Supersymmetric hydrodynamics from the AdS/CFT correspondence

We compute holographically the dispersion relation for a hydrodynamic mode of fluctuation (the phonino) of the density of supersymmetry current in N = 4 SYM at strong coupling. The mode appears as a pole at low frequency and momentum in the correlator of supercurrents. It has a wave-like propagation, and we find its speed and coefficient of attenuation.Comment: 17 page

Super-Chern-Simons Theory as Superstring Theory

Superstrings and topological strings with supermanifolds as target space play a central role in the recent developments in string theory. Nevertheless the rules for higher-genus computations are still unclear or guessed in analogy with bosonic and fermionic strings. Here we present a common geometrical setting to develop systematically the prescription for amplitude computations. The geometrical origin of these difficulties is the theory of integration of superforms. We provide a translation between the theory of supermanifolds and topological strings with supertarget space. We show how in this formulation one can naturally construct picture changing operators to be inserted in the correlation functions to soak up the zero modes of commuting ghost and we derive the amplitude prescriptions from the coupling with an extended topological gravity on the worldsheet. As an application we consider a simple model on R^(3|2) leading to super-Chern-Simons theory.Comment: hravmac, 50p

Curved Beta-Gamma Systems and Quantum Koszul Resolution

We consider the partition function of beta-gamma systems in curved space of the type discussed by Nekrasov and Witten. We show how the Koszul resolution theorem can be applied to the computation of the partition functions and to characters of these systems and find a prescription to enforce the hypotheses of the theorem at the path integral level. We illustrate the technique in a few examples: a simple 2-dimensional target space, the N-dimensional conifold, and a superconifold. Our method can also be applied to the Pure Spinor constraints of superstrings.Comment: harvmac, 17 page

Superstrings and WZNW Models

We give a brief review of our approach to the quantization of superstrings. New is a covariant derivation of the measure at tree level and a path integral formula for this measure.Comment: 12 pp, LaTeX, Contribution to the QTS3 Conference Proceeding

Transport properties of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory at finite coupling

Gauge theory-string theory duality describes strongly coupled N=4 supersymmetric SU(n) Yang-Mills theory at finite temperature in terms of near extremal black 3-brane geometry in type IIB string theory. We use this correspondence to compute the leading correction in inverse 't Hooft coupling to the shear diffusion constant, bulk viscosity and the speed of sound in the large-n N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory plasma. The transport coefficients are extracted from the dispersion relation for the shear and the sound wave lowest quasinormal modes in the leading order alpha'-corrected black D3 brane geometry. We find the shear viscosity extracted from the shear diffusion constant to agree with result of [hep-th/0406264]; also, the leading correction to bulk viscosity and the speed of sound vanishes. Our computation provides a highly nontrivial consistency check on the hydrodynamic description of the alpha'-corrected nonextremal black branes in string theory.Comment: 19 pages, LaTe

Hydrodynamics from the Dp-brane

We complete the computation of viscous transport coefficients in the near horizon geometries that arise from a stack of black Dp-branes for p=2,...,6 in the decoupling limit. The main new result is the obtention of the bulk viscosity which, for all p, is found to be related to the speed of sound by the simple relation \zeta/\eta = -2(v_s^2-1/p). For completeness the shear viscosity is rederived from gravitational perturbations in the shear and scalar channels. We comment on technical issues like the counterterms needed, or the possible dependence on the conformal frame.Comment: 15 page

Improving biological production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) co-polymer: a critical review

AbstractAlthough poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is the most promising biopolymer for petroleum-based plastics replacement, the low processes productivity as well as the high sale price represent a major barrier for its widespread usage. The present work examines comparatively the existing methods to enhance the yield of the PHBV co-polymer biologically produced and/or reduce their costs. The study is addressed to researchers working on the development of new biological production methods and/or the improvement of those currently used. At this aim, the authors have considered the analysis of some crucial aspects related to substrates and microorganism's choice. The production strategies have been individuated, presented and discussed, either based on a single aspect (type of substrate or microorganism) or based on combined aspects (type of substrate and microorganism). Process operating conditions have been discussed as well. The analysis indicates that the addition of 3HV precursors is capable to dramatically enhance the hydroxyvalerate fraction in the produced biopolymers. On the other hand, due to the high costs of the 3HV precursors, the utilization of wild bacterial species capable to produce the hydroxyvalerate fraction from unrelated carbon sources (i.e. no 3HV precursors) also can be considered a valuable strategy for costs reduction. Moreover, metabolic engineering techniques can be successfully used to promote 3HV precursors-independent biosynthesis pathways and enhance the process productivity. The use of mixed cultures or extremophile bacteria avoids the need of sterile working conditions, and therefore favours the process scale-up. The utilization of the organic waste as substrate plays a key role for a sharp reduction of production costs. Finally, the selection of the most suitable substrate-microorganism combination cannot be separated by the adoption of an appropriate choice of reactor configuration and abiotic factors. Graphic abstrac

AdS/CFT duality for non-relativistic field theory

We formulate a correspondence between non-relativistic conformal field theories (NRCFTs) in d-1 spatial dimensions and gravitational theories in AdS_{d+2} backgrounds with one compactified lightlike direction. The breaking of the maximal SO(2,d+1) symmetry of AdS_{d+2} to the non-relativistic conformal group arises from boundary conditions on bulk fields, without the need to introduce non-vacuum sources of energy-momentum. As a check of the proposal, we use the gravitational theory to reproduce the NRCFT state-operator correspondence between scaling dimensions of primary operators and energy eigenstates of the non-relativistic system placed in an external harmonic potential.Comment: 19 pages LaTeX, no figure