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Klaus Kirsten

Publications and source records attributed to Klaus Kirsten.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2007

Functional determinants for general self-adjoint extensions of Laplace-type operators resulting from the generalized cone

In this article we consider the zeta regularized determinant of Laplace-type operators on the generalized cone. For {\it arbitrary} self-adjoint extensions of a matrix of singular ordinary differential operators modelled on the generalized cone, a closed expression for the determinant is given. The result involves a determinant of an endomorphism of a finite-dimensional vector space, the endomorphism encoding the self-adjoint extension chosen. For particular examples, like the Friedrich's extension, the answer is easily extracted from the general result. In combination with \cite{BKD}, a closed expression for the determinant of an arbitrary self-adjoint extension of the full Laplace-type operator on the generalized cone can be obtained.

math-ph↗
arXiv2007

Computation of determinants using contour integrals

It is shown how the pre-exponential factor of the Feynman propagator for a large class of potentials can be computed using contour integrals. This is of direct relevance in the context of tunnelling processes in quantum theories. The prerequisites for this analysis are accessible to advanced undergraduate students and involve only introductory courses in ordinary differential equations and complex variables.

hep-th↗
arXiv2006

Local and Global Casimir Energies for a Semitransparent Cylindrical Shell

The local Casimir energy density and the global Casimir energy for a massless scalar field associated with a $λδ$-function potential in a 3+1 dimensional circular cylindrical geometry are considered. The global energy is examined for both weak and strong coupling, the latter being the well-studied Dirichlet cylinder case. For weak-coupling,through $\mathcal{O}(λ^2)$, the total energy is shown to vanish by both analytic and numerical arguments, based both on Green's-function and zeta-function techniques. Divergences occurring in the calculation are shown to be absorbable by renormalization of physical parameters of the model. The global energy may be obtained by integrating the local energy density only when the latter is supplemented by an energy term residing precisely on the surface of the cylinder. The latter is identified as the integrated local energy density of the cylindrical shell when the latter is physically expanded to have finite thickness. Inside and outside the delta-function shell, the local energy density diverges as the surface of the shell is approached; the divergence is weakest when the conformal stress tensor is used to define the energy density. A real global divergence first occurs in $\mathcal{O}(λ^3)$, as anticipated, but the proof is supplied here for the first time; this divergence is entirely associated with the surface energy, and does {\em not} reflect divergences in the local energy density as the surface is approached.

hep-th↗
arXiv2006

Functional determinants for radial operators

We derive simple new expressions, in various dimensions, for the functional determinant of a radially separable partial differential operator, thereby generalizing the one-dimensional result of Gel'fand and Yaglom to higher dimensions. We use the zeta function formalism, and the results agree with what one would obtain using the angular momentum cutoff method based on radial WKB. The final expression is numerically equal to an alternative expression derived in a Feynman diagrammatic approach, but is considerably simpler.

hep-th↗
arXiv2006

Exotic expansions and pathological properties of $ζ$-functions on conic manifolds

We give a complete classification and present new exotic phenomena of the meromorphic structure of $ζ$-functions associated to general self-adjoint extensions of Laplace-type operators over conic manifolds. We show that the meromorphic extensions of these $ζ$-functions have, in general, countably many logarithmic branch cuts on the nonpositive real axis and unusual locations of poles with arbitrarily large multiplicity. The corresponding heat kernel and resolvent trace expansions also exhibit exotic behaviors with logarithmic terms of arbitrary positive and negative multiplicity. We also give a precise algebraic-combinatorial formula to compute the coefficients of the leading order terms of the singularities.

math.SP↗
arXiv2006

The very unusual properties of the resolvent, heat kernel, and zeta function for the operator $-d^2/dr^2 - 1/(4r^2)$

