The cosmological dark sector as a scalar σ\sigma-meson field

Previous quantum field estimations of the QCD vacuum in the expanding space-time lead to a dark energy component scaling linearly with the Hubble parameter, which gives the correct figure for the observed cosmological term. Here we show that this behaviour also appears at the classical level, as a result of the chiral symmetry breaking in a low energy, effective $\sigma$-model. The dark sector is described in a unified way by the $\sigma$ condensate and its fluctuations, giving rise to a decaying dark energy and a homogeneous creation of non-relativistic dark particles. The creation rate and the future asymptotic de Sitter horizon are both determined by the $\sigma$ mass scale.Comment: A typo was fixed in Eq. (19)-(20), and a reference adde

Probability Amplitudes for Charge-Monopole Scattering

In this letter we quantize a previously proposed non-local lagrangean for the classical dual electrodynamics (Phys.Lett.B 384(1996)197), showing how it can be used to construct probability amplitudes. Our results are shown to agree with those obtained in the context of Schwinger and Zwanzinger formulations, but without necessity of introducing strings.Comment: To appear in The Journal of High Energy Physics (JHEP), Latex, 11 pages, new results adde

On the vacuum entropy and the cosmological constant

It is generally accepted that the entropy of an asymptotically de Sitter universe is bounded by the area, in Planck units, of the de Sitter horizon. Based on an analysis of the entropy associated to the vacuum quantum fluctuations, we suggest that the existence of such a holographic bound constitutes a possible explanation for the observed value of the cosmological constant, theoretically justifying a relation proposed 35 years ago by Zel'dovich.Comment: Version to appear in the GRF2003 Special Issue of IJMP

The role of Weyl symmetry in hydrodynamics

This article is dedicated to the analysis of Weyl symmetry in the context of relativistic hydrodynamics. Here is discussed how this symmetry is properly implemented using the prescription of minimal coupling: $\partial\to \partial +\omega \mathcal{A}$. It is shown that this prescription has no problem to deal with curvature since it gives the correct expressions for the commutator of covariant derivatives. In the hydrodynamics the Weyl gauge connection emerges from the degrees of freedom of the fluid: it is a combination of the expansion and entropy gradient. The remaining degrees of the fluid and the metric tensor are see in this context as charged fields under the Weyl gauge connection. The gauge nature of conformal hydrodynamics is emphasized and a charge for the Weyl connection is defined. A notion of local charge and current densities are considered and a local charge conservation law is reached.Comment: 13 page

Probing AdS/QCD backgrounds with semi-classical strings

New AdS/QCD backgrounds have been proposed to describe the spectrum of heavy vector mesons via the implementation of additional energy scales on the bulk geometry of the soft wall model. The extra energy scales are needed to include the decay constants of hadronic states when describing the radial excitations of the heavy meson. Here we analyze one model that introduces an ultraviolet cutoff on Anti de-Sitter space and a model that consider a dilaton profile modified by the addition of an extra term and no cutoff. For each one of these two models we consider the presence of a semi-classical string in the bulk that is dual to a static and infinitely heavy meson. We compute the expected value of the Wilson loop operator using the holographic dictionary and obtain the dual potential for the static $q\bar{q}$ pair. For the model with modified dilaton profile the on-shell string action presents a peculiar ultraviolet divergence, a compatible regularization is discussed and a new subtraction scheme is used. We consider the case of finite temperature and determine how the dissociation temperature of the heavy meson is affected by the additional energy scales.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures (3 new

Open cosmologies with rotation

We study a rotating and expanding, Godel type metric, originally considered by Korotkii and Obukhov, showing that, in the limit of large times and nearby distances, it reduces to the open metric of Friedmann. In the epochs when radiation or dust matter dominate the energy density, our solutions are similar to the isotropic ones and, in what concerns processes occurring at small times, the rotation leads only to higher order corrections. At large times, the solution is dominated by a decaying positive cosmological term, with negative pressure, and necessarily describes a quasi-flat universe if the energy conditions have to be satisfied. The absence of closed time-like curves requires a superior limit for the global angular velocity, which appears as a natural explanation for the observed smallness of the present rotation. The conclusion is that the introduction of a global rotation, in addition to be compatible with observation, can enrich the standard model of the Universe, explaining issues like the origin of galaxies rotation and the quasi-flatness problem.Comment: Final version, accepted for publication in General Relativity and Gravitatio