1,162 research outputs found
Enhanced roughness of lipid membranes caused by external electric fields
The behavior of lipid membranes in the presence of an external electric field
is studied and used to examine the influence of such fields on membrane
parameters such as roughness and show that for a micro sized membrane,
roughness grows as the field increases. The dependence of bending rigidity on
the electric field is also studied and an estimation of thickness of the
accumulated charges around lipid membranes in a free-salt solution is
presented.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Computational Materials Scienc
On the dynamical generation of the Maxwell term and scale invariance
Gauge theories with no Maxwell term are investigated in various setups. The
dynamical generation of the Maxwell term is correlated to the scale invariance
properties of the system. This is discussed mainly in the cases where the gauge
coupling carries dimensions. The term is generated when the theory contains a
scale explicitly, when it is asymptotically free and in particular also when
the scale invariance is spontaneously broken. The terms are not generated when
the scale invariance is maintained. Examples studied include the large
limit of the model in dimensions, a 3D gauged
vector model and its supersymmetric extension. In the latter case the
generation of the Maxwell term at a fixed point is explored. The phase
structure of the case is investigated in the presence of a Chern-Simons
term as well. In the supersymmetric model the emergence of the Maxwell
term is accompanied by the dynamical generation of the Chern-Simons term and
its multiplet and dynamical breaking of the parity symmetry. In some of the
phases long range forces emerge which may result in logarithmic confinement.
These include a dilaton exchange which plays a role also in the case when the
theory has no gauge symmetry. Gauged Lagrangian realizations of the 2D coset
models do not lead to emergent Maxwell terms. We discuss a case where the gauge
symmetry is anomalous.Comment: 38 pages, 4 figures; v2 slightly improved, typos fixed, references
added, published versio
Superconformal symmetry and maximal supergravity in various dimensions
In this paper we explore the relation between conformal superalgebras with 64
supercharges and maximal supergravity theories in three, four and six
dimensions using twistorial oscillator techniques. The massless fields of N=8
supergravity in four dimensions were shown to fit into a CPT-self-conjugate
doubleton supermultiplet of the conformal superalgebra SU(2,2|8) a long time
ago. We show that the fields of maximal supergravity in three dimensions can
similarly be fitted into the super singleton multiplet of the conformal
superalgebra OSp(16|4,R), which is related to the doubleton supermultiplet of
SU(2,2|8) by dimensional reduction. Moreover, we construct the ultra-short
supermultiplet of the six-dimensional conformal superalgebra OSp(8*|8) and show
that its component fields can be organized in an on-shell superfield. The
ultra-short OSp(8*|8) multiplet reduces to the doubleton supermultiplet of
SU(2,2|8) upon dimensional reduction. We discuss the possibility of a chiral
maximal (4,0) six-dimensional supergravity theory with USp(8) R-symmetry that
reduces to maximal supergravity in four dimensions and is different from
six-dimensional (2,2) maximal supergravity, whose fields cannot be fitted into
a unitary supermultiplet of a simple conformal superalgebra. Such an
interacting theory would be the gravitational analog of the (2,0) theory.Comment: 54 pages, PDFLaTeX, Section 5 and several references added. Version
accepted for publication in JHE
New Constraints (and Motivations) for Abelian Gauge Bosons in the MeV-TeV Mass Range
We survey the phenomenological constraints on abelian gauge bosons having
masses in the MeV to multi-GeV mass range (using precision electroweak
measurements, neutrino-electron and neutrino-nucleon scattering, electron and
muon anomalous magnetic moments, upsilon decay, beam dump experiments, atomic
parity violation, low-energy neutron scattering and primordial
nucleosynthesis). We compute their implications for the three parameters that
in general describe the low-energy properties of such bosons: their mass and
their two possible types of dimensionless couplings (direct couplings to
ordinary fermions and kinetic mixing with Standard Model hypercharge). We argue
that gauge bosons with very small couplings to ordinary fermions in this mass
range are natural in string compactifications and are likely to be generic in
theories for which the gravity scale is systematically smaller than the Planck
mass - such as in extra-dimensional models - because of the necessity to
suppress proton decay. Furthermore, because its couplings are weak, in the
low-energy theory relevant to experiments at and below TeV scales the charge
gauged by the new boson can appear to be broken, both by classical effects and
by anomalies. In particular, if the new gauge charge appears to be anomalous,
anomaly cancellation does not also require the introduction of new light
fermions in the low-energy theory. Furthermore, the charge can appear to be
conserved in the low-energy theory, despite the corresponding gauge boson
having a mass. Our results reduce to those of other authors in the special
cases where there is no kinetic mixing or there is no direct coupling to
ordinary fermions, such as for recently proposed dark-matter scenarios.Comment: 49 pages + appendix, 21 figures. This is the final version which
appears in JHE
Simplifying instanton corrections to N=4 SYM correlators
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits any use, distribution and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited
Minimal flavour violation extensions of the seesaw
We analyze the most natural formulations of the minimal lepton flavour
violation hypothesis compatible with a type-I seesaw structure with three heavy
singlet neutrinos N, and satisfying the requirement of being predictive, in the
sense that all LFV effects can be expressed in terms of low energy observables.
