String Excitations Research Articles

W∞algebras, Hawking radiation, and information retention by stringy black holes

We have argued previously, based on the analysis of two-dimensional stringy black holes, that information in stringy versions of four-dimensional Schwarzschild black holes (whose singular regions are represented by appropriate Wess-Zumino-Witten models) is retained by quantum $W$-symmetries when the horizon area is not preserved due to Hawking radiation. It is key that the exactly-marginal conformal world-sheet operator representing a massless stringy particle interacting with the black hole requires a contribution from $W_\infty$ generators in its vertex function. The latter correspond to delocalised, non-propagating, string excitations that guarantee the transfer of information between the string black hole and external particles. When infalling matter crosses the horizon, these topological states are excited via a process: (Stringy black hole) + infalling matter $\rightarrow $ (Stringy black hole)$^\star$, where the black hole is viewed as a stringy state with a specific configuration of $W_\infty$ charges that are conserved. Hawking radiation is then the reverse process, with conservation of the $W_\infty$ charges retaining information. The Hawking radiation spectrum near the horizon of a Schwarzschild or Kerr black hole is specified by matrix elements of higher-order currents that form a phase-space $W_{1+\infty}$ algebra. We show that an appropriate gauging of this algebra preserves the horizon two-dimensional area classically, as expected because the latter is a conserved Noether charge.

Update on 750 GeV diphotons from closed string states

Motivated by the recent update on LHC searches for narrow and broad resonances decaying into diphotons we reconsider the possibility that the observed peak in the invariant mass spectrum at M_{\gamma \gamma} = 750 GeV originates from a closed string (possibly axionic) excitation \varphi (associated with low mass scale string theory) that has a coupling with gauge kinetic terms. We reevaluate the production of \varphi by photon fusion to accommodate recent developments on additional contributions to relativistic light-light scattering. We also study the production of \varphi via gluon fusion. We show that for both a narrow and a broad resonance these two initial topologies can accommodate the excess of events, spanning a wide range of string mass scales 7 \alt M_s/TeV \alt 30 that are consistent with the experimental lower bound: M_s > 7 TeV, at 95% CL. We demonstrate that for the two production processes the LHC13 data is compatible with the lack of a diphoton excess in LHC8 data within \sim 1\sigma. We also show that if the resonance production is dominated by gluon fusion the null results on dijet searches at LHC8 further constrain the coupling strengths of \varphi, but without altering the range of possible string mass scales.

A microscopic description of absorption in high-energy string-brane collisions

We study the collision of a highly energetic light closed string off a stack of Dp-branes at (sub)string-scale impact parameters and in a regime justifying a perturbative treatment. Unlike at larger impact parameters - where elastic scattering and/or tidal excitations dominate - here absorption of the closed string by the brane system, with the associated excitation of open strings living on it, becomes important. As a first step, we study this phenomenon at the disk level, in which the energetic closed string turns into a single heavy open string at rest whose particularly simple properties are described.

LLM magnons

We consider excitations of LLM geometries described by coloring the LLM plane with concentric black rings. Certain closed string excitations are localized at the edges of these rings. The string theory predictions for the energies of magnon excitations of these strings depends on the radii of the edges of the rings. In this article we construct the operators dual to these closed string excitations and show how to reproduce the string theory predictions for magnon energies by computing one loop anomalous dimensions. These operators are linear combinations of restricted Schur polynomials. The distinction between what is the background and what is the excitation is accomplished in the choice of the subgroup and the representations used to construct the operator.

Solutions on a brane in a bulk spacetime with Kalb–Ramond field

Effective gravitational field equations on a brane have been derived, when the bulk spacetime is endowed with the second rank antisymmetric Kalb–Ramond field. Since both the graviton and the Kalb–Ramond field are closed string excitations, they can propagate in the bulk. After deriving the effective gravitational field equations on the brane, we solve them for a static spherically symmetric solution. It turns out that the solution so obtained represents a black hole or naked singularity depending on the parameter space of the model. The stability of this model is also discussed. Cosmological solutions to the gravitational field equations have been obtained, where the Kalb–Ramond field is found to behave as normal pressure free matter. For certain specific choices of the parameters in the cosmological solution, the solution exhibits a transition in the behaviour of the scale factor and hence a transition in the expansion history of the universe. The possibility of accelerated expansion of the universe in this scenario is also discussed.

