seiberg showed that, in simple treatments of fermionic string theory, it is necessary to introduce contact interactions when vertex operators collide. Otherwise, certain superconformal Ward identities would be violated. In this note, we show how these contact terms arise naturally when proper account is taken of the superconformal geometry involved when punctures collide. More precisely, we show that there is no contact term at all! Rather, corrections arise to the ``na\"\i ve" formula when the boundary of moduli space is described correctly.Comment: 14pp., 2 figures (included

Scalar field fluctuations in Pre-Big-Bang Cosmologies

Jordan-Brans-Dicke theories with a linearized potential for the scalar field are investigated in the framework of the stochastic approach. The fluctuations of this field are examined and their backreaction on the classical background is described. We compute the mode functions and analyze the time evolution of the variance of the stochastic ensemble corresponding to the full quantum scalar field in the pre-big-bang regime. We compute fluctuations of the term discriminating between the two branches of solutions present in the theory. We find, both analytically and upon direct integration of the stochastic equations of motion, that the dispersion of these fluctuations grows to achieve the magnitude of the term separating the two classical solutions. This means that the ensembles representing classical solutions which belong to different branches do overlap; this may provide a quantum mechanical realization at the level of field theory to change among solutions belonging to different branches.Comment: 26 pages, Latex, 6 ps figure

Dilatonic Domain Walls

Eq.(19) is added and related issues are further clarified. Also some typos and signs a re corrected.Comment: 11p

Some considerations about NS5 and LST Hawking radiation

We have studied the Hawking radiation corresponding to the NS5 and Little String Theory (LST) black hole models using two semi-classical methods: the complex path method and a gravitational anomaly. After summarizing some known concepts about the thermodynamics of these theories, we have computed the emission rates for the two black hole models. The temperature calculated from, e.g. the well-known surface gravity expression, is shown to be identical to that obtained from both the computation of the gravitational anomaly and the complex path method. Moreover, the two semi-classical methods show that NS5 exhibits non-thermal behavior that contrasts with the thermal behavior of LST. We remark that energy conservation is the key factor leading to a non-thermal profile for NS5. In contrast, LST keeps a thermal profile even when energy conservation is considered because temperature in this model does not depend on energy.Comment: 18 pages, acknowledgments included, some concepts clarified, typos corrected, journal reference include

Systematic variation of the stellar Initial Mass Function with velocity dispersion in early-type galaxies

An essential component of galaxy formation theory is the stellar initial mass function (IMF), that describes the parent distribution of stellar mass in star forming regions. We present observational evidence in a sample of early-type galaxies (ETGs) of a tight correlation between central velocity dispersion and the strength of several absorption features sensitive to the presence of low-mass stars. Our sample comprises ~40,000 ETGs from the SPIDER survey (z<0.1). The data, extracted from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, are combined, rejecting both noisy data, and spectra with contamination from telluric lines, resulting in a set of 18 stacked spectra at high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N> 400 per A). A combined analysis of IMF-sensitive line strengths and spectral fitting is performed with the latest state-of the art population synthesis models (an extended version of the MILES models). A significant trend is found between IMF slope and velocity dispersion, towards an excess of low-mass stars in the most massive galaxies. Although we emphasize that accurate values of the IMF slope will require a detailed analysis of chemical composition (such as [a/Fe] or even individual element abundance ratios), the observed trends suggest that low-mass ETGs are better fit by a Kroupa-like IMF, whereas massive galaxies require bottom-heavy IMFs, exceeding the Salpeter slope at velocity dispersions above 200km/s.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter

Gauge Symmetries and Amplitudes in N=2 Strings

Picture changed operators are discussed in $N=2$ strings with space-time signature $(2,2)$. A gauge symmetry algebra is derived in a background of torus space-time $T^{2,2}$ and its simple representation on the picture changed operators is given. Simple Ward identities associated with the gauge algebra and their consequences for three and four point amplitudes of arbitrary loops are also discussed.Comment: 16 page

Optical and X-ray observations of candidate isolated neutron stars in the G315.4-2.3 SNR

G315.4-2.3 is a young Galactic supernova remnant (SNR), whose identification as the remains of a Type-II supernova (SN) explosion has been debated for a long time. In particular, recent multi-wavelength observations suggest that it is the result of a Type Ia SN, based on spectroscopy of the SNR shell and the lack of a compact stellar remnant.However, two X-ray sources, one detected by Einstein and ROSAT (Source V) and the other by Chandra (Source N) have been proposed as possible isolated neutron star candidates. In both cases, no clear optical identification was available and, therefore, we performed an optical and X-ray study to determine the nature of these two sources. Based on Chandra astrometry, Source V is associated with a bright V~14 star, which had been suggested based on the less accurate ROSAT position. Similarly, from VLT archival observations, we found that Source N is associated with a relatively bright star ($V=20.14$). These likely identifications suggest that both X-ray sources cannot be isolated neutron stars.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Hawking radiation as tunneling from charged black holes in 0A string theory

There has been much work on explaining Hawking radiation as a quantum tunneling process through horizons. Basically, this intuitive picture requires the calculation of the imaginary part of the action for outgoing particle. And two ways are known for achieving this goal: the null-geodesic method and the Hamilton-Jacobi method. We apply these methods to the charged black holes in 2D dilaton gravity which is originated from the low energy effective theory of type 0A string theory. We derive the correct Hawking temperature of the black holes including the effect of the back reaction of the radiation, and obtain the entropy by using the 1st law of black hole thermodynamics. For fixed-charge ensemble, the 0A black holes are free of phase transition and thermodynamically stable regardless of mass-charge ratio. We show this by interpreting the back reaction term as the inverse of the heat capacity of the black holes. Finally, the possibility of the phase transition in the fixed-potential ensemble is discussed.Comment: 12 pages; v2: references added, revised with some changes in formula and unaltered conclusions, to be published in Phys. Lett.

Vortex Solutions in Two-Higgs-Doublet Systems

We analyze the existence of string-like defects in a two-Higgs-doublet system having $SU(2) \times U(1)_Y \times U(1)_{Y^{\prime}}$ as gauge group. We are able to show that, when certain relations among the parameters hold, these configurations satisfy a set of first order differential equations (Bogomol'nyi equations) and their energy is proportional to their topological charge.}Comment: 9 page

Extra States and Symmetries in D<2 Closed String Theory

We show that there is (p-1)(p'-1) dimensional semi-relative BRST cohomology at each non-positive ghost number in the (p,p') minimal conformal field theory coupled to two dimensional quantum gravity. These closed string states are related to currents and symmetry charges of `exotic' ghost number. We investigate the symmetry structure generated by the most conventional currents (those of vanishing total ghost number), and make a conjecture about the extended algebra which results from incorporating the currents at negative ghost number.Comment: 15 page