A model for Hopfions on the space-time S^3 x R

We construct static and time dependent exact soliton solutions for a theory of scalar fields taking values on a wide class of two dimensional target spaces, and defined on the four dimensional space-time S^3 x R. The construction is based on an ansatz built out of special coordinates on S^3. The requirement for finite energy introduces boundary conditions that determine an infinite discrete spectrum of frequencies for the oscillating solutions. For the case where the target space is the sphere S^2, we obtain static soliton solutions with non-trivial Hopf topological charges. In addition, such hopfions can oscillate in time, preserving their topological Hopf charge, with any of the frequencies belonging to that infinite discrete spectrum.Comment: Enlarged version with the time-dependent solutions explicitly given. One reference and two eps figures added. 14 pages, late

Persistent junk solutions in time-domain modeling of extreme mass ratio binaries

In the context of metric perturbation theory for non-spinning black holes, extreme mass ratio binary (EMRB) systems are described by distributionally forced master wave equations. Numerical solution of a master wave equation as an initial boundary value problem requires initial data. However, because the correct initial data for generic-orbit systems is unknown, specification of trivial initial data is a common choice, despite being inconsistent and resulting in a solution which is initially discontinuous in time. As is well known, this choice leads to a "burst" of junk radiation which eventually propagates off the computational domain. We observe another unintended consequence of trivial initial data: development of a persistent spurious solution, here referred to as the Jost junk solution, which contaminates the physical solution for long times. This work studies the influence of both types of junk on metric perturbations, waveforms, and self-force measurements, and it demonstrates that smooth modified source terms mollify the Jost solution and reduce junk radiation. Our concluding section discusses the applicability of these observations to other numerical schemes and techniques used to solve distributionally forced master wave equations.Comment: Uses revtex4, 16 pages, 9 figures, 3 tables. Document reformatted and modified based on referee's report. Commentary added which addresses the possible presence of persistent junk solutions in other approaches for solving master wave equation

Solution of the Dirac equation in the rotating Bertotti-Robinson spacetime

The Dirac equation is solved in the rotating Bertotti-Robinson spacetime. The set of equations representing the Dirac equation in the Newman-Penrose formalism is decoupled into an axial and angular part. The axial equation, which is independent of mass, is solved exactly in terms of hypergeometric functions. The angular equation is considered both for massless (neutrino) and massive spin-(1/2) particles. For the neutrinos, it is shown that the angular equation admits an exact solution in terms of the confluent Heun equation. In the existence of mass, the angular equation does not allow an analytical solution, however, it is expressible as a set of first order differential equations apt for numerical study.Comment: 17 pages, no figure. Appeared in JMP (May, 2008

Conformal Invariance and Near-extreme Rotating AdS Black Holes

We obtain retarded Green's functions for massless scalar fields in the background of near-extreme, near-horizon rotating charged black holes of five-dimensional minimal gauged supergravity. The radial part of the (separable) massless Klein-Gordon equation in such general black hole backgrounds is Heun's equation, due to the singularity structure associated with the three black hole horizons. On the other hand, we find the scaling limit for the near-extreme, near-horizon background where the radial equation reduces to a Hypergeometric equation whose $SL(2,{\bf R})^2$ symmetry signifies the underlying two-dimensional conformal invariance, with the two sectors governed by the respective Frolov-Thorne temperatures.Comment: 10 pages, the version published in Phys. Rev.

