arXiv subjects

A. Wipf

Publications and source records attributed to A. Wipf.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Letter of Intent: Towards a Vacuum Birefringence Experiment at the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields

Quantum field theory predicts a nonlinear response of the vacuum to strong electromagnetic fields of macroscopic extent. This fundamental tenet has remained experimentally challenging and is yet to be tested in the laboratory. A particularly distinct signature of the resulting optical activity of the quantum vacuum is vacuum birefringence. This offers an excellent opportunity for a precision test of nonlinear quantum electrodynamics in an uncharted parameter regime. Recently, the operation of the high-intensity laser ReLaX provided by the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields (HIBEF) has been inaugurated at the High Energy Density (HED) scientific instrument of the European XFEL. We make the case that this worldwide unique combination of an x-ray free-electron laser and an ultra-intense near-infrared laser together with recent advances in high-precision x-ray polarimetry, refinements of prospective discovery scenarios, and progress in their accurate theoretical modelling have set the stage for performing an actual discovery experiment of quantum vacuum nonlinearity.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

Post-Newtonian Generation of Gravitational Waves in a Theory of Gravity with Torsion

We adapt the post-Newtonian gravitational-radiation methods developed within general relativity by Epstein and Wagoner to the gravitation theory with torsion, recently proposed by Hehl et al., and show that the two theories predict in this approximation the same gravitational radiation losses. Since they agree also on the first post-Newtonian level, they are at the present time - observationally - indistinguishable.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Aharonov-Bohm effect in Presence of Superconductors

The analysis of a previous paper, in which it was shown that the energy for the Aharonov-Bohm effect could be traced to the interaction energy between the magnetic field of the electron and the background magnetic field, is extended to cover the case in which the magnetic field of the electron is shielded from the background magnetic field by superconducting material. The paradox that arises from the fact that such a shielding would apparently preclude the possibility of an interaction energy is resolved and, within the limits of the ideal situation considered, the observed experimental result is derived.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Mass spectrum of $2$-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=(2,2)$ super Yang-Mills theory on the lattice

In the present work we analyse $\mathcal{N}=(2,2)$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills (SYM) theory in two dimensions by means of lattice simulations. The theory arises as dimensional reduction of $\mathcal{N}=1$ SYM theory in four dimensions. As in other gauge theories with extended supersymmetry, the classical scalar potential has flat directions which may destabilize numerical simulations. In addition, the fermion determinant need not be positive and this sign-problem may cause further problems in a stochastic treatment. We demonstrate that $\mathcal{N}=(2,2)$ super Yang-Mills theory has actually no sign problem and that the flat directions are lifted and thus stabilized by quantum corrections. Only the bare mass of the scalars experience a finite additive renormalization in this finite theory. On various lattices with different lattice constants we determine the scalar masses and hopping parameters for which the supersymmetry violating terms are minimal. By studying four Ward identities and by monitoring the $π$-mass we show that supersymmetry is indeed restored in the continuum limit. In the second part we calculate the masses of the low-lying bound states. We find that in the infinite-volume and supersymmetric continuum limit the Veneziano-Yankielowicz super-multiplet becomes massless and the Farrar-Gabadadze-Schwetz super-multiplet decouples from the theory. In addition, we estimate the masses of the excited mesons in the Veneziano-Yankielowicz multiplet. We observe that the gluino-glueballs have comparable masses to the excited mesons.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2009

On the model of a classical relativistic particle of constant and universal mass and spin

The deformation of the classical action for a free relativistic particle recently suggested by A. Staruszkiewicz gives rise to a spin structure which constrains the values of the invariant mass and the invariant spin to be the same for any solution of the equations of motion. We prove that both these Casimir invariants, the square of the four-momentum vector and the square of the Pauli-Lubański pseudo-vector, preserve the same fixed values even in the presence of an arbitrary external electromagnetic field. In the "free" case, in the centre of mass reference frame, the particle moves along a circle of fixed radius. In a homogeneous magnetic field, a number of rotational "states" is possible with frequencies slightly different from the cyclotron frequency, and "phase-like" transitions with spin flops occure at some critical value of the particle's three-momentum. In the last section, the article of Kuzenko, Lyakhovich and Segal (1994) in which, in fact, an equivalent model had been proposed and elaborated, is briefly reviewed and compared with Staruszkiewicz's approach and our results.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Ward Identities for Invariant Group Integrals

