Gravitino Zero Modes on U(1)_R Strings

We consider theories with a spontaneously broken gauged R-symmetry, which can only occur in supergravity models. These give rise to cosmic R-strings upon which gravitino zero modes can exist. We construct solutions to the Rarita-Schwinger spin-3/2 equation describing the gravitino in the field of these cosmic strings and show that under some conditions these solutions may give rise to gravitino currents on the string. We discuss further mathematical and physical questions associated with these solutions.Comment: 18 pages, uses revte

Higher rank Wilson loops from a matrix model

We compute the circular Wilson loop of N=4 SYM theory at large N in the rank k symmetric and antisymmetric tensor representations. Using a quadratic Hermitian matrix model we obtain expressions for all values of the 't Hooft coupling. At large and small couplings we give explicit formulae and reproduce supergravity results from both D3 and D5 branes within a systematic framework.Comment: 1+18 pages. 1 figure. Typos correcte

Instabilities of the Small Black Hole: a view from N=4 SYM

We compute a one-loop effective action for the constant modes of the scalars and the Polyakov loop matrix of N=4 SYM on S^3 at finite temperature and weak 't Hooft coupling. Above a critical temperature, the effective potential develops new unstable directions accompanied by new saddle points which only preserve an SO(5) subgroup of the SO(6) global R-symmetry. We identify this phenomenon as the weak coupling version of the well known Gregory-Laflamme localization instability in the gravity dual of the strongly coupled field theory: The small AdS_5 black hole when viewed as a ten dimensional, asymptotically AdS_5 X S^5 solution smeared on the S^5 is unstable to localization on S^5. Our effective potential, in a specific Lorentzian continuation, can provide a qualitative holographic description of the decay of the "topological black hole'' into the AdS bubble of nothing.Comment: 39 pages, 6 figures, uses JHEP3.cls, references adde

A Comparitive Study to find the Effectiveness of Ultrasound and Myofascial Release Therapy in Plantar Heel Pain and Foot Function among Marathon Runners

BACKGROUND: Plantar fascitis or plantar heel pain is one of the most common orthopeadic complaints, relating to foot. It is especially seen among older individuals between 40 and 60 years of age. This disease is more common in runners, volley ball players with symptoms of arch pain. Plantar fascitis is defined as the inflammation to the plantar fascia on the medical process of the calcaneal tuberosity. The pain may be substantial, resulting in the alteration of the daily activities. OBJECTIVES: To study the effects of ultrasound therapy and myofascial release in the management of pain and foot function on plantar heal pain in marathon runners. METHOD: Ultrasound therapy is one of the most commonly used treatment modality in management of soft tissue lesion, Myofascial release is a soft tissue mobilization technique, if the condition is treated in the acute stage then the symptoms will be aggravated, if treated in chronic stage the symptom will be alleviating. CONCLUSION: An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of ultrasound therapy and myofascial therapy in the management of plantar heel pain in marathon runners

An Exact Elliptic Superpotential for N=1^* Deformations of Finite N=2 Gauge Theories

We study relevant deformations of the N=2 superconformal theory on the world-volume of N D3 branes at an A_{k-1} singularity. In particular, we determine the vacuum structure of the mass-deformed theory with N=1 supersymmetry and show how the different vacua are permuted by an extended duality symmetry. We then obtain exact, modular covariant formulae (for all k, N and arbitrary gauge couplings) for the holomorphic observables in the massive vacua in two different ways: by lifting to M-theory, and by compactification to three dimensions and subsequent use of mirror symmetry. In the latter case, we find an exact superpotential for the model which coincides with a certain combination of the quadratic Hamiltonians of the spin generalization of the elliptic Calogero-Moser integrable system.Comment: 55 pages, 5 figures, latex with JHEP.cl