750 GeV diphotons from closed string states

We show that low-mass-scale string compactifications, with a generic D-brane configuration that realizes the standard model by open strings, can explain the relatively broad peak in the diphoton invariant mass spectrum at 750 GeV recently reported by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations. Under reasonable assumptions, we demonstrate that the excess could originate from a closed string (possibly axionic) excitation \varphi that has a coupling with gauge kinetic terms. We estimate the \varphi production rate from photon-photon fusion in elastic pp scattering, using the effective photon and narrow width approximations. For string scales above todays lower limit M_s \approx 7 TeV, we can accommodate the diphoton rate observed at Run II while maintaining consistency with Run I data.

Excited states of open strings from N = 4 $$ \mathcal{N}=4 $$ SYM

We continue the analysis of building open strings stretched between giant gravitons from $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM by going to second order in perturbation theory using the three-loop dilatation generator from the field theory. In the process we build a Fock-like space of states using Cuntz oscillators which can be used to access the excited open string states. We find a remarkable cancellation among the excited states that shows the ground state energy is consistent with a fully relativistic dispersion relation.

Universal topological data for gapped quantum liquids in three dimensions and fusion algebra for non-Abelian string excitations

Recently we conjectured that a certain set of universal topological quantities characterize topological order in any dimension. Those quantities can be extracted from the universal overlap of the ground state wave functions. For systems with gapped boundaries, these quantities are representations of the mapping class group $MCG(\mathcal M)$ of the space manifold $\mathcal M$ on which the systems lives. We will here consider simple examples in three dimensions and give physical interpretation of these quantities, related to fusion algebra and statistics of particle and string excitations. In particular, we will consider dimensional reduction from 3+1D to 2+1D, and show how the induced 2+1D topological data contains information on the fusion and the braiding of non-Abelian string excitations in 3D. These universal quantities generalize the well-known modular $S$ and $T$ matrices to any dimension.

String theory clues for the low–ℓ CMB ?

Brane Supersymmetry Breaking is a peculiar string-scale mechanism that can unpair Bose and Fermi excitations in orientifold models. It results from the simul- taneous presence, in the vacuum, of collections of D-branes and orientifolds that are not mutually BPS, and is closely tied to the scale of string excitations. It also leaves behind, for a mixing of dilaton and internal breathing mode, an exponential potential that is just too steep for a scalar to emerge from the initial singularity while descending it .A s a result, in this class of models the scalar can generically bounce off the exponential wall, and this dynamics brings along, in the power spectrum, an infrared depression typically followed by a pre-inflationary peak. We elaborate on a possible link between this type of bounce and the low-� end of the CMB angular power spectrum. For the first 32 multi- poles, one can reach a 50% reduction in χ 2 with respect to the standard ΛCDM setting.

Layer Construction of 3D Topological States and String Braiding Statistics

While the topological order in two dimensions has been studied extensively since the discover of the integer and fractional quantum Hall systems, topological states in 3 spatial dimensions are much less understood. In this paper, we propose a general formalism for constructing a large class of three-dimensional topological states by stacking layers of 2D topological states and introducing coupling between them. Using this construction, different types of topological states can be obtained, including those with only surface topological order and no bulk topological quasiparticles, and those with topological order both in the bulk and at the surface. For both classes of states we study its generic properties and present several explicit examples. As an interesting consequence of this construction, we obtain example systems with nontrivial braiding statistics between string excitations. In addition to studying the string-string braiding in the example system, we propose a generic topological field theory description which can capture both string-particle and string-string braiding statistics. Lastly, we provide a proof of a general identity for Abelian string statistics, and discuss an example system with non-Abelian strings.

On the relevance of the thermal scalar

We discuss near-Hagedorn string thermodynamics in general spacetimes using the formalism of the thermal scalar. Building upon earlier work by Horowitz and Polchinski, we relate several properties of the thermal scalar field theory (i.e. the stress tensor and U(1) charge) to properties of the highly excited or near-Hagedorn string gas. We apply the formulas on several examples. We find the pressureless near-Hagedorn string gas in flat space and a non-vanishing (angular) string charge in $AdS_3$. We also find the thermal stress tensor for the highly excited string gas in Rindler space.

Thermal string excitations in artificial spin-ice square dipolar arrays

We report on a theoretical investigation of artificial spin-ice dipolar arrays using a nanoisland shape adopted from recent experiments (Farhan et al 2013 Nature Phys. 9 375). The number of thermal magnetic string excitations in the square lattice is drastically increased by a vertical displacement of rows and columns. We find large increments especially for low temperatures and for string excitations with quasi-monopoles of charges ±4. By kinetic Monte Carlo simulations we address the thermal stability of such excitations, thereby providing time scales for their experimental observation.

