arXiv subjects

B. Sathiapalan

Publications and source records attributed to B. Sathiapalan.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Gauge Invariance and Equations of Motion for Closed String Modes

We continue earlier discussions on the exact renormalization group and loop variables on the string world sheet for closed and open string backgrounds. The world sheet action with a UV regulator is written in a generally background covariant way by introducing a background metric. It is shown that the renormalization group gives background covariant equations of motion - this is the gauge invariance of the graviton. Interaction is written in terms of gauge invariant and generally covariant field strength tensors. The basic idea is to work in Riemann normal coordinates and covariantize the final equation. It turns out that the equations for massive modes are gauge invariant only if the space time curvature of the (arbitrary) background is zero. The exact RG equations give quadratic equations of motion for all the modes {\em including} the physical graviton. The level $(2,\bar 2)$ massive field equations are used to illustrate the techniques. At this level there are mixed symmetry tensors. Gauge invariant interacting equations can be written down. In flat space an action can also be written for the free theory.

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arXiv2014

Holographic Brownian Motion in 1+1 Dimensions

We study the motion of a stochastic string in the background of a BTZ black hole. In the 1+1 dimensional boundary theory this corresponds to a very heavy external particle (e.g, a quark), interacting with the fields of a CFT at finite temperature, and describing Brownian motion. The equations of motion for a string in the BTZ background can be solved exactly. Thus we can use holographic techniques to obtain the Schwinger-Keldysh Green function for the boundary theory for the force acting on the quark. We write down the generalized Langevin equation describing the motion of the external particle and calculate the drag and the thermal mass shift. Interestingly we obtain dissipation even at zero temperature for this 1+1 system. Even so, this does not violate boost (Lorentz) invariance because the drag force on a constant velocity quark continues to be zero. Furthermore since the Green function is exact, it is possible to write down an effective membrane action, and thus a Langevin equation, located at a "stretched horizon" at an arbitrary finite distance from the horizon.

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arXiv2013

Loop Variables and Gauge Invariant Exact Renormalization Group Equations for Closed String Theory

We formulate the Exact Renormalization Group on the string world sheet for closed string backgrounds. The same techniques that were used for open strings is used here. There are some subtleties. One is that holomorphic factorization of the closed string vertex operators does not hold in the presence of a cutoff on the Euclidean world sheet. This introduces extra terms in the Lagrangian at the cutoff scale and they turn out to be crucial for implementing gauge invariance. This naive generalization from open string to closed strings requires a {\em massive} graviton and the gauge symmetry is Abelian, just as in open string theory. Interestingly, it turns out that if one introduces a non dynamical background metric (as in background field formalism) and combines a gauge transformation on the field with a transformation on the coordinates and background metric, the graviton can be massless. Some examples of background coordinate covariant equations are worked out explicitly. A preliminary discussion of massive modes, massive gauge transformations and the role of world sheet regulator terms is given. Some of the gauge transformations can be given a geometric meaning if space time is assumed to be complex at some level.

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arXiv2012

Loop Variables and Gauge Invariant Exact Renormalization Group Equations for (Open) String Theory -II

In arXiv:1202.4298 gauge invariant interacting equations were writ- ten down for the spin 2 and spin 3 massive modes using the exact renor- malization group of a world sheet theory. This is generalized to all the higher levels in this paper. An interacting theory of an infinite tower of massive higher spins is obtained. They appear as a compactification of a massless theory in one higher dimension. The compactification and consequent mass is essential for writing the interaction terms. Just as for spin 2 and spin 3, the interactions are in terms of gauge invariant field strengths and the gauge transformations are the same as for the free theory. This theory can then be truncated in a gauge invari- ant way by removing one oscillator of the extra dimension to match the field content of BRST string (field) theory. The truncation has to be done level by level and results are given explicitly for level 4. At least up to level 5, the truncation can be done in a way that preserves the higher dimensional structure. There is a relatively straightforward generalization of this construction to (arbitrary) curved space time and this is also outlined.

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arXiv2012

Loop Variables and Gauge Invariant Exact Renormalization Group Equations for (Open) String Theory

An exact renormalization group equation is written down for the world sheet theory describing the bosonic open string in general backgrounds. Loop variable techniques are used to make the equation gauge invariant. This is worked out explicitly up to level 3. The equation is quadratic in the fields and can be viewed as a proposal for a string field theory equation. As in the earlier loop variable approach, the theory has one extra space dimension and mass is obtained by dimensional reduction. Being based on the sigma model RG, it is background independent. It is intriguing that in contrast to BRST string field theory, the gauge transformations are not modified by the interactions up to the level calculated. The interactions can be written in terms of gauge invariant field strengths for the massive higher spin fields and the non zero mass is essential for this. This is reminiscent of Abelian Born-Infeld action (along with derivative corrections) for the massless vector field, which is also written in terms of the field strength.

