Gauging kinematical and internal symmetry groups for extended systems: the Galilean one-time and two-times harmonic oscillators

The possible external couplings of an extended non-relativistic classical system are characterized by gauging its maximal dynamical symmetry group at the center-of-mass. The Galilean one-time and two-times harmonic oscillators are exploited as models. The following remarkable results are then obtained: 1) a peculiar form of interaction of the system as a whole with the external gauge fields; 2) a modification of the dynamical part of the symmetry transformations, which is needed to take into account the alteration of the dynamics itself, induced by the {\it gauge} fields. In particular, the Yang-Mills fields associated to the internal rotations have the effect of modifying the time derivative of the internal variables in a scheme of minimal coupling (introduction of an internal covariant derivative); 3) given their dynamical effect, the Yang-Mills fields associated to the internal rotations apparently define a sort of Galilean spin connection, while the Yang-Mills fields associated to the quadrupole momentum and to the internal energy have the effect of introducing a sort of dynamically induced internal metric in the relative space.Comment: 32 pages, LaTex using the IOP preprint macro package (ioplppt.sty available at: http://www.iop.org/). The file is available at: http://www.fis.unipr.it/papers/1995.html The file is a uuencoded tar gzip file with the IOP preprint style include

Bi-differential calculi and integrable models

The existence of an infinite set of conserved currents in completely integrable classical models, including chiral and Toda models as well as the KP and self-dual Yang-Mills equations, is traced back to a simple construction of an infinite chain of closed (respectively, covariantly constant) 1-forms in a (gauged) bi-differential calculus. The latter consists of a differential algebra on which two differential maps act. In a gauged bi-differential calculus these maps are extended to flat covariant derivatives.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures, uses amssymb.sty and diagrams.sty, substantial extensions of examples (relative to first version

Multivortex Solutions of the Weierstrass Representation

The connection between the complex Sine and Sinh-Gordon equations on the complex plane associated with a Weierstrass type system and the possibility of construction of several classes of multivortex solutions is discussed in detail. We perform the Painlev\'e test and analyse the possibility of deriving the B\"acklund transformation from the singularity analysis of the complex Sine-Gordon equation. We make use of the analysis using the known relations for the Painlev\'{e} equations to construct explicit formulae in terms of the Umemura polynomials which are $\tau$-functions for rational solutions of the third Painlev\'{e} equation. New classes of multivortex solutions of a Weierstrass system are obtained through the use of this proposed procedure. Some physical applications are mentioned in the area of the vortex Higgs model when the complex Sine-Gordon equation is reduced to coupled Riccati equations.Comment: 27 pages LaTeX2e, 1 encapsulated Postscript figur

Universal aspects of string propagation on curved backgrounds

String propagation on D-dimensional curved backgrounds with Lorentzian signature is formulated as a geometrical problem of embedding surfaces. When the spatial part of the background corresponds to a general WZW model for a compact group, the classical dynamics of the physical degrees of freedom is governed by the coset conformal field theory SO(D-1)/SO(D-2), which is universal irrespective of the particular WZW model. The same holds for string propagation on D-dimensional flat space. The integration of the corresponding Gauss-Codazzi equations requires the introduction of (non-Abelian) parafermions in differential geometry.Comment: 15 pages, latex. Typo in Eq. (2.12) is corrected. Version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Equivalence of the (generalised) Hadamard and microlocal spectrum condition for (generalised) free fields in curved spacetime

We prove that the singularity structure of all n-point distributions of a state of a generalised real free scalar field in curved spacetime can be estimated if the two-point distribution is of Hadamard form. In particular this applies to the real free scalar field and the result has applications in perturbative quantum field theory, showing that the class of all Hadamard states is the state space of interest. In our proof we assume that the field is a generalised free field, i.e. that it satisies scalar (c-number) commutation relations, but it need not satisfy an equation of motion. The same argument also works for anti-commutation relations and it can be generalised to vector-valued fields. To indicate the strengths and limitations of our assumption we also prove the analogues of a theorem by Borchers and Zimmermann on the self-adjointness of field operators and of a very weak form of the Jost-Schroer theorem. The original proofs of these results in the Wightman framework make use of analytic continuation arguments. In our case no analyticity is assumed, but to some extent the scalar commutation relations can take its place.Comment: 18 page

