Gauge Field Fluctuations Research Articles

Quantum critical properties in the topological Ginzburg–Landau theory of self-dual Josephson junction arrays

This paper examines the multicritical behavior of a generalized U(N1)×U(N2) Ginzburg–Landau theory containing two multicomponent complex fields which couple differently to two gauge fields described by two Maxwell terms and one mixed-Chern–Simons term. This model is relevant to the dynamics of Cooper pairs and vortices in a self-dual Josephson junction array system near its superconductor–insulator transition. We develop a renormalization group flow at fixed dimension and obtain the beta functions at one loop when both disorder fields are critical. Two sets of infrared-stable charged fixed points solutions are found for N>Nc: partially charged solutions with respect to the gauge fields exist with Nc=35.6, and fully charged solutions exist with Nc=12.16. We show that fine tuning the ratio of the two energy scales in the model has the effect of reducing the critical number Nc and thus enlarges the region where the quantum phase transition is continuous. It is also found that the decoupled fixed point which is stable in the neutral case is no longer attainable in the presence of fluctuating gauge fields. We probe the conductivity at the critical point and show that it has a universal character determined by the renormalization group infrared-stable fixed-point values of the gauge couplings.

Topological insulators avoid the parity anomaly

The surface of a 3+1d-topological insulator hosts an odd number of gapless Dirac fermions when charge conjugation and time-reversal symmetries are preserved. Viewed as a purely 2+1d system, this surface theory would necessarily explicitly break parity and time-reversal when coupled to a fluctuating gauge field. Here, we explain why such a state can exist on the boundary of a 3+1d system without breaking these symmetries, even if the number of boundary components is odd. This is accomplished from two complementary perspectives: topological quantization conditions and regularization. We first discuss the conditions under which (continuous) large gauge transformations may exist when the theory lives on a boundary of a higher-dimensional space-time. Next, we show how the higher-dimensional bulk theory is essential in providing a parity-invariant regularization of the theory living on the lower-dimensional boundary or defect.

Chern-Simons inflation and baryogenesis

We present a model of inflation based on the interaction between a homogeneous and isotropic configuration of a U(1) gauge field and fermionic charge density \U0001d4a50. The regulated fermionic charge density is generated from a Bunch-Davies vacuum state using the methods of Koksma and Prokopec [11], and is found to redshift as 1/a(η). The time-like component of gauge field is sourced by the fermionic charge leading to a growth in the gauge field A(η)0 ∼ a(η). As a result inflation is dominated by the energy density contained in the gauge field and fermionic charge interaction, A0 \U0001d4a50, which remains constant during inflation. We also provide a mechanism to generate a net lepton asymmetry. The coupling of a pseudo scalar to the Chern-Simons term converts the gauge field fluctuations into lepton number and all three Sahkarov conditions are satisfied during inflation. Finally, the rapid oscillation of the pseudo scalar field near its minimum thermalizes the gauge field and ends inflation. We provide the necessary initial condition on the gauge field and fermionic charge to simultaneously generate enough e-folds and baryon asymmetry index.

Low-energy effective field theory for chromo-natural inflation

Chromo-natural inflation is a novel model of inflation which relies on the existence of non-abelian gauge fields interacting with an axion. In its simplest realization, an SU(2) gauge field is assumed to begin inflation in a rotationally invariant VEV. The dynamics of the gauge fields significantly modifies the equations of motion for the axion, providing an additional damping term that supports slow-roll inflation, without the need to fine tune the axion decay constant. We demonstrate that in an appropriate slow-roll limit it is possible to integrate out the massive gauge field fluctuations whilst still maintaining the nontrivial modifications of the gauge field to the axion. In this slow-roll limit, chromo-natural inflation is exactly equivalent to a single scalar field effective theory with a non-minimal kinetic term, i.e. a P(X,χ) model. This occurs through a precise analogue of the gelaton mechanism, whereby heavy fields can have unsuppressed effects on the light field dynamics without contradicting decoupling. The additional damping effect of the gauge fields can be completely captured by the non-minimal kinetic term of the single scalar field effective theory. We utilize the single scalar field effective theory to infer the power spectrum and non-gaussianities in chromo-natural inflation and confirm that the mass squared of all the gauge field fluctuations is sufficiently large and positive that they completely decouple during inflation. These results confirm that chromo-natural inflation is a viable, stable and compelling model for the generation of inflationary perturbations.