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arXiv2011

Strong Coupling BCS Superconductivity and Holography

We attempt to give a holographic description of the microscopic theory of a BCS superconductor. Exploiting the analogy with chiral symmetry breaking in QCD we use the Sakai-Sugimoto model of two D8 branes in a D4 brane background with finite baryon number. In this case there is a new tachyonic instability which is plausibly the bulk analog of the Cooper pairing instability. We analyze the Yang-Mills approximation to the non-Abelian Born-Infeld action. We give some exact solutions of the non-linear Yang-Mills equations in flat space and also give a stability analysis, showing that the instability disappears in the presence of an electric field. The holograhic picture also suggests a dependence of $T_c$ on the number density which is different from the usual (weak coupling) BCS. The flat space solutions are then generalized to curved space numerically and also, in an approximate way, analytically. This configuration should then correspond to the ground state of the boundary superconducting (superfluid) ground state. We also give some preliminary results on Green functions computations in the Sakai - Sugimoto model without any chemical potential

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arXiv2010

Properties of CFTs dual to Charged BTZ black-hole

We study properties of strongly coupled CFT's with non-zero background electric charge in 1+1 dimensions by studying the dual gravity theory - which is a charged BTZ black hole. Correlators of operators dual to scalars, gauge fields and fermions are studied at both T=0 and $T\neq 0$. In the $T=0$ case we are also able to compare with analytical results based on $ AdS_2$ and find reasonable agreement. In particular the correlation between log periodicity and the presence of finite spectral density of gapless modes is seen. The real part of the conductivity (given by the current-current correlator) also vanishes as $ω\rightarrow 0$ as expected. The fermion Green's function shows quasiparticle peaks with approximately linear dispersion but the detailed structure is neither Fermi liquid nor Luttinger liquid and bears some similarity to a "Fermi-Luttinger" liquid. This is expected since there is a background charge and the theory is not Lorentz or scale invariant. A boundary action that produces the observed non-Luttinger-liquid like behavior ($k$-independent non-analyticity at $ω=0$) in the Greens function is discussed.

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arXiv2009

Gauge Invariant Action for the Open Bosonic String: Tachyon Action

A gauge invariant action for the open bosonic string has been proposed in an earlier paper. We work out the consequences of this proposal for the lowest mode, viz. the tachyon. The action can be calculated for generic momenta, perturbatively, order by order in the tachyon field. For on shell tachyons we explicitly calculate the cubic action and show that it reproduces the correct equations of motion and coincides wih the $β$ function to the required order. The calculation is done in terms of bare fields with a finite cutoff, which is the original prescription. We also show that it is possible in some momentum regions to renormalize the theory and eliminate the cutoff dependence so that the continuum limit can be taken. After renormalization, the parameter $R\over a$ is replaced by $R\over L$ where $R$ is an IR cutoff, $a$ is the UV cutoff and $L$ is some renormalization scale. There is also some arbitrariness in the overall normalization due to the choice of regularization scheme - this does not affect on-shell quantities. We also rederive within this scheme, the action in the region of zero momentum, which gives the exact (tree level) tachyon potential. The tachyon potential is consistent with Sen's conjecture that the height of the potential is the same as the tension of the brane.

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arXiv2008

Can the Hagedorn Phase Transition be explained from Matrix Model for Strings?

The partition function of BFSS matrix model is studied for two different classical backgrounds upto 1-loop level. One of the backgrounds correspond to a membrane wrapped around a compact direction and another to a localized cluster of $D0$-branes. It is shown there exist phase transitions between these two configurations - but only in presence of an IR cut-off. The low temperature phase corresponds to a string (wrapped membrane) phase and so we call this the Hagedorn phase transition. While the presence of an IR cut-off seemingly is only required for perturbative analysis to be valid, the physical necessity of such a cut-off can be seen in the dual supergravity side. It has been argued from entropy considerations that a finite size horizon must develop even in an extremal configuration of D0-branes, from higher derivative $O(g_s)$ corrections to supergravity. It can then be shown that the Hagedorn like transition exists in supergravity also. Interestingly the perturbative analysis also shows a second phase transition back to a string phase. This is also reminiscent of the Gregory-Laflamme instability.

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arXiv2007

Gauge Invariant Action for the Open Bosonic String

The issue of space time gauge invariance for the bosonic string has been earlier addressed using the loop variable formalism. In this paper the question of obtaining a gauge invariant action for the open bosonic string is discussed. The derivative w.r.t $ln a$ (where $a$ is a world sheet cutoff) of the partition function - which is first normalized by dividing by the integral of the two point function of a marginal operator - is a candidate for the action. Applied to the zero-momentum tachyon it gives a tachyon potential that is similar to those that have been obtained using Witten's background independent formalism. This procedure is easily made gauge invariant in the loop variable formalism by replacing $ln a$ by $Σ$ which is the generalization of the Liouville mode that occurs in this formalism. We also describe a method of resumming the Taylor expansion that is done in the loop variable formalism. This allows one to see the pole structure of string amplitudes that would not be visible in the original loop variable formalism.

