arXiv subjects

David B. Fairlie

Publications and source records attributed to David B. Fairlie.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

A Galileon Primer

Elementary features of galileon models are discussed at an introductory level. Following a simple example, a general formalism leading to a hierarchy of field equations and Lagrangians is developed for flat spacetimes. Legendre duality is discussed. Implicit and explicit solutions are then constructed and analyzed in some detail. Galileon shock fronts are conjectured to exist. Finally, some interesting general relativistic effects are studied for galileons coupled minimally to gravity. Spherically symmetric galileon and metric solutions with naked curvature singularities are obtained and are shown to be separated from solutions which exhibit event horizons by a critical curve in the space of boundary data.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

A Compact Formula for Rotations as Spin Matrix Polynomials

Group elements of SU(2) are expressed in closed form as finite polynomials of the Lie algebra generators, for all definite spin representations of the rotation group. The simple explicit result exhibits connections between group theory, combinatorics, and Fourier analysis, especially in the large spin limit. Salient intuitive features of the formula are illustrated and discussed.

math-ph↗

arXiv2012

Geons of Galileons

We suggest that galileon theories should have an additional self-coupling of the fields to the trace of their own energy-momentum tensor. We explore the classical features of one such model, in flat 4D spacetime, with emphasis on solutions that are scalar analogues of gravitational geons. We discuss the stability of these scalar geons, and some of their possible signatures, including shock fronts.

hep-th↗

arXiv2010

Necessary conditions for Ternary Algebras

Ternary algebras, constructed from ternary commutators, or as we call them, ternutators, defined as the alternating sum of products of three operators, have been shown to satisfy cubic identities as necessary conditions for their existence. Here we examine the situation where we permit identities not solely constructed from ternutators or nested ternutators and we find that in general, these impose additional restrictions; for example, the anti-commutators or commutators of the operators must obey some linear relations among themselves.

hep-th↗

arXiv2008

A Coding of Real Null Four-Momenta into World-Sheet Co-ordinates

The results of minimizing the action for string-like systems on a simply-connected world sheet are shown to encode the Cartesian components of real null momentum four-vectors into co-ordinates on the world sheet. This identification arises consistently from different approaches to the problem.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Euler Incognito

The nonlinear flow equations discussed recently by Bender and Feinberg are all reduced to the well-known Euler equation after change of variables.

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arXiv2005

Lie algebras associated with one-dimensional aperiodic point sets

The set of points of a one-dimensional cut-and-project quasicrystal or model set, while not additive, is shown to be multiplicative for appropriate choices of acceptance windows. This leads to the definition of an associative additive graded composition law and permits the introduction of Lie algebras over such aperiodic point sets. These infinite dimensional Lie algebras are shown to be representatives of a new type of semi-direct product induced Lie algebras.

math-ph↗

arXiv2004

Fock Space Representations for Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians

The requirement of Hermiticity of a Quantum Mechanical Hamiltonian, for the description of physical processes with real eigenvalues which has been challenged notably by Carl Bender, is examined for the case of a Fock space Hamilitonian which is bilinear in two creation and destruction operators. An interpretation of this model as a Schrödinger operator leads to an identification of the Hermitian form of the Hamiltonian as the Landau model of a charged particle in a plane, interacting with a constant magnetic field at right angles to the plane. When the parameters of the Hamiltonian are suitably adjusted to make it non-Hermitian, the model represents two harmonic oscillators at right angles interacting with a constant magnetic field in the third direction, but with a pure imaginary coupling, and real energy eigenvalues. It is now ${\cal PT}$ symmetric. Multiparticle states are investigated.

hep-th↗

arXiv2004

Implicit solutions to some Lorentz invariant non-linear equations revisited

An implicit solution to the vanishing of the so-called Universal Field Equation, or Bordered Hessian, which dates at least as far back as 1935 \cite{chaundy} is revived, and derived from a much later form of the solution. A linear ansatz for an implicit solution of second order partial differential equations, previously shown to have wide applicability \cite{fai} is at the heart of the Chaundy solution, and is shown to yield solutions even to the linear wave equation.

math-ph↗

arXiv2004

Implicit Solutions of PDE's

Further investigations of implicit solutions to non-linear partial differential equations are pursued. Of particular interest are the equations which are Lorentz invariant. The question of which differential equations of second order for a single unknown $ϕ$ are solved by the imposition of an inhomogeneous quadratic relationship among the independent variables, whose coefficients are functions of $ϕ$ is discussed, and it is shown that if the discriminant of the quadratic vanishes, then an implicit solution of the so-called Universal Field Equation is obtained. The relation to the general solution is discussed.

math-ph↗

arXiv2001

Multi-Field Generalisations of the Klein-Gordon Theory associated with p-Branes

The purpose of this article is to initiate a study of a class of Lorentz invariant, yet tractable, Lagrangian Field Theories which may be viewed as an extension of the Klein-Gordon Lagrangian to many scalar fields in a novel manner. These Lagrangians are quadratic in the Jacobians of the participating fields with respect to the base space co-ordinates. In the case of two fields, real valued solutions of the equations of motion are found and a phenomenon reminiscent of instanton behaviour is uncovered; an ansatz for a subsidiary equation which implies a solution of the full equations yields real solutions in three-dimensional Euclidean space. Each of these is associated with a spherical harmonic function.

hep-th↗

arXiv2000

Covariant Formulation of Field Theories associated with p-Branes

We discuss the covariant formulation of local field theories described by the Companion Lagrangian associated with p-branes. The covariantisation is shown to be useful for clarifying the geometrical meaning of the field equations and also their relation to the Hamilton-Jacobi formulation of the standard Dirac-Born-Infeld theory.

hep-th↗

arXiv2000

Lagrange Brackets and U(1) fields

The idea of a companion Lagrangian associated with $p$-Branes is extended to include the presence of U(1) fields. The Brane Lagrangians are constructed with $F_{ij}$ represented in terms of Lagrange Brackets, which make manifest the reparametrisation invariance of the theory; these are replaced by Poisson Brackets in the companion Lagrangian, which is now covariant under field redefinition. The ensuing Lagrangians possess a similar formal structure to those in the absence of an anti-symmetric field tensor.

hep-th↗

arXiv1998

Integrable Top Equations associated with Projective Geometry over Z_2

We give a series of integrable top equations associated with the projective geometry over Z_2 as a (2^n-1)-dimensional generalisation of the 3D Euler top equations. The general solution of the (2^n-1)D top is shown to be given by an integration over a Riemann surface with genus (2^{n-1}-1)^2.

math-ph↗

arXiv1998

Higher-dimensional Generalisations of the Euler Top Equations

Generalisations of the familiar Euler top equations in three dimensions are proposed which admit a sufficiently large number of conservation laws to permit integrability by quadratures. The usual top is a classical analogue of the Nahm equations. One of the examples discussed here is a seven-dimensional Euler top, which arises as a classical counterpart to the eight-dimensional self-dual equations which are currently believed to play a role in new developments in string theory.

hep-th↗

arXiv1997

Moyal Brackets in M-Theory

The infinite limit of Matrix Theory in 4 and 10 dimensions is described in terms of Moyal Brackets. In those dimensions there exists a Bogomol'nyi bound to the Euclideanized version of these equations, which guarantees that solutions of the first order equations also solve the second order Matrix Theory equations. A general construction of such solutions in terms of a representation of the target space co-ordinates as non-local spinor bilinears, which are generalisations of the standard Wigner functions on phase space, is given.

hep-th↗

arXiv1992

Linearisation of Universal Field Equations

The Universal Field Equations, recently constructed as examples of higher dimensional dynamical systems which admit an infinity of inequivalent Lagrangians are shown to be linearised by a Legendre transformation. This establishes the conjecture that these equations describe integrable systems. While this construction is implicit in general, there exists a large class of solutions for which an explicit form may be written.

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