Quantum superconducting criticality in graphene and topological insulators

The field theory of the semimetal-superconductor quantum phase transition for graphene and surface states of topological insulators is presented. The Lagrangian possesses the global $U(1)$ symmetry, with the self-interacting complex bosonic order-parameter and the massless Dirac fermions coupled through a Yukawa term. The same theory also governs the quantum critical behavior of graphene near the transition towards the bond-density-wave (Kekule) insulator. The local $U(1)$ gauged version of the theory which describes the quantum semimetal-superconductor transition in the ultimate critical regime is also considered. Due to the Yukawa coupling the transitions are found to be always continuous, both with and without the fluctuating gauge field. The critical behavior is addressed within the dimensional regularization near four space-time dimensions, and the calculation of various universal quantities, including critical exponents and the universal mass-ratio, is reported.

Fluctuation of gauge field for general nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation and covariant version of Fisher information matrix

AbstractWe clarify a strong link between general nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations with gauge fields associated with nonequilibrium dynamics and the Fisher information of the system. The notion of Abelian gauge theory for the non-equilibrium Fokker-Planck equation has proposed in the literature, in which the associated curvature represents internal geometry. We present the fluctuation of the gauge field can be decomposed into three parts. We further show that if we define the Fisher information matrix by using a covariant derivative then it gives correlation of the flux components but it is not gauge invariant.

Symmetries of inflationary magnetogenesis and the plasma initial conditions

As soon as the geometry expands quasiexponentially, the plasma sources are customarily tuned to zero as if the duration of the inflationary phase was immaterial for the gauge field fluctuations at large scale. The serendipitous disappearance of the plasma (or even the partial neglect of its effects) depends on the symmetries of the system that are, in four space-time dimensions and in the simplest Abelian case, the invariance under Weyl rescaling and the electromagnetic duality symmetry. The quantum, thermal, and conducting initial conditions of inflationary magnetogenesis are classified and discussed with the aim of determining when plasma effects can be effectively disregarded. The speculative implications of a nondegenerate monopole plasma for the conservation of the large-scale electric flux are briefly examined.

Gravity waves and non-Gaussian features from particle production in a sector gravitationally coupled to the inflaton

We study the possibility that particle production during inflation could source observable gravity waves on scales relevant for cosmic microwave background experiments. A crucial constraint on such scenarios arises because particle production can also source inflaton perturbations and might ruin the usual predictions for a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of nearly Gaussian curvature fluctuations. To minimize this effect, we consider two models of particle production in a sector that is only gravitationally coupled to the inflaton. For a single instantaneous burst of massive particle production, we find that localized features in the scalar spectrum and bispectrum might be observable, but gravitational wave signatures are unlikely to be detectable (due to the suppressed quadrupole moment of nonrelativistic quanta) without invoking some additional effects. We also consider a model with a rolling pseudoscalar that leads to a continuous production of relativistic gauge field fluctuations during inflation. Here we find that gravitational waves from particle production can actually exceed the usual inflationary vacuum fluctuations in a regime where non-Gaussianity is consistent with observational limits. In this model observable $B$-mode polarization can be obtained for any choice of inflaton potential, and the amplitude of the signal is not necessarily correlated with the scale of inflation.

Observable non-Gaussianity from gauge field production in slow roll inflation, and a challenging connection with magnetogenesis

In any realistic particle physics model of inflation, the inflaton can be expected to couple to other fields. We consider a model with a dilatonlike coupling between a $U(1)$ gauge field and a scalar inflaton. We show that this coupling can result in observable non-Gaussianity, even in the conventional regime where inflation is supported by a single scalar slowly rolling on a smooth potential: the time-dependent inflaton condensate leads to amplification of the large-scale gauge field fluctuations, which can feed back into the scalar/tensor cosmological perturbations. In the squeezed limit, the resulting bispectrum is close to the local one, but it shows a sizable and characteristic quadrupolar dependence on the angle between the shorter and the larger modes in the correlation. Observable non-Gaussianity is obtained in a regime where perturbation theory is under control. If the gauge field is identified with the electromagnetic field, the model that we study is a realization of the magnetogenesis idea originally proposed by Ratra, and widely studied. This identification (which is not necessary for the non-Gaussianity production) is however problematic in light of a strong coupling problem already noted in the literature.

Schwinger mechanism enhanced by the Nielsen–Olesen instability

We discuss gluon production by the Schwinger mechanism in collinear color-electric and magnetic fields which may be realized in pre-equilibrium stages of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Fluctuations of non-Abelian gauge fields around a purely color-magnetic field contain exponentially growing unstable modes in a longitudinally soft momentum region, which is known as the Nielsen–Olesen instability. With a color-electric field imposed parallelly to the color-magnetic field, we can formulate this instability as the Schwinger mechanism. This is because soft unstable modes are accelerated by the electric fields to escape from the instability condition. Effects of instability remain in the transverse spectrum of particle modes, leading to an anomalously intense Schwinger particle production.

