2,288 research outputs found
Sculpting the Extra Dimensions: Inflation from Codimension-2 Brane Back-reaction
We construct an inflationary model in 6D supergravity that is based on
explicit time-dependent solutions to the full higher-dimensional field
equations, back-reacting to the presence of a 4D inflaton rolling on a
space-filling codimension-2 source brane. Fluxes in the bulk stabilize all
moduli except the `breathing' modulus (that is generically present in
higher-dimensional supergravities). Back-reaction to the inflaton roll causes
the 4D Einstein-frame on-brane geometry to expand, a(t) ~ t^p, as well as
exciting the breathing mode and causing the two off-brane dimensions to expand,
r(t) ~ t^q. The model evades the general no-go theorems precluding 4D de Sitter
solutions, since adjustments to the brane-localized inflaton potential allow
the power p to be dialed to be arbitrarily large, with the 4D geometry becoming
de Sitter in the limit p -> infinity (in which case q = 0). Slow-roll solutions
give accelerated expansion with p large but finite, and q = 1/2. Because the
extra dimensions expand during inflation, the present-day 6D gravity scale can
be much smaller than it was when primordial fluctuations were generated -
potentially allowing TeV gravity now to be consistent with the much higher
gravity scale required at horizon-exit for observable primordial gravity waves.
Because p >> q, the 4 on-brane dimensions expand more quickly than the 2
off-brane ones, providing a framework for understanding why the observed four
dimensions are presently so much larger than the internal two. If uplifted to a
10D framework with 4 dimensions stabilized, the 6D evolution described here
could describe how two of the six extra dimensions evolve to become much larger
than the others, as a consequence of the enormous expansion of the 4 large
dimensions we can see.Comment: 27 pages + appendices, 2 figure
The vacuum bubbles in de Sitter background and black hole pair creation
We study the possible types of the nucleation of vacuum bubbles. We classify
vacuum bubbles in de Sitter background and present some numerical solutions.
The thin-wall approximation is employed to obtain the nucleation rate and the
radius of vacuum bubbles. With careful analysis we confirm that Parke's formula
is also applicable to the large true vacuum bubbles. The nucleation of the
false vacuum bubble in de Sitter background is also evaluated. The tunneling
process in the potential with degenerate vacua is analyzed as the limiting
cases of the large true vacuum bubble and false vacuum bubble. Next, we
consider the pair creation of black holes in the background of bubble
solutions. We obtain static bubble wall solutions of junction equation with
black hole pair. The masses of created black holes are uniquely determined by
the cosmological constant and surface tension on the wall. Finally, we obtain
the rate of pair creation of black holes.Comment: 3 figures, minor including errors and typos corrected, and refs.
adde
On the divergences of inflationary superhorizon perturbations
We discuss the infrared divergences that appear to plague cosmological
perturbation theory. We show that within the stochastic framework they are
regulated by eternal inflation so that the theory predicts finite fluctuations.
Using the formalism to one loop, we demonstrate that the infrared
modes can be absorbed into additive constants and the coefficients of the
diagrammatic expansion for the connected parts of two and three-point functions
of the curvature perturbation. As a result, the use of any infrared cutoff
below the scale of eternal inflation is permitted, provided that the background
fields are appropriately redefined. The natural choice for the infrared cutoff
would of course be the present horizon; other choices manifest themselves in
the running of the correlators. We also demonstrate that it is possible to
define observables that are renormalization group invariant. As an example, we
derive a non-perturbative, infrared finite and renormalization point
independent relation between the two-point correlators of the curvature
perturbation for the case of the free single field.Comment: 12 page
Supersymmetric codimension-two branes in six-dimensional gauged supergravity
We consider the six-dimensional Salam-Sezgin supergravity in the presence of
codimension-2 branes. In the case that the branes carry only tension, we
provide a way to supersymmetrise them by adding appropriate localised
Fayet-Iliopoulos terms and localised corrections to the Chern-Simons term and
modifying accordingly the fermionic supersymmetry transformations. The
resulting brane action has N=1 supersymmetry (SUSY). We find the axisymmetric
vacua of the system and show that one has unwarped background solutions with
"football"-shaped extra dimensions which always respect N=1 SUSY for any value
of the equal brane tensions, in contrast with the non-supersymmetric brane
action background. Finally, we generically find multiple zero modes of the
gravitino in this background and discuss how one could obtain a single chiral
zero mode present in the low energy spectrum.Comment: 21 pages, no figures, A sign error in the gauge potential at the
lower brane corrected and its consequent effect discusse
Stochastic Inflation Revisited: Non-Slow Roll Statistics and DBI Inflation
Stochastic inflation describes the global structure of the inflationary
universe by modeling the super-Hubble dynamics as a system of matter fields
coupled to gravity where the sub-Hubble field fluctuations induce a stochastic
force into the equations of motion. The super-Hubble dynamics are ultralocal,
allowing us to neglect spatial derivatives and treat each Hubble patch as a
separate universe. This provides a natural framework in which to discuss
probabilities on the space of solutions and initial conditions. In this article
we derive an evolution equation for this probability for an arbitrary class of
matter systems, including DBI and k-inflationary models, and discover
equilibrium solutions that satisfy detailed balance. Our results are more
general than those derived assuming slow roll or a quasi-de Sitter geometry,
and so are directly applicable to models that do not satisfy the usual slow
roll conditions. We discuss in general terms the conditions for eternal
inflation to set in, and we give explicit numerical solutions of highly
stochastic, quasi-stationary trajectories in the relativistic DBI regime.
