"Hybrid" Black Holes

We discuss a solution of the Einstein equations, obtained by gluing the external Kerr metric and the internal Weyl metric, describing an axisymmetric static vacuum distorted black hole. These metrics are glued at the null surfaces representing their horizons. For this purpose we use the formalism of massive thin null shells. The corresponding solution is called a "hybrid" black hole. The massive null shell has an angular momentum which is the origin of the rotation of the external Kerr spacetime. At the same time, the shell distorts the geometry inside the horizon. The inner geometry of the "hybrid" black hole coincides with the geometry of the interior of a non-rotating Weyl-distorted black hole. Properties of the "hybrid" black holes are briefly discussed.Comment: 9 page

Non-linear Dynamics and Primordial Curvature Perturbations from Preheating

In this paper I review the theory and numerical simulations of non-linear dynamics of preheating, a stage of dynamical instability at the end of inflation during which homogeneous inflaton explosively decays and deposits its energy into excitation of other matter fields. I focus on preheating in chaotic inflation models, which proceeds via broad parametric resonance. I describe a simple method to evaluate Floquet exponents, calculating stability diagrams of Mathieu and Lame equations describing development of instability in $m^2\phi^2$ and $\lambda\phi^4$ preheating models. I discuss basic numerical methods and issues, and present simulation results highlighting non-equilibrium transitions, topological defect formation, late-time universality, turbulent scaling and approach to thermalization. I explain how preheating can generate large-scale primordial (non-Gaussian) curvature fluctuations manifest in cosmic microwave background anisotropy and large scale structure, and discuss potentially observable signatures of preheating.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures; review for CQG special issu

Semi-inclusive charged-pion electroproduction off protons and deuterons: Cross sections, ratios, and access to the quark-parton model at low energies

A large set of cross sections for semi-inclusive electroproduction of charged pions (π^±) from both proton and deuteron targets was measured. The data are in the deep-inelastic scattering region with invariant mass squared W^2>4 GeV^2 (up to ≈7 GeV^2) and range in four-momentum transfer squared 2<Q^2<4 (GeV/c)^2, and cover a range in the Bjorken scaling variable 0.2<x<0.6. The fractional energy of the pions spans a range 0.3<z<1, with small transverse momenta with respect to the virtual-photon direction, Pt^(2)_(t)<0.2 (GeV/c)2. The invariant mass that goes undetected, M_x or W′, is in the nucleon resonance region, W′<2 GeV. The new data conclusively show the onset of quark-hadron duality in this process, and the relation of this phenomenon to the high-energy factorization ansatz of electron-quark scattering and subsequent quark→pion production mechanisms. The x, z, and Pt^(2)_(t) dependences of several ratios (the ratios of favored-unfavored fragmentation functions, charged pion ratios, deuteron-hydrogen and aluminum-deuteron ratios for π^+ and π^−) have been studied. The ratios are found to be in good agreement with expectations based upon a high-energy quark-parton model description. We find the azimuthal dependences to be small, as compared to exclusive pion electroproduction, and consistent with theoretical expectations based on tree-level factorization in terms of transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution and fragmentation functions. In the context of a simple model, the initial transverse momenta of d quarks are found to be slightly smaller than for u quarks, while the transverse momentum width of the favored fragmentation function is about the same as for the unfavored one, and both fragmentation widths are larger than the quark widths

Statistical Mechanics on Axially-symmetric Space-times with the Killing Horizon and Entropy of Rotating Black Holes in Induced Gravity

We develop a method for computing the free-energy of a canonical ensemble of quantum fields near the horizon of a rotating black hole. We show that the density of energy levels of a quantum field on a stationary background can be related to the density of levels of the same field on a fiducial static space-time. The effect of the rotation appears in the additional interaction of the "static" field with a fiducial abelian gauge-potential. The fiducial static space-time and the gauge potential are universal, i.e., they are determined by the geometry of the given physical space-time and do not depend on the spin of the field. The reduction of the stationary axially symmetric problem to the static one leads to a considerable simplification in the study of statistical mechanics and we use it to draw a number of conclusions. First, we prove that divergences of the entropy of scalar and spinor fields at the horizon in the presence of rotation have the same form as in the static case and can be removed by renormalization of the bare black hole entropy. Second, we demonstrate that statistical-mechanical representation of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of a black hole in induced gravity is universal and does not depend on the rotation.Comment: 22 page

Statistical Mechanics of Charged Black Holes in Induced Einstein-Maxwell Gravity

The statistical origin of the entropy of charged black holes in models of induced Einstein-Maxwell gravity is investigated. The constituents inducing the Einstein-Maxwell action are charged and interact with an external gauge potential. This new feature, however, does not change divergences of the statistical-mechanical entropy of the constituents near the horizon. It is demonstrated that the mechanism of generation of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy in induced gravity is universal and it is basically the same for charged and neutral black holes. The concrete computations are carried out for induced Einstein-Maxwell gravity with a negative cosmological constant in three space-time dimensions.Comment: 16 pages, latex, no figure

Scattering of Straight Cosmic Strings by Black Holes: Weak Field Approximation

The scattering of a straight, infinitely long string moving with velocity $v$ by a black hole is considered. We analyze the weak-field case, where the impact parameter ($b_{imp}$) is large, and obtain exact solutions to the equations of motion. As a result of scattering, the string is displaced in the direction perpendicular to the velocity by an amount $\Delta b\sim -2\pi GMv\gamma/c^3 -\pi (GM)^2/ (4c^3 v b_{imp})$, where $\gamma=(1-(v/c)^2)^{-1/2}$. The second term dominates at low velocities $v/c<(GM/b_{imp})^{1/2}$ . The late-time solution is represented by a kink and anti-kink, propagating in opposite directions at the speed of light, and leaving behind them the string in a new ``phase''. The solutions are applied to the problem of string capture, and are compared to numerical results.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure

Thorny Spheres and Black Holes with Strings

We consider thorny spheres, that is 2-dimensional compact surfaces which are everywhere locally isometric to a round sphere $S^2$ except for a finite number of isolated points where they have conical singularities. We use thorny spheres to generate, from a spherically symmetric solution of the Einstein equations, new solutions which describe spacetimes pierced by an arbitrary number of infinitely thin cosmic strings radially directed. Each string produces an angle deficit proportional to its tension, while the metric outside the strings is a locally spherically symmetric solution. We prove that there can be arbitrary configurations of strings provided that the directions of the strings obey a certain equilibrium condition. In general this equilibrium condition can be written as a force-balance equation for string forces defined in a flat 3-space in which the thorny sphere is isometrically embedded, or as a constraint on the product of holonomies around strings in an alternative 3-space that is flat except for the strings. In the case of small string tensions, the constraint equation has the form of a linear relation between unit vectors directed along the string axes.Comment: 37 pages, 11 figure