arXiv subjects

Sayan Kar

Publications and source records attributed to Sayan Kar.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

de Sitter branes with a bulk scalar

We propose new braneworld models arising from a scalar field in the bulk. In these examples, the induced on--brane line element is de Sitter (or anti de Sitter) and the bulk (five dimensional) Einstein equations can be exactly solved to obtain warped spacetimes. The solutions thus derived are single and two-brane models -- one with {\em thin} branes while the other one of the {\em thick} variety. The field profiles and the potentials are obtained and analysed for each case. We note that for the {\em thick} brane scenario the field profile resembles a kink, whereas for one or more {\em thin} branes, it is finite and bounded in the domain of the extra dimension. We have also addressed the localisation of gravity and other matter fields on the brane for these braneworld models.

hep-th↗

arXiv2008

Particle creation in the presence of a warped extra dimension

Particle creation in spacetimes with a warped extra dimension is studied. In particular, we investigate the dynamics of a conformally coupled, massless scalar field in a five dimensional warped geometry where the induced metric on the 3--branes is that of a spatially flat cosmological model. We look at situations where the scale of the extra dimension is assumed (i) to be time independent or (ii) to have specific functional forms for time dependence. The warp factor is chosen to be that of the Randall--Sundrum model. With particular choices for the functional form of the scale factor (and also the function characterising the time evolution of the extra dimension) we obtain the ${| β_k|}^2$, the particle number and energy densities after solving (wherever possible, analytically but, otherwise, numerically) the conformal scalar field equations. The behaviour of these quantities for the massless and massive Kaluza--Klein modes are examined. Our results show the effect of a warped extra dimension on particle creation and illustrate how the nature of particle production on the brane depends on the nature of warping, type of cosmological evolution as well as the temporal evolution of the extra dimension.

hep-th↗

arXiv2008

Gravitational lensing in braneworld gravity: formalism and applications

In this article, we develop a formalism which is different from the standard lensing scenario and is necessary for understanding lensing by gravitational fields which arise as solutions of the effective Einstein equations on the brane. We obtain general expressions for measurable quantities such as time delay, deflection angle, Einstein ring and magnification. Subsequently, we estimate the deviations (relative to the standard lensing scenario) in the abovementioned quantities by considering the line elements for clusters and spiral galaxies obtained by solving the effective Einstein equations on the brane. Our analysis reveals that gravitational lensing can be a useful tool for testing braneworld gravity as well as the existence of extra dimensions.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2007

Can degenerate bound states occur in one dimensional quantum mechanics?

We point out that bound states, degenerate in energy but differing in parity, may form in one dimensional quantum systems even if the potential is non-singular in any finite domain. Such potentials are necessarily unbounded from below at infinity and occur in several different contexts, such as in the study of localised states in brane-world scenarios. We describe how to construct large classes of such potentials and give explicit analytic expressions for the degenerate bound states. Some of these bound states occur above the potential maximum while some are below. Various unusual features of the bound states are described and after highlighting those that are ansatz independent, we suggest that it might be possible to observe such parity-paired degenerate bound states in specific mesoscopic systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

Kinematics of deformable media

We investigate the kinematics of deformations in two and three dimensional media by explicitly solving (analytically) the evolution equations (Raychaudhuri equations) for the expansion, shear and rotation associated with the deformations. The analytical solutions allow us to study the dependence of the kinematical quantities on initial conditions. In particular, we are able to identify regions of the space of initial conditions that lead to a singularity in finite time. Some generic features of the deformations are also discussed in detail. We conclude by indicating the feasibility and utility of a similar exercise for fluid and geodesic flows in flat and curved spacetimes.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2007

Focusing of branes in warped backgrounds

Branes are embedded surfaces in a given background (bulk) spacetime. Assuming a warped bulk, we investigate, in analogy with the case for geodesics, the notion of {\em focusing} of families of such embedded, extremal 3--branes in a five dimensional background . The essential tool behind our analysis, is the well-known generalised Raychaudhuri equations for surface congruences. In particular, we find explicit solutions of these equations, which seem to show that families of 3--branes can focus along lower dimensional submanifolds depending on where the initial expansions are specified. We conclude with comments on the results obtained and possibilities about future work along similar lines.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2006

