Open-closed string correspondence: D-brane decay in curved space

This paper analyzes the effect of curved closed string backgrounds on the stability of D-branes within boundary string field theory. We identify the non-local open string background that implements shifts in the closed string background and analyze the tachyonic sector off-shell. The renormalization group flow reveals some characteristic properties, which are expected for a curved background, like the absence of a stable space-filling brane. In 3-dimensions we describe tachyon condensation processes to lower-dimensional branes, including a curved 2-dimensional brane. We argue that this 2-brane is perturbatively stable. This is in agreement with the known maximally symmetric WZW-branes and provides further support to the bulk-boundary factorization approach to open-closed string correspondence.Comment: 23 pages, harvma

Spectral flow and boundary string field theory for angled D-branes

D-branes intersecting at an arbitrary fixed angle generically constitute a configuration unstable toward recombination. The reconnection of the branes nucleates at the intersection point and involves a generalization of the process of brane decay of interest to non-perturbative string dynamics as well as cosmology. After reviewing the string spectrum of systems of angled branes, we show that worldsheet twist superfields may be used in the context of Boundary Superstring Field Theory to describe the dynamics. Changing the angle between the branes is seen from the worldsheet as spectral flow with boundary insertions flowing from bosonic to fermionic operators. We calculate the complete tachyon potential and the low energy effective action as a function of angle and find an expression that interpolates between the brane-antibrane and the Dirac-Born-Infeld actions. The potential captures the mechanism of D-brane recombination and provides for interesting new physics for tachyon decay.Comment: 32 pages, 9 figures; v2 references added; v3 discussion clarifie

The 6D SuperSwirl

We present a novel supersymmetric solution to a nonlinear sigma model coupled to supergravity. The solution represents a static, supersymmetric, codimension-two object, which is different to the familiar cosmic strings. In particular, we consider 6D chiral gauged supergravity, whose spectrum contains a number of hypermultiplets. The scalar components of the hypermultiplet are charged under a gauge field, and supersymmetry implies that they experience a simple paraboloid-like (or 2D infinite well) potential, which is minimised when they vanish. Unlike conventional vortices, the energy density of our configuration is not localized to a string-like core. The solutions have two timelike singularities in the internal manifold, which provide the necessary boundary conditions to ensure that the scalars do not lie at the minimum of their potential. The 4D spacetime is flat, and the solution is a continuous deformation of the so-called ``rugby ball'' solution, which has been studied in the context of the cosmological constant problem. It represents an unexpected class of supersymmetric solutions to the 6D theory, which have gravity, gauge fluxes and hyperscalars all active in the background.Comment: 26 pages, 2 figures, JHEP3 class. Typos corrected, analysis expanded, references adde

An Improved Brane Anti-Brane Action from Boundary Superstring Field Theory and Multi-Vortex Solutions

We present an improved effective action for the D-brane-anti-D-brane system obtained from boundary superstring field theory. Although the action looks highly non-trivial, it has simple explicit multi-vortex (i.e. codimension-2 multi-BPS D-brane) multi-anti-vortex solutions. The solutions have a curious degeneracy corresponding to different ``magnetic'' fluxes at the core of each vortex. We also generalize the brane anti-brane effective action that is suitable for the study of the inflationary scenario and the production of defects in the early universe. We show that when a brane and anti-brane are distantly separated, although the system is classically stable it can decay via quantum tunneling through the barrier.Comment: 24 pages, 1 figure, JHEP3.cls; v2: references added, tunneling rate discussion expande

