10,251 research outputs found
Branes as BIons
A BIon may be defined as a finite energy solution of a non-linear field
theory with distributional sources. By contrast a soliton is usually defined to
have no sources. I show how harmonic coordinates map the exteriors of the
topologically and causally non-trivial spacetimes of extreme p-branes to BIonic
solutions of the Einstein equations in a topologically trivial spacetime in
which the combined gravitational and matter energy momentum is located on
distributional sources. As a consequence the tension of BPS p-branes is
classically unrenormalized. The result holds equally for spacetimes with
singularities and for those, like the M-5-brane, which are everywhere
singularity free.Comment: Latex, 9 pages, no figure
The Action of Instantons with Nut Charge
We examine the effect of a non-trivial nut charge on the action of
non-compact four-dimensional instantons with a U(1) isometry. If the instanton
action is calculated by dimensionally reducing along the isometry, then the nut
charge is found to make an explicit non-zero contribution. For metrics
satisfying AF, ALF or ALE boundary conditions, the action can be expressed
entirely in terms of quantities (including the nut charge) defined on the fixed
point set of the isometry. A source (or sink) of nut charge also implies the
presence of a Misner string coordinate singularity, which will have an
important effect on the Hamiltonian of the instanton.Comment: 25 page
Flux-Confinement in Dilatonic Cosmic Strings
We study dilaton-electrodynamics in flat spacetime and exhibit a set of
global cosmic string like solutions in which the magnetic flux is confined.
These solutions continue to exist for a small enough dilaton mass but cease to
do so above a critcal value depending on the magnetic flux. There also exist
domain wall and Dirac monopole solutions. We discuss a mechanism whereby
magnetic monopolesmight have been confined by dilaton cosmic strings during an
epoch in the early universe during which the dilaton was massless.Comment: 8 pages, DAMTP R93/3
The Physics of 2-d Stringy Spacetimes
We examine the two-dimensional spacetimes that emerge from string theory. We
find all the solutions with no tachyons, and show that the only non-trivial
solution is the black hole spacetime. We examine the role of duality in this
picture. We then explore the thermodynamics of these solutions which is
complicated by the fact that only in two spacetime dimensions is it impossible
to redefine the dilaton field in terms of a canonical scalar field. Finally, we
extend our analysis to the heterotic string, and briefly comment on exact, as
opposed to perturbative, solutions
Time-Dependent Multi-Centre Solutions from New Metrics with Holonomy Sim(n-2)
The classifications of holonomy groups in Lorentzian and in Euclidean
signature are quite different. A group of interest in Lorentzian signature in n
dimensions is the maximal proper subgroup of the Lorentz group, SIM(n-2).
Ricci-flat metrics with SIM(2) holonomy were constructed by Kerr and Goldberg,
and a single four-dimensional example with a non-zero cosmological constant was
exhibited by Ghanam and Thompson. Here we reduce the problem of finding the
general -dimensional Einstein metric of SIM(n-2) holonomy, with and without
a cosmological constant, to solving a set linear generalised Laplace and
Poisson equations on an (n-2)-dimensional Einstein base manifold. Explicit
examples may be constructed in terms of generalised harmonic functions. A
dimensional reduction of these multi-centre solutions gives new time-dependent
Kaluza-Klein black holes and monopoles, including time-dependent black holes in
a cosmological background whose spatial sections have non-vanishing curvature.Comment: Typos corrected; 29 page
Nucleating Black Holes via Non-Orientable Instantons
We extend the analysis of black hole pair creation to include non- orientable
instantons. We classify these instantons in terms of their fundamental
symmetries and orientations. Many of these instantons admit the pin structure
which corresponds to the fermions actually observed in nature, and so the
natural objection that these manifolds do not admit spin structure may not be
relevant. Furthermore, we analyse the thermodynamical properties of
non-orientable black holes and find that in the non-extreme case, there are