Exact bound states in volcano potentials

Quantum mechanics in a one--parameter family of volcano potentials is investigated. After a discussion on their construction and classical mechanics, we obtain exact, normalisable bound states for specific values of the energy. The nature of the wave functions and probability densities, as well as some curious features of the solutions are highlighted.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

Braneworlds in six dimensions: new models with bulk scalars

Six dimensional bulk spacetimes with 3-- and 4--branes are constructed using certain non--conventional bulk scalars as sources. In particular, we investigate the consequences of having the phantom (negative kinetic energy) and the Brans--Dicke scalar in the bulk while obtaining such solutions. We find geometries with 4--branes with a compact on--brane dimension (hybrid compactification) which may be assumed to be small in order to realize a 3--brane world. On the other hand, we also construct, with similar sources, bulk spacetimes where a 3--brane is located at a conical singularity. Furthermore, we investigate the issue of localization of matter fields (scalar, fermion, graviton, vector) on these 3-- and 4--branes and conclude with comments on our six dimensional models.

hep-th↗

arXiv2006

The Raychaudhuri equations: a brief review

We present a brief review on the Raychaudhuri equations. Beginning with a summary of the essential features of the original article by Raychaudhuri and subsequent work of numerous authors, we move on to a discussion of the equations in the context of alternate non--Riemannian spacetimes as well as other theories of gravity, with a special mention on the equations in spacetimes with torsion (Einstein--Cartan--Sciama--Kibble theory). Finally, we give an overview of some recent applications of these equations in General Relativity, Quantum Field Theory, String Theory and the theory of relativisitic membranes. We conclude with a summary and provide our own perspectives on directions of future research.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2006

Path integrals and wavepacket evolution for damped mechanical systems

Damped mechanical systems with various forms of damping are quantized using the path integral formalism. In particular, we obtain the path integral kernel for the linearly damped harmonic oscillator and a particle in a uniform gravitational field with linearly or quadratically damped motion. In each case, we study the evolution of Gaussian wavepackets and discuss the characteristic features that help us distinguish between different types of damping. For quadratic damping, we show that the action and equation of motion of such a system has a connection with the zero dimensional version of a currently popular scalar field theory. Furthermore we demonstrate that the equation of motion (for quadratic damping) can be identified as a geodesic equation in a fictitious two-dimensional space.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

Probing liquid surface waves, liquid properties and liquid films with light diffraction

Surface waves on liquids act as a dynamical phase grating for incident light. In this article, we revisit the classical method of probing such waves (wavelengths of the order of mm) as well as inherent properties of liquids and liquid films on liquids, using optical diffraction. A combination of simulation and experiment is proposed to trace out the surface wave profiles in various situations (\emph{eg.} for one or more vertical, slightly immersed, electrically driven exciters). Subsequently, the surface tension and the spatial damping coefficient (related to viscosity) of a variety of liquids are measured carefully in order to gauge the efficiency of measuring liquid properties using this optical probe. The final set of results deal with liquid films where dispersion relations, surface and interface modes, interfacial tension and related issues are investigated in some detail, both theoretically and experimentally. On the whole, our observations and analyses seem to support the claim that this simple, low--cost apparatus is capable of providing a wealth of information on liquids and liquid surface waves in a non--destructive way.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2006

Geometry of deformations of branes in warped backgrounds

The `braneworld' (described by the usual worldvolume action) is a D dimensional timelike surface embedded in a N dimensional ($N>D$) warped, nonfactorisable spacetime. We first address the conditions on the warp factor required to have an extremal flat brane in a five dimensional background. Subsequently, we deal with normal deformations of such extremal branes. The ensuing Jacobi equations are analysed to obtain the stability condition. It turns out that to have a stable brane, the warp factor should have a minimum at the location of the brane in the given background spacetime. To illustrate our results we explicitly check the extremality and stability criteria for a few known co-dimension one braneworld models. Generalisations of the above formalism for the cases of (i) curved branes (ii) asymmetrical warping and (iii) higher co-dimension braneworlds are then presented alongwith some typical examples for each. Finally, we summarize our results and provide perspectives for future work along these lines.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