Issues on generating primordial anisotropies at the end of inflation

We revisit the idea of generating primordial anisotropies at the end of inflation in models of inflation with gauge fields. To be specific we consider the charged hybrid inflation model where the waterfall field is charged under a U(1) gauge field so the surface of end of inflation is controlled both by inflaton and the gauge fields. Using δN formalism properly we find that the anisotropies generated at the end of inflation from the gauge field fluctuations are exponentially suppressed on cosmological scales. This is because the gauge field evolves exponentially during inflation while in order to generate appreciable anisotropies at the end of inflation the spectator gauge field has to be frozen. We argue that this is a generic feature, that is, one can not generate observable anisotropies at the end of inflation within an FRW background.

Majorana spin liquids on a two-leg ladder

We realize a gapless Majorana Orbital Liquid (MOL) using orbital degrees of freedom and also an SU(2)-invariant Majorana Spin Liquid (MSL) using both spin and orbital degrees of freedom in Kitaev-type models on a 2-leg ladder. The models are exactly solvable by Kitaev's parton approach, and we obtain long-wavelength descriptions for both Majorana liquids. The MOL has one gapless mode and power law correlations in energy at incommensuare wavevectors, while the SU(2) MSL has three gapless modes and power law correlations in spin, spin-nematic, and local energy observables. We study the stability of such states to perturbations away from the exactly solvable points. We find that both MOL and MSL can be stable against allowed short-range parton interactions. We also argue that both states persist upon allowing $Z_2$ gauge field fluctuations, in that the number of gapless modes is retained, although with an expanded set of contributions to observables compared to the free parton mean field.

Computing the effective Hamiltonian of low-energy vacuum gauge fields

A standard approach to investigate the nonperturbative QCD dynamics is through vacuum models which emphasize the role played by specific gauge field fluctuations, such as instantons, monopoles, or vortexes. The effective Hamiltonian describing the dynamics of the low-energy degrees of freedom in such approaches is usually postulated phenomenologically, or obtained through uncontrolled approximations. In a recent paper, we have shown how lattice field theory simulations can be used to rigorously compute the effective Hamiltonian of arbitrary vacuum models by stochastically performing the path integral over all the vacuum field fluctuations which are not explicitly taken into account. In this work, we present the first illustrative application of such an approach to a gauge theory and we use it to compute the instanton size distribution in $SU(2)$ gluon dynamics in a fully model independent and parameter-free way.

Failure of Gutzwiller-type wave function to capture gauge fluctuations: Case study in the exciton Bose liquid context

Slave particle approaches are widely used in studies of exotic quantum phases. A complete description beyond mean field also contains dynamical gauge fields, while a simplified procedure considers Gutzwiller-projected trial states. We apply this in the context of bosonic models with ring exchanges realizing so-called Exciton Bose Liquid (EBL) phase and compare a Gutzwiller wave function against an accurate EBL wave function. We solve the parton-gauge theory and show that dynamical fluctuations of the spatial gauge fields are necessary for obtaining qualitatively accurate EBL description. On the contrary, just the Gutzwiller projection leads to a state with subtle differences in the long-wavelength properties, thus suggesting that Gutzwiller wave functions may generally fail to capture long-wavelength physics.

Conductivity in an anisotropic background

By using the gauge/gravity duality, we investigate the dual field theories of the anisotropic backgrounds, which are exact solutions of Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory with a Liouville potential. When we turn on the bulk gauge field fluctuation $A_x$ with a non-trivial dilaton coupling, the AC conductivity of this dual field theory is proportional to the frequency with an exponent depending on parameters of the anisotropic background. In some parameter regions, we find that this conductivity can have the negative exponent like the strange metal. In addition, we also investigate another U(1) gauge field fluctuation, which is not coupled with a dilaton field. We classify all possible conductivities of this system and find that the exponent of the conductivity is always positive.

