Model building in AdS/CMT: DC conductivity and Hall angle

Using the bottom-up approach in a holographic setting, we attempt to study both the transport and thermodynamic properties of a generic system in 3+1 dimensional bulk spacetime. We show the exact 1/T and $T^2$ dependence of the longitudinal conductivity and Hall angle, as seen experimentally in most copper-oxide systems, which are believed to be close to quantum critical point. This particular temperature dependence to conductivities are possible in two different cases: (1) Background solutions with scale invariant and broken rotational symmetry, (2) solutions with pseudo-scaling and unbroken rotational symmetry but only at low density limit. Generically, the study of the transport properties in a scale invariant background solution, using the probe brane approach, at high density and at low temperature limit suggests us to consider only metrics with two exponents. More precisely, the spatial part of the metric components should not be same i.e., $g_{xx}\neq g_{yy}$. In doing so, we have generated the above mentioned behavior to conductivity with a very special behavior to specific heat which at low temperature goes as: $C_V\sim T^3$. However, if we break the scaling symmetry of the background solution by including a nontrivial dilaton, axion or both and keep the rotational symmetry then also we can generate such a behavior to conductivity but only in the low density regime. As far as we are aware, this particular temperature dependence to both the conductivity and Hall angle is being shown for the first time using holography.Comment: 1+40 pages; v2: Analysis of pseudo-scaling and rotational invariant solutions are added; v3: Improved presentation; v4: Typos fixed and closer to journal versio

Supersymetry on the Noncommutative Lattice

Built upon the proposal of Kaplan et.al. [hep-lat/0206109], we construct noncommutative lattice gauge theory with manifest supersymmetry. We show that such theory is naturally implementable via orbifold conditions generalizing those used by Kaplan {\sl et.al.} We present the prescription in detail and illustrate it for noncommutative gauge theories latticized partially in two dimensions. We point out a deformation freedom in the defining theory by a complex-parameter, reminiscent of discrete torsion in string theory. We show that, in the continuum limit, the supersymmetry is enhanced only at a particular value of the deformation parameter, determined solely by the size of the noncommutativity.Comment: JHEP style, 1+22 pages, no figure, v2: two references added, v3: three more references adde

Better age estimations using UV-optical colours: breaking the age-metallicity degeneracy

We demonstrate that the combination of GALEX UV photometry in the FUV (~1530 angstroms) and NUV (~2310 angstroms) passbands with optical photometry in the standard U,B,V,R,I filters can efficiently break the age-metallicity degeneracy. We estimate well-constrained ages, metallicities and their associated errors for 42 GCs in M31, and show that the full set of FUV,NUV,U,B,V,R,I photometry produces age estimates that are ~90 percent more constrained and metallicity estimates that are ~60 percent more constrained than those produced by using optical filters alone. The quality of the age constraints is comparable or marginally better than those achieved using a large number of spectrscopic indices.Comment: Published in MNRAS (2007), 381, L74 (doi: 10.1111/j.1745-3933.2007.00370.x

Exactly Soluble Dynamics of (p,q) String Near Macroscopic Fundamental Strings

We study dynamics of Type IIB bound-state of a Dirichlet string and n fundamental strings in the background of N fundamental strings. Because of supergravity potential, the bound-state string is pulled to the background fundamental strings, whose motion is described by open string rolling radion field. The string coupling can be made controllably weak and, in the limit $1 << g^2_{\rm st} n << g^2_{\rm st} N$, the bound-state energy involved is small compared to the string scale. We thus propose rolling dynamics of open string radion in this system as an exactly solvable analog for rolling dynamics of open string tachyon in decaying D-brane. The dynamics bears a novel feature that the worldsheet electric field increases monotonically to the critical value as the bound-state string falls into the background string. Close to the background string, D string constituent inside the bound-state string decouples from fundamental string constituents.Comment: 27p, 2 figure

A Note on D-Branes of Odd Codimensions from Noncommutative Tachyons

On a noncommutative space of rank-1, we construct a codimension-one soliton explicitly and, in the context of noncommutative bosonic open string theory, identify it with the D24-brane. We compute the tension of the proposed D24-brane, yielding an exact value and show that it is related to the tension of the codimension two D23-brane by the string T-duality. This resolves a puzzle posed by the result of Harvey, Kraus, Larsen and Martinec. We also apply the result to non-BPS branes in superstring theories and argue that the codimension-one soliton gives rise to new descent relation among the non-BPS branes in Type IIA and Type IIB string theories via T-duality

Deformed Superspace, N=1/2 Supersymmetry and (Non)Renormalization Theorems

We consider a deformed superspace in which the coordinates \theta do not anticommute, but satisfy a Clifford algebra. We present results on the properties of N=1/2 supersymmetric theories of chiral superfields in deformed superspace, taking the Wess-Zumino model as the prototype. We prove new (non)renormalization theorems: the F-term is radiatively corrected and becomes indistinguishable from the D-term, while the Fbar-term is not renormalized. Supersymmetric vacua are critical points of the antiholomorphic superpotential. The vacuum energy is zero to all orders in perturbation theory. We illustrate these results with several examples.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures and one table; V2: references adde