Non-perturbative quenched propagator beyond the infrared approximation

A new approach to the quenched propagator in QED beyond the IR limit is proposed. The method is based on evolution equations in the proper time.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure; Misprint on reference correcte

Defect Production in Slow First Order Phase Transitions

We study the formation of vortices in a U(1) gauge theory following a first-order transition proceeding by bubble nucleation, in particular the effect of a low velocity of expansion of the bubble walls. To do this, we use a two-dimensional model in which bubbles are nucleated at random points in a plane and at random times and then expand at some velocity $v_{\rm b}<c$. Within each bubble, the phase angle is assigned one of three discrete values. When bubbles collide, magnetic `fluxons' appear: if the phases are different, a fluxon--anti-fluxon pair is formed. These fluxons are eventually trapped in three-bubble collisions when they may annihilate or form quantized vortices. We study in particular the effect of changing the bubble expansion speed on the vortex density and the extent of vortex--anti-vortex correlation.Comment: 13 pages, RevTeX, 15 uuencoded postscript figure

Quantum Superposition Principle and Geometry

If one takes seriously the postulate of quantum mechanics in which physical states are rays in the standard Hilbert space of the theory, one is naturally lead to a geometric formulation of the theory. Within this formulation of quantum mechanics, the resulting description is very elegant from the geometrical viewpoint, since it allows to cast the main postulates of the theory in terms of two geometric structures, namely a symplectic structure and a Riemannian metric. However, the usual superposition principle of quantum mechanics is not naturally incorporated, since the quantum state space is non-linear. In this note we offer some steps to incorporate the superposition principle within the geometric description. In this respect, we argue that it is necessary to make the distinction between a 'projective superposition principle' and a 'decomposition principle' that extend the standard superposition principle. We illustrate our proposal with two very well known examples, namely the spin 1/2 system and the two slit experiment, where the distinction is clear from the physical perspective. We show that the two principles have also a different mathematical origin within the geometrical formulation of the theory.Comment: 10 pages, no figures. References added. V3 discussion expanded and new results added, 14 pages. Dedicated to Michael P. Ryan on the occasion of his sixtieth bithda

Testing cosmological defect formation in the laboratory

Topological defects such as cosmic strings may have been formed at early-universe phase transitions. Direct tests of this idea are impossible, but the mechanism can be elucidated by studying analogous processes in low-temperature condensed-matter systems. Experiments on vortex formation in superfluid helium and in superconductors have so far yielded somewhat confusing results. I shall discuss their possible interpretation.Comment: 10 pages. Text of an invited lecture, to be published in Proceedings of the Second European Conference on Vortex Matter in Superconductors, Crete, 15-25 September 2001. Uses elsart.cls style fil

An Extension to Models for Cosmic String Formation

The canonical Monte-Carlo algorithm for simulating the production of string-like topological defects at a phase transition is extended by introducing a distribution of domain sizes. A strong correlation is found between the fraction in the form of `infinite' string and the variance of the volume of the regions of constant phase.Comment: Revised version to appear in Phys. Lett. B. Several minor corrections, including title change. 5 pages Latex with 5 postscript figures (uuencoded and compressed). Also available through anonymous ftp from ftp://euclid.tp.ph.ic.ac.uk/papers/ or on WWW at http://euclid.tp.ph.ic.ac.uk/Papers

Waveforms for Gravitational Radiation from Cosmic String Loops

We obtain general formulae for the plus- and cross- polarized waveforms of gravitational radiation emitted by a cosmic string loop in transverse, traceless (synchronous, harmonic) gauge. These equations are then specialized to the case of piecewise linear loops, and it is shown that the general waveform for such a loop is a piecewise linear function. We give several simple examples of the waveforms from such loops. We also discuss the relation between the gravitational radiation by a smooth loop and by a piecewise linear approximation to it.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, Revte

Non-equilibrium Higgs transition in classical scalar electrodynamics

Real time rearrangement of particle spectra is studied numerically in a U(1) Gauge+Higgs system, in the unitary gauge and in three spatial dimensions. The cold system starts from the symmetric phase. Evolution of the partial energy densities and pressures reveal well-defined equations of state for the longitudinal and transversal gauge fields very early. Longitudinal modes are excited more efficiently and thermalize the slowest. Hausdorff-dimension of the Higgs-defect manifold, eventually seeding vortex excitations is thoroughly discussed. Scaling dependence of the vortex density on the characteristic time of the symmetry breaking transition is established.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, Replaced with version accepted for publication in JHE

Scattering off an SO(10) cosmic string

The scattering of fermions from the abelian string arising during the phase transition $SO(10) \rightarrow SU(5) \times Z_2$ induced by the Higgs in the 126 representation is studied. Elastic cross-sections and baryon number violating cross-sections due to the coupling to gauge fields in the core of the string are computed by both a first quantised method and a perturbative second quantised method. The elastic cross-sections are found to be Aharonov-Bohm type. However, there is a marked asymmetry between the scattering cross-sections for left and right handed fields. The catalysis cross-sections are small, depending on the grand unified scale. If cosmic strings were observed our results could help tie down the underlying gauge group.Comment: 20 page

Angular Momentum and Energy-Momentum Densities as Gauge Currents

If we replace the general spacetime group of diffeomorphisms by transformations taking place in the tangent space, general relativity can be interpreted as a gauge theory, and in particular as a gauge theory for the Lorentz group. In this context, it is shown that the angular momentum and the energy-momentum tensors of a general matter field can be obtained from the invariance of the corresponding action integral under transformations taking place, not in spacetime, but in the tangent space, in which case they can be considered as gauge currents.Comment: RevTeX4, 7 pages, no figures. Presentation changes; version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Cosmic String Cusps with Small-Scale Structure: Their Forms and Gravitational Waveforms

We present a method for the introduction of small-scale structure into strings constructed from products of rotation matrices. We use this method to illustrate a range of possibilities for the shape of cusps that depends on the properties of the small-scale structure. We further argue that the presence of structure at cusps under most circumstances leads to the formation of loops at the size of the smallest scales. On the other hand we show that the gravitational waveform of a cusp remains generally unchanged; the primary effect of small-scale structure is to smooth out the sharp waveform emitted in the direction of cusp motion.Comment: RevTeX, 8 pages. Replaced with version accepted for publication by PR