863 research outputs found
Comments on Condensates in Non-Supersymmetric Orbifold Field Theories
Non-supersymmetric orbifolds of N=1 super Yang-Mills theories are conjectured
to inherit properties from their supersymmetric parent. We examine this
conjecture by compactifying the Z_2 orbifold theories on a spatial circle of
radius R. We point out that when the orbifold theory lies in the weakly coupled
vacuum of its parent, fractional instantons do give rise to the conjectured
condensate of bi-fundamental fermions. Unfortunately, we show that quantum
effects render this vacuum unstable through the generation of twisted
operators. In the true vacuum state, no fermion condensate forms. Thus, in
contrast to super Yang-Mills, the compactified orbifold theory undergoes a
chiral phase transition as R is varied.Comment: 10 Pages. Added clarifying comments, computational steps and a nice
pretty pictur
Rapid X-ray Variability of Seyfert 1 Galaxies
The rapid and seemingly random fluctuations in X-ray luminosity of Seyfert
galaxies provided early support for the standard model in which Seyferts are
powered by a supermassive black hole fed from an accretion disc. However, since
EXOSAT there has been little opportunity to advance our understanding of the
most rapid X-ray variability. Observations with XMM-Newton have changed this.
We discuss some recent results obtained from XMM-Newton observations of Seyfert
1 galaxies. Particular attention will be given to the remarkable similarity
found between the timing properties of Seyferts and black hole X-ray binaries,
including the power spectrum and the cross spectrum (time delays and
coherence), and their implications for the physical processes at work in
Seyferts.Comment: To appear in From X-ray Binaries to Quasars: Black Hole Accretion on
All Mass Scales, ed. T. J. Maccarone, R. P. Fender, and L. C. Ho (Dordrecht:
Kluwer
From Fake Supergravity to Superstars
The fake supergravity method is applied to 5-dimensional asymptotically AdS
spacetimes containing gravity coupled to a real scalar and an abelian gauge
field. The motivation is to obtain bulk solutions with R x S^3 symmetry in
order to explore the AdS/CFT correspondence when the boundary gauge theory is
on R x S^3. A fake supergravity action, invariant under local supersymmetry
through linear order in fermion fields, is obtained. The gauge field makes
things more restrictive than in previous applications of fake supergravity
which allowed quite general scalar potentials. Here the superpotential must
take the form W(\phi) ~ exp(-k\phi) + c exp(2\phi/(3k)), and the only freedom
is the choice of the constant k. The fermion transformation rules of fake
supergravity lead to fake Killing spinor equations. From their integrability
conditions, we obtain first order differential equations which we solve
analytically to find singular electrically charged solutions of the Lagrangian
field equations. A Schwarzschild mass term can be added to produce a horizon
which shields the singularity. The solutions, which include "superstars", turn
out to be known in the literature. We compute their holographic parameters.Comment: 42 pages, 3 figure
A perspective on the landscape problem
I discuss the historical roots of the landscape problem and propose criteria
for its successful resolution. This provides a perspective to evaluate the
possibility to solve it in several of the speculative cosmological scenarios
under study including eternal inflation, cosmological natural selection and
cyclic cosmologies.Comment: Invited contribution for a special issue of Foundations of Physics
titled: Forty Years Of String Theory: Reflecting On the Foundations. 31
pages, no figure
Mixed configuration-interaction and many-body perturbation theory calculations of energies and oscillator strengths of J=1 odd states of neon
Ab-initio theory is developed for energies of J=1 particle-hole states of
neutral neon and for oscillator strengths of transitions from such states to
the J=0 ground state. Hole energies of low-Z neonlike ions are evaluated.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, 4 table
Quotients of AdS_{p+1} x S^q: causally well-behaved spaces and black holes
Starting from the recent classification of quotients of Freund--Rubin
backgrounds in string theory of the type AdS_{p+1} x S^q by one-parameter
subgroups of isometries, we investigate the physical interpretation of the
associated quotients by discrete cyclic subgroups. We establish which quotients
have well-behaved causal structures, and of those containing closed timelike
curves, which have interpretations as black holes. We explain the relation to