interesting modifications of the usual formulae for temperature and entropy.Comment: 27 pages LaTeX, minor typos are correcte
Black Hole Solutions of Kaluza-Klein Supergravity Theories and String Theory
We find U(1)_{E} \times U(1)_{M} non-extremal black hole solutions of
6-dimensional Kaluza-Klein supergravity theories. Extremal solutions were found
by Cveti\v{c} and Youm\cite{C-Y}. Multi black hole solutions are also
presented. After electro-magnetic duality transformation is performed, these
multi black hole solutions are mapped into the the exact solutions found by
Horowitz and Tseytlin\cite{H-T} in 5-dimensional string theory compactified
into 4-dimensions. The massless fields of this theory can be embedded into the
heterotic string theory compactified on a 6-torus. Rotating black hole
solutions can be read off those of the heterotic string theory found by
Sen\cite{Sen3}.Comment: 23 pages text(latex), a figure upon reques
Bohm and Einstein-Sasaki Metrics, Black Holes and Cosmological Event Horizons
We study physical applications of the Bohm metrics, which are infinite
sequences of inhomogeneous Einstein metrics on spheres and products of spheres
of dimension 5 <= d <= 9. We prove that all the Bohm metrics on S^3 x S^2 and
S^3 x S^3 have negative eigenvalue modes of the Lichnerowicz operator and by
numerical methods we establish that Bohm metrics on S^5 have negative
eigenvalues too. We argue that all the Bohm metrics will have negative modes.
These results imply that higher-dimensional black-hole spacetimes where the
Bohm metric replaces the usual round sphere metric are classically unstable. We
also show that the stability criterion for Freund-Rubin solutions is the same
as for black-hole stability, and hence such solutions using Bohm metrics will
also be unstable. We consider possible endpoints of the instabilities, and show
that all Einstein-Sasaki manifolds give stable solutions. We show how Wick
rotation of Bohm metrics gives spacetimes that provide counterexamples to a
strict form of the Cosmic Baldness conjecture, but they are still consistent
with the intuition behind the cosmic No-Hair conjectures. We show how the
Lorentzian metrics may be created ``from nothing'' in a no-boundary setting. We
argue that Lorentzian Bohm metrics are unstable to decay to de Sitter
spacetime. We also argue that noncompact versions of the Bohm metrics have
infinitely many negative Lichernowicz modes, and we conjecture a general
relation between Lichnerowicz eigenvalues and non-uniqueness of the Dirichlet
problem for Einstein's equations.Comment: 53 pages, 11 figure
Gravitational Instantons, Confocal Quadrics and Separability of the Schr\"odinger and Hamilton-Jacobi equations
A hyperk\"ahler 4-metric with a triholomorphic SU(2) action gives rise to a
family of confocal quadrics in Euclidean 3-space when cast in the canonical
form of a hyperk\"ahler 4-metric metric with a triholomorphic circle action.
Moreover, at least in the case of geodesics orthogonal to the U(1) fibres, both
the covariant Schr\"odinger and the Hamilton-Jacobi equation is separable and
the system integrable.Comment: 10 pages Late
Dark Energy, Inflation and Extra Dimensions
We consider how accelerated expansion, whether due to inflation or dark
energy, imposes strong constraints on fundamental theories obtained by
compactification from higher dimensions. For theories that obey the null energy
condition (NEC), we find that inflationary cosmology is impossible for a wide
range of compactifications; and a dark energy phase consistent with
observations is only possible if both Newton's gravitational constant and the
dark energy equation-of-state vary with time. If the theory violates the NEC,
inflation and dark energy are only possible if the NEC-violating elements are
inhomogeneously distributed in thecompact dimensions and vary with time in
precise synchrony with the matter and energy density in the non-compact
dimensions. Although our proofs are derived assuming general relativity applies
in both four and higher dimensions and certain forms of metrics, we argue that
similar constraints must apply for more general compactifications.Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure. v2: reference added, typos correcte
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