arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Luis Alvarez-Gaume.
We present holographic arguments to predict properties of strongly coupled gravitational systems in terms of weakly coupled gauge theories. In particular we relate the latest computed value for the Choptuik critical exponent in black hole formation in five dimensions, γ_{5D}=0.412 \pm 1%, to the saturation exponent of four-dimensional Yang-Mills theory in the Regge limit, γ_{BFKL}\simeq 0.410.
In this paper we discuss the blackhole-string transition of the small Schwarzschild blackhole of $AdS_5 \times S^5$ using the AdS/CFT correspondence at finite temperature. The finite temperature gauge theory effective action, at weak {\it and} strong coupling, can be expressed entirely in terms of constant Polyakov lines which are $SU (N)$ matrices. In showing this we have taken into account that there are no Nambu-Goldstone modes associated with the fact that the 10 dimensional blackhole solution sits at a point in $S^5$. We show that the phase of the gauge theory in which the eigenvalue spectrum has a gap corresponds to supergravity saddle points in the bulk theory. We identify the third order $N = \infty$ phase transition with the blackhole-string transition. This singularity can be resolved using a double scaling limit in the transition region where the large N expansion is organized in terms of powers of $N^{-2/3}$. The $N = \infty$ transition now becomes a smooth crossover in terms of a renormalized string coupling constant, reflecting the physics of large but finite N. Multiply wound Polyakov lines condense in the crossover region. We also discuss the implications of our results for the resolution of the singularity of the Lorenztian section of the small Schwarzschild blackhole.
We study the possibility of obtaining noncommutative gravity dynamics from string theory in the Seiberg-Witten limit. We find that the resulting low-energy theory contains more interaction terms than those proposed in noncommutative deformations of gravity. The role of twisted diffeomorphisms in string theory is studied and it is found that they are not standard physical symmetries. It is argued that this might be the reason why twisted diffeomorphisms are not preserved by string theory in the low energy limit. Twisted gauge transformations are also discussed.
We study nonanticommutative deformations of N=2 two-dimensional Euclidean sigma models. We find that these theories are described by simple deformations of Zumino's Lagrangian and the holomorphic superpotential. Geometrically, this deformation can be interpreted as a fuzziness in target space controlled by the vacuum expectation value of the auxiliary field. In the case of nonanticommutative deformations preserving Euclidean invariance, we find that a continuation of the deformed supersymmetry algebra to Lorentzian signature leads to a rather intriguing central extension of the ordinary (2,2) superalgebra.
This is a semipopular introduction to the Special and General Theory of Relativity, with special emphasis on the geometrical aspects of both theories and their physical implications.
We propose a phenomenological matrix model to study string theory in AdS_5 \times S_5 in the canonical ensemble. The model reproduces all the known qualitative features of the theory. In particular, it gives a simple effective potential description of Euclidean black hole nucleation and the tunnelling between thermal AdS and the big black hole. It also has some interesting predictions. We find that there exists a critical temperature at which the Euclidean small black hole undergoes a Gross-Witten phase transition. We identify the phase transition with the Horowitz-Polchinski point where the black hole horizon size becomes comparable to the string scale. The appearance of the Hagedorn divergence of thermal AdS is due to the merger of saddle points corresponding to the Euclidean small black hole and thermal AdS. The merger can be described in terms of a cusp (A_3) catastrophe and divergences at the perturbative string level are smoothed out at finite string coupling using standard techniques of catastrophe theory.
In this note we present a operator formulation of gauge theories in a quantum phase space which is specified by a operator algebra. For simplicity we work with the Heisenberg algebra. We introduce the notion of the derivative (transport) and Wilson line (parallel transport) which enables us to construct a gauge theory in a simple way. We illustrate the formulation by a discussion of the Higgs mechanism and comment on the large N masterfield.
Motivated by the recent CPLEAR measurement on the time-reversal non-invariance, we review the situation concerning the experimental measurements of charge conjugation, parity violation and time reversibility, in systems with non-Hermitean Hamiltonians. This includes in particular neutral meson systems, like K0-barK0, D0-barD0 and B0-barB0. We discuss the formalism that describes particle-antiparticle mixing and time evolution of states, paying particular emphasis to the orthogonality conditions of incoming and outgoing states. As a result, we confirm that the CPLEAR experiment makes a direct measurement of violation of time-reversal without any assumption of unitarity and CPT-violation. The asymmetry which signifies T-violation, is found to be independent of time and decay processes.
These lectures give an introduction to duality in Quantum Field Theory. We discuss the phases of gauge theories and the implications of the electric-magnetic duality transformation to describe the mechanism of confinement. We review the exact results of N=1 supersymmetric QCD and the Seiberg-Witten solution of N=2 super Yang-Mills. Some of its extensions to String Theory are also briefly discussed.
We present a general analysis of all the possible soft breakings of N=2 supersymmetric QCD, preserving the analytic properties of the Seiberg-Witten solutions for the SU(2) group with Nf=1, 2, 3 hypermultiplets. We obtain all the couplings of the spurion fields in terms of properties of the Seiberg-Witten periods, which we express in terms of elementary elliptic functions by uniformizing the elliptic curves associated to each number of flavors. We analyze in detail the monodromy properties of the softly broken theory, and obtain them by a particular embedding into a pure gauge theory with higher rank group. This allows to write explicit expressions of the effective potential, which are close to the exact answer for moderate values of the supersymmetry breaking parameters. The vacuum structures and phases of the broken theories will be analyzed in the forthcoming second part of this paper.
We analyze the vacuum structure of N=2, SU(2) QCD with massive quark hypermultiplets, once supersymmetry is softly broken down to N=0 with dilaton and mass spurions. We give general expressions for the low energy couplings of the effective potential in terms of elliptic functions to have a complete numerical control of the model. We study in detail the possible phases of the theories with Nf = 1, 2 flavors for different values of the bare quark masses and the supersymmetry breaking parameters and we find a rich structure of first order phase transitions. The chiral symmetry breaking pattern of the Nf = 2 theory is considered, and we obtain the pion Lagrangian for this model up to two derivatives. Exact expressions are given for the pion masses and the pion decay constant in terms of the magnetic monopole description of chiral symmetry breaking.
We analyze the possible soft breaking of $N=2$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory with and without matter flavour preserving the analyticity properties of the Seiberg-Witten solution. For small supersymmetry breaking parameter with respect to the dynamical scale of the theory we obtain an exact expression for the effective potential. We describe in detail the onset of the confinement transition and some of the patterns of chiral symmetry breaking. If we extrapolate the results to the limit where supersymmetry decouples, we obtain hints indicating that perhaps a description of the QCD vacuum will require the use of Lagrangians containing simultaneously mutually non-local degrees of freedom (monopoles and dyons).
This paper supersedes the preprint Superloop Equations in the Double Scaling Limit, CERN-TH-6575. It is an improved version with corrections in the derivation of the continuum limit, a clarification of the doubling of degrees of freedom for even potentials, and with a heuristic argument showing that the part of the free energy independent of fermion couplings in our model satisfies the KdV Hierarchy.