previous investigations of quotients of asymptotically flat spacetimes and
plane waves, of black holes in AdS and of Godel-type universes.Comment: 48 pages; v2: minor typos correcte
Failing boys and moral panics: perspectives on the underachievement debate
The paper re-examines the underachievement debate from the perspective of the âdiscourse of derisionâ that surrounds much writing in this area. It considers the contradictions and inconsistencies which underpin much of the discourse â from a reinterpretation of examination scores, to the conflation of the concepts of âunderâ and âlowâ achievement and finally to the lack of consensus on a means of defining and measuring the term underachievement. In doing so, this paper suggests a more innovative approach for understanding, re-evaluating and perhaps rejecting the notion of underachievement
Observing Supermassive Black Holes across cosmic time: from phenomenology to physics
In the last decade, a combination of high sensitivity, high spatial
resolution observations and of coordinated multi-wavelength surveys has
revolutionized our view of extra-galactic black hole (BH) astrophysics. We now
know that supermassive black holes reside in the nuclei of almost every galaxy,
grow over cosmological times by accreting matter, interact and merge with each
other, and in the process liberate enormous amounts of energy that influence
dramatically the evolution of the surrounding gas and stars, providing a
powerful self-regulatory mechanism for galaxy formation. The different
energetic phenomena associated to growing black holes and Active Galactic
Nuclei (AGN), their cosmological evolution and the observational techniques
used to unveil them, are the subject of this chapter. In particular, I will
focus my attention on the connection between the theory of high-energy
astrophysical processes giving rise to the observed emission in AGN, the
observable imprints they leave at different wavelengths, and the methods used
to uncover them in a statistically robust way. I will show how such a combined
effort of theorists and observers have led us to unveil most of the SMBH growth
over a large fraction of the age of the Universe, but that nagging
uncertainties remain, preventing us from fully understating the exact role of
black holes in the complex process of galaxy and large-scale structure
formation, assembly and evolution.Comment: 46 pages, 21 figures. This review article appears as a chapter in the
book: "Astrophysical Black Holes", Haardt, F., Gorini, V., Moschella, U and
Treves A. (Eds), 2015, Springer International Publishing AG, Cha
Small-scale solar magnetic fields
As we resolve ever smaller structures in the solar atmosphere, it has become
clear that magnetism is an important component of those small structures.
Small-scale magnetism holds the key to many poorly understood facets of solar
magnetism on all scales, such as the existence of a local dynamo, chromospheric
heating, and flux emergence, to name a few. Here, we review our knowledge of
small-scale photospheric fields, with particular emphasis on quiet-sun field,
and discuss the implications of several results obtained recently using new
instruments, as well as future prospects in this field of research.Comment: 43 pages, 18 figure
The First Magnetic Fields
We review current ideas on the origin of galactic and extragalactic magnetic
fields. We begin by summarizing observations of magnetic fields at cosmological
redshifts and on cosmological scales. These observations translate into
constraints on the strength and scale magnetic fields must have during the
early stages of galaxy formation in order to seed the galactic dynamo. We
examine mechanisms for the generation of magnetic fields that operate prior
during inflation and during subsequent phase transitions such as electroweak
symmetry breaking and the quark-hadron phase transition. The implications of
strong primordial magnetic fields for the reionization epoch as well as the
first generation of stars is discussed in detail. The exotic, early-Universe
mechanisms are contrasted with astrophysical processes that generate fields
after recombination. For example, a Biermann-type battery can operate in a
proto-galaxy during the early stages of structure formation. Moreover, magnetic
fields in either an early generation of stars or active galactic nuclei can be
dispersed into the intergalactic medium.Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Pdf can be also
downloaded from http://canopus.cnu.ac.kr/ryu/cosmic-mag1.pd
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