Inflation Driven by Unification Energy

We examine the hypothesis that inflation is primarily driven by vacuum energy at a scale indicated by gauge coupling unification. Concretely, we consider a class of hybrid inflation models wherein the vacuum energy associated with a grand unified theory condensate provides the dominant energy during inflation, while a second "inflaton" scalar slow-rolls. We show that it is possible to obtain significant tensor-to-scalar ratios while fitting the observed spectral index.Comment: 5 double column pages, 1 figure. V2: Updated to resemble version published in PR

Anyonic Realization of the Quantum Affine Lie Algebra U_q(A_N)

We give a realization of quantum affine Lie algebra $U_q(\hat A_{N-1})$ in terms of anyons defined on a two-dimensional lattice, the deformation parameter $q$ being related to the statistical parameter $\nu$ of the anyons by $q = e^{i\pi\nu}$. In the limit of the deformation parameter going to one we recover the Feingold-Frenkel fermionic construction of undeformed affine Lie algebra.Comment: 13p LaTeX Document (should be run twice

Some Calculable Contributions to Entanglement Entropy

Entanglement entropy appears as a central property of quantum systems in broad areas of physics. However, its precise value is often sensitive to unknown microphysics, rendering it incalculable. By considering parametric dependence on correlation length, we extract finite, calculable contributions to the entanglement entropy for a scalar field between the interior and exterior of a spatial domain of arbitrary shape. The leading term is proportional to the area of the dividing boundary; we also extract finite subleading contributions for a field defined in the bulk interior of a waveguide in 3+1 dimensions, including terms proportional to the waveguide's cross-sectional geometry; its area, perimeter length, and integrated curvature. We also consider related quantities at criticality and suggest a class of systems for which these contributions might be measurable.Comment: 4+ pages, 1 figure. v2: Some clarifications and more references; updated to resemble version published in PR

Model study of the sign problem in the mean-field approximation

We argue the sign problem of the fermion determinant at finite density. It is unavoidable not only in Monte-Carlo simulations on the lattice but in the mean-field approximation as well. A simple model deriving from Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) in the double limit of large quark mass and large quark chemical potential exemplifies how the sign problem arises in the Polyakov loop dynamics at finite temperature and density. In the color SU(2) case our mean-field estimate is in excellent agreement with the lattice simulation. We combine the mean-field approximation with a simple phase reweighting technique to circumvent the complex action encountered in the color SU(3) case. We also investigate the mean-field free energy, from the saddle-point of which we can estimate the expectation value of the Polyakov loop.Comment: 14 page, 18 figures, typos corrected, references added, some clarification in sec.I

Gravitational Correction to Running of Gauge Couplings

We calculate the contribution of graviton exchange to the running of gauge couplings at lowest non-trivial order in perturbation theory. Including this contribution in a theory that features coupling constant unification does not upset this unification, but rather shifts the unification scale. When extrapolated formally, the gravitational correction renders all gauge couplings asymptotically free.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; v2: Clarified awkward sentences and notations. Corrected typos. Added references and discussion thereof in introduction. Minor copy editting changes to agree with version to be published in Physical Review Letter

On the Electromagnetic Interactions of Anyons

Using the appropriate representation of the Poincare group and a definition of minimal coupling, we discuss some aspects of the electromagnetic interactions of charged anyons. In a nonrelativistic expansion, we derive a Schrodinger-type equation for the anyon wave function which includes spin-magnetic field and spin-orbit couplings. In particular, the gyromagnetic ratio for charged anyons is shown to be 2; this last result is essentially a reflection of the fact that the spin is parallel to the momentum in (2+1) dimensions.Comment: 13 pages, RU-92-17-B,CU-TP-584, CERN-TH6768/9

Electroweak symmetry breaking and cold dark matter from strongly interacting hidden sector

We consider a hidden sector with a vectorlike confining gauge theory like QCD with $N_{h,c}$ colors and $N_{h,f}$ light quarks ${\cal Q}_h$ in the hidden sector. Then a scale $\Lambda_H$ would be generated by dimensional transmutation, and chiral symmetry breaking occurs in the hidden sector. This scale $\Lambda_H$ can play a role of the SM Higgs mass parameter, triggering electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB). Furthermore the lightest mesons in the hidden sector is stable by flavor conservation of the hidden sector strong interaction, and could be a good cold dark matter (CDM). We study collider phenomenology, and relic density and direct detection rates of the CDM of this model.Comment: The version which appeared in Phys. Lett.

Equation of State in a Strongly Interacting Relativistic System

We study the evolution of the equation of state of a strongly interacting quark system as a function of the diquark interaction strength. We show that for the system to avoid collapsing into a pressureless Boson gas at sufficiently strong diquark coupling strength, the diquark-diquark repulsion has to be self-consistently taken into account. In particular, we find that the tendency at zero temperature of the strongly interacting diquark gas to condense into the system ground state is compensated by the repulsion between diquarks if the diquark-diquark coupling constant is higher than a critical value $\lambda_C=7.65$. Considering such diquark-diquark repulsion, a positive pressure with no significant variation along the whole strongly interacting region is obtained. A consequence of the diquark-diquark repulsion is that the system maintains its BCS character in the whole strongly interacting region.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figs, To appear in Phys. Rev.