245 research outputs found
Intersecting Branes in Matrix Theory
We construct BPS states in the matrix description of M-theory. Starting from
a set of basic M-theory branes, we study pair intersections which preserve
supersymmetry. The fractions of the maximal supersymmetry obtained in this way
are 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 3/16 and 1/16. In explicit examples we establish that the
matrix BPS states correspond to (intersecting) brane configurations that are
obtained from the d=11 supersymmetry algebra. This correspondence for the 1/2
supersymmetric branes includes the precise relations between the charges.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX, no figures, minor changes, shortened version to be
published in Physics Letters
Extracting New Physics from the CMB
We review how initial state effects generically yield an oscillatory
component in the primordial power spectrum of inflationary density
perturbations. These oscillatory corrections parametrize unknown new physics at
a scale and are potentially observable if the ratio is
sufficiently large. We clarify to what extent present and future CMB data
analysis can distinguish between the different proposals for initial state
corrections.Comment: Invited talk by B. Greene at the XXII Texas Symposium on Relativistic
Astrophysics, Stanford University, 13-17 December 2004, (TSRA04-0001), 8
pages, LaTeX, some references added, added paragraph at the end of section 2
and an extra note added after the conclusions regarding modifications to the
large k power spectra deduced from galaxy survey
Oscillations in the bispectrum
There exist several models of inflation that produce primordial bispectra
that contain a large number of oscillations. In this paper we discuss these
models, and aim at finding a method of detecting such bispectra in the data. We
explain how the recently proposed method of mode expansion of bispectra might
be able to reconstruct these spectra from separable basis functions. Extracting
these basis functions from the data might then lead to observational
constraints on these models.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, submitted to JOP: Conference Series, PASCOS 201
Spacetime-Filling Branes and Strings with Sixteen Supercharges
We discuss branes whose worldvolume dimension equals the target spacetime
dimension, i.e. ``spacetime-filling branes''. In addition to the D9-branes,
there are 9-branes in the NS-NS sectors of both the IIA and IIB strings. The
worldvolume actions of these branes are constructed, via duality, from the
known actions of branes with codimension larger than zero. Each of these types
of branes is used in the construction of a string theory with sixteen
supercharges by modding out a type II string by an appropriate discrete
symmetry and adding 32 9-branes. These constructions are related by a web of
dualities and each arises as a different limit of the Horava-Witten
construction.Comment: 43 pages, LaTeX, 8 figures, uses html.sty, version to appear in Nucl.
Phys.
Boundary Effective Field Theory and Trans-Planckian Perturbations: Astrophysical Implications
We contrast two approaches to calculating trans-Planckian corrections to the
inflationary perturbation spectrum: the New Physics Hypersurface [NPH] model,
in which modes are normalized when their physical wavelength first exceeds a
critical value, and the Boundary Effective Field Theory [BEFT] approach, where
the initial conditions for all modes are set at the same time, and modified by
higher dimensional operators enumerated via an effective field theory
calculation. We show that these two approaches -- as currently implemented --
lead to radically different expectations for the trans-Planckian corrections to
the CMB and emphasize that in the BEFT formalism we expect the perturbation
spectrum to be dominated by quantum gravity corrections for all scales shorter
than some critical value. Conversely, in the NPH case the quantum effects only
dominate the longest modes that are typically much larger than the present
horizon size. Furthermore, the onset of the breakdown in the standard
inflationary perturbation calculation predicted by the BEFT formalism is likely
to be associated with a feature in the perturbation spectrum, and we discuss
the observational signatures of this feature in both CMB and large scale
structure observations. Finally, we discuss possible modifications to both
calculational frameworks that would resolve the contradictions identified here.Comment: Reworded commentary, reference added (v2) References added (v3
Residential mobility and local housing-market differences
The authors extend previous literature on variations in mobility rates across local housing markets by examining the linkage of mobility rates at the household level to the structure of local housing markets. The results suggest that residential mobility rates differ widely across local housing markets, substantiating the view that residential relocation is intimately intertwined with conditions at the local level. Local housing-market conditions also have different effects on mobility rates for renters and owner-occupiers. The results suggest that variation in residential mobility rates across housing markets can be in part explained by level of urbanization, the tenure structure, the degree of government intervention, and the size of the housing market. Remarkably, these differences in local housing markets cannot be seen to be related to housing-market features only. The results suggest that these differences can also be attributed to the behavior or attitude of households with respect to housing
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