340 research outputs found
Kac-Moody Symmetries of Ten-dimensional Non-maximal Supergravity Theories
A description of the bosonic sector of ten-dimensional N=1 supergravity as a
non-linear realisation is given. We show that if a suitable extension of this
theory were invariant under a Kac-Moody algebra, then this algebra would have
to contain a rank eleven Kac-Moody algebra, that can be identified to be a
particular real form of very-extended D_8. We also describe the extension of
N=1 supergravity coupled to an abelian vector gauge field as a non-linear
realisation, and find the Kac-Moody algebra governing the symmetries of this
theory to be very-extended B_8. Finally, we discuss the related points for the
N=1 supergravity coupled to an arbitrary number of abelian vector gauge fields
E_{11} origin of Brane charges and U-duality multiplets
We derive general equations which determine the decomposition of the G^{+++}
multiplet of brane charges into the sub-algebras that arise when the
non-linearly realised G^{+++} theory is dimensionally reduced on a torus. We
apply this to calculate the low level E_8 multiplets of brane charges that
arise when the E_{8}^{+++}, or E_{11}, non-linearly realised theory is
dimensionally reduced to three dimensions on an eight dimensional torus. We
find precise agreement with the U-duality multiplet of brane charges previously
calculated, thus providing a natural eleven dimensional origin for the
"mysterious" brane charges found that do not occur as central charges in the
supersymmetry algebra. We also discuss the brane charges in nine dimensions and
how they arise from the IIA and IIB theories.Comment: 30 pages, plain te
The E_{11} origin of all maximal supergravities
Starting from the eleven dimensional E_{11} non-linear realisation of
M-theory we compute all possible forms, that is objects with totally
antisymmetrised indices, that occur in four dimensions and above as well as all
the 1-forms and 2-forms in three dimensions. In any dimension D, the D-1-forms
lead to maximal supergravity theories with cosmological constants and they are
in precise agreement with the patterns of gauging found in any dimension using
supersymmetry. The D-forms correspond to the presence of space-filling branes
which are crucial for the consistency of orientifold models and have not been
derived from an alternative approach, with the exception of the 10-dimensional
case. It follows that the gaugings of supergravities and the spacetime-filling
branes possess an eleven dimensional origin within the E_{11} formulation of
M-theory. This and previous results very strongly suggest that all the fields
in the adjoint representation of E_{11} have a physical interpretation.Comment: 54 page
G+++ Invariant Formulation of Gravity and M-Theories: Exact BPS Solutions
We present a tentative formulation of theories of gravity with suitable
matter content, including in particular pure gravity in D dimensions, the
bosonic effective actions of M-theory and of the bosonic string, in terms of
actions invariant under very-extended Kac-Moody algebras G+++. We conjecture
that they host additional degrees of freedom not contained in the conventional
theories. The actions are constructed in a recursive way from a level expansion
for all very-extended algebras G+++. They constitute non-linear realisations on
cosets, a priori unrelated to space-time, obtained from a modified Chevalley
involution. Exact solutions are found for all G+++. They describe the algebraic
properties of BPS extremal branes, Kaluza-Klein waves and Kaluza-Klein
monopoles. They illustrate the generalisation to all G+++ invariant theories of
the well-known duality properties of string theories by expressing duality as
Weyl invariance in G+++. Space-time is expected to be generated dynamically. In
the level decomposition of E8+++ = E11, one may indeed select an A10
representation of generators Pa which appears to engender space-time
translations by inducing infinite towers of fields interpretable as field
derivatives in space and time.Comment: Latex 45 pages, 1 figure. Discussion on pages 19 and 20 altered.