In this article we analyze the resolvent, the heat kernel and the spectral zeta function of the operator $-d^2/dr^2 - 1/(4r^2)$ over the finite interval. The structural properties of these spectral functions depend strongly on the chosen self-adjoint realization of the operator, a choice being made necessary because of the singular potential present. Only for the Friedrichs realization standard properties are reproduced, for all other realizations highly nonstandard properties are observed. In particular, for $k\in \N$ we find terms like $(\log t)^{-k}$ in the small-$t$ asymptotic expansion of the heat kernel. Furthermore, the zeta function has $s=0$ as a logarithmic branch point.

math-ph↗
arXiv2006

A New Spectral Cancellation in Quantum Gravity

A general method exists for studying Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theories, as well as Euclidean quantum gravity, at one-loop level on manifolds with boundary. In the latter case, boundary conditions on metric perturbations h can be chosen to be completely invariant under infinitesimal diffeomorphisms, to preserve the invariance group of the theory and BRST symmetry. In the de Donder gauge, however, the resulting boundary-value problem for the Laplace type operator acting on h is known to be self-adjoint but not strongly elliptic. The present paper shows that, on the Euclidean four-ball, only the scalar part of perturbative modes for quantum gravity is affected by the lack of strong ellipticity. Interestingly, three sectors of the scalar-perturbation problem remain elliptic, while lack of strong ellipticity is confined to the remaining fourth sector. The integral representation of the resulting zeta-function asymptotics on the Euclidean four-ball is also obtained; this remains regular at the origin by virtue of a peculiar spectral identity obtained by the authors. There is therefore encouraging evidence in favour of the zeta(0) value with fully diff-invariant boundary conditions remaining well defined, at least on the four-ball, although severe technical obstructions remain in general.

hep-th↗
arXiv2005

New Developments in the Spectral Asymptotics of Quantum Gravity

A vanishing one-loop wave function of the Universe in the limit of small three-geometry is found, on imposing diffeomorphism-invariant boundary conditions on the Euclidean 4-ball in the de Donder gauge. This result suggests a quantum avoidance of the cosmological singularity driven by full diffeomorphism invariance of the boundary-value problem for one-loop quantum theory. All of this is made possible by a peculiar spectral cancellation on the Euclidean 4-ball, here derived and discussed.

hep-th↗
arXiv2005

Stability theorems for chiral bag boundary conditions

We study asymptotic expansions of the smeared L2-traces Fexp(-t P^2) and FPexp(-tP^2), where P is an operator of Dirac type and F is an auxiliary smooth endomorphism. We impose chiral bag boundary conditions depending on an angle theta. Studying the theta-dependence of the above trace invariants, theta-independent pieces are identified. The associated stability theorems allow one to show the regularity of the eta function for the problem and to determine the most important heat kernel coefficient on a four dimensional manifold.

math.AP↗
arXiv2005

Heat kernel coefficients for chiral bag boundary conditions

We study the asymptotic expansion of the smeared L2-trace of fexp(-tP^2) where P is an operator of Dirac type, f is an auxiliary smooth smearing function which is used to localize the problem, and chiral bag boundary conditions are imposed. Special case calculations, functorial methods and the theory of zeta and eta invariants are used to obtain the boundary part of the heat-kernel coefficients a1 and a2.

math.AP↗
arXiv2005

A Non-Singular One-Loop Wave Function of the Universe From a New Eigenvalue Asymptotics in Quantum Gravity

Recent work on Euclidean quantum gravity on the four-ball has proved regularity at the origin of the generalized zeta-function built from eigenvalues for metric and ghost modes, when diffeomorphism-invariant boundary conditions are imposed in the de Donder gauge. The hardest part of the analysis involves one of the four sectors for scalar-type perturbations, the eigenvalues of which are obtained by squaring up roots of a linear combination of Bessel functions of integer adjacent orders, with a coefficient of linear combination depending on the unknown roots. This paper obtains, first, approximate analytic formulae for such roots for all values of the order of Bessel functions. For this purpose, both the descending series for Bessel functions and their uniform asymptotic expansion at large order are used. The resulting generalized zeta-function is also built, and another check of regularity at the origin is obtained. For the first time in the literature on quantum gravity on manifolds with boundary, a vanishing one-loop wave function of the Universe is found in the limit of small three-geometry, which suggests a quantum avoidance of the cosmological singularity driven by full diffeomorphism invariance of the boundary-value problem for one-loop quantum theory.

