179 research outputs found
Towards a quantum theory of de Sitter space
We describe progress towards constructing a quantum theory of de Sitter space
in four dimensions. In particular we indicate how both particle states and
Schwarzschild de Sitter black holes can arise as excitations in a theory of a
finite number of fermionic oscillators. The results about particle states
depend on a conjecture about algebras of Grassmann variables, which we state,
but do not prove.Comment: JHEP3 LaTex - 19 page
One conjecture and two observations on de Sitter space
We propose that the state represented by the Nariai black hole inside de
Sitter space is the ground state of the de Sitter gravity, while the pure de
Sitter space is the maximal energy state. With this point of view, we
investigate thermodynamics of de Sitter space, we find that if there is a dual
field theory, this theory can not be a CFT in a fixed dimension. Near the
Nariai limit, we conjecture that the dual theory is effectively an 1+1 CFT
living on the radial segment connecting the cosmic horizon and the black hole
horizon. If we go beyond the de Sitter limit, the "imaginary" high temperature
phase can be described by a CFT with one dimension lower than the spacetime
dimension. Below the de Sitter limit, we are approaching a phase similar to the
Hagedorn phase in 2+1 dimensions, the latter is also a maximal energy phase if
we hold the volume fixed.Comment: 12 pages, harvmac; references added; version for publication in JHE
Remarks on the Racetrack Scheme
There are only a small number of ideas for stabilizing the moduli of string
theory. One of the most appealing of these is the racetrack mechanism, in which
a delicate interplay between two strongly interacting gauge groups fixes the
value of the coupling constant. In this note, we explore this scenario. We find
that quite generally, some number of discrete tunings are required in order
that the mechanism yield a small gauge coupling. Even then, there is no sense
in which a weak coupling approximation is valid. On the other hand, certain
holomorphic quantities can be computed, so such a scheme is in principle
predictive. Searching for models which realize this mechanism is thus of great
interest. We also remark on cosmology in these schemes.Comment: 20 pp, latex, discussion of calculability modifie
De Sitter Holography with a Finite Number of States
We investigate the possibility that, in a combined theory of quantum
mechanics and gravity, de Sitter space is described by finitely many states.
The notion of observer complementarity, which states that each observer has
complete but complementary information, implies that, for a single observer,
the complete Hilbert space describes one side of the horizon. Observer
complementarity is implemented by identifying antipodal states with outgoing
states. The de Sitter group acts on S-matrix elements. Despite the fact that
the de Sitter group has no nontrivial finite-dimensional unitary
representations, we show that it is possible to construct an S-matrix that is
finite-dimensional, unitary, and de Sitter-invariant. We present a class of
examples that realize this idea holographically in terms of spinor fields on
the boundary sphere. The finite dimensionality is due to Fermi statistics and
an `exclusion principle' that truncates the orthonormal basis in which the
spinor fields can be expanded.Comment: 23 pages, 1 eps figure, LaTe
The Trouble with de Sitter Space
In this paper we assume the de Sitter Space version of Black Hole
Complementarity which states that a single causal patch of de Sitter space is
described as an isolated finite temperature cavity bounded by a horizon which
allows no loss of information. We discuss the how the symmetries of de Sitter
space should be implemented. Then we prove a no go theorem for implementing the
symmetries if the entropy is finite. Thus we must either give up the finiteness
of the de Sitter entropy or the exact symmetry of the classical space. Each has
interesting implications for the very long time behavior. We argue that the
lifetime of a de Sitter phase can not exceed the Poincare recurrence time. This
is supported by recent results of Kachru, Kallosh, Linde and Trivedi.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure. v2: added fifth section with comments on long
time stability of de Sitter space, in which we argue that the lifetime can
not exceed the Poincare recurrence time. v3: corrected a minor error in the
appendi
On the consistency of de Sitter vacua
In this paper the consistency of the de Sitter invariant -vacua,
which have been introduced as simple tools to study the effects of
transplanckian physics, is investigated. In particular possible non
renormalization problems are discussed, as well as non standard properties of
Greens functions. We also discuss the non thermal properties of the -vacua and the necessity of to change. The conclusion is that non of
these problems necessarily exclude an application of the -vacua to
inflation.Comment: 12 pages, v2: minor clarifications and corrections to reference
On Thermalization in de Sitter Space
We discuss thermalization in de Sitter space and argue, from two different
points of view, that the typical time needed for thermalization is of order
, where is the radius of the de Sitter space in question.
This time scale gives plenty of room for non-thermal deviations to survive
during long periods of inflation. We also speculate in more general terms on
the meaning of the time scale for finite quantum systems inside isolated boxes,
and comment on the relation to the Poincar\'{e} recurrence time.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, latex, references added. Improved discussion in
section 3 adde
Squeezed States in the de Sitter Vacuum
We discuss the treatment of squeezed states as excitations in the Euclidean
vacuum of de Sitter space. A comparison with the treatment of these states as
candidate no-particle states, or alpha-vacua, shows important differences
already in the free theory. At the interacting level alpha-vacua are
inconsistent, but squeezed state excitations seem perfectly acceptable. Indeed,
matrix elements can be renormalized in the excited states using precisely the
standard local counterterms of the Euclidean vacuum. Implications for
inflationary scenarios in cosmology are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, no figures. One new citation in version 3; no other change
Universality near zero virtuality
In this paper we study a random matrix model with the chiral and flavor
structure of the QCD Dirac operator and a temperature dependence given by the
lowest Matsubara frequency. Using the supersymmetric method for random matrix
theory, we obtain an exact, analytic expression for the average spectral
density. In the large-n limit, the spectral density can be obtained from the
solution to a cubic equation. This spectral density is non-zero in the vicinity
of eigenvalue zero only for temperatures below the critical temperature of this
model. Our main result is the demonstration that the microscopic limit of the
spectral density is independent of temperature up to the critical temperature.
This is due to a number of `miraculous' cancellations. This result provides
strong support for the conjecture that the microscopic spectral density is
universal. In our derivation, we emphasize the symmetries of the partition
function and show that this universal behavior is closely related to the
existence of an invariant saddle-point manifold.Comment: 23 pages, Late
Theory-Motivated Benchmark Models and Superpartners at the Tevatron
Recently published benchmark models have contained rather heavy
superpartners. To test the robustness of this result, several benchmark models
have been constructed based on theoretically well-motivated approaches,
particularly string-based ones. These include variations on anomaly and
gauge-mediated models, as well as gravity mediation. The resulting spectra
often have light gauginos that are produced in significant quantities at the
Tevatron collider, or will be at a 500 GeV linear collider. The signatures also
provide interesting challenges for the LHC. In addition, these models usually
account for electroweak symmetry breaking with relatively less fine-tuning than
previous benchmark models.Comment: 44 pages, 4 figures; some typos corrected. Revisions reflect
published versio
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