709 research outputs found
Hamiltonian Frenet-Serret dynamics
The Hamiltonian formulation of the dynamics of a relativistic particle
described by a higher-derivative action that depends both on the first and the
second Frenet-Serret curvatures is considered from a geometrical perspective.
We demonstrate how reparametrization covariant dynamical variables and their
projections onto the Frenet-Serret frame can be exploited to provide not only a
significant simplification of but also novel insights into the canonical
analysis. The constraint algebra and the Hamiltonian equations of motion are
written down and a geometrical interpretation is provided for the canonical
variables.Comment: Latex file, 14 pages, no figures. Revised version to appear in Class.
Quant. Gra
The Jang equation, apparent horizons, and the Penrose inequality
The Jang equation in the spherically symmetric case reduces to a first order
equation. This permits an easy analysis of the role apparent horizons play in
the (non)existence of solutions. We demonstrate that the proposed derivation of
the Penrose inequality based on the Jang equation cannot work in the
spherically symmetric case. Thus it is fruitless to apply this method, as it
stands, to the general case. We show also that those analytic criteria for the
formation of horizons that are based on the use of the Jang equation are of
limited validity for the proof of the trapped surface conjecture.Comment: minor misprints correcte
Hamilton's equations for a fluid membrane: axial symmetry
Consider a homogenous fluid membrane, or vesicle, described by the
Helfrich-Canham energy, quadratic in the mean curvature. When the membrane is
axially symmetric, this energy can be viewed as an `action' describing the
motion of a particle; the contours of equilibrium geometries are identified
with particle trajectories. A novel Hamiltonian formulation of the problem is
presented which exhibits the following two features: {\it (i)} the second
derivatives appearing in the action through the mean curvature are accommodated
in a natural phase space; {\it (ii)} the intrinsic freedom associated with the
choice of evolution parameter along the contour is preserved. As a result, the
phase space involves momenta conjugate not only to the particle position but
also to its velocity, and there are constraints on the phase space variables.
This formulation provides the groundwork for a field theoretical generalization
to arbitrary configurations, with the particle replaced by a loop in space.Comment: 11 page
The isolation of gravitational instantons: Flat tori V flat R^4
The role of topology in the perturbative solution of the Euclidean Einstein
equations about flat instantons is examined.Comment: 15 pages, ICN-UNAM 94-1
Contact lines for fluid surface adhesion
When a fluid surface adheres to a substrate, the location of the contact line
adjusts in order to minimize the overall energy. This adhesion balance implies
boundary conditions which depend on the characteristic surface deformation
energies. We develop a general geometrical framework within which these
conditions can be systematically derived. We treat both adhesion to a rigid
substrate as well as adhesion between two fluid surfaces, and illustrate our
general results for several important Hamiltonians involving both curvature and
curvature gradients. Some of these have previously been studied using very
different techniques, others are to our knowledge new. What becomes clear in
our approach is that, except for capillary phenomena, these boundary conditions
are not the manifestation of a local force balance, even if the concept of
surface stress is properly generalized. Hamiltonians containing higher order
surface derivatives are not just sensitive to boundary translations but also
notice changes in slope or even curvature. Both the necessity and the
functional form of the corresponding additional contributions follow readily
from our treatment.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX, RevTeX styl
Open String Fluctuations in AdS with and without Torsion
The equations of motion and boundary conditions for the fluctuations around a
classical open string, in a curved space-time with torsion, are considered in
compact and world-sheet covariant form. The rigidly rotating open strings in
Anti de Sitter space with and without torsion are investigated in detail. By
carefully analyzing the tangential fluctuations at the boundary, we show
explicitly that the physical fluctuations (which at the boundary are
combinations of normal and tangential fluctuations) are finite, even though the
world-sheet is singular there. The divergent 2-curvature thus seems less
dangerous than expected, in these cases. The general formalism can be
straightforwardly used also to study the (bosonic part of the) fluctuations
around the closed strings, recently considered in connection with the AdS/CFT
duality, on AdS_5 \times S^5 and AdS_3 \times S^3 \times T^4.Comment: 19 pages, Late
Focusing of timelike worldsheets in a theory of strings
An analysis of the generalised Raychaudhuri equations for string world sheets
is shown to lead to the notion of focusing of timelike worldsheets in the
classical Nambu-Goto theory of strings. The conditions under which such effects
can occur are obtained . Explicit solutions as well as the Cauchy initial value
problem are discussed. The results closely resemble their counterparts in the
theory of point particles which were obtained in the context of the analysis of
spacetime singularities in General Relativity many years ago.Comment: 14 pages, RevTex, no figures, extended, to appear in Phys Rev
An Equivalence Between Momentum and Charge in String Theory
It is shown that for a translationally invariant solution to string theory,
spacetime duality interchanges the momentum in the symmetry direction and the
axion charge per unit length. As one application, we show explicitly that
charged black strings are equivalent to boosted (uncharged) black strings. The
extremal black strings (which correspond to the field outside of a fundamental
macroscopic string) are equivalent to plane fronted waves describing strings
moving at the speed of light.Comment: 10 page
Frenet-Serret dynamics
We consider the motion of a particle described by an action that is a
functional of the Frenet-Serret [FS] curvatures associated with the embedding
of its worldline in Minkowski space. We develop a theory of deformations
tailored to the FS frame. Both the Euler-Lagrange equations and the physical
invariants of the motion associated with the Poincar\'e symmetry of Minkowski
space, the mass and the spin of the particle, are expressed in a simple way in
terms of these curvatures. The simplest non-trivial model of this form, with
the lagrangian depending on the first FS (or geodesic) curvature, is
integrable. We show how this integrability can be deduced from the Poincar\'e
invariants of the motion. We go on to explore the structure of these invariants
in higher-order models. In particular, the integrability of the model described
by a lagrangian that is a function of the second FS curvature (or torsion) is
established in a three dimensional ambient spacetime.Comment: 20 pages, no figures - replaced with version to appear in Class.
Quant. Grav. - minor changes, added Conclusions sectio
Heisenberg-picture approach to the evolution of the scalar fields in an expanding universe
We present the Heisenberg-picture approach to the quantum evolution of the
scalar fields in an expanding FRW universe which incorporates relatively simply
the initial quantum conditions such as the vacuum state, the thermal
equilibrium state, and the coherent state. We calculate the Wightman function,
two-point function, and correlation function of a massive scalar field. We find
the quantum evolution of fluctuations of a self-interacting field
perturbatively and discuss the renormalization of field equations.Comment: 15 pages, RevTeX, no figure
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