Darboux Transformations for a Lax Integrable System in 2n2n-Dimensions

A $2n$-dimensional Lax integrable system is proposed by a set of specific spectral problems. It contains Takasaki equations, the self-dual Yang-Mills equations and its integrable hierarchy as examples. An explicit formulation of Darboux transformations is established for this Lax integrable system. The Vandermonde and generalized Cauchy determinant formulas lead to a description for deriving explicit solutions and thus some rational and analytic solutions are obtained.Comment: Latex, 14 pages, to be published in Lett. Math. Phy

Continuum Limit of 2D2D Spin Models with Continuous Symmetry and Conformal Quantum Field Theory

According to the standard classification of Conformal Quantum Field Theory (CQFT) in two dimensions, the massless continuum limit of the $O(2)$ model at the Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) transition point should be given by the massless free scalar field; in particular the Noether current of the model should be proportional to (the dual of) the gradient of the massless free scalar field, reflecting a symmetry enhanced from $O(2)$ to $O(2)\times O(2)$. More generally, the massless continuum limit of a spin model with a symmetry given by a Lie group $G$ should have an enhanced symmetry $G\times G$. We point out that the arguments leading to this conclusion contain two serious gaps: i) the possibility of `nontrivial local cohomology' and ii) the possibility that the current is an ultralocal field. For the $2D$ $O(2)$ model we give analytic arguments which rule out the first possibility and use numerical methods to dispose of the second one. We conclude that the standard CQFT predictions appear to be borne out in the $O(2)$ model, but give an example where they would fail. We also point out that all our arguments apply equally well to any $G$ symmetric spin model, provided it has a critical point at a finite temperature.Comment: 19 page

Toward the Restoration of Hand Use to a Paralyzed Monkey: Brain-Controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation of Forearm Muscles

Loss of hand use is considered by many spinal cord injury survivors to be the most devastating consequence of their injury. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) of forearm and hand muscles has been used to provide basic, voluntary hand grasp to hundreds of human patients. Current approaches typically grade pre-programmed patterns of muscle activation using simple control signals, such as those derived from residual movement or muscle activity. However, the use of such fixed stimulation patterns limits hand function to the few tasks programmed into the controller. In contrast, we are developing a system that uses neural signals recorded from a multi-electrode array implanted in the motor cortex; this system has the potential to provide independent control of multiple muscles over a broad range of functional tasks. Two monkeys were able to use this cortically controlled FES system to control the contraction of four forearm muscles despite temporary limb paralysis. The amount of wrist force the monkeys were able to produce in a one-dimensional force tracking task was significantly increased. Furthermore, the monkeys were able to control the magnitude and time course of the force with sufficient accuracy to track visually displayed force targets at speeds reduced by only one-third to one-half of normal. Although these results were achieved by controlling only four muscles, there is no fundamental reason why the same methods could not be scaled up to control a larger number of muscles. We believe these results provide an important proof of concept that brain-controlled FES prostheses could ultimately be of great benefit to paralyzed patients with injuries in the mid-cervical spinal cord

Giant magnons and non-maximal giant gravitons

We produce the open strings on $\mathbb{R}\times S^{2}$ that correspond to the solutions of integrable boundary sine-Gordon theory by making use of the $N$-magnon solutions provided in \cite{KPV} together with explicit moduli. Relating the two boundary parameters in a special way we describe the scattering of giant magnons with non-maximal $Y=0$ giant gravitons and calculate the leading contribution to the associated magnon scattering phase.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figure

Scaling algebras and pointlike fields: A nonperturbative approach to renormalization

We present a method of short-distance analysis in quantum field theory that does not require choosing a renormalization prescription a priori. We set out from a local net of algebras with associated pointlike quantum fields. The net has a naturally defined scaling limit in the sense of Buchholz and Verch; we investigate the effect of this limit on the pointlike fields. Both for the fields and their operator product expansions, a well-defined limit procedure can be established. This can always be interpreted in the usual sense of multiplicative renormalization, where the renormalization factors are determined by our analysis. We also consider the limits of symmetry actions. In particular, for suitable limit states, the group of scaling transformations induces a dilation symmetry in the limit theory.Comment: minor changes and clarifications; as to appear in Commun. Math. Phys.; 37 page