Supersymmetric Lifshitz-like backgrounds from N=4 SYM with heavy quark density

We examine a class of gravity backgrounds obtained by considering the backreaction of a spatially uniform density of mutually BPS Wilson lines or heavy quarks in N=4 SUSY Yang-Mills theory. The configurations preserve eight supercharges and an SO(5) subgroup of the SO(6) R-symmetry. They are obtained by considering the 1/4-BPS geometries associated to smeared string/D3-brane (F1-D3) intersections. We argue that for the (partially) localized intersection, the geometry exhibits a flow from AdS_5 x S^5 in the UV to a novel IR scaling solution displaying anisotropic Lifshitz-like scaling with dynamical critical exponent z=7, hyperscaling violation and a logarithmic running dilaton. We also obtain a two-parameter family of smeared 1/4-BPS solutions on the Coulomb branch of N=4 SYM exhibiting Lifshitz scaling and hyperscaling violation. For a certain parametric range these yield IR geometries which are conformal to AdS_2 x R^3, and which have been argued to be relevant for fermionic physics.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures, references added, version published in JHEP, Feb. 201

S-duality of the Leigh-Strassler Deformation via Matrix Models

We investigate an exactly marginal N=1 supersymmetric deformation of SU(N) N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory discovered by Leigh and Strassler. We use a matrix model to compute the exact superpotential for a further massive deformation of the U(N) Leigh-Strassler theory. We then show how the exact superpotential and eigenvalue spectrum for the SU(N) theory follows by a process of integrating-in. We find that different vacua are related by an action of the SL(2,Z) modular group on the bare couplings of the theory extending the action of electric-magnetic duality away from the N=4 theory. We perform non-trivial tests of the matrix model results against semiclassical field theory analysis. We also show that there are interesting points in parameter space where condensates can diverge and vacua disappear. Based on the matrix model results, we propose an exact elliptic superpotential to describe the theory compactified on a circle of finite radius.Comment: 33 pages, 2 figures, uses JHEP.cls; minus sign typo corrected and 1 reference added, submitted to JHE

Programmable optical waveform reshaping on a picosecond timescale

We experimentally demonstrate temporal reshaping of optical waveforms in the telecom wavelength band using the principle of quantum frequency conversion. The reshaped optical pulses do not undergo any wavelength translation. The interaction takes place in a nonlinear $\chi^{(2)}$ waveguide using an appropriately designed pump pulse programmed via an optical waveform generator. We show reshaping of a single-peak pulse into a double-peak pulse and vice versa. We also show that exponentially decaying pulses can be reshaped into near Gaussian shape, and vice versa, which is a useful functionality for quantum communications.Comment: Manuscript updated after comments from reviewers. Journal reference and DOI also adde

Massive Vacua of N=1* Theory and S-duality from Matrix Models

In this note we show how Dijkgraaf and Vafa's hypothesis relating the exact superpotential of an N=1 theory to a matrix model can be used to describe all the massive vacua of the N=1*, or mass deformed N=4, theory including the Higgs vacuum. The matrix model computation of the superpotential for each massive vacuum independently yields a modular function of the associated effective coupling in that vacuum which agrees with previously derived results up to a vacuum-independent additive constant. The results in the different massive vacua can be related by the action of SL(2,Z) on the N=4 coupling, thus providing evidence for modular invariance of the underlying N=4 theory.Comment: 9 pages, JHEP.cl

N=4 SYM on S^3 with Near Critical Chemical Potentials

We study the N = 4 theory at weak coupling, on a three sphere in the grand canonical ensemble with R symmetry chemical potentials. We focus attention on near critical values for the chemical potentials, above which the classical theory has no ground state. By computing a one loop effective potential for the light degrees of freedom in this regime, we show the existence of flat directions of complex dimension N, 2N and 3N for one, two and three critical chemical potentials respectively; these correspond to one half, one quarter and one-eighth BPS states becoming light respectively at the critical values. At small finite temperature we show that the chemical potentials can be continued beyond their classical limiting values to yield a deconfined metastable phase with lifetime diverging in the large N limit. Our low temperaure analysis complements the high temperature metastability found by Yamada and Yaffe. The resulting phase diagram at weak coupling bears a striking resemblance to the strong coupling phase diagram for charged AdS black holes. Our analysis also reveals subtle qualitative differences between the two regimes.Comment: 34 pages, 4 figure