Finally, we show that the probability for stochastic/thermal tunneling can be
significantly enhanced relative to the Hawking-Moss instanton result due to
relativistic DBI effects.Comment: 38 pages, 2 figures. v3: minor revisions; version accepted into JCA
Chronology Protection in Galileon Models and Massive Gravity
Galileon models are a class of effective field theories that have recently
received much attention. They arise in the decoupling limit of theories of
massive gravity, and in some cases they have been treated in their own right as
scalar field theories with a specific nonlinearly realized global symmetry
(Galilean transformation). It is well known that in the presence of a source,
these Galileon theories admit superluminal propagating solutions, implying that
as quantum field theories they must admit a different notion of causality than
standard local Lorentz invariant theories. We show that in these theories it is
easy to construct closed timelike curves (CTCs) within the {\it naive} regime
of validity of the effective field theory. However, on closer inspection we see
that the CTCs could never arise since the Galileon inevitably becomes
infinitely strongly coupled at the onset of the formation of a CTC. This
implies an infinite amount of backreaction, first on the background for the
Galileon field, signaling the break down of the effective field theory, and
subsequently on the spacetime geometry, forbidding the formation of the CTC.
Furthermore the background solution required to create CTCs becomes unstable
with an arbitrarily fast decay time. Thus Galileon theories satisfy a direct
analogue of Hawking's chronology protection conjecture.Comment: 34 pages, no figure
Kicking the Rugby Ball: Perturbations of 6D Gauged Chiral Supergravity
We analyze the axially-symmetric scalar perturbations of 6D chiral gauged
supergravity compactified on the general warped geometries in the presence of
two source branes. We find all of the conical geometries are marginally stable
for normalizable perturbations (in disagreement with some recent calculations)
and the nonconical for regular perturbations, even though none of them are
supersymmetric (apart from the trivial Salam-Sezgin solution, for which there
are no source branes). The marginal direction is the one whose presence is
required by the classical scaling property of the field equations, and all
other modes have positive squared mass. In the special case of the conical
solutions, including (but not restricted to) the unwarped `rugby-ball'
solutions, we find closed-form expressions for the mode functions in terms of
Legendre and Hypergeometric functions. In so doing we show how to match the
asymptotic near-brane form for the solution to the physics of the source
branes, and thereby how to physically interpret perturbations which can be
singular at the brane positions.Comment: 21 pages + appendices, references adde
Fake supersymmetry versus Hamilton-Jacobi
We explain when the first-order Hamilton-Jacobi equations for black holes
(and domain walls) in (gauged) supergravity, reduce to the usual first-order
equations derived from a fake superpotential. This turns out to be equivalent
to the vanishing of a newly found constant of motion and we illustrate this
with various examples. We show that fake supersymmetry is a necessary condition
for having physically sensible extremal black hole solutions. We furthermore
observe that small black holes become scaling solutions near the horizon. When
combined with fake supersymmetry, this leads to a precise extension of the
attractor mechanism to small black holes: The attractor solution is such that
the scalars move on specific curves, determined by the black hole charges, that
are purely geodesic, although there is a non-zero potential.Comment: 20 pages, v2: Typos corrected, references adde
Scaling Cosmologies of N=8 Gauged Supergravity
We construct exact cosmological scaling solutions in N=8 gauged supergravity.
We restrict to solutions for which the scalar fields trace out geodesic curves
on the scalar manifold. Under these restrictions it is shown that the axionic
scalars are necessarily constant. The potential is then a sum of exponentials
and has a very specific form that allows for scaling solutions. The scaling
solutions describe eternal accelerating and decelerating power-law universes,
which are all unstable. An uplift of the solutions to 11-dimensional
supergravity is carried out and the resulting timedependent geometries are
discussed. In the discussion we briefly comment on the fact that N=2 gauged
supergravity allows stable scaling solutions.Comment: 17 pages; referenced added, reportnr changed and some corrections in
section
Curvature perturbations from ekpyrotic collapse with multiple fields
A scale-invariant spectrum of isocurvature perturbations is generated during
collapse in the ekpyrotic scaling solution in models where multiple fields have
steep negative exponential potentials. The scale invariance of the spectrum is
realized by a tachyonic instability in the isocurvature field. This instability
drives the scaling solution to the late time attractor that is the old
ekpyrotic collapse dominated by a single field. We show that the transition
from the scaling solution to the single field dominated ekpyrotic collapse
automatically converts the initial isocurvature perturbations about the scaling
solution to comoving curvature perturbations about the late-time attractor. The
final amplitude of the comoving curvature perturbation is determined by the
Hubble scale at the transition.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, a reference added, to be published in CQG, a
remark on the comoving density perturbation correcte
- …