We derive two types of Ward identities for the generating functions for invariant integrals of monomials of the fundamental characters for arbitrary simple compact Lie groups. The results are applied to the groups SU(3), Spin(5) and G_2 of rank 2 as well as SU(4).

hep-th↗

arXiv2006

Spectral asymmetry on the ball and asymptotics of the asymmetry kernel

Let $\ui\di$ be the Dirac operator on a $D=2d$ dimensional ball $\mcB$ with radius $R$. We calculate the spectral asymmetry $η(0,\ui\di)$ for D=2 and D=4, when local chiral bag boundary conditions are imposed. With these boundary conditions, we also analyze the small-$t$ asymptotics of the heat trace $\Tr (F P e^{-t P^2})$ where $P$ is an operator of Dirac type and $F$ is an auxiliary smooth smearing function.

hep-th↗

arXiv2006

On the Observation of Vacuum Birefringence

We suggest an experiment to observe vacuum birefringence induced by intense laser fields. A high-intensity laser pulse is focused to ultra-relativistic intensity and polarizes the vacuum which then acts like a birefringent medium. The latter is probed by a linearly polarized x-ray pulse. We calculate the resulting ellipticity signal within strong-field QED assuming Gaussian beams. The laser technology required for detecting the signal will be available within the next three years.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2005

Algebraic Solution of the Supersymmetric Hydrogen Atom

The N=2 supersymmetric extension of the Schrödinger-Hamiltonian with 1/r-potential in d dimension is constructed. The system admits a supersymmetrized Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector which extends the rotational SO(d) symmetry to a hidden SO(d+1) symmetry. It is used to determine the discrete eigenvalues with their degeneracies and the corresponding bound state wave functions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

Extended Supersymmetries and the Dirac Operator

We consider supersymmetric quantum mechanical systems in arbitrary dimensions on curved spaces with nontrivial gauge fields. The square of the Dirac operator serves as Hamiltonian. We derive a relation between the number of supercharges that exist and restrictions on the geometry of the underlying spaces as well as the admissible gauge field configurations. From the superalgebra with two or more real supercharges we infer the existence of integrability conditions and obtain a corresponding superpotential. This potential can be used to deform the supercharges and to determine zero modes of the Dirac operator. The general results are applied to the Kahler spaces CP^n.

hep-th↗

arXiv2004

From the Dirac Operator to Wess-Zumino Models on Spatial Lattices

We investigate two-dimensional Wess-Zumino models in the continuum and on spatial lattices in detail. We show that a non-antisymmetric lattice derivative not only excludes chiral fermions but in addition introduces supersymmetry breaking lattice artifacts. We study the nonlocal and antisymmetric SLAC derivative which allows for chiral fermions without doublers and minimizes those artifacts. The supercharges of the lattice Wess-Zumino models are obtained by dimensional reduction of Dirac operators in high-dimensional spaces. The normalizable zero modes of the models with N=1 and N=2 supersymmetry are counted and constructed in the weak- and strong-coupling limits. Together with known methods from operator theory this gives us complete control of the zero mode sector of these theories for arbitrary coupling.

hep-th↗

arXiv2002

Algebraic Solution of the Supersymmetric Hydrogen Atom in d Dimensions

In this paper the N=2 supersymmetric extension of the Schroedinger Hamiltonian with 1/r-potential in arbitrary space-dimensions is constructed. The supersymmetric hydrogen atom admits a conserved Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector which extends the rotational symmetry SO(d) to a hidden SO(d+1) symmetry. This symmetry of the system is used to determine the discrete eigenvalues with their degeneracies and the corresponding bound state wave functions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2002