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arXiv2007

Gauge Invariant Exact Renormalization Group and Perfect Actions in the Open Bosonic String Theory

The exact renormalization group is applied to the world sheet theory describing bosonic open string backgrounds to obtain the equations of motion for the fields of the open string. Using loop variable techniques the equations can be constructed to be gauge invariant. Furthermore they are valid off the (free) mass shell. This requires keeping a finite cutoff. Thus we have the interesting situation of a scale invariant world sheet theory with a finite world sheet cutoff. This is possible because there are an infinite number of operators whose coefficients can be tuned. This is in the same sense that "perfect actions" or "improved actions" have been proposed in lattice gauge theory to reproduce the continuum results even while keeping a finite lattice spacing.

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arXiv2006

Action for (Free) Open String Modes in AdS Space Using the Loop Variable Approach

The loop variable technique (for open strings in flat space) is a gauge invariant generalization of the renormalization group method for obtaining equations of motion. Unlike the beta functions, which are only proportional to the equations of motion, here it gives the full equation of motion. In an earlier paper, a technique was described for adapting this method to open strings in gravitational backgrounds. However unlike the flat space case, these equations cannot be derived from an action and are therefore not complete. This is because there are ambiguities in the method that involve curvature couplings that cannot be fixed by appealing to gauge invariance alone but need a more complete treatment of the closed string background. An indirect method to resolve these ambiguities is to require symmetricity of the second derivatives of the action. In general this will involve modifying the equations by terms with arbitrarily high powers of curvature tensors. This is illustrated for the massive spin 2 field. It is shown that in the special case of an AdS or dS background, the exact action can easily be determined in this way.

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arXiv2006

Connection between the Loop Variable Formalism and the Old Covariant Formalsm for the Open Bosonic String

The gauge invariant loop variable formalism and old covariant formalism for bosonic open string theory are compared in this paper. It is expected that for the free theory, after gauge fixing, the loop variable fields can be mapped to those of the old covariant formalism in bosonic string theory, level by level. This is verified explicitly for the first two massive levels. It is shown that (in the critical dimension) the fields, constraints and gauge transformations can all be mapped from one to the other. Assuming this continues at all levels one can give general arguments that the tree S-matrix (integrated correlation functions for on-shell physical fields) is the same in both formalisms and therefore they describe the same physical theory (at tree level).

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arXiv2005

Aspects of Open-Closed Duality in a Background B-Field

We study closed string exchanges in background $B$-field. By analysing the two point one loop amplitude in bosonic string theory, we show that tree-level exchange of lowest lying, tachyonic and massless closed string modes, have IR singularities similar to those of the nonplanar sector in noncommutative gauge theories. We further isolate the contributions from each of the massless modes. We interpret these results as the manifestation of open/closed string duality, where the IR behaviour of the boundary noncommutative gauge theory is reconstructed from the bulk theory of closed strings.

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arXiv2005

Aspects of Open-Closed Duality in a Background B-Field II

It was shown in [hep-th/0503009], in the context of bosonic theory that the IR singular terms that arise as a result of integrating out high momentum modes in nonplanar diagrams of noncommutative gauge theory can be recovered from low lying tree-level closed string exchanges. This follows as a natural consequence of world-sheet open-closed string duality. Here using the same setup we study the phenomenon for noncommutative ${\cal N}=2$ gauge theory realised on a $D_3$ fractional brane localised at the fixed point of $C^2/Z_2$. The IR singularities from the massless closed string exchanges are exactly equal to those coming from one-loop gauge theory. This is as a result of cancellation of all contributions from the massive modes.

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arXiv2005

Loop Variables and the Interacting Open String in a Curved Background

Applying the loop variable proposal to a sigma model (with boundary) in a curved target space, we give a systematic method for writing the gauge and generally covariant interacting equations of motion for the modes of the open string in a curved background. As in the free case described in an earlier paper, the equations are obtained by covariantizing the flat space (gauge invariant) interacting equations and then demanding gauge invariance in the curved background. The resulting equation has the form of a sum of terms that would individually be gauge invariant in flat space or at zero interaction strength, but mix amongst themselves in curved space when interactions are turned on. The new feature is that the loop variables are deformed so that there is a mixing of modes. Unlike the free case, the equations are coupled, and all the modes of the open string are required for gauge invariance.

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arXiv2004

Loop Variables and the (Free) Open String in a Curved Background

Using the loop variable formalism as applied to a sigma model in curved target space, we give a systematic method for writing down gauge and generally covariant equations of motion for the modes of the free open string in curved space. The equations are obtained by covariantizing the flat space equation and then demanding gauge invariance, which introduces additional curvature couplings. As an illustration of the procedure, the spin two case is worked out explicitly.

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arXiv2004

Loop Variables and Gauge Invariance in Closed Bosonic String Theory

We extend an earlier proposal for a gauge invariant description of off-shell open strings (at tree level), using loop variables, to off-shell closed strings (at tree level). The basic idea is to describe the closed string amplitudes as a product of two open string amplitudes (using the technique of kawai, Lewellen and Tye). The loop variable techniques that were used earlier for open strings can be applied here {\it mutatis mutandis}. It is a proposal for a theory whose on-shell amplitudes coincide with those of the closed bosonic string in 26 dimensions. It is also gauge invariant off-shell. As was the case with the open string, the interacting closed string looks like a free closed string thickened to a band.

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