4,243 research outputs found
On the Consistency of a Fermion-Torsion Effective Theory
We discuss the possibility to construct an effective quantum field theory for
an axial vector coupled to a Dirac spinor field. A massive axial vector
describes antisymmetric torsion. The consistency conditions include unitarity
and renormalizability in the low-energy region. The investigation of the Ward
identities and the one- and two-loop divergences indicate serious problems
arising in the theory. The final conclusion is that torsion may exist as a
string excitation, but there are very severe restrictions for the existence of
a propagating torsion field, subject to the quantization procedure, at low
energies.Comment: LaTeX, 26 pages, 4 figure
Trajectories in a space with a spherically symmetric dislocation
We consider a new type of defect in the scope of linear elasticity theory,
using geometrical methods. This defect is produced by a spherically symmetric
dislocation, or ball dislocation. We derive the induced metric as well as the
affine connections and curvature tensors. Since the induced metric is
discontinuous, one can expect ambiguity coming from these quantities, due to
products between delta functions or its derivatives, plaguing a description of
ball dislocations based on the Geometric Theory of Defects. However, exactly as
in the previous case of cylindric defect, one can obtain some well-defined
physical predictions of the induced geometry. In particular, we explore some
properties of test particle trajectories around the defect and show that these
trajectories are curved but can not be circular orbits.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
Renormalization Ambiguities and Conformal Anomaly in Metric-Scalar Backgrounds
We analyze the problem of the existing ambiguities in the conformal anomaly
in theories with external scalar field in curved backgrounds. In particular, we
consider the anomaly of self-interacting massive scalar field theory and of
Yukawa model in the massless conformal limit. In all cases the ambiguities are
related to finite renormalizations of a local non-minimal terms in the
effective action. We point out the generic nature of this phenomenon and
provide a general method to identify the theories where such an ambiguity can
arise.Comment: RevTeX, 10 pages, no figures. Small comment and two references added.
Accepted for publication in Physical Review
Higher Derivative Quantum Gravity with Gauss-Bonnet Term
Higher derivative theory is one of the important models of quantum gravity,
renormalizable and asymptotically free within the standard perturbative
approach. We consider the renormalization group for this theory,
an approach which proved fruitful in models. A consistent
formulation in dimension requires taking quantum effects of the
topological term into account, hence we perform calculation which is more
general than the ones done before. In the special case we confirm a known
result by Fradkin-Tseytlin and Avramidi-Barvinsky, while contributions from
topological term do cancel. In the more general case of
renormalization group equations there is an extensive ambiguity related to
gauge-fixing dependence. As a result, physical interpretation of these
equations is not universal unlike we treat as a small parameter. In
the sector of essential couplings one can find a number of new fixed points,
some of them have no analogs in the case.Comment: LaTeX file, 30 pages, 5 figures. Several misprints in the
intermediate expressions correcte
- …