arXiv subjects

Nemanja Kaloper

Publications and source records attributed to Nemanja Kaloper.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2006

Low energy bounds on Poincare violation in causal set theory

In the causal set approach to quantum gravity, Poincaré symmetry is modified by swerving in spacetime, induced by the random lattice discretization of the space-time structure. The broken translational symmetry at short distances is argued to lead to a residual diffusion in momentum space, whereby a particle can acquire energy and momentum by drift along its mass shell and a system in equilibrium can spontaneously heat up. We consider bounds on the rate of momentum space diffusion coming from astrophysical molecular clouds, nuclear stability and cosmological neutrino background. We find that the strongest limits come from relic neutrinos, which we estimate to constrain the momentum space diffusion constant by $k < 10^{-61} {\rm GeV}^3$ for neutrinos with masses $m_ν> 0.01 {\rm eV}$, improving the previously quoted bounds by roughly 17 orders of magnitude.

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arXiv2006

On the new string theory inspired mechanism of generation of cosmological perturbations

Recently a non-inflationary mechanism of generation of scale-free cosmological perturbations of metric was proposed by Brandenberger, Nayeri, and Vafa in the context of the string gas cosmology. We discuss various problems of their model and argue that the cosmological perturbations of metric produced in this model have blue spectrum with a spectral index n = 5, which strongly disagrees with observations. We conclude that this model in its present form is not a viable alternative to inflationary cosmology.

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arXiv2006

DGP Specteroscopy

We systematically explore the spectrum of gravitational perturbations in codimension-1 DGP braneworlds, and find a 4D ghost on the self-accelerating branch of solutions. The ghost appears for any value of the brane tension, although depending on the sign of the tension it is either the helicity-0 component of the lightest localized massive tensor of mass $0<m^2 < 2H^2$ for positive tension, the scalar `radion' for negative tension, or their admixture for vanishing tension. Because the ghost is gravitationally coupled to the brane-localized matter, the self-accelerating solutions are not a reliable benchmark for cosmic acceleration driven by gravity modified in the IR. In contrast, the normal branch of solutions is ghost-free, and so these solutions are perturbatively safe at large distance scales. We further find that when the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ orbifold symmetry is broken, new tachyonic instabilities, which are much milder than the ghosts, appear on the self-accelerating branch. Finally, using exact gravitational shock waves we analyze what happens if we relax boundary conditions at infinity. We find that non-normalizable bulk modes, if interpreted as 4D phenomena, may open the door to new ghost-like excitations.

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arXiv2006

Exact Black Holes and Gravitational Shockwaves on Codimension-2 Branes

We derive exact gravitational fields of a black hole and a relativistic particle stuck on a codimension-2 brane in $D$ dimensions when gravity is ruled by the bulk $D$-dimensional Einstein-Hilbert action. The black hole is locally the higher-dimensional Schwarzschild solution, which is threaded by a tensional brane yielding a deficit angle and includes the first explicit example of a `small' black hole on a tensional 3-brane. The shockwaves allow us to study the large distance limits of gravity on codimension-2 branes. In an infinite locally flat bulk, they extinguish as $1/r^{D-4}$, i.e. as $1/r^2$ on a 3-brane in $6D$, manifestly displaying the full dimensionality of spacetime. We check that when we compactify the bulk, this special case correctly reduces to the 4D Aichelburg-Sexl solution at large distances. Our examples show that gravity does not really obstruct having general matter stress-energy on codimension-2 branes, although its mathematical description may be more involved.

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arXiv2005

Of pNGB QuiNtessence

We review the pNGB quintessence models, and point out that the reason why the large decay constants $f_a \ga {\cal O}(1)M_{Pl}$ are really needed is to tame a tachyonic instability present for a wide range of initial $vev$s. Starting very close to potential maxima does not help because quantum fluctuations during early inflation at a scale $H_I$ perturb the quintessence $vev$, displacing it from the maxima. This issue is quite interesting for pNGB dark energy in light of the recently discussed difficulties with embedding models with $f_a > M_{Pl}$ in fundamental theory. A possible way around is provided by models with several ultralight pNGBs, which can drive a short burst of very late inflation {\it together} even if all of their decay constants obey $f_a < M_{Pl}$. Starting with their $vev \sim f_a$, the pNGBs will hold each other up on the potential for a longer time period. Their effective dynamics is captured by a collective mode, containing admixtures of all of the rolling pNGBs, which behaves as an ultralight field with $f_{eff} > M_{Pl}$. We point out that there may be potentially observable large scale disturbances in the sea of dark energy in such models.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Locally Localized Gravity: The Inside Story