The thermal scalar and random walks in AdS 3 and BTZ

We analyze near-Hagedorn thermodynamics of strings in the WZW $AdS_3$ model. We compute the thermal spectrum of all primaries and find the thermal scalar explicitly in the string spectrum using CFT twist techniques. Then we use the link to the Euclidean WZW BTZ black hole and write down the Euclidean BTZ spectrum. We give a Hamiltonian interpretation of the thermal partition function of angular orbifolds where we find a reappearance of discrete states that dominate the partition function. Using these results, we discuss the nature of the thermal scalar in the WZW BTZ model. As a slight generalization of the angular orbifolds, we discuss the $AdS_3$ string gas with a non-zero chemical potential corresponding to angular momentum around the spatial cigar. For this model as well, we determine the thermal spectrum and the Hagedorn temperature as a function of chemical potential. Finally the nature of $\alpha'$ corrections to the $AdS_3$ thermal scalar action is analyzed and we find the random walk behavior of highly excited strings in this particular $AdS_3$ background.

New regimes of the stringy (holographic) Pomeron and high-multiplicityppandpAcollisions

Holographic AdS/QCD models of the Pomeron unite a string-based description of hadronic reactions of the pre-QCD era with the perturbative BFKL approach. The specific version we will use due to Stoffers and Zahed, is based on a semiclassical quantization of a "tube" (closed string exchange or open string virtual pair production) in its Euclidean formulation using the scalar Polyakov action. This model has a number of phenomenologically successful results. The periodicity of a coordinate around the tube allows the introduction of a Matsubara time and therefore an effective temperature Teff on the string. We observe that at the LHC energies and for sufficiently small impact parameter, Teff approaches and even exceeds the Hagedorn temperature of the QCD strings. Based on studies of the stringy thermodynamics of pure gauge theories we suggest that there should exist two new regimes of the Pomeron: the "near-critical" and the "post-critical" ones. In the former one, string excitations create a high entropy "string ball", with high energy and entropy but small pressure/free energy. If heavy enough this ball becomes a (dual) black hole (BH). As the intrinsic temperature of the string exceeds the Hagedorn temperature, the ball becomes a post-critical explosive "QGP ball". The hydrodynamical explosion resulting from this scenario was predicted by us to have radial flow exceeding that ever seen even in heavy ion collisions, which was recently confirmed by CMS and ALICE at LHC. We also discuss the elastic scattering profile, finding some hints for new phases in it, as well as two-particle correlations.

Consistent compactification of double field theory on non-geometric flux backgrounds

In this paper, we construct non-trivial solutions to the $2D$-dimensional field equations of Double Field Theory (DFT) by using a consistent Scherk-Schwarz ansatz. The ansatz identifies $2(D-d)$ internal directions with a twist $U^M{}_N$ which is directly connected to the covariant fluxes $\mathcal{F}_{ABC}$. It exhibits $2(D-d)$ linear independent generalized Killing vectors $K_I{}^J$ and gives rise to a gauged supergravity in $d$ dimensions. We analyze the covariant fluxes and the corresponding gauged supergravity with a Minkowski vacuum. We calculate fluctuations around such vacua and show how they gives rise to massive scalars field and vectors field with a non-abelian gauge algebra. Because DFT is a background independent theory, these fields should directly correspond the string excitations in the corresponding background. For $(D-d)=3$ we perform a complete scan of all allowed covariant fluxes and find two different kinds of backgrounds: the single and the double elliptic case. The later is not T-dual to a geometric background and cannot be transformed to a geometric setting by a field redefinition either. While this background fulfills the strong constraint, it is still consistent with the Killing vectors depending on the coordinates and the winding coordinates, thereby giving a non-geometric patching. This background can therefore not be described in Supergravity or Generalized Geometry.