A novel braneworld model with a bulk scalar field

We consider a new braneworld model with a bulk scalar field coupled to gravity. The bulk scalar action is inspired by the proposed low energy effective action around the tachyon vacuum. A class of warped geometries representing solutions of this Einstein-scalar system for a specific scalar potential is found. The geometry is non singular with a decaying warp factor and a negative Ricci curvature. The solution of the hierarchy problem is obtained using this type of warping. Though qualitatively similar to the usual Randall--Sundrum I model there are interesting quantitative differences. Additionally, in the RS-II set up the graviton zero mode as well as spin half massless fermions are found to be localised on the brane.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

The Ellis wormhole with `tachyon matter'

The Ellis wormhole is known to be an exact solution of the Einstein--scalar system where the scalar field has negative kinetic energy (phantom). We show here that the same geometry (in 3+1 dimensions) can also be obtained with `tachyon matter' as a source term in the field equations and a positive cosmological constant. The kink--like tachyon field profile and the nature of the tachyon potential are analyzed. It is shown that the field configuration and the spacetime are stable against linear scalar perturbations. Finally, we comment on extensions of the 3+1 dimensional Ellis wormhole (with tachyon matter source) in diverse dimensions (d=2+1 and d>4).

gr-qc↗

arXiv2005

Can the rotation of the dark matter halo of our galaxy be detected through its effect on the cosmic microwave background polarisation?

The proposition that dark matter halos possess angular momentum, though widely accepted, is a theoretical prediction which has, till date, not been observationally verified. The gravi-magnetic field produced by a rotating gravitating object is possibly the only direct consequence of the angular momentum of dark matter halos. The gravitational Faraday rotation produced by the dark matter halo of our galaxy is present in all astronomical observations. A detection of the imprint of this effect on the all-sky cosmic microwave background radiation polarisation pattern would directly probe the angular momentum of the dark matter halo of our Galaxy. We have calculated the expected gravitational Faraday rotation which turns out to be a $(v_c/c)^3$ effect, $v_c$ being the rotational speed of our halo. The predicted gravitational Faraday effect rotation angles are less than $1^{''}$, implying that this effect, though present, is too small to be detected.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Cosmology with decaying tachyon matter

We investigate the case of a homogeneous tachyon field coupled to gravity in a spatially flat Friedman-Robertson-Walker spacetime. Assuming the field evolution to be exponentially decaying with time we solve the field equations and show that, under certain conditions, the scale factor represents an accelerating universe, following a phase of decelerated expansion. We make use of a model of dark energy (with p=-ρ) and dark matter (p=0) where a single scalar field (tachyon) governs the dynamics of both the dark components. We show that this model fits the current supernova data as well as the canonical \LambdaCDM model. We give the bounds on the parameters allowed by the current data.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Can extra dimensional effects replace dark matter ?

In the braneworld scenario, the four dimensional effective Einstein equation has extra terms which arise from the embedding of the 3-brane in the bulk. We show that in this modified theory of gravity, it is possible to model observations of galaxy rotation curves and the X-ray profiles of clusters of galaxies, without the need for dark matter. In this scenario, a traceless tensor field which arises from the projection of the bulk Weyl tensor on the brane, provides the extra gravitational acceleration which is usually explained through dark matter. We also predict that gravitational lensing observations can possibly discriminate between the proposed higher dimensional effects and dark matter, the deflection angles predicted in the proposed scenario being around 75% to 80% of the usual predictions based on dark matter.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2004

Scalar kinks and fermion localisation in warped spacetimes

Scalar kinks propagating along the bulk in warped spacetimes provide a thick brane realisation of the braneworld. We consider here, a class of such exact solutions of the full Einstein-scalar system with a sine-Gordon potential and a negative cosmological constant. In the background of the kink and the corresponding warped geometry, we discuss the issue of localisation of spin half fermions (with emphasis on massive ones) on the brane in the presence of different types of kink-fermion Yukawa couplings. We analyse the possibility of quasi-bound states for large values of the Yukawa coupling parameter $γ_F$ (with $ν$, the warp factor parameter kept fixed) using appropriate, recently developed, approximation methods. In particular, the spectrum of the low--lying states and their lifetimes are obtained, with the latter being exponentially enhanced for large $νγ_F$. Our results indicate quantitatively, within this model, that it is possible to tune the nature of warping and the strength and form of the Yukawa interaction to obtain trapped massive fermion states on the brane, which, however, do have a finite (but very small) probability of escaping into the bulk.

hep-th↗