arXiv subjects

Christopher S. Gauthier

Publications and source records attributed to Christopher S. Gauthier.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2009

Interaction of Neutrinos with a Cosmological K-essence Scalar

In this paper we study a novel means of coupling neutrinos to a Lorentz violating background k-essence field. We first look into the effect that k-essence has on the neutrino dispersion relation and derive a general formula for the neutrino velocity in the presence on a k-essence background. The influence of k-essence coupling on neutrino oscillations is then considered. It is found that a non-diagonal k-essence coupling leads to an oscillation length that goes like λ\sim E^{-1} where E is the energy. This should be contrasted with the λ\sim E dependence seen in the standard mass-induced mechanism of neutrino oscillations. While such a scenario is not favored experimentally, it places constraints on the interactions of the neutrino with a cosmological k-essence scalar background by requiring it to be flavor diagonal. All non-trivial physical effects discussed here require the speed of sound to be different from the speed of light and hence are primarily a consequence of Lorentz violation.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2008

Stationary Configurations Imply Shift Symmetry: No Bondi Accretion for Quintessence / k-Essence

In this paper we show that, for general scalar fields, stationary configurations are possible for shift symmetric theories only. This symmetry with respect to constant translations in field space should either be manifest in the original field variables or reveal itself after an appropriate field redefinition. In particular this result implies that neither k-Essence nor Quintessence can have exact steady state / Bondi accretion onto Black Holes. We also discuss the role of field redefinitions in k-Essence theories. Here we study the transformation properties of observables and other variables in k-Essence and emphasize which of them are covariant under field redefinitions. Finally we find that stationary field configurations are necessarily linear in Killing time, provided that shift symmetry is realized in terms of these field variables.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Galactic Halos and Black Holes in Non-Canonical Scalar Field Theories

We consider static spherically symmetric solutions of a general scalar field theory with non-standard kinetic energy coupled to gravity with a view to explain dark matter halos as a coherent state of the scalar field. Consistent solutions are found with a smooth scalar profile which can describe observed rotation curves. Some of the solutions have negative scalar energy density near the origin though the total energy is positive definite. The solutions with positive energy density everywhere have a steeper rotation curve near the origin than those that don't. We also reconsider the no scalar hair theorems for black holes with emphasis on asymptotic boundary conditions and super-luminal propagation. Some modifications and extensions of previous analyses are discussed.

hep-th↗

arXiv2008

Reconstructing Single Field Inflationary Actions From CMBR Data

This paper describes a general program for deriving the action of single field inflation models with nonstandard kinetic energy terms using CMBR power spectrum data. This method assumes that an action depends on a set of undetermined functions, each of which is a function of either the inflaton wave function or its time derivative. The scalar, tensor and non-gaussianity of the curvature perturbation spectrum are used to derive a set of reconstruction equations whose solution set can specify up to three of the undetermined functions. The method is then used to find the undetermined functions in various types of actions assuming power law type scalar and tensor spectra. In actions that contain only two unknown functions, the third reconstruction equation implies a consistency relation between the non-gaussianty, sound speed and slow roll parameters. In particular we focus on reconstructing a generalized DBI action with an unknown potential and warp factor. We find that for realistic scalar and tensor spectra, the reconstructed warp factor and potential are very similar to the theoretically derived result. Furthermore, physical consistency of the reconstructed warp factor and potential imposes strict constraints on the scalar and tensor spectral indices.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Decoupling of Heavy Kaluza-Klein Modes In Models With Five-Dimensional Scalar Fields

We investigate the decoupling of heavy Kaluza-Klein modes in $ϕ^{4}$ theory and scalar QED with space-time topology $\mathbb{R}^{3,1} \times S^{1}$. We calculate the effective action due to integrating out heavy KK modes. We construct generalized RGE's for the couplings with respect to the compactification scale $M$. With the solutions to the RGE's we find the $M$-scale dependence of the effective theory due to higher dimensional quantum effects. We find that the heavy modes decouple in $ϕ^{4}$ theory, but do not decouple in scalar QED. This is due to the zero mode of the 5-th component $A_{5}$ of the 5-d gauge field. Because $A_{5}$ is a scalar under 4-d Lorentz transformations, there is no gauge symmetry protecting it from getting mass and $A_{5}^{4}$ interaction terms after loop corrections. In light of these unpleasant features, we explore $S^{1}/\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ compactifications, which eliminate $A_{5}$, allowing for the heavy modes to decouple at low energies. We also explore the possibility of decoupling by including higher dimensional operators. It is found that this is possible, but a high degree of fine tuning is required.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

A Kaluza-Klein Model with Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking: Light-Particle Effective Action and its Compactification Scale Dependence

We investigate decoupling of heavy Kaluza-Klein modes in an Abelian Higgs model with space-time topologies $\mathbb{R}^{3,1} \times S^{1}$ and $\mathbb{R}^{3,1} \times S^{1}/\mathbb{Z}_{2}$. After integrating out heavy KK modes we find the effective action for the zero mode fields. We find that in the $\mathbb{R}^{3,1} \times S^{1}$ topology the heavy modes do not decouple in the effective action, due to the zero mode of the 5-th component of the 5-d gauge field $A_{5}$. Because $A_{5}$ is a scalar under 4-d Lorentz transformations, there is no gauge symmetry protecting it from getting mass and $A_{5}^{4}$ interaction terms after loop corrections. In addition, after symmetry breaking, we find new divergences in the $A_{5}$ mass that did not appear in the symmetric phase. The new divergences are traced back to the gauge-goldstone mixing that occurs after symmetry breaking. The relevance of these new divergences to Symanzik's theorem is discussed. In order to get a more sensible theory we investigate the $S^{1}/\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ compactification. With this kind of compact topology, the $A_{5}$ zero mode disappears. With no $A_{5}$, there are no new divergences and the heavy modes decouple. We also discuss the dependence of the couplings and masses on the compactification scale. We derive a set of RG-like equations for the running of the effective couplings with respect to the compactification scale. It is found that magnitudes of both couplings decrease as the scale $M$ increases. The effective masses are also shown to decrease with increasing compactification scale. All of this opens up the possibility of placing constraints on the size of extra dimensions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Propagation Constraints and Classical Solutions in K-essence Like Theories

We consider two examples of solutions of the equations of motion of scalar field theories with higher derivatives. These are the cosmology of the rolling tachyon and static spherically symmetric solutions of the scalar field in flat space. By requiring that the field equations always be hyperbolic and that the speed of propagation of the small fluctuations are not superluminal, we find constraints on the form of the allowed interactions in the first case and on the choice of boundary conditions in the latter. For the rolling tachyon we find a general class of models which have the property that at large times the tachyon matter behaves essentially like a non-relativistic gas of dust. For the spherically symmetric solutions we show how causality influences the choice of boundary conditions and those which are finite at the origin are shown to have negative energy density there.

hep-th↗

arXiv2004

Simple Soluble Molecular Ionization Model

We present a simple exact analytical solution, using the Weyl-Titchmarsh-Kodaira spectral theorem, for the spectral function of the one-dimensional diatomic molecule model consisting of two attractive delta function wells in the presence of a static external electric field. For sufficiently deep and far apart wells, this molecule supports both an even and an odd state, and the introduction of a static electric field turns these bound states into quasi-bound states which are Stark shifted and broadened. The continuum spectrum also inherits an intricate pattern of resonances which reflect the competition between resonant scattering between the two atomic wells and between the linear potential and one or both atomic well(s). All results are analytic and can be easily plotted. The relation between the large orders of the divergent perturbative Stark shift series and the non-perturbative widths of quasi-bound levels is studied.

physics.atom-ph↗