Mechanism of ultrafast relaxation of a photo-carrier in antiferromagnetic spin background

We study the relaxation mechanism of a highly excited charge carrier propagating in the antiferromagnetic background modeled by the $t$-$J$ Hamiltonian on a square lattice. We show that the relaxation consists of two distinct stages. The initial ultrafast stage with the relaxation time $\ensuremath{\tau}\ensuremath{\sim}(\ensuremath{\hbar}/{t}_{0}){(J/{t}_{0})}^{\ensuremath{-}2/3}$ (where ${t}_{0}$ is the hopping integral and $J$ is the exchange interaction) is based on the generation of string states in the close proximity of the carrier. This unusual scaling of $\ensuremath{\tau}$ is obtained by means of the comparison of numerical results with a simplified $t$-${J}_{z}$ model on a Bethe lattice. In the subsequent (much slower) stage, local antiferromagnetic excitations are carried away by magnons. The relaxation time on the two-legged ladder system is an order of magnitude longer due to the lack of string excitations. This further reinforces the importance of string excitations for the ultrafast relaxation in the two-dimensional system.

Spin chains and classical strings in rotating Rindler-AdS space

In this paper, we study the spin chain and string excitation in the rotating Rindler-$AdS_3$ proposed in [12]. We obtain a one-parameter deformed $SL(2)$ spin chain at the fast spin limit. Two-spin GKP-like solutions are studied at short and long string limits. General ansatz for the giant magnons and the spiky strings are analyzed in detail for various $\beta$. At last, we explore its counterpart in analytic continuation and pp-wave limit.

The spectrum of tachyons in AdS/CFT

We analyze the spectrum of open strings stretched between a D-brane and an anti-D-brane in planar AdS/CFT using various tools. We focus on open strings ending on two giant gravitons with different orientation in $AdS_5 \times S^5$ and study the spectrum of string excitations using the following approaches: open spin-chain, boundary asymptotic Bethe ansatz and boundary thermodynamic Bethe ansatz (BTBA). We find agreement between a perturbative high order diagrammatic calculation in ${\cal N}=4$ SYM and the leading finite-size boundary Luscher correction. We study the ground state energy of the system at finite coupling by deriving and numerically solving a set of BTBA equations. While the numerics give reasonable results at small coupling, they break down at finite coupling when the total energy of the string gets close to zero, possibly indicating that the state turns tachyonic. The location of the breakdown is also predicted analytically.

Giant magnon solution and dispersion relation in string theory in [formula omitted] with mixed flux

We address the question of the exact form of the dispersion relation for light-cone string excitations in string theory in AdS3×S3×T4 with mixed R–R and NS–NS 3-form fluxes. The analogy with string theory in AdS5×S5 suggests that in addition to the data provided by the perturbative near-BMN expansion and symmetry algebra considerations there is another source of information for the dispersion relation – the semiclassical giant magnon solution. In earlier work in arXiv:1303.1037 and arXiv:1304.4099 we found that the symmetry algebra constraints, which are consistent with a perturbative expansion, do not completely determine the form of the dispersion relation. The aim of the present paper is to fix the dispersion relation by constructing a generalisation of the known dyonic giant magnon soliton on S3 to the presence of a non-zero NS–NS flux described by a WZ term in the string action (with coefficient q). We find that the angular momentum of this soliton gets shifted by a term linear in world-sheet momentum p. We also discuss the symmetry algebra of the string light-cone S-matrix and show that the exact dispersion relation, which should have the correct perturbative BMN and semiclassical giant magnon limits, should also contain such a linear momentum term. The simplicity of the resulting bound-state picture provides a strong argument in favour of this dispersion relation.

Integrable Wilson loops

The generalized quark-antiquark potential of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on S^3 x R calculates the potential between a pair of heavy charged particles separated by an arbitrary angle on S^3 and also an angle in flavor space. It can be calculated by a Wilson loop following a prescribed path and couplings, or after a conformal transformation, by a cusped Wilson loop in flat space, hence also generalizing the usual concept of the cusp anomalous dimension. In AdS_5 x S^5 this is calculated by an infinite open string. I present here an open spin-chain model which calculates the spectrum of excitations of such open strings. In the dual gauge theory these are cusped Wilson loops with extra operator insertions at the cusp. The boundaries of the spin-chain introduce a non-trivial reflection phase and break the bulk symmetry down to a single copy of psu(2|2). The dependence on the two angles is captured by the two embeddings of this algebra into \psu(2|2)^2, i.e., by a global rotation. The exact answer to this problem is conjectured to be given by solutions to a set of twisted boundary thermodynamic Bethe ansatz integral equations. In particular the generalized quark-antiquark potential or cusp anomalous dimension is recovered by calculating the ground state energy of the minimal length spin-chain, with no sites. It gets contributions only from virtual particles reflecting off the boundaries. I reproduce from this calculation some known weak coupling perturtbative results.