We derive the exact gravitational field of a relativistic particle localized on an $AdS$ 3-brane, with curvature radius $\ell$, in $AdS_5$ bulk with radius $L$. The solution is a gravitational shock wave. We use it to explore the dynamics of locally localized tensor gravitons over a wide range of scales. At distances below $L$ the shock wave looks exactly like the $5D$ $GR$ solution. Beyond $L$ the solution approximates very closely the shock wave in 4D $AdS$ space all the way out to distances $\ell^3/L^2$ along the brane. At distances between $L$ and $\ell$, the effective 4D graviton is a composite built of the ultralight mode and heavier gravitons, whereas between $\ell$ and $\ell^3/L^2$ it is just the ultralight mode. Finally beyond $\ell^3/L^2$ the shock reveals a glimpse of the fifth dimension, since the ultralight mode wave function decays to zero at the rate inherited from the full $5D$ geometry. We obtain the precise bulk-side formula for the 4D Planck mass, defined as the coupling of the ultralight mode, in terms of the $5D$ Planck mass and the curvature radii. It includes higher-order corrections in $L/\ell$, and reduces to the RS2 formula in the limit $\ell \to \infty$. We discuss $AdS/CFT$ interpretation of these results, and argue that the spatial variation of the effective gravitational coupling read from the shock wave amplitude corresponds to RG running driven by quantum effects in the dual $CFT$.

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arXiv2005

The Accelerated Acceleration of the Universe

We present a simple mechanism which can mimic dark energy with an equation of state w < -1 as deduced from the supernova data. We imagine that the universe is accelerating under the control of a quintessence field, which is moving up a very gently sloping potential. As a result, the potential energy and hence the acceleration increases at lower redshifts. Fitting this behavior with a dark energy model with constant w would require w<-1. In fact we find that the choice of parameters which improves the fit to the SNe mimics w = -1.4 at low redshifts. Running up the potential in fact provides the best fit to the SN data for a generic quintessence model. However, unlike models with phantoms, our model does not have negative energies or negative norm states. Future searches for supernovae at low redshifts 0.1 < z < 0.5 and at high redshifts z>1 may be a useful probe of our proposal.

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arXiv2005

Gravitational Shock Waves and Their Scattering in Brane-Induced Gravity

In this paper, following hep-th/0501028, we present a detailed derivation and discussion of the exact gravitational field solutions for a relativistic particle localized on a tensional brane in brane-induced gravity. Our derivation yields the metrics for both the normal branch and the self-inflating branch DGP braneworlds. They generalize the 4D gravitational shock waves in de Sitter space, and so we compare them to the corresponding 4D General Relativity solution and to the case when gravity resides only in the 5D bulk, and there are no brane-localized graviton kinetic terms. We write down the solutions in terms of two-variable hypergeometric functions and find that at short distances the shock wave profiles look exactly the same as in 4D Minkowski space, thus recovering the limit one expects if gravity is to be mediated by a metastable, but long-lived, bulk resonance. The corrections far from the source differ from the long distance corrections in 4D de Sitter space, coming in with odd powers of the distance. We discuss in detail the limiting case on the self-inflating branch when gravity is modified exactly at de Sitter radius, and energy can be lost into the bulk by resonance-like processes. Finally, we consider Planckian scattering on the brane, and find that for a sufficiently small impact parameter it is approximated very closely by the usual 4D description.

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arXiv2005

Brane-Induced Gravity's Shocks

We construct exact gravitational field solutions for a relativistic particle localized on a tensional brane in brane-induced gravity. They are a generalization of gravitational shock waves in 4D de Sitter space. We provide the metrics for both the normal branch and the self-inflating branch DGP braneworlds, and compare them to the 4D Einstein gravity solution and to the case when gravity resides only in the 5D bulk, without any brane-localized curvature terms. At short distances the wave profile looks the same as in four dimensions. The corrections appear only far from the source, where they differ from the long distance corrections in 4D de Sitter space. We also discover a new non-perturbative channel for energy emission into the bulk from the self-inflating branch, when gravity is modified at the de Sitter radius.

