arXiv subjects

Alejandra Kandus

Publications and source records attributed to Alejandra Kandus.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Propagation speeds of relativistic conformal fluids from a generalized relaxation time approximation

We compute the propagation speeds for a conformal real relativistic fluid. We begin from a kinetic equation in the relaxation time approximation, where the relaxation time is an arbitrary function of the particle energy in the Landau frame. We propose a parameterization of the one particle distribution function designed to contain a second order Chapman-Enskog solution as a particular case. We derive the hydrodynamic equations applying the moments method to this parameterized one particle distribution function, and solve for the propagation speeds of linearized scalar, vector and tensor perturbations. For relaxation times of the form $τ=τ_0(-β_μp^μ)^{-a}$, with $-\infty< a<2$, where $β_μ=u_μ/T$ is the temperature vector in the Landau frame, we show that the Anderson-Witting prescription $a=1$ yields the fastest speeds.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

Field Theory Approaches to Relativistic Hydrodynamics

Just as non relativistic fluids, oftentimes we find relativistic fluids in situations where random fluctuations cannot be ignored, thermal and turbulent fluctuations being the most relevant examples. Because of the theory's inherent nonlinearity, fluctuations induce deep and complex changes in the dynamics of the system. The Martin-Siggia-Rose technique is a powerful tool that allows us to translate the original hydrodynamic problem into a quantum field theory one, thus taking advantage of the progress in the treatment of quantum fields out of equilibrium. To demonstrate this technique, we shall consider the thermal fluctuations of the spin two modes of a relativistic fluid, in a theory where hydrodynamics is derived by taking moments of the Boltzmann equation under the relaxation time approximation.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Primordial Weibel instability

We study the onset of vector instabilities in the post-inflationary epoch of the Universe as a mechanism for primordial magnetic fields amplification. We assume the presence of a charged spectator scalar field arbitrarily coupled to gravity during Inflation in its vacuum de Sitter state. Gravitational particle creation takes place at the transition from Inflation to the subsequent Reheating stage and thus the vacuum field state becomes an excited many particles one. Consequently this state can be described as a real fluid, and we build out the hydrodynamic framework using second order theories for relativistic fluids with a relaxation time prescription for the collision integral. Given the high-temperature regime and the vanishing scalar curvature of the Universe during Reheating (radiation-dominated-type era), the fluid can be regarded as a conformal one. The large quantum fluctuations induced by the rapid transition from inflationary to effectively radiation dominated expansion become statistical fluctuations whereby both a charge excess and anisotropic pressures are produced in any finite domain. The precise magnitude of the effect for each scale is determined by the size of the averaging domain and the coupling to curvature. We look at domains which are larger than the horizon at the beginning of Reheating, but much smaller than our own horizon, and show that in a finite fraction of them the anisotropy and charge excess provide suitable conditions for a Weibel instability. If moreover the duration of reheating is shorter than the relaxation time of the fluid, then this instability can compensate or even overcome the conformal dilution of a primordial magnetic field. We show that the non-trivial topology of the magnetic field encoded in its magnetic helicity is also amplified if present.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Nonlinear Fluctuations in Relativistic Causal Fluids

In the Second Order Theories (SOT) of real relativistic fluids, the non-ideal properties of the flows are described by a new set of dynamical tensor variables. In this work we explore the non-linear dynamics of those variables in a conformal fluid. Among all possible SOTs, we choose to work with the Divergence Type Theories (DTT) formalism, which ensures that the second law of thermodynamics is fulfilled non-perturbatively. The tensor modes include two divergence-free modes which have no analog in theories based on covariant generalizations of the Navier-Stokes equation, and that are particularly relevant because they couple linearly to a gravitational field. To study the dynamics of this irreducible tensor sector, we observe that in causal theories such as DTTs, thermal fluctuations induce a stochastic stirring force, which excites the tensor modes while preserving energy momentum conservation. From fluctuation-dissipation considerations it follows that the random force is Gaussian with a white spectrum. The irreducible tensor modes in turn excite vector modes, which back-react on the tensor sector, thus producing a consistent non-linear, second order description of the divergence-free tensor dynamics. Using the Martin-Siggia-Rose (MSR) formalism plus the Two-Particle Irreducible Effective Action (2PIEA) formalism, we obtain the one-loop corrected equations for the relevant two-point correlation functions of the model: the retarded propagator and the Hadamard function. The overall result of the self-consistent dynamics of the irreducible tensor modes at this order is a depletion of the spectrum in the UV sector, which suggests that tensor modes could sustain an inverse entropy cascade.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Nonlinear Dynamics of Tensor Modes in Conformal Real Relativistic Fluids

In the Second Order Theories (SOT) of real relativistic fluids, the non-ideal properties are described by a new set of dynamical tensor variables. In this work we explore the non-linear dynamics of those modes in a conformal fluid. Among all possible SOTs, we choose to work with the Divergence Type Theories (DTT) formalism, which ensures that the second law of thermodynamics is satisfied non-perturbatively. In considering a perturbative scheme within this formalism, at next to leading order a set of Maxwell-Cattaneo equations is obtained, as in e.g. Israel-Stewart theories. The tensor modes include two divergence-free modes which have no analog in theories based on covariant Navier-Stokes equations, and that are particularly relevant because they may couple linearly to a gravitational field. To study the dynamics of this irreducible tensor sector, we observe that in causal theories such as DTTs, thermal fluctuations induce a stochastic stirring force in the equations of motion, which excites the tensor modes while preserving energy momentum conservation. From fluctuation-dissipation considerations, it follows that the random force is Gaussian with a white spectrum. The irreducible tensor modes in turn excite vector modes, which back-react on the tensor sector, thus producing a consistent non-linear, second order description of the divergence-free tensor dynamics. Using the Martin-Siggia-Rose (MSR) formalism we obtain the two-point correlation function for these tensor modes at next to leading order, and the induced stochastic component of the energy-momentum tensor. We find that the thermal fluctuations induce a scale invariant spectrum at short scales, while preserving a white spectrum at large scales. This result suggests that tensor modes could sustain an entropy cascade.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Normal Modes in Magnetized Two-Fluid Spin Quantum Plasmas

We extend the classical two-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) formalism to include quantum effects such as electron Fermi pressure, Bohm pressure and spin couplings. At scales smaller than the electron skin-depth, the Hall effect and electron inertia must be taken into account, and can overlap with the quantum effects. We write down the full set of two-fluid quantum MHD (QMHD) and analyze the relative importance ofthese effects in the high density environments of neutron star atmospheres and white dwarf interiors, finding that for a broad range of parameters all these effects are operative. Of all spin interactions we analyze only the spin-magnetic coupling, as it is linear in $\hbar$ and consequently it is the strongest spin effect. We re-obtain the classical two-fluid MHD dispersion relations corresponding to the magnetosonic and Alfvén modes, modified by quantum effects. In the zero-spin case, for propagation parallel to the magnetic field, we find that the frequency of the fast mode is due to quantum effects modified by electron inertia, while the frequency of the Alfvén-slow sector has no quantum corrections. For perpendicular propagation, the fast-mode frequency is the same as for the parallel propagation plus a correction due only to classical two-fluid effects. When spin is considered, a whistler mode appears, which is due to two-fluid spin-magnetic interaction. There are no modifications due to spin for parallel propagation of magnetosonic and Alfvén waves, while for perpendicular prop agation a dispersive term due to spin arises in the two-fluid expression for the fast magnetosonic mode.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2016

A Hydrodynamic Approach to the Study of Anisotropic Instabilities in Dissipative Relativistic Plasmas

We develop a purely hydrodynamic formalism to describe collisional, anisotropic instabilities in a relativistic plasma, that are usually described with kinetic theory tools. Our main motivation is the fact that coarse-grained models of high particle number systems give more clear and comprehensive physical descriptions of those systems than purely kinetic approaches, and can be more easily tested experimentally as well as numerically. In particular, we aim at developing a theory that describes both a background non-equilibrium fluid configurations and its perturbations, to be able to account for the backreaction of the latter on the former. Our system of equations includes the usual conservation laws for the energy-momentum tensor and for the electric current, and the equations for two new tensors that encode the information about dissipation. To make contact with kinetic theory, we write the different tensors as the moments of a non-equilibrium one-particle distribution function (1pdf) which, for illustrative purposes, we take in the form of a Grad-like ansatz. Although this choice limits the applicability of the formalism to states not far from equilibrium, it retains the main features of the underlying kinetic theory. We assume the validity of the Vlasov-Boltzmann equation, with a collision integral given by the Anderson-Witting prescription, which is more suitable for highly relativistic systems than Marle's (or Bhatnagar, Gross and Krook) form, and derive the conservation laws by taking its corresponding moments. We apply our developments to study the emergence of instabilities in an anisotropic, but axially symmetric background. For small departures of isotropy we find the dispersion relation for normal modes, which admit unstable solutions for a wide range of values of the parameter space.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Separable wave equations for gravitoelectromagnetic perturbations of rotating charged black strings

Rotating charged black strings are solutions of four-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell equations with a negative cosmological constant and a non-trivial topology. According to the AdS/CFT correspondence, these black strings are dual to rotating thermal states of a strongly interacting field theory with nonzero chemical potential that lives in a cylinder. The dynamics of fluctuations in the field theory can be studied from the perturbation equations for classical fields in a black-string spacetime. With this motivation in mind, we develop here a completely gauge and tetrad invariant perturbation approach to deal with the gravitoelectromagnetic fluctuations of rotating charged black strings in the presence of sources. As usual, for any charged black hole, a perturbation in the background electromagnetic field induces a metric perturbation and vice versa. In spite of this coupling and the non-vanishing angular momentum, we show that linearization of equations of the Newman-Penrose formalism leads to four separated second-order complex equations for suitable combinations of the spin coefficients, the Weyl and the Maxwell scalars. Then, we generalize the Chandrasekhar transformation theory by the inclusion of sources and apply it to reduce the perturbation problem to four decoupled inhomogeneous wave equations --- a pair for each sector of perturbations. The radial part of such wave equations can be put into Schrodinger-like forms after Fourier transforming them with respect to time. We find that the resulting effective potentials form two pairs of supersymmetric partner potentials and, as a consequence, the fundamental variables of one perturbation sector are related to the variables of the other sector. The relevance of such a symmetry in connection to the AdS/CFT correspondence is discussed, and future applications of the pertubation theory developed here are outlined.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Non-conformal evolution of magnetic fields during reheating

We consider the evolution of electromagnetic fields coupled to conduction currents during the reheating era after inflation, and prior to the establishing of the proton-electron plasma. We assume that the currents may be described by second order causal hydrodynamics. The resulting theory is not conformally invariant. The expansion of the Universe produces temperature gradients which couple to the current and generally oppose Ohmic dissipation. Although the effect is not strong, it suggests that the unfolding of hydrodynamic instabilities in these models may follow a different pattern than in first order theories, and even than in second order theories on non expanding backgrounds.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Primordial Magnetic Helicity from Stochastic Electric Currents

We study the possibility that primordial magnetic fields generated in the transition between inflation and reheating posses magnetic helicity, $H_M$. The fields are induced by stochastic currents of scalar charged particles created during the mentioned transition. We estimate the rms value of the induced magnetic helicity by computing different four-point SQED Feynman diagrams. For any considered volume, the magnetic flux across its boundaries is in principle non null, which means that the magnetic helicity in those regions is gauge dependent. We use the prescription given by Berger and Field and interpret our result as the difference between two magnetic configurations that coincide in the exterior volume. In this case the magnetic helicity gives only the number of magnetic links inside the considered volume. We calculate a concrete value of $H_M$ for large scales and analyze the distribution of magnetic defects as a function of the scale. Those defects correspond to regular as well as random fields in the considered volume. We find that the fractal dimension of the distribution of topological defects is $D = 1/2$. We also study if the regular fields induced on large scales are helical, finding that they are and that the associated number of magnetic defects is independent of the scale. In this case the fractal dimension is $D=0$. We finally estimate the intensity of fields induced at the horizon scale of reheating, and evolve them until the decoupling of matter and radiation under the hypothesis of inverse cascade of magnetic helicity. The resulting intensity is high enough and the coherence length long enough to have an impact on the subsequent process of structure formation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Primordial magnetogenesis

Magnetic fields appear everywhere in the universe. From stars and galaxies, all the way to galaxy clusters and remote protogalactic clouds magnetic fields of considerable strength and size have been repeatedly observed. Despite their widespread presence, however, the origin of cosmic magnetic fields is still a mystery. The galactic dynamo is believed capable of amplifying weak magnetic seeds to strengths like those measured in ours and other galaxies, but the question is where do these seed fields come from? Are they a product of late, post-recombination, physics or are they truly cosmological in origin? The idea of primordial magnetism is attractive because it makes the large-scale magnetic fields, especially those found in early protogalactic systems, easier to explain. As a result, a host of different scenarios have appeared in the literature. Nevertheless, early magnetogenesis is not problem free, with a number of issues remaining open and a matter of debate. We review the question of primordial magnetic fields and consider the limits set on their strength by the current observational data. The various mechanisms of pre-recombination magnetogenesis are presented and their advantages and shortcomings are debated. We consider both classical and quantum scenarios, that operate within as well as outside the standard model, and also discuss how future observations could be used to decide whether the large-scale magnetic fields we see in the universe today are truly primordial or not.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Primordial Magnetic Field Amplification from Turbulent Reheating

We analyze the possibility of primordial magnetic field amplification by a stochastic large scale kinematic dynamo during reheating. We consider a charged scalar field minimally coupled to gravity. During inflation this field is assumed to be in its vacuum state. At the transition to reheating the state of the field changes to a many particle/anti-particle state. We characterize that state as a fluid flow of zero mean velocity but with a stochastic velocity field. We compute the scale-dependent Reynolds number $% Re(k)$, and the characteristic times for decay of turbulence, $t_{d}$ and pair annihilation $t_{a}$, finding $t_{a}<< t_{d}$. We calculate the rms value of the kinetic helicity of the flow over a scale $\mathcal{L}$ and show that it does not vanish. We use this result to estimate the amplification factor of a seed field from the stochastic kinematic dynamo equations. Although this effect is weak, it shows that the evolution of the cosmic magnetic field from reheating to galaxy formation may well be more complex than as dictated by simple flux freezing.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2007

Generalized Ohm's law for relativistic plasmas

We generalise the relativistic expression of Ohm's law by studying a multi-fluid system of charged species using the 1+3 covariant formulation of general relativistic electrodynamics. This is done by providing a fully relativistic, fully nonlinear propagation equation for the spatial component of the electric 4-current. Our analysis proceeds along the lines of the non-relativistic studies and extends previous relativistic work on cold plasmas. Exploiting the compactness and transparency of the covariant formalism, we provide a direct comparison with the standard Newtonian versions of Ohm's law and identify the relativistic corrections in an unambiguous way. The generalised expression of Ohm's law is initially given relative to an arbitrary observer and for a multi-component relativistic charged medium. Then, the law is written with respect to the Eckart frame and for a hot two-fluid plasma with zero total charge. Finally, we apply our analysis to a cold proton-electron plasma and recover the well known magnetohydrodynamic expressions. In every step, we discuss the approximations made and identify familiar effects, like the Biermann-battery and the Hall effect.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Analysis of the Effect of a Mean Velocity Field on Mean Field Dynamo

We study semi-analytically and in a consistent manner, the generation of a mean velocity field $\bar{\mathbf{U}}$ by helical MHD turbulence, and the effect that this field can have on a Mean Field Dynamo. Assuming a prescribed, maximally helical small scale velocity field, we show that large scale flows can be generated in MHD turbulent flows, via small scale Lorentz force. These flows back-react on the mean electromotive force of a Mean Field Dynamo through new terms, leaving the original $α$ and $β$ terms explicitly unmodified. Cross-helicity plays the key role in interconnecting all the effects. In the minimal $τ$ closure that we chose to work with, the effects are stronger for large relaxation times.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2005

Superadiabatic-type magnetic amplification in conventional cosmology

We consider the evolution of cosmological magnetic fields in FRW models and outline a geometrical mechanism for their superadiabatic amplification on large scales. The mechanism operates within standard electromagnetic theory and applies to FRW universes with open spatial sections. We discuss the general relativistic nature of the effect and show how it modifies the adiabatic magnetic evolution. Assuming a universe that is only marginally open today, we estimate the main features of the superadiabatically amplified residual field.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

On the thickness of a mildly relativistic collisional shock wave

We consider an imperfect relativistic fluid which develops a shock wave and discuss its structure and thickness, taking into account the effects of viscosity and heat conduction in the form of sound absorption. The junction conditions and the non linear equations describing the evolution of the shock are derived with the corresponding Newtonian limit discussed in detail. As happens in the non relativistic regime, the thickness is inversely proportional to the discontinuity in the pressure, but new terms of purely relativistic origin are present. Particularizing for a polytropic gas, it is found that the pure viscous relativistic shock is thicker than its nonrelativistic counterpart, while the opposite holds for pure heat conduction.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Self consistent estimates of magnetic fields from reheating

We investigate the generation of primordial magnetic fields from stochastic currents created by the cosmological transition from inflation to reheating. We consider N charged scalar fields coupled to the electromagnetic field in a curved background and derive self-consistent equations for the evolution of the two point functions of the fields, which in the large N limit give a decoupled set for the scalar and the electromagnetic functions. The main contribution to the electric current comes from the infrared portion of the spectrum of created particles, and in this limit the damping of the magnetic field is not due to normal conductivity but to London currents in the scalar field. For a given set of the physical parameters of the problem, we solved this equation numerically and found that, due to the fact that the London currents are oscillating, the field actually grows exponentially during the time interval in which our large-N limit equations are valid. Although for the chosen parameters the induced field is weak, the present uncertainties on their actual values leave open the possibility for higher intensities.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Cosmological Magnetic Fields from Gauge-Mediated Supersymmetry-Breaking Models

We study the generation of primordial magnetic fields, coherent over cosmologically interesting scales, by gravitational creation of charged scalar particles during the reheating period. We show that magnetic fields consistent with those detected by observation may obtained if the particle mean life τ_s is in the range 10^{-14} sec \leq τ_s \leq 10{-7} sec. We apply this mechanism to minimal gauge mediated supersymmetry-breaking models, in the case in which the lightest stau \tildeτ_1 is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle. We show that, for a large range of phenomenologically acceptable values of the supersymmetry-breaking scale \sqrt{F}, the generated primordial magnetic field can be strong enough to seed the galactic dynamo.

hep-ph↗