On the many saddle points description of quantum black holes

Considering two dimensional gravity coupled to a CFT, we show that a semiclassical black hole can be described in terms of two Liouville theories matched at the horizon. The black hole exterior corresponds to a space-like while the interior to a time-like Liouville theory. This matching automatically implies that a semiclassical black hole has an infinite entropy. The path integral description of the time-like Liouville theory (the Black Hole interior) is studied and it is found that the correlation functions of the coupled CFT-gravity system are dominated by two (complex) saddle points, even in the semiclassical limit. We argue that this system can be interpreted as two interacting Bose-Einstein condensates constructed out of two degenerate quantum states. In AdS/CFT context, the same system is mapped into two interacting strings intersecting inside a three-dimensional BTZ black hole. Finally, we discuss why, beyond the semiclassical approximation, we expect no firewalls appearing in our system.Comment: 11 pages, RevTeX; v2 clarifications and references adde

Scalar perturbations in p-nflation: the 3-form case

We calculate the primordial spectrum of scalar perturbations of the 3-form inflation and we find that the curvature perturbations decay at late times. As as result, although a non-minimally coupled massive 3-form field may drive inflation at early times, it should be assisted by other fields in order to reproduce the observed temperature fluctuations of the CMB sky.Comment: 13 pages; v4: clarifications added. Comment on the gravitational instability of 1- and 2-form inflation added. Version accepted in JCA

The Environmental Enforcement in the Civil and the Common Law Systems. A Case on the Economic Effects of Legal Institutions

This paper aims to give a comparative analysis on the different enforcement approaches in respect to both civil and common law systems (i.e. Europe vs. USA) by analyzing some crucial aspects of their underlying normative systems. Therefore, the role of the juridical institutions in these two diverse contexts is analyzed, in order to identify the economic efficiency implications based upon the theory of public enforcement of environmental laws.environmental enforcement, economic analysis of law, common law, civil law.

A new type of scalar field inflation

In this short note we discuss the possibility of producing a slow rolling inflationary background by considering a massive scalar field whose kinetic term is non-minimally coupled to gravity.Comment: 5 pages; Proceedings of 'Invisible Universe International Conference', Paris, June 29- July 3, 2009; v3 references and clarification added; accepted for publicatio

Cosmological Perturbations in the New Higgs Inflation

We study the cosmological perturbations created during the New Higgs inflationary phase. In the New Higgs Inflation, the Higgs boson is kinetically coupled to the Einstein tensor and only three perturbative degrees of freedom, a scalar and two tensorial (gravitational waves), propagate during Inflation. Scalar perturbations are found to match the latest WMAP-7yrs data within Standard Model Higgs parameters. Primordial gravitational waves also, although propagating with superluminal speed, are consistent with present data. Finally, we estimate the values of the parameter of the New Higgs Inflation in relation to the Higgs mass, the spectral index and amplitude of the primordial scalar perturbations showing that the unitarity bound of the theory is not violated.Comment: v3: 11 pages; citation corrected. Version accepted in JCA