hep-th↗
arXiv2005

Functional determinants in the presence of zero modes

We present a simple and accessible method which uses contour integration methods to derive formulae for functional determinants. To make the presentation as clear as possible we illustrate the general ideas using the Laplacian with Dirichlet boundary conditions on the interval. Afterwards, we indicate how more general operators as well as general boundary conditions can be covered.

hep-th↗
arXiv2005

Spectral asymptotics of Euclidean quantum gravity with diff-invariant boundary conditions

A general method is known to exist for studying Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theories, as well as Euclidean quantum gravity, at one-loop level on manifolds with boundary. In the latter case, boundary conditions on metric perturbations h can be chosen to be completely invariant under infinitesimal diffeomorphisms, to preserve the invariance group of the theory and BRST symmetry. In the de Donder gauge, however, the resulting boundary-value problem for the Laplace type operator acting on h is known to be self-adjoint but not strongly elliptic. The latter is a technical condition ensuring that a unique smooth solution of the boundary-value problem exists, which implies, in turn, that the global heat-kernel asymptotics yielding one-loop divergences and one-loop effective action actually exists. The present paper shows that, on the Euclidean four-ball, only the scalar part of perturbative modes for quantum gravity are affected by the lack of strong ellipticity. Further evidence for lack of strong ellipticity, from an analytic point of view, is therefore obtained. Interestingly, three sectors of the scalar-perturbation problem remain elliptic, while lack of strong ellipticity is confined to the remaining fourth sector. The integral representation of the resulting zeta-function asymptotics is also obtained; this remains regular at the origin by virtue of a spectral identity here obtained for the first time.

hep-th↗
arXiv2004

Functional determinants for general Sturm-Liouville problems

Simple and analytically tractable expressions for functional determinants are known to exist for many cases of interest. We extend the range of situations for which these hold to cover systems of self-adjoint operators of the Sturm-Liouville type with arbitrary linear boundary conditions. The results hold whether or not the operators have negative eigenvalues. The physically important case of functional determinants of operators with a zero mode, but where that mode has been extracted, is studied in detail for the same range of situations as when no zero mode exists. The method of proof uses the properties of generalised zeta-functions. The general form of the final results are the same for the entire range of problems considered.

math-ph↗
arXiv2003

Functional determinants by contour integration methods

We present a simple and accessible method which uses contour integration methods to derive formulae for functional determinants. To make the presentation as clear as possible, the general idea is first illustrated on the simplest case: a second order differential operator with Dirichlet boundary conditions. The method is applicable to more general situations, and we discuss the way in which the formalism has to be developed to cover these cases. In particular, we also show that simple and elegant formulae exist for the physically important case of determinants where zero modes exist, but have been excluded.

math-ph↗
arXiv2003

The Barnes zeta-function, sphere determinants and Glaisher- Kinkelin-Bendersky constants

Summations and relations involving the Hurwitz and Riemann zeta-functions are extended first to Barnes zeta-functions and then to zeta-functions of general type. The analysis is motivated by the evaluation of determinants on spheres which are treated both by a direct expansion method and by regularised sums. Comments on existing calculations are made. A Kaluza--Klein technique is introduced providing a determinant interpretation of the Glaisher-Kinkelin-Bendersky constants which are then generalised to arbitrary zeta-functions. This technique allows an improved treatment of sphere determinants.

hep-th↗
arXiv2002

Heat content asymptotics for spectral boundary conditions

We study the short time heat content asymptotics for spectral boundary conditions. The heat content coefficients are shown to be non-local and some preliminary results concerning the structure of the first few terms are given.

math-ph↗