The Effective Potential, the Renormalisation Group and Vacuum Stability

We review the calculation of the the effective potential with particular emphasis on cases when the tree potential or the renormalisation-group-improved, radiatively corrected potential exhibits non-convex behaviour. We illustrate this in a simple Yukawa model which exhibits a novel kind of dimensional transmutation. We also review briefly earlier work on the Standard Model. We conclude that, despite some recent claims to the contrary, it can be possible to infer reliably that the tree vacuum does not represent the true ground state of the theory.Comment: 23 pages; 5 figures; v2 includes minor changes in text and additional reference

Beyond the Horizon

Cosmic horizons arise in general relativity in the context of black holes and in certain cosmologies. Classically, regions beyond a horizon are inaccessible to causal observers. However, quantum mechanical correlations may exist across horizons that may influence local observations. For the case of de Sitter space, we show how a single particle excitation behind the horizon changes the density matrix governing local observables. As compared to the vacuum state, we calculate the change in the average energy and entropy per unit volume. This illustrates what may be a generic property allowing some features of spacetime beyond a horizon to be inferred.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figur

Discrete Symmetries for Spinor Field in de Sitter Space

Discrete symmetries, parity, time reversal, antipodal, and charge conjugation transformations for spinor field in de Sitter space, are presented in the ambient space notation, i.e. in a coordinate independent way. The PT and PCT transformations are also discussed in this notation. The five-current density is studied and their transformation under the discrete symmetries is discussed.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX; appendices adde

Extended QCD(2) from dimensional projection of QCD(4)

We study an extended QCD model in (1+1) dimensions obtained from QCD in 4D by compactifying two spatial dimensions and projecting onto the zero-mode subspace. We work out this model in the large $N_c$ limit and using light cone gauge but keeping the equal-time quantization. This system is found to induce a dynamical mass for transverse gluons -- adjoint scalars in QCD(2), and to undergo a chiral symmetry breaking with the full quark propagators yielding non-tachyonic, dynamical quark masses, even in the chiral limit. We study quark-antiquark bound states which can be classified in this model by their properties under Lorentz transformations inherited from 4D. The scalar and pseudoscalar sectors of the theory are examined and in the chiral limit a massless ground state for pseudoscalars is revealed with a wave function generalizing the so called 't Hooft pion solution.Comment: JHEP class, 16 pages, 3 figures. Change in the title, some improvements in section 2, minors changes and comments added in introduction and conclusions. References added. Version appearing in JHE

THE USE OF BIOMECHANICALLY ADJUSTABLE CYCLING PEDALS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF REHABILITATION PROTOCOLS FOR ANKLE AND KNEE INJURIES

This paper examines the use of stationary cycling with a biomechanically adjustable pedal (Biopedal) in the development of rehabilitation protocols for the knee and ankle. This paper draws on previous research which examines the role of the foot pedal interface and cycling pathomechanics, as well as research which evaluates the differences in E.M.G. activity utilizing an orthopaedically adjustable pedal. As a result of this research and clinical findings, rehabilitation protocols for selected ankle and knee injuries were developed utilizing the three-plane adjustable pedal and stationary exercise bicycle. These protocols have been clinically tested and are presented. The results indicate that the adjustable pedal can be used to reduce trauma to connective tissue structures. It can be used in rehabilitation to minimize risk of injury during active recovery and reinforce the integrity of and support injured structures

A screening mechanism for extra W and Z gauge bosons

We generalize a previous construction of a fermiophobic model to the case of more than one extra $W$ and $Z$ gauge bosons. We focus in particular on the existence of screening configurations and their implication on the gauge boson mass spectrum. One of these configurations allows for the existence of a set of relatively light new gauge bosons, without violation of the quite restrictive bounds coming from the $\rho_{\rm NC}$ parameter. The links with Bess and degenerate Bess models are also discussed. Also the signal given here by this more traditional gauge extension of the SM could help to disentangle it from the towers of Kaluza-Klein states over $W$ and $Z$ gauge bosons in extra dimensions.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure, extended discussion on precision tests. To appear in International Journal of Modern Physics

Entanglement and Nonunitary Evolution

We consider a collapsing relativistic spherical shell for a free quantum field. Once the center of the wavefunction of the shell passes a certain radius R, the degrees of freedom inside R are traced over. We show that an observer outside this region will determine that the evolution of the system is nonunitary. We argue that this phenomenon is generic to entangled systems, and discuss a possible relation to black hole physics.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure; Added a clarification regarding the relation with black hole physic

Non--decoupling, triviality and the ρ\rho parameter

The dependence of the $\rho$ parameter on the mass of the Higgs scalar and the top quark is computed non--perturbatively using the $1/N_F$ expansion in the standard model. We find an explicit expression for the $\rho$ parameter that requires the presence of a physical cutoff. This should come as no surprise since the theory is presumably trivial. By taking this cutoff into account, we find that the $\rho$ parameter can take values only within a limited range and has finite ambiguities that are suppressed by inverse powers of the cutoff scale, the so called ``scaling--violations". We find that large deviations from the perturbative results are possible, but only when the cutoff effects are also large.Comment: 16pp, Figures NOT included, harvmac, minor modifications incl. wording, refs., UCLA/92/TEP/23,OHSTPY-HEP-T-92-00

K\"ahler-driven Tribrid Inflation

We discuss a new class of tribrid inflation models in supergravity, where the shape of the inflaton potential is dominated by effects from the K\"ahler potential. Tribrid inflation is a variant of hybrid inflation which is particularly suited for connecting inflation with particle physics, since the inflaton can be a D-flat combination of charged fields from the matter sector. In models of tribrid inflation studied so far, the inflaton potential was dominated by either loop corrections or by mixing effects with the waterfall field (as in "pseudosmooth" tribrid inflation). Here we investigate the third possibility, namely that tribrid inflation is dominantly driven by effects from higher-dimensional operators of the K\"ahler potential. We specify for which superpotential parameters the new regime is realized and show how it can be experimentally distinguished from the other two (loop-driven and "pseudosmooth") regimes.Comment: 28 pages, v2: added some references, this version matches the publication in JCA

Abelian Gauge Theory in de Sitter Space

Quantization of spinor and vector free fields in 4-dimensional de Sitter space-time, in the ambient space notation, has been studied in the previous works. Various two-points functions for the above fields are presented in this paper. The interaction between the spinor field and the vector field is then studied by the abelian gauge theory. The U(1) gauge invariant spinor field equation is obtained in a coordinate independent way notation and their corresponding conserved currents are computed. The solution of the field equation is obtained by use of the perturbation method in terms of the Green's function. The null curvature limit is discussed in the final stage.Comment: 10 pages, typos corrected, reference adde