Towards a Naturally Small Cosmological Constant from Branes in 6D Supergravity

We investigate the possibility of self-tuning of the effective 4D cosmological constant in 6D supergravity, to see whether it could naturally be of order 1/r^4 when compactified on two dimensions having Kaluza-Klein masses of order 1/r. In the models we examine supersymmetry is broken by the presence of non-supersymmetric 3-branes (on one of which we live). If r were sub-millimeter in size, such a cosmological constant could describe the recently-discovered dark energy. A successful self-tuning mechanism would therefore predict a connection between the observed size of the cosmological constant, and potentially observable effects in sub-millimeter tests of gravity and at the Large Hadron Collider. We do find self tuning inasmuch as 3-branes can quite generically remain classically flat regardless of the size of their tensions, due to an automatic cancellation with the curvature and dilaton of the transverse two dimensions. We argue that in some circumstances six-dimensional supersymmetry might help suppress quantum corrections to this cancellation down to the bulk supersymmetry-breaking scale, which is of order 1/r. We finally examine an explicit realization of the mechanism, in which 3-branes are inserted into an anomaly-free version of Salam-Sezgin gauged 6D supergravity compactified on a 2-sphere with nonzero magnetic flux. This realization is only partially successful due to a topological constraint which relates bulk couplings to the brane tension, although we give arguments why these relations may be stable against quantum corrections.Comment: 31 pages, 1 figure. Uses JHEP class. Expanded discussions in Introduction, Section 3.2 (Quantum Corrections) and Section 4.2 (Topological Constraint). Note added on subsequent related articles. Results unchange

Digital Drugs: an anatomy of new medicines

Medicines are digitalized as aspects of their regulation and use are embodied in or draw from interlinked computerized systems and databases. This paper considers how this development changes the delivery of health care, the pharma industry, and regulatory and professional structures, as it reconfigures the material character of drugs themselves. It draws on the concept of assemblage in presenting a theory-based analysis that explores digital drugs’ ontological status including how they embody benefit and value. The paper addresses three interconnected domains – that of use of drugs (practice), of research (epistemology) and of regulation (structures)

Model for Particle Masses, Flavor Mixing, and CP Violation Based on Spontaneously Broken Discrete Chiral Symmetry as the Origin of Families

We construct extensions of the standard model based on the hypothesis that the Higgs bosons also exhibit a family structure, and that the flavor weak eigenstates in the three families are distinguished by a discrete $Z_6$ chiral symmetry that is spontaneously broken by the Higgs sector. We study in detail at the tree level models with three Higgs doublets, and with six Higgs doublets comprising two weakly coupled sets of three. In a leading approximation of $S_3$ cyclic permutation symmetry the three Higgs model gives a ``democratic'' mass matrix of rank one, while the six Higgs model gives either a rank one mass matrix, or in the case when it spontaneously violates CP, a rank two mass matrix corresponding to nonzero second family masses. In both models, the CKM matrix is exactly unity in leading approximation. Allowing small explicit violations of cyclic permutation symmetry generates small first family masses in the six Higgs model, and first and second family masses in the three Higgs model, and gives a non-trivial CKM matrix in which the mixings of the first and second family quarks are naturally larger than mixings involving the third family. Complete numerical fits are given for both models, flavor changing neutral current constraints are discussed in detail, and the issues of unification of couplings and neutrino masses are addressed. On a technical level, our analysis uses the theory of circulant and retrocirculant matrices, the relevant parts of which are reviewed.Comment: Revtex, 59 pages including four tables at en

Spectral and transport properties of doped Mott-Hubbard systems with incommensurate magnetic order

We present spectral and optical properties of the Hubbard model on a two-dimensional square lattice using a generalization of dynamical mean-field theory to magnetic states in finite dimension. The self-energy includes the effect of spin fluctuations and screening of the Coulomb interaction due to particle-particle scattering. At half-filling the quasiparticles reduce the width of the Mott-Hubbard `gap' and have dispersions and spectral weights that agree remarkably well with quantum Monte Carlo and exact diagonalization calculations. Away from half-filling we consider incommensurate magnetic order with a varying local spin direction, and derive the photoemission and optical spectra. The incommensurate magnetic order leads to a pseudogap which opens at the Fermi energy and coexists with a large Mott-Hubbard gap. The quasiparticle states survive in the doped systems, but their dispersion is modified with the doping and a rigid band picture does not apply. Spectral weight in the optical conductivity is transferred to lower energies and the Drude weight increases linearly with increasing doping. We show that incommensurate magnetic order leads also to mid-gap states in the optical spectra and to decreased scattering rates in the transport processes, in qualitative agreement with the experimental observations in doped systems. The gradual disappearence of the spiral magnetic order and the vanishing pseudogap with increasing temperature is found to be responsible for the linear resistivity. We discuss the possible reasons why these results may only partially explain the features observed in the optical spectra of high temperature superconductors.Comment: 22 pages, 18 figure