We find a new interesting realization based on the flavour group (being and respectively the SU(2) singlet and
doublet leptons). An intriguing feature of this realization is that, in the
normal hierarchy scenario for neutrino masses, it allows for sizeable
enhancements of transitions with respect to LFV processes involving
the lepton. We also discuss how the symmetries of the type-I seesaw
allow for a strong suppression of the N mass scale with respect to the scale of
lepton number breaking, without implying a similar suppression for possible
mechanisms of N productionComment: 14 pages, 6 figure
On Inflation with Non-minimal Coupling
A simple realization of inflation consists of adding the following operators
to the Einstein-Hilbert action: (partial phi)^2, lambda phi^4, and xi phi^2 R,
with xi a large non-minimal coupling. Recently there has been much discussion
as to whether such theories make sense quantum mechanically and if the inflaton
phi can also be the Standard Model Higgs. In this note we answer these
questions. Firstly, for a single scalar phi, we show that the quantum field
theory is well behaved in the pure gravity and kinetic sectors, since the
quantum generated corrections are small. However, the theory likely breaks down
at ~ m_pl / xi due to scattering provided by the self-interacting potential
lambda phi^4. Secondly, we show that the theory changes for multiple scalars
phi with non-minimal coupling xi phi dot phi R, since this introduces
qualitatively new interactions which manifestly generate large quantum
corrections even in the gravity and kinetic sectors, spoiling the theory for
energies > m_pl / xi. Since the Higgs doublet of the Standard Model includes
the Higgs boson and 3 Goldstone bosons, it falls into the latter category and
therefore its validity is manifestly spoiled. We show that these conclusions
hold in both the Jordan and Einstein frames and describe an intuitive analogy
in the form of the pion Lagrangian. We also examine the recent claim that
curvature-squared inflation models fail quantum mechanically. Our work appears
to go beyond the recent discussions.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures. Version 2: Clarified findings and improved
wording. Elaborated important sections and removed an unnecessary section.
Added references. Version 3: Updated towards JHEP version. Version 4: Final
JHEP versio
The Overall Coefficient of the Two-loop Superstring Amplitude Using Pure Spinors
Using the results recently obtained for computing integrals over
(non-minimal) pure spinor superspace, we compute the coefficient of the
massless two-loop four-point amplitude from first principles. Contrasting with
the mathematical difficulties in the RNS formalism where unknown normalizations
of chiral determinant formulae force the two-loop coefficient to be determined
only indirectly through factorization, the computation in the pure spinor
formalism can be smoothly carried out.Comment: 29 pages, harvmac TeX. v2: add reference
B-L Cosmic Strings in Heterotic Standard Models
E_{8} X E_{8} heterotic string and M-theory, when compactified on smooth
Calabi-Yau manifolds with SU(4) vector bundles, can give rise to softly broken
N=1 supersymmetric theories with the exact matter spectrum of the MSSM,
including three right-handed neutrinos and one Higgs-Higgs conjugate pair of
supermultiplets. These vacua have the SU(3)_{C} X SU(2)_{L} X U(1)_{Y} gauge
group of the standard model augmented by an additional gauged U(1)_{B-L}. Their
minimal content requires that the B-L symmetry be spontaneously broken by a
vacuum expectation value of at least one right-handed sneutrino. The soft
supersymmetry breaking operators can induce radiative breaking of the B-L gauge
symmetry with an acceptable B-L/electroweak hierarchy. In this paper, it is
shown that U(1)_{B-L} cosmic strings occur in this context, potentially with
both bosonic and fermionic superconductivity. We present a numerical analysis
that demonstrates that boson condensates can, in principle, form for theories
of this type. However, the weak Yukawa and gauge couplings of the right-handed
sneutrino suggests that bosonic superconductivity will not occur in the
simplest vacua in this context. The electroweak phase transition also disallows
fermion superconductivity, although substantial bound state fermion currents
can exist.Comment: 41 pages, 5 figure
String theoretic QCD axions in the light of PLANCK and BICEP2
The QCD axion solving the strong CP problem may originate from antisymmetric
tensor gauge fields in compactified string theory, with a decay constant around
the GUT scale. Such possibility appears to be ruled out now by the detection of
tensor modes by BICEP2 and the PLANCK constraints on isocurvature density
perturbations. A more interesting and still viable possibility is that the
string theoretic QCD axion is charged under an anomalous U(1)_A gauge symmetry.
In such case, the axion decay constant can be much lower than the GUT scale if
moduli are stabilized near the point of vanishing Fayet-Illiopoulos term, and
U(1)_A-charged matter fields get a vacuum value far below the GUT scale due to
a tachyonic SUSY breaking scalar mass. We examine the symmetry breaking pattern
of such models during the inflationary epoch with the Hubble expansion rate
10^{14} GeV, and identify the range of the QCD axion decay constant, as well as
the corresponding relic axion abundance, consistent with known cosmological
constraints. In addition to the case that the PQ symmetry is restored during
inflation, there are other viable scenarios, including that the PQ symmetry is
broken during inflation at high scales around 10^{16}-10^{17} GeV due to a
large Hubble-induced tachyonic scalar mass from the U(1)_A D-term, while the
present axion scale is in the range 10^{9}-5\times 10^{13} GeV, where the
present value larger than 10^{12} GeV requires a fine-tuning of the axion
misalignment angle. We also discuss the implications of our results for the
size of SUSY breaking soft masses.Comment: 29 pages, 1 figure; v3: analysis updated including the full
anharmonic effects, references added, version accepted for publication in
JHE
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