Scalar Charge Research Articles

Extraordinary Nature of the Nucleon Scalar Charge and Its Densities as a Signal of Nontrivial Vacuum Structure of QCD

It is widely known that the nucleon scalar charge is proportional to the pion–nucleon sigma term as one of the important low-energy observables of QCD. Especially interesting to us is the physics of the nucleon scalar charge densities. This comes from the fact that the corresponding operator has the same quantum number as the physical vacuum. It indicates unusual behavior of the nucleon scalar density as a function of the distance r from the nucleon center. Namely, it would not be reduced down to zero at the spatial infinity but rather approach some nonzero constant corresponding to the vacuum quark condensate. Naturally, this unique nature of the nucleon scalar density in the position space also affects the corresponding density in the momentum space, i.e., the corresponding parton distribution function (PDF) as a function of the Bjorken variable x. This PDF is known as the chiral-odd twist-3 PDF e(x). We argue that e(x) is likely to have a delta-function-type singularity at x=0 and that the appearance of this singularity can be interpreted as a signal of the nontrivial vacuum structure of QCD.

Massive scalar clouds and black hole spacetimes in Gauss-Bonnet gravity

We study static black holes in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet (sGB) gravity with a massive scalar field as an example of higher curvature gravity. The scalar mass introduces an additional scale and leads to a strong suppression of the scalar field beyond its Compton wavelength. We numerically compute sGB black hole spacetimes and scalar configurations and also compare with perturbative results for small couplings, where we focus on a dilatonic coupling function. We analyze the constraints on the parameters from requiring the curvature singularity to be located inside the black hole horizon r_hrh and the relation to the regularity condition for the scalar field. For scalar field masses m r_h \gtrsim 10^{-1}mrh≳10−1, this leads to a new and currently most stringent bound on sGB coupling constant \alphaα of \alpha/r_h^2\sim 10^{-1}α/rh2∼10−1 in the context of stellar mass black holes. Lastly, we look at several properties of the black hole configurations relevant for further work on observational consequences, including the scalar monopole charge, Arnowitt–Deser–Misner mass, curvature invariants and the frequencies of the innermost stable circular orbit and light ring.

Nonlinear studies of modifications to general relativity: Comparing different approaches

Studying the dynamical, nonlinear regime of modified theories of gravity remains a theoretical challenge that limits our ability to test general relativity. Here we consider two generally applicable, but approximate, methods for treating modifications to full general relativity that have been used to study binary black hole mergers and other phenomena in this regime, and compare solutions obtained by them to those from solving the full equations of motion. The first method evolves corrections to general relativity order by order in a perturbative expansion, while the second method introduces extra dynamical fields in such a way that strong hyperbolicity is recovered. We use shift-symmetric Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity as a benchmark theory to illustrate the differences between these methods for several spacetimes of physical interest. We study the formation of scalar hair about initially nonspinning black holes, the collision of black holes with scalar charge, and the inspiral and merger of binary black holes. By directly comparing predictions, we assess the extent to which those from the approximate treatments can be meaningfully confronted with gravitational wave observations. We find that the order-by-order approach cannot faithfully track the solutions when the corrections to general relativity are non-negligible. The second approach, however, can provide consistent solutions, provided the timescale over which the