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arXiv2004

Moduli Entrapment with Primordial Black Holes

We argue that primordial black holes in the early universe can provide an efficient resolution of the Brustein-Steinhardt moduli overshoot problem in string cosmology. When the universe is created near the Planck scale, all the available states in the theory are excited by strong interactions and cosmological particle production. The heavy states are described in the low energy theory as a gas of electrically and magnetically charged black holes. This gas of black holes quickly captures the moduli which appear in the relation between black hole masses and charges, and slows them down with their vevs typically close to the Planck scale. From there, the modulus may slowly roll into a valley with a positive vacuum energy, where inflation may begin. The black hole gas will redshift away in the course of cosmic expansion, as inflation evicts black holes out of the horizon.

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arXiv2004

Exorcising w < -1

We show that the combined dimming of Type Ia supernovae induced by both a cosmological constant and the conversion of photons into axions in extra-galactic magnetic fields can impersonate dark energy with an equation of state w < -1. An observer unaware of the presence of photon-axion conversion would interpret the additional dimming as cosmic acceleration faster than that induced by a cosmological constant alone. We find that this mechanism can mimic equations of state as negative as w \simeq - 1.5. Our model does not have any ghosts, phantoms and the like. It is fully consistent with the conventional effective field theory in curved space, and all existing observational constraints on the axions are obeyed.

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arXiv2004

Observational Implications of Cosmological Event Horizons

In a universe dominated by a small cosmological constant or by eternal dark energy with equation of state w < -1/3, observers are surrounded by event horizons. The horizons limit how much of the universe the observers can ever access. We argue that this implies a bound N~60 on the number of e-folds of inflation that will ever be observable in our universe if the scale of the dark energy today is ~(10^{-3} eV)^4. This bound is independent of how long inflation lasted, or for how long we continue to observe the sky. The bound arises because the imprints of the inflationary perturbations thermalize during the late acceleration of the universe. They "inflate away" just like the initial inhomogeneities during ordinary inflation. Thus the current CMB data may be looking as far back in the history of the universe as will ever be possible, making our era a most opportune time to study cosmology.

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arXiv2004

Origami World

We paste together patches of $AdS_6$ to find solutions which describe two 4-branes intersecting on a 3-brane with non-zero tension. We construct explicitly brane arrays with Minkowski, de Sitter and Anti-de Sitter geometries intrinsic to the 3-brane, and describe how to generalize these solutions to the case of $AdS_{4+n}$, $n>2$, where $n$ $n+2$-branes intersect on a 3-brane. The Minkowski and de Sitter solutions localize gravity to the intersection, leading to 4D Newtonian gravity at large distances. We show this explicitly in the case of Minkowski origami by finding the zero-mode graviton, and computing the couplings of the bulk gravitons to the matter on the intersection. In de Sitter case, this follows from the finiteness of the bulk volume. The effective 4D Planck scale depends on the square of the fundamental 6D Planck scale, the $AdS_6$ radius and the angles between the 4-branes and the radial $AdS$ direction, and for the Minkowski origami it is $M_4{}^2 = {2/3} \Bigl(\tan α_1 + \tan α_2 \Bigr) M_*{}^4 L^2$. If $M_* \sim {\rm few} \times TeV$ this may account for the Planck-electroweak hierarchy even if $L \sim 10^{-4} {\rm m}$, with a possibility for sub-millimeter corrections to the Newton's law. We comment on the early universe cosmology of such models.