Appendix B amplified. 4 footnotes added. 2 references added. Acknowledgments
updated. Additional minor correction
An E9 multiplet of BPS states
We construct an infinite E9 multiplet of BPS states for 11D supergravity. For
each positive real root of E9 we obtain a BPS solution of 11D supergravity, or
of its exotic counterparts, depending on two non-compact transverse space
variables. All these solutions are related by U-dualities realised via E9 Weyl
transformations in the regular embedding of E9 in E10, E10 in E11. In this way
we recover the basic BPS solutions, namely the KK-wave, the M2 brane, the M5
brane and the KK6-monopole, as well as other solutions admitting eight
longitudinal space dimensions. A novel technique of combining Weyl reflexions
with compensating transformations allows the construction of many new BPS
solutions, each of which can be mapped to a solution of a dual effective action
of gravity coupled to a certain higher rank tensor field. For real roots of E10
which are not roots of E9, we obtain additional BPS solutions transcending 11D
supergravity (as exemplified by the lowest level solution corresponding to the
M9 brane). The relation between the dual formulation and the one in terms of
the original 11D supergravity fields has significance beyond the realm of BPS
solutions. We establish the link with the Geroch group of general relativity,
and explain how the E9 duality transformations generalize the standard Hodge
dualities to an infinite set of `non-closing dualities'.Comment: 76 pages, 6 figure
Finite and infinite-dimensional symmetries of pure N=2 supergravity in D=4
We study the symmetries of pure N=2 supergravity in D=4. As is known, this
theory reduced on one Killing vector is characterised by a non-linearly
realised symmetry SU(2,1) which is a non-split real form of SL(3,C). We
consider the BPS brane solutions of the theory preserving half of the
supersymmetry and the action of SU(2,1) on them. Furthermore we provide
evidence that the theory exhibits an underlying algebraic structure described
by the Lorentzian Kac-Moody group SU(2,1)^{+++}. This evidence arises both from
the correspondence between the bosonic space-time fields of N=2 supergravity in
D=4 and a one-parameter sigma-model based on the hyperbolic group SU(2,1)^{++},
as well as from the fact that the structure of BPS brane solutions is neatly
encoded in SU(2,1)^{+++}. As a nice by-product of our analysis, we obtain a
regular embedding of the Kac-Moody algebra su(2,1)^{+++} in e_{11} based on
brane physics.Comment: 70 pages, final version published in JHE
SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine design enabled by prototype pathogen preparedness
A vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is needed to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Structural studies have led to the development of mutations that stabilize Betacoronavirus spike proteins in the prefusion state, improving their expression and increasing immunogenicity1. This principle has been applied to design mRNA-1273, an mRNA vaccine that encodes a SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that is stabilized in the prefusion conformation. Here we show that mRNA-1273 induces potent neutralizing antibody responses to both wild-type (D614) and D614G mutant2 SARS-CoV-2 as well as CD8+ T cell responses, and protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the lungs and noses of mice without evidence of immunopathology. mRNA-1273 is currently in a phase III trial to evaluate its efficacy
Collisional and Radiative Processes in Optically Thin Plasmas
Most of our knowledge of the physical processes in distant plasmas is obtained
through measurement of the radiation they produce. Here we provide an overview of the
main collisional and radiative processes and examples of diagnostics relevant to the microphysical
processes in the plasma. Many analyses assume a time-steady plasma with ion
populations in equilibrium with the local temperature and Maxwellian distributions of particle
velocities, but these assumptions are easily violated in many cases. We consider these
departures from equilibrium and possible diagnostics in detail
Clusters of galaxies: setting the stage
Clusters of galaxies are self-gravitating systems of mass ~10^14-10^15 Msun.
They consist of dark matter (~80 %), hot diffuse intracluster plasma (< 20 %)
and a small fraction of stars, dust, and cold gas, mostly locked in galaxies.
In most clusters, scaling relations between their properties testify that the
cluster components are in approximate dynamical equilibrium within the cluster
gravitational potential well. However, spatially inhomogeneous thermal and
non-thermal emission of the intracluster medium (ICM), observed in some
clusters in the X-ray and radio bands, and the kinematic and morphological
segregation of galaxies are a signature of non-gravitational processes, ongoing
cluster merging and interactions. In the current bottom-up scenario for the
formation of cosmic structure, clusters are the most massive nodes of the
filamentary large-scale structure of the cosmic web and form by anisotropic and
episodic accretion of mass. In this model of the universe dominated by cold
dark matter, at the present time most baryons are expected to be in a diffuse
component rather than in stars and galaxies; moreover, ~50 % of this diffuse
component has temperature ~0.01-1 keV and permeates the filamentary
distribution of the dark matter. The temperature of this Warm-Hot Intergalactic
Medium (WHIM) increases with the local density and its search in the outer
regions of clusters and lower density regions has been the quest of much recent
observational effort. Over the last thirty years, an impressive coherent
picture of the formation and evolution of cosmic structures has emerged from
the intense interplay between observations, theory and numerical experiments.
Future efforts will continue to test whether this picture keeps being valid,
needs corrections or suffers dramatic failures in its predictive power.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Space Science
Reviews, special issue "Clusters of galaxies: beyond the thermal view",
Editor J.S. Kaastra, Chapter 2; work done by an international team at the
International Space Science Institute (ISSI), Bern, organised by J.S.
Kaastra, A.M. Bykov, S. Schindler & J.A.M. Bleeke
The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory is a second generation water Cherenkov
detector designed to determine whether the currently observed solar neutrino
deficit is a result of neutrino oscillations. The detector is unique in its use
of D2O as a detection medium, permitting it to make a solar model-independent
test of the neutrino oscillation hypothesis by comparison of the charged- and
neutral-current interaction rates. In this paper the physical properties,
construction, and preliminary operation of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory are
described. Data and predicted operating parameters are provided whenever
possible.Comment: 58 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Nucl. Inst. Meth. Uses elsart and
epsf style files. For additional information about SNO see
http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca . This version has some new reference
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