Closed N=2 Strings: Picture-Changing, Hidden Symmetries and SDG Hierarchy

We study the action of picture-changing and spectral flow operators on a ground ring of ghost number zero operators in the chiral BRST cohomology of the closed N=2 string and describe an infinite set of symmetry charges acting on physical states. The transformations of physical string states are compared with symmetries of self-dual gravity which is the effective field theory of the closed N=2 string. We derive all infinitesimal symmetries of the self-dual gravity equations in 2+2 dimensional spacetime and introduce an infinite hierarchy of commuting flows on the moduli space of self-dual metrics. The dependence on moduli parameters can be recovered by solving the equations of the SDG hierarchy associated with an infinite set of abelian symmetries generated recursively from translations. These non-local abelian symmetries are shown to coincide with the hidden abelian string symmetries responsible for the vanishing of most scattering amplitudes. Therefore, N=2 string theory "predicts" not only self-dual gravity but also the SDG hierarchy.Comment: 41 pages, no figure

Explicit Non-Abelian Monopoles and Instantons in SU(N) Pure Yang-Mills Theory

It is well known that there are no static non-Abelian monopole solutions in pure Yang-Mills theory on Minkowski space R^{3,1}. We show that such solutions exist in SU(N) gauge theory on the spaces R^2\times S^2 and R^1\times S^1\times S^2 with Minkowski signature (-+++). In the temporal gauge they are solutions of pure Yang-Mills theory on T^1\times S^2, where T^1 is R^1 or S^1. Namely, imposing SO(3)-invariance and some reality conditions, we consistently reduce the Yang-Mills model on the above spaces to a non-Abelian analog of the \phi^4 kink model whose static solutions give SU(N) monopole (-antimonopole) configurations on the space R^{1,1}\times S^2 via the above-mentioned correspondence. These solutions can also be considered as instanton configurations of Yang-Mills theory in 2+1 dimensions. The kink model on R^1\times S^1 admits also periodic sphaleron-type solutions describing chains of n kink-antikink pairs spaced around the circle S^1 with arbitrary n>0. They correspond to chains of n static monopole-antimonopole pairs on the space R^1\times S^1\times S^2 which can also be interpreted as instanton configurations in 2+1 dimensional pure Yang-Mills theory at finite temperature (thermal time circle). We also describe similar solutions in Euclidean SU(N) gauge theory on S^1\times S^3 interpreted as chains of n instanton-antiinstanton pairs.Comment: 16 pages; v2: subsection on topological charges added, title expanded, some coefficients corrected, version to appear in PR

Shape of the inflaton potential and the efficiency of the universe heating

It is shown that the efficiency of the universe heating by an inflaton field depends not only on the possible presence of parametric resonance in the production of scalar particles but also strongly depends on the character of the inflaton approach to its mechanical equilibrium point. In particular, when the inflaton oscillations deviate from pure harmonic ones toward a succession of step functions, the production probability rises by several orders of magnitude. This in turn leads to a much higher temperature of the universe after the inflaton decay, in comparison to the harmonic case. An example of the inflaton potential is presented which creates a proper modification of the evolution of the inflaton toward equilibrium and does not destroy the nice features of inflation.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures; final version published in EPJ

Solutions to Yang-Mills equations on four-dimensional de Sitter space

We consider pure SU(2) Yang-Mills theory on four-dimensional de Sitter space dS$_4$ and construct a smooth and spatially homogeneous magnetic solution to the Yang-Mills equations. Slicing dS$_4$ as ${\mathbb R}\times S^3$, via an SU(2)-equivariant ansatz we reduce the Yang-Mills equations to ordinary matrix differential equations and further to Newtonian dynamics in a double-well potential. Its local maximum yields a Yang-Mills solution whose color-magnetic field at time $\tau\in{\mathbb R}$ is given by $\tilde{B}_a=-\frac12 I_a/(R^2\cosh^2\!\tau)$, where $I_a$ for $a=1,2,3$ are the SU(2) generators and $R$ is the de Sitter radius. At any moment, this spatially homogeneous configuration has finite energy, but its action is also finite and of the value $-\frac12j(j{+}1)(2j{+}1)\pi^3$ in a spin-$j$ representation. Similarly, the double-well bounce produces a family of homogeneous finite-action electric-magnetic solutions with the same energy. There is a continuum of other solutions whose energy and action extend down to zero.Comment: 1+7 pages; v2: introduction extended, gauge group representation dependence added, minor clarifications, 3 more references; v3: title change, published versio

Dressing Symmetries of Holomorphic BF Theories

We consider holomorphic BF theories, their solutions and symmetries. The equivalence of Cech and Dolbeault descriptions of holomorphic bundles is used to develop a method for calculating hidden (nonlocal) symmetries of holomorphic BF theories. A special cohomological symmetry group and its action on the solution space are described.Comment: 14 pages, LaTeX2