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arXiv2004

Disformal Inflation

We show how short inflation naturally arises in a non-minimal gravity theory with a scalar field without any potential terms. This field drives inflation solely by its derivatives, which couple to the matter only through the combination $\bar g_{μν} = g_{μν} - \frac{1}{m^4} \partial_μϕ\partial_νϕ$. The theory is free of instabilities around the usual Minkowski vacuum. Inflation lasts as long as $\dot ϕ^2 > m^4$, and terminates gracefully once the scalar field kinetic energy drops below $m^4$. The total number of e-folds is given by the initial inflaton energy $\dot ϕ_0^2$ as ${\cal N} \simeq \frac13 \ln(\frac{\dot ϕ_0}{m^2})$. The field $ϕ$ can neither efficiently reheat the universe nor produce the primordial density fluctuations. However this could be remedied by invoking the curvaton mechanism. If inflation starts when $\dot ϕ^2_0 \sim M^4_P$, and $m \sim m_{EW} \sim TeV$, the number of e-folds is ${\cal N} \sim 25$. Because the scale of inflation is low, this is sufficient to solve the horizon problem if the reheating temperature is $T_{RH} \ga MeV$. In this instance, the leading order coupling of $ϕ$ to matter via a dimension-8 operator $\frac{1}{m^4}\partial_μϕ\partial_νϕ~ T^{μν}$ would lead to fermion-antifermion annihilation channels $f\bar f \to ϕϕ$ accessible to the LHC, while yielding very weak corrections to the Newtonian potential and to supernova cooling rates, that are completely within experimental limits.

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arXiv2003

Primeval Corrections to the CMB Anisotropies

We show that deviations of the quantum state of the inflaton from the thermal vacuum of inflation may leave an imprint in the CMB anisotropies. The quantum dynamics of the inflaton in such a state produces corrections to the inflationary fluctuations, which may be observable. Because these effects originate from IR physics below the Planck scale, they will dominate over any trans-Planckian imprints in any theory which obeys decoupling. Inflation sweeps away these initial deviations and forces its quantum state closer to the thermal vacuum. We view this as the quantum version of the cosmic no-hair theorem. Such imprints in the CMB may be a useful, independent test of the duration of inflation, or of significant features in the inflaton potential about 60 e-folds before inflation ended, instead of an unlikely discovery of the signatures of quantum gravity. The absence of any such substructure would suggest that inflation lasted uninterrupted much longer than ${\cal O}(100)$ e-folds.

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arXiv2003

Super-GZK Photons from Photon-Axion Mixing

We show that photons with energies above the GZK cutoff can reach us from very distant sources if they mix with light axions in extragalactic magnetic fields. The effect which enables this is the conversion of photons into axions, which are sufficiently weakly coupled to travel large distances unimpeded. These axions then convert back into high energy photons close to the Earth. We show that photon-axion mixing facilitates the survival of super-GZK photons most efficiently with a photon-axion coupling scale of order 10^11 GeV, which is in the same range as the scale for the photon-axion mixing explanation for the dimming of supernovae without cosmic acceleration. We discuss possible observational consequences of this effect.

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arXiv2003

Black Hole Astrophysics in AdS Braneworlds

We consider astrophysics of large black holes localized on the brane in the infinite Randall-Sundrum model. Using their description in terms of a conformal field theory (CFT) coupled to gravity, deduced in Ref. [1], we show that they undergo a period of rapid decay via Hawking radiation of CFT modes. For example, a black hole of mass ${\rm few} \times M_\odot$ would shed most of its mass in $\sim 10^4 - 10^5$ years if the AdS radius is $L \sim 10^{-1}$ mm, currently the upper bound from table-top experiments. Since this is within the mass range of X-ray binary systems containing a black hole, the evaporation enhanced by the hidden sector CFT modes could cause the disappearance of X-ray sources on the sky. This would be a striking signature of RS2 with a large AdS radius. Alternatively, for shorter AdS radii, the evaporation would be slower. In such cases, the persistence of X-ray binaries with black holes already implies an upper bound on the AdS radius of $L \la 10^{-2}$ mm, an order of magnitude better than the bounds from table-top experiments. The observation of primordial black holes with a mass in the MACHO range $M \sim 0.1 - 0.5 M_\odot$ and an age comparable to the age of the universe would further strengthen the bound on the AdS radius to $L \la {\rm few} \times 10^{-6} $ mm.

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arXiv2003

Holographic Limitations of the Effective Field Theory of Inflation

Holographic considerations may provide a glimpse of quantum gravity beyond what is currently accessible by other means. Here we apply holography to inflationary cosmology. We argue that the appropriate holographic bound on the total entropy in the inflationary perturbations is given by the {\it difference} of the area of the apparent horizon in the slow-roll approximation and its exact value near the end of inflation. This implies that the effective field theory of the inflaton weakly coupled to gravity requires modifications below the Planck scale. For a conventional model of inflation this scale is of order of the GUT scale, $Λ_{UV} \la 10^{16} GeV$, but could be considerably lower. Signatures of such new physics could show up in the CMB.

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