On zero-divisors in group rings of groups with torsion

Nontrivial pairs of zero-divisors in group rings are introduced and discussed. A problem on the existence of nontrivial pairs of zero-divisors in group rings of free Burnside groups of odd exponent $n \gg 1$ is solved in the affirmative. Nontrivial pairs of zero-divisors are also found in group rings of free products of groups with torsion.Comment: 8 pages, to appear in Canadian Math. Bul

Two-loop soft anomalous dimensions and NNLL resummation for heavy quark production

I present results for two-loop soft anomalous dimensions for heavy quark production which control soft-gluon resummation at next-to-next-to-leading-logarithm (NNLL) accuracy. I derive an explicit expression for the exact result and study it numerically for top quark production via e+ e- -> t tbar, and I construct a surprisingly simple but very accurate approximation. I show that the two-loop soft anomalous dimensions with massive quarks display a simple proportionality relation to the one-loop result only in the limit of vanishing quark mass. I also discuss the extension of the calculation to single top and top pair production in hadron colliders.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures; improved form of the analytical result; equation adde

A new N = 8 nonlinear supermultiplet

We construct a new off-shell $\mathcal{N}{=}8$, $d{=}1$ nonlinear supermultiplet $(\mathbf{4,8,4})$ proceeding from the nonlinear realization of the $\mathcal{N}{=}8$, $d{=}1$ superconformal group $OSp(4^{\star}|4)$ in its supercoset $\frac{OSp(4^{\star}|4)}{SU(2)_{\mathcal{R}}\otimes \left\{D,K\right\} \otimes SO(4)}$. The irreducibility constraints for the superfields automatically follow from appropriate covariant conditions on the $osp(4^{\star}|4)$-valued Cartan superforms. We present the most general sigma-model type action for $(\mathbf{4,8,4})$ supermultiplet. The relations between linear and nonlinear $(\mathbf{4,8,4})$ supermultiplets and linear $\mathcal{N}{=}8$ $(\mathbf{5,8,3})$ vector supermultiplet are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX file, PACS numbers: 11.30.Pb, 03.65.-

Universal Superfield Action for N=8→N=4N=8 \to N=4 Partial Breaking of Global Supersymmetry in D=1

We explicitly construct N=4 worldline supersymmetric minimal off-shell actions for five options of 1/2 partial spontaneous breaking of $N=8, d=1$ Poincar\'e supersymmetry. We demonstrate that the action for the N=4 Goldstone supermultiplet with four fermions and four auxiliary components is a universal one. The remaining actions for the Goldstone supermultiplets with physical bosons are obtained from the universal one by off-shell duality transformations.Comment: 9 pages, LaTeX file, PACS numbers: 11.30.Pb, 03.65.-