Spectral asymmetry for bag boundary conditions

We give an expression, in terms of boundary spectral functions, for the spectral asymmetry of the Euclidean Dirac operator in two dimensions, when its domain is determined by local boundary conditions, and the manifold is of product type. As an application, we explicitly evaluate the asymmetry in the case of a finite-length cylinder, and check that the outcome is consistent with our general result. Finally, we study the asymmetry in a disk, which is a non-product case, and propose an interpretation.

hep-th↗

arXiv2002

Pole structure of the Hamiltonian $ζ$-function for a singular potential

We study the pole structure of the $ζ$-function associated to the Hamiltonian $H$ of a quantum mechanical particle living in the half-line $\mathbf{R}^+$, subject to the singular potential $g x^{-2}+x^2$. We show that $H$ admits nontrivial self-adjoint extensions (SAE) in a given range of values of the parameter $g$. The $ζ$-functions of these operators present poles which depend on $g$ and, in general, do not coincide with half an integer (they can even be irrational). The corresponding residues depend on the SAE considered.

math-ph↗

arXiv2001

Effective Theories of Confinement

We review some approaches to describe confinement in terms of effective (model) field theories. After a brief discussion of the dual Abelian Higgs model, we concentrate on a lattice analysis of the Faddeev-Niemi effective action conjectured to describe the low-lying excitations of SU(2) gluodynamics. We generalize the effective action such that it contains all operators built from a unit color vector field n with O(3) symmetry and maximally four derivatives. To avoid the presence of Goldstone bosons, we include explicit symmetry breaking terms parametrized by an external field h of mass-dimension two. We find a mass gap of the order of 1.5 GeV.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2001

A lattice study of the Faddeev-Niemi effective action

We perform a lattice analysis of the Faddeev-Niemi effective action conjectured to describe the low energy sector of SU(2) Yang-Mills theory. We generalize the effective action such that it contains all operators built from a unit color vector field n with O(3)-symmetry and maximally four derivatives. To avoid the presence of Goldstone bosons, we include explicit symmetry breaking terms parametrized by an external field h of mass-dimension two. We find a mass gap of the order of 1.5 GeV.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2001

Nahm Transform and Moduli Spaces of CPn Models on the Torus

There is a Nahm transform for two-dimensional gauge fields which establishes a one-to-one correspondence between the orbit space of U(N) gauge fields with topological charge k defined on a torus and that of U(k) gauge fields with charge N on the dual torus. The main result of this paper is to show that a similar duality transform cannot exist for CPn instantons. This fact establishes a significative difference between 4-D gauge theories and CPn models. The result follows from the global analysis of the moduli space of instantons based on a complete and explicit parametrization of all self-dual solutions on the two-dimensional torus. The boundary of the space of regular instantons is shown to coincide with the space of singular instantons. This identification provides a new approach to analyzing the role of overlapping instantons in the infrared sector of CPn sigma models.

hep-th↗

arXiv2000

ADHM Construction of Instantons on the Torus

We apply the ADHM instanton construction to SU(2) gauge theory on T^n x R^(4-n)for n=1,2,3,4. To do this we regard instantons on T^n x R^(4-n) as periodic (modulo gauge transformations) instantons on R^4. Since the R^4 topological charge of such instantons is infinite the ADHM algebra takes place on an infinite dimensional linear space. The ADHM matrix M is related to a Weyl operator (with a self-dual background) on the dual torus tilde T^n. We construct the Weyl operator corresponding to the one-instantons on T^n x R^(4-n). In order to derive the self-dual potential on T^n x R^(4-n) it is necessary to solve a specific Weyl equation. This is a variant of the Nahm transformation. In the case n=2 (i.e. T^2 x R^2) we essentially have an Aharonov Bohm problem on tilde T^2. In the one-instanton sector we find that the scale parameter, lambda, is bounded above, (lambda)^2 tv<4 pi, tv being the volume of the dual torus tilde T^2.

hep-th↗