Universal thermal and electrical conductivity from holography

It is known from earlier work of Iqbal, Liu (arXiv:0809.3808) that the boundary transport coefficients such as electrical conductivity (at vanishing chemical potential), shear viscosity etc. at low frequency and finite temperature can be expressed in terms of geometrical quantities evaluated at the horizon. In the case of electrical conductivity, at zero chemical potential gauge field fluctuation and metric fluctuation decouples, resulting in a trivial flow from horizon to boundary. In the presence of chemical potential, the story becomes complicated due to the fact that gauge field and metric fluctuation can no longer be decoupled. This results in a nontrivial flow from horizon to boundary. Though horizon conductivity can be expressed in terms of geometrical quantities evaluated at the horizon, there exist no such neat result for electrical conductivity at the boundary. In this paper we propose an expression for boundary conductivity expressed in terms of geometrical quantities evaluated at the horizon and thermodynamical quantities. We also consider the theory at finite cutoff outside the horizon (arXiv:1006.1902) and give an expression for cutoff dependent electrical conductivity, which interpolates smoothly between horizon conductivity and boundary conductivity . Using the results about the electrical conductivity we gain much insight into the universality of thermal conductivity to viscosity ratio proposed in arXiv:0912.2719.

Gauge field fluctuations in three-dimensional topological Mott insulators

We study the low-energy properties of three-dimensional (3D) topological Mott insulators which can be viewed as strong topological insulators of spinons interacting with a three-dimensional gauge field. The low-energy behavior of such systems is dominated by the two-dimensional (2D) gapless surface spinons coupled to the bulk gauge field. We find that a dimensional crossover from 3D to 2D in the gauge field fluctuations may occur as the system's thickness and/or temperature is varied. In the thin sample limit, the gauge field fluctuations effectively become 2D and the problem becomes analogous to the standard 2D spinon-gauge field theory. In the 3D limit, the bulk gauge field fluctuations lead to a low-energy theory for the coupled system that is more controlled than for the pure 2D case. We discuss various experimental signatures such as the heat capacity scaling as $T\text{ }\text{ln}(1/T)$ as well as modified Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida interactions on the surface.

Phase transitions in a three dimensionalU(1)×U(1)lattice London superconductor: Metallic superfluid and charge-4esuperconducting states

We consider a three-dimensional lattice $U(1) \times U(1)$ superconductor in the London limit, with two individually conserved condensates. The problem, generically, has two types of intercomponent interactions of different characters. First, the condensates are interacting via a minimal coupling to the same fluctuating gauge field. A second type of coupling is the direct dissipationless drag represented by a local intercomponent current-current coupling term in the free energy functional. The interplay between these two types of interactions produces a number of physical effects not present in previously investigated $U(1)\times U(1)$ models with only one kind of intercomponent interaction. In this work, we present a study of the phase diagram of a $U(1) \times U(1)$ superconductor which includes both of these interactions. We study phase transitions and two types of competing paired phases which occur in this general model: (i) a metallic superfluid phase (where there is order only in the gauge invariant phase difference of the order parameters), (ii) a composite superconducting phase where there is order in the phase sum of the order parameters which has many properties of a single-component superconductor but with a doubled value of electric charge. We investigate the phase diagram with particular focus on what we call "preemptive phase transitions". These are phase transitions {\it unique to multicomponent condensates with competing topological objects}. A sudden proliferation of one kind of topological defects may come about due to a fluctuating background of topological defects in other sectors of the theory.

Localizing gauge fields on a topological Abelian string and the Coulomb law

The confinement of electromagnetic field is studied in axial symmetrical, warped, 6D World Brane, using a recently proposed topological abelian string vortex solution as background. It was found, that the massless gauge field fluctuations follow 4D Maxwell equations in the Lorenz gauge. The massless zero mode is localized when the thickness of the string-vortex is less than 5% $\beta/4\pi e^{2}$ there are not others localized massless modes. There is also an infinite of non localized massive Fourier modes, that follow 4 dimensional Proca equations with a continuous spectrum. To compute the corrections to the Coulomb potential, a radial cutoff was introduced, in order to achieve a discrete mass spectrum. As main result, a $\frac{1}{R^{2}}$ correction was found for the 4D effective Coulomb law. Although, this correction is milder than the $% \frac{1}{R^{3}}$ expected for flat 5+1 dimensional electromagnetism, the result is in correspondence with the observed behavior of the Coulomb potential at nowadays measurable distances.

Model for QCD ground state with magnetic disorder

We explore an ansatz for the QCD vacuum in the Coulomb gauge that describes gauge field fluctuations in the presence of a weakly interacting gas of Abelian monopoles. Such magnetic disorder leads to long-range correlations which are manifested through the area law for the Wilson loop. In particular we focus on the role of the residual monopole-monopole interactions in providing the mechanism for suppression of the gluon propagator at low momenta which also leads to low-momentum enhancement in the ghost propagator.