When Do Measures on the Space of Connections Support the Triad Operators of Loop Quantum Gravity?

In this work we investigate the question, under what conditions Hilbert spaces that are induced by measures on the space of generalized connections carry a representation of certain non-Abelian analogues of the electric flux. We give the problem a precise mathematical formulation and start its investigation. For the technically simple case of U(1) as gauge group, we establish a number of "no-go theorems" asserting that for certain classes of measures, the flux operators can not be represented on the corresponding Hilbert spaces. The flux-observables we consider play an important role in loop quantum gravity since they can be defined without recourse to a background geometry, and they might also be of interest in the general context of quantization of non-Abelian gauge theories.Comment: LaTeX, 21 pages, 5 figures; v3: some typos and formulations corrected, some clarifications added, bibliography updated; article is now identical to published versio

Pairwise wave interactions in ideal polytropic gases

We consider the problem of resolving all pairwise interactions of shock waves, contact waves, and rarefaction waves in 1-dimensional flow of an ideal polytropic gas. Resolving an interaction means here to determine the types of the three outgoing (backward, contact, and forward) waves in the Riemann problem defined by the extreme left and right states of the two incoming waves, together with possible vacuum formation. This problem has been considered by several authors and turns out to be surprisingly involved. For each type of interaction (head-on, involving a contact, or overtaking) the outcome depends on the strengths of the incoming waves. In the case of overtaking waves the type of the reflected wave also depends on the value of the adiabatic constant. Our analysis provides a complete breakdown and gives the exact outcome of each interaction.Comment: 39 page

Corrections to Universal Fluctuations in Correlated Systems: the 2D XY-model

Generalized universality, as recently proposed, postulates a universal non-Gaussian form of the probability density function (PDF) of certain global observables for a wide class of highly correlated systems of finite volume N. Studying the 2D XY -model, we link its validity to renormalization group properties. It would be valid if there were a single dimension 0 operator, but the actual existence of several such operators leads to T-dependent corrections. The PDF is the Fourier transform of the partition function Z(q) of an auxiliary theory which differs by a dimension 0 perturbation with a very small imaginary coefficient iq/N from a theory which is asymptotically free in the infrared. We compute the PDF from a systematic loop expansion of ln Z(q).Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev.

A transition in the spectrum of the topological sector of ϕ24\phi_2^4 theory at strong coupling

We investigate the strong coupling region of the topological sector of the two-dimensional $\phi^4$ theory. Using discrete light cone quantization (DLCQ), we extract the masses of the lowest few excitations and observe level crossings. To understand this phenomena, we evaluate the expectation value of the integral of the normal ordered $\phi^2$ operator and we extract the number density of constituents in these states. A coherent state variational calculation confirms that the number density for low-lying states above the transition coupling is dominantly that of a kink-antikink-kink state. The Fourier transform of the form factor of the lowest excitation is extracted which reveals a structure close to a kink-antikink-kink profile. Thus, we demonstrate that the structure of the lowest excitations becomes that of a kink-antikink-kink configuration at moderately strong coupling. We extract the critical coupling for the transition of the lowest state from that of a kink to a kink-antikink-kink. We interpret the transition as evidence for the onset of kink condensation which is believed to be the physical mechanism for the symmetry restoring phase transition in two-dimensional $\phi^4$ theory.Comment: revtex4, 14 figure

Markov quantum fields on a manifold

We study scalar quantum field theory on a compact manifold. The free theory is defined in terms of functional integrals. For positive mass it is shown to have the Markov property in the sense of Nelson. This property is used to establish a reflection positivity result when the manifold has a reflection symmetry. In dimension d=2 we use the Markov property to establish a sewing operation for manifolds with boundary circles. Also in d=2 the Markov property is proved for interacting fields.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure, Late

The numerical study of the solution of the Φ04\Phi_0^4 model

We present a numerical study of the nonlinear system of $\Phi^4_0$ equations of motion. The solution is obtained iteratively, starting from a precise point-sequence of the appropriate Banach space, for small values of the coupling constant. The numerical results are in perfect agreement with the main theoretical results established in a series of previous publications.Comment: arxiv version is already officia

Trees, forests and jungles: a botanical garden for cluster expansions

Combinatoric formulas for cluster expansions have been improved many times over the years. Here we develop some new combinatoric proofs and extensions of the tree formulas of Brydges and Kennedy, and test them on a series of pedagogical examples.Comment: 37 pages, Ecole Polytechnique A-325.099