Wave Functions and Energy Terms of the SCHR\"Odinger Equation with Two-Center Coulomb Plus Harmonic Oscillator Potential

Schr\"odinger equation for two center Coulomb plus harmonic oscillator potential is solved by the method of ethalon equation at large intercenter separations. Asymptotical expansions for energy term and wave function are obtained in the analytical form.Comment: 4 pages, no figures, LaTeX, submitted to PR

Analytic structure of radiation boundary kernels for blackhole perturbations

Exact outer boundary conditions for gravitational perturbations of the Schwarzschild metric feature integral convolution between a time-domain boundary kernel and each radiative mode of the perturbation. For both axial (Regge-Wheeler) and polar (Zerilli) perturbations, we study the Laplace transform of such kernels as an analytic function of (dimensionless) Laplace frequency. We present numerical evidence indicating that each such frequency-domain boundary kernel admits a "sum-of-poles" representation. Our work has been inspired by Alpert, Greengard, and Hagstrom's analysis of nonreflecting boundary conditions for the ordinary scalar wave equation.Comment: revtex4, 14 pages, 12 figures, 3 table

Single polymer dynamics in elongational flow and the confluent Heun equation

We investigate the non-equilibrium dynamics of an isolated polymer in a stationary elongational flow. We compute the relaxation time to the steady-state configuration as a function of the Weissenberg number. A strong increase of the relaxation time is found around the coil-stretch transition, which is attributed to the large number of polymer configurations. The relaxation dynamics of the polymer is solved analytically in terms of a central two-point connection problem for the singly confluent Heun equation.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Real-time finite-temperature correlators from AdS/CFT

In this paper we use AdS/CFT ideas in conjunction with insights from finite temperature real-time field theory formalism to compute 3-point correlators of ${\cal N}{=}4$ super Yang-Mills operators, in real time and at finite temperature. To this end, we propose that the gravity field action is integrated only over the right and left quadrants of the Penrose diagram of the Anti de Sitter-Schwarzschild background, with a relative sign between the two terms. For concreteness we consider the case of a scalar field in the black hole background. Using the scalar field Schwinger-Keldysh bulk-to-boundary propagators, we give the general expression of a 3-point real-time Green's correlator. We then note that this particular prescription amounts to adapting the finite-temperature analog of Veltman's circling rules to tree-level Witten diagrams, and comment on the retarded and Feynman scalar bulk-to-boundary propagators. We subject our prescription to several checks: KMS identities, the largest time equation and the zero-temperature limit. When specializing to a particular retarded (causal) 3-point function, we find a very simple answer: the momentum-space correlator is given by three causal (two retarded and one advanced) bulk-to-boundary propagators, meeting at a vertex point which is integrated from spatial infinity to the horizon only. This result is expected based on analyticity, since the retarded n-point functions are obtained by analytic continuation from the imaginary time Green's function, and based on causality considerations.Comment: 43 pages, 6 figures Typos fixed, reference added, one set of plots update

Hamiltonian formalism in Friedmann cosmology and its quantization

We propose a Hamiltonian formalism for a generalized Friedmann-Roberson-Walker cosmology model in the presence of both a variable equation of state (EOS) parameter $w(a)$ and a variable cosmological constant $\Lambda(a)$, where $a$ is the scale factor. This Hamiltonian system containing 1 degree of freedom and without constraint, gives Friedmann equations as the equation of motion, which describes a mechanical system with a variable mass object moving in a potential field. After an appropriate transformation of the scale factor, this system can be further simplified to an object with constant mass moving in an effective potential field. In this framework, the $\Lambda$ cold dark matter model as the current standard model of cosmology corresponds to a harmonic oscillator. We further generalize this formalism to take into account the bulk viscosity and other cases. The Hamiltonian can be quantized straightforwardly, but this is different from the approach of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation in quantum cosmology.Comment: 7 pages, no figure; v2: matches the version accepted by PR

Singularity Structure and Stability Analysis of the Dirac Equation on the Boundary of the Nutku Helicoid Solution

Dirac equation written on the boundary of the Nutku helicoid space consists of a system of ordinary differential equations. We tried to analyze this system and we found that it has a higher singularity than those of the Heun's equations which give the solutions of the Dirac equation in the bulk. We also lose an independent integral of motion on the boundary. This facts explain why we could not find the solution of the system on the boundary in terms of known functions. We make the stability analysis of the helicoid and catenoid cases and end up with an appendix which gives a new example where one encounters a form of the Heun equation.Comment: Version to appear in JM