arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Ashok Das.
We propose a new way of studying the Riemann zeros on the critical line using ideas from supersymmetry. Namely, we construct a supersymmetric quantum mechanical model whose energy eigenvalues correspond to the Riemann zeta function in the strip $0< {\rm Re}\, s < 1$ (in the complex parameter space) and show that the zeros on the critical line arise naturally from the vanishing ground state energy condition in this model.
It has been shown earlier \cite{brandt,brandt1} that, in the mixed space, there is an unexpected simple relation between any finite temperature graph and its zero temperature counterpart through a multiplicative scalar operator (termed thermal operator) which carries the entire temperature dependence. This was shown to hold only in the imaginary time formalism and the closed time path ($σ=0$) of the real time formalism (as well as for its conjugate $σ=1$). We study the origin of this operator from the more fundamental Bogoliubov transformation which acts, in the momentum space, on the doubled space of fields in the real time formalisms \cite{takahashi,umezawa,pushpa}. We show how the ($2\times 2$) Bogoliubov transformation matrix naturally leads to the scalar thermal operator for $σ=0,1$ while it fails for any other value $0<σ<1$. This analysis also suggests that a generalized scalar thermal operator description, in the mixed space, is possible even for $0<σ<1$. We also show the existence of a scalar thermal operator relation in the momentum space.
We develop an operator description, much like thermofield dynamics, for quantum field theories on a real time path with an arbitrary parameter $σ\,(0\leqσ\leqβ)$. We point out new features which arise when $σ\neq \fracβ{2}$ in that the Hilbert space develops a natural, modified inner product different from the standard Dirac inner product. We construct the Bogoliubov transformation which connects the doubled vacuum state at zero temperature to the thermal vacuum in this case. We obtain the thermal Green's function (propagator) for the real massive Klein-Gordon theory as an expectation value in this thermal vacuum (with a modified inner product). The factorization of the thermal Green's function follows from this analysis. We also discuss, in the main text as well as in two appendices, various other interesting features which arise in such a description.
In this paper we generalize the kinetic mixing idea to time reparametrization invariant theories, namely, relativistic point particles and cosmology in order to obtain new insights for dark matter and energy. In the first example, two relativistic particles interact through an appropriately chosen coupling term. It is shown that the system can be diagonalized by means of a non-local field redefinition, and, as a result of this procedure, the mass of one the particles gets rescaled. In the second case, inspired by the previous example, two cosmological models (each with its own scale factor) are made to interact in a similar fashion. The equations of motion are solved numerically in different scenarios (dust, radiation or a cosmological constant coupled to each sector of the system). When a cosmological constant term is present, kinetic mixing rescales it to a lower value which may be more amenable to observations.
Motivated by string theory an extension of the Landau problem to quantum field theory is considered. We show that the commutator between momenta of the fields violates Lorentz and CPT invariance leading to an alternative method of understanding the question of particle-antiparticle asymmetry. The presence of magnetic field at very early moments of the universe would then suggest that the particle-antiparticle asymmetry can be understood as a consequence of magnetogenesis.
In three space dimensions, when a physical system possesses spherical symmetry, the dynamical equations automatically lead to the Legendre and the associated Legendre equations, with the respective orthogonal polynomials as their standard solutions. This is a very general and important result and appears in many problems in physics (for example, the multipole expansion etc). We study these equations from an operator point of view, much like the harmonic oscillator, and show that there is an underlying shape invariance symmetry in these systems responsible for their solubility. We bring out various interesting features resulting from this analysis from the shape invariance point of view.
We show, in the imaginary time formalism, that the temperature dependent parts of all the retarded (advanced) amplitudes vanish in the Schwinger model. We trace this behavior to the CPT invariance of the theory and give a physical interpretation of this result in terms of forward scattering amplitudes of on-shell thermal particles.
We investigate the motion of a test particle in higher dimensions due to the presence of extended sources like D$p$-branes by studying the motion in the transverse space of the brane. This is contrasted with the motion of a point particle in the Schwarzschild background in higher dimensions. Since D$p$-branes are specific to 10-dimensional space time and exact solutions of geodesic equations for this particular space time has not been possible so far for the Schwarzschild background, we focus here to find the leading order solution of the geodesic equation (for motion of light rays). This enables us to compute the bending of light in both the backgrounds. We show that contrary to the well known result of no noncircular bound orbits for a massive particle, in Schwarzschild background, for $d\geq 5$, the $Dp$-brane background does allow bound elliptic motion only for $p = 6$ and the perihelion of the ellipse regresses instead of advancement. We also find that circular orbits for photon are allowed only for $p\le 3$.
In the Schwinger model at finite temperature, we derive a closed form result for the chiral anomaly which arises from the long distance behavior of the electric field \cite{frenkel}. We discuss the general properties associated with this thermal anomaly as well as its relation with the "index" of the Dirac operator. We further show that the thermal anomaly, like the zero temperature anomaly which arises from the ultraviolet behavior of the theory, does not receive any contribution from higher loops. Finally, we determine the complete effective action as well as the anomaly functional on both the thermal branches in the closed time path formalism.
It is proposed that $S$-duality is a fundamental symmetry of nature which is spontaneously broken. Axion and dilaton are identified with the doublet of the $S$-duality symmetry group $SL(2,\mathbbm{R})$. The symmetry is broken at a high scale corresponding to the experimentally estimated axion decay constant $f_χ$. The symmetry breaking mechanism is discussed in analogy with PCAC in pion physics. $S$-duality invariant interactions of fermions with axion and dilaton doublet are introduced. The symmetry breaking mechanism contributes negligibly small corrections to fermion masses in the QCD sector. Inspired by universality in string theory, the $S$-duality invariant interaction of the axion-dilaton doublet to QCD fermions is proposed to generalize to all fermions. Phenomenological consequences of this broken symmetry are explored.
A generalization of the Cooper pairing mechanism is proposed which allows for a triplet state of lower energy. This is achieved by incorporating spin into the canonical commutation relations and by modifying the $δ$ potential contact interaction. The gap equation contain as solutions both singlet and triplet states. It is shown that the triplet state is lower in energy than the singlet state which may explain the spin-triplet superconductivity observed in heavy fermion compound UPt3 and in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$.
We study the Schwinger model at finite temperature and show that a temperature dependent chiral anomaly may arise from the long distance behavior of the electric field. At high temperature this anomaly depends linearly on the temperature $T$ and is present not only in the two point function, but also in all even point amplitudes.
In continuation of our earlier proposal for evaluating thermal effective actions, we determine the exact fermion propagator in 1+1 dimensional massive QED. This propagator is used to derive the finite temperature effective action of the theory which generates systematically all the one loop Feynman amplitudes calculated in thermal perturbation theory. Various aspects of the effective action including its imaginary part are discussed.
We study Darboux transformations for the two boson (TB) hierarchy both in the scalar as well as in the matrix descriptions of the linear equation. While Darboux transformations have been extensively studied for integrable models based on $SL(2,R)$ within the AKNS framework, this model is based on $SL(2,R)\otimes U(1)$. The connection between the scalar and the matrix descriptions in this case implies that the generic Darboux matrix for the TB hierarchy has a different structure from that in the models based on $SL(2,R)$ studied thus far. The conventional Darboux transformation is shown to be quite restricted in this model. We construct a modified Darboux transformation which has a much richer structure and which also allows for multi-soliton solutions to be written in terms of Wronskians. Using the modified Darboux transformations, we explicitly construct one soliton/kink solutions for the model.
We propose a simple algebraic method for generating classes of traveling wave solutions for a variety of partial differential equations of current interest in nonlinear science. This procedure applies equally well to equations which may or may not be integrable. We illustrate the method with two distinct classes of models, one with solutions including compactons in a class of models inspired by the Rosenau-Hyman, Rosenau-Pikovsky and Rosenau-Hyman-Staley equations, and the other with solutions including peakons in a system which generalizes the Camassa-Holm, Degasperis-Procesi and Dullin-Gotwald-Holm equations. In both cases, we obtain new classes of solutions not studied before.
Laser interferometer detectors are now widely used in an attempt to detect gravitational waves (gw). The interaction of the gw with the light circulating in the interferometer is usually explained in terms of the motion of the "free" mirrors that form the interferometer arms. It is however instructive to show that the same result can be obtained by simply calculating the propagation of an electromagnetic plane wave between "free mirrors" in the curved space-time induced by the gw. One finds that the plane wave acquires frequency modulation sidebands at the gw frequency, as would be expected from the absorption and emission of gravitons from and to the gw. Such sidebands are completely equivalent to the time-dependent phase shift imposed on the plane wave, that follows from the conventional calculation.
This is a more detailed version of our recent paper where we proposed, from first principles, a direct method for evaluating the exact fermion propagator in the presence of a general background field at finite temperature. This can, in turn, be used to determine the finite temperature effective action for the system. As applications, we discuss the complete one loop finite temperature effective actions for 0+1 dimensional QED as well as for the Schwinger model in detail. These effective actions, which are derived in the real time (closed time path) formalism, generate systematically all the Feynman amplitudes calculated in thermal perturbation theory and also show that the retarded (advanced) amplitudes vanish in these theories. Various other aspects of the problem are also discussed in detail.
This paper builds on our earlier proposal for construction of a positive inner product for pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians and we give several examples to clarify our method. We show through the example of the harmonic oscillator how our construction applies equally well to Hermitian Hamiltonians which form a subset of pseudo-Hermitian systems. For finite dimensional pseudo-Hermitian matrix Hamiltonians we construct the positive inner product (in the case of $2\times 2$ matrices for both real as well as complex eigenvalues). When the quantum mechanical system cannot be diagonalized exactly, our construction can be carried out perturbatively and we develop the general formalism for such a perturbative calculation systematically (for real eigenvalues). We illustrate how this general formalism works out in practice by calculating the inner product for a couple of ${\cal PT}$ symmetric quantum mechanical theories.