539 research outputs found
Axial gravity: a non-perturbative approach to split anomalies
In a theory of a Dirac fermion field coupled to a metric-axial-tensor (MAT)
background, using a Schwinger-DeWitt heat kernel technique, we compute
non-perturbatively the two (odd parity) trace anomalies. A suitable collapsing
limit of this model corresponds to a theory of chiral fermions coupled to
(ordinary) gravity. Taking this limit on the two computed trace anomalies we
verify that they tend to the same expression, which coincides with the already
found odd parity trace anomaly, with the identical coefficient. This confirms
our previous results on this issue.Comment: 43 pages, some additions in section 6.3 and 6.5 plus minor
correction
Axial gravity, massless fermions and trace anomalies
This article deals with two main topics. One is odd parity trace anomalies in
Weyl fermion theories in a 4d curved background, the second is the introduction
of axial gravity. The motivation for reconsidering the former is to clarify the
theoretical background underlying the approach and complete the calculation of
the anomaly. The reference is in particular to the difference between Weyl and
massless Majorana fermions and to the possible contributions from tadpole and
seagull terms in the Feynman diagram approach. A first, basic, result of this
paper is that a more thorough treatment, taking account of such additional
terms { and using dimensional regularization}, confirms the earlier result. The
introduction of an axial symmetric tensor besides the usual gravitational
metric is instrumental to a different derivation of the same result using Dirac
fermions, which are coupled not only to the usual metric but also to the
additional axial tensor. The action of Majorana and Weyl fermions can be
obtained in two different limits of such a general configuration. The results
obtained in this way confirm the previously obtained ones.Comment: 55 pages, comments added in section 2 and 5. Sections 6.4, 6.6, 7,
7.1, 7.2 and Appendices 5.3, 5.5 partially modifie
Massive fermion model in 3d and higher spin currents
We analyze the 3d free massive fermion theory coupled to external sources. The presence of a mass explicitly breaks parity invariance. We calculate two- and three-point functions of a gauge current and the energy momentum tensor and, for instance, obtain the well-known result that in the IR limit (but also in the UV one) we reconstruct the relevant CS action. We then couple the model to higher spin currents and explicitly work out the spin 3 case. In the UV limit we obtain an effective action which was proposed many years ago as a possible generalization of spin 3 CS action. In the IR limit we derive a different higher spin action. This analysis can evidently be generalized to higher spins. We also discuss the conservation and properties of the correlators we obtain in the intermediate steps of our derivation
Worldline quantization of field theory, effective actions and L ∞ structure
Abstract We formulate the worldline quantization (a.k.a. deformation quantization) of a massive fermion model coupled to external higher spin sources. We use the relations obtained in this way to show that its regularized effective action is endowed with an L ∞ symmetry. The same result holds also for a massive scalar model
alpha'-exact entropies for BPS and non-BPS extremal dyonic black holes in heterotic string theory from ten-dimensional supersymmetry
We calculate near-horizon solutions for four-dimensional 4-charge and
five-dimensional 3-charge black holes in heterotic string theory from the part
of the ten-dimensional tree-level effective action which is connected to
gravitational Chern-Simons term by supersymmetry. We obtain that the entropies
of large black holes exactly match the alpha'-exact statistical entropies
obtained from microstate counting (D=4) and AdS/CFT correspondence (D=5).
Especially interesting is that we obtain agreement for both BPS and non-BPS
black holes, contrary to the case of R^2-truncated (four-derivative) actions
(D-dimensional N=2 off-shell supersymmetric or Gauss-Bonnet) were used, which
give the entropies agreeing (at best) just for BPS black holes. The key
property of the solutions, which enabled us to tackle the action containing
infinite number of terms, is vanishing of the Riemann tensor \bar{R}_{MNPQ}
obtained from torsional connection defined with \bar{\Gamma} = \Gamma - H/2.
Morover, if every monomial of the remaining part of the effective action would
contain at least two Riemanns \bar{R}_{MNPQ}, it would trivially follow that
our solutions are exact solutions of the full heterotic effective action in
D=10. The above conjecture, which appeared (in this or stronger form) from time
to time in the literature, has controversial status, but is supported by the
most recent calculations of Richards (arXiv:0807.3453 [hep-th]). Agreement of
our results for the entropies with the microscopic ones supports the
conjecture. As for small black holes, our solutions in D=5 still have singular
horizons.Comment: 28 pages; v2: minor changes, references added; v3: extended
discussion on small black holes in sec. 5.4, more references added, accepted
in JHE
Gravitational Chern-Simons Lagrangians and black hole entropy
We analyze the problem of defining the black hole entropy when Chern-Simons
terms are present in the action. Extending previous works, we define a general
procedure, valid in any odd dimensions both for purely gravitational CS terms
and for mixed gauge-gravitational ones. The final formula is very similar to
Wald's original formula valid for covariant actions, with a significant
modification. Notwithstanding an apparent violation of covariance we argue that
the entropy formula is indeed covariant.Comment: 39 page
Extremal black holes in D=5: SUSY vs. Gauss-Bonnet corrections
We analyse near-horizon solutions and compare the results for the black hole
entropy of five-dimensional spherically symmetric extremal black holes when the
N=2 SUGRA actions are supplied with two different types of higher-order
corrections: (1) supersymmetric completion of gravitational Chern-Simons term,
and (2) Gauss-Bonnet term. We show that for large BPS black holes lowest order
\alpha' corrections to the entropy are the same, but for non-BPS are generally
different. We pay special attention to the class of prepotentials connected
with K3\times T^2 and T^6 compactifications. For supersymmetric correction we
find beside BPS also a set of non-BPS solutions. In the particular case of T^6
compactification (equivalent to the heterotic string on ) we
find the (almost) complete set of solutions (with exception of some non-BPS
small black holes), and show that entropy of small black holes is different
from statistical entropy obtained by counting of microstates of heterotic
string theory. We also find complete set of solutions for K3\times T^2 and T^6
case when correction is given by Gauss-Bonnet term. Contrary to
four-dimensional case, obtained entropy is different from the one with
supersymmetric correction. We show that in Gauss-Bonnet case entropy of small
``BPS'' black holes agrees with microscopic entropy in the known cases.Comment: 28 pages; minor changes, version to appear in JHE
Towards A Census of Earth-mass Exo-planets with Gravitational Microlensing
Thirteen exo-planets have been discovered using the gravitational
microlensing technique (out of which 7 have been published). These planets
already demonstrate that super-Earths (with mass up to ~10 Earth masses) beyond
the snow line are common and multiple planet systems are not rare. In this
White Paper we introduce the basic concepts of the gravitational microlensing
technique, summarise the current mode of discovery and outline future steps
towards a complete census of planets including Earth-mass planets. In the
near-term (over the next 5 years) we advocate a strategy of automated follow-up
with existing and upgraded telescopes which will significantly increase the
current planet detection efficiency. In the medium 5-10 year term, we envision
an international network of wide-field 2m class telescopes to discover
Earth-mass and free-floating exo-planets. In the long (10-15 year) term, we
strongly advocate a space microlensing telescope which, when combined with
Kepler, will provide a complete census of planets down to Earth mass at almost
all separations. Such a survey could be undertaken as a science programme on
Euclid, a dark energy probe with a wide-field imager which has been proposed to
ESA's Cosmic Vision Programme.Comment: 10 pages. White Paper submission to the ESA Exo-Planet Roadmap
Advisory Team. See also "Inferring statistics of planet populations by means
of automated microlensing searches" by M. Dominik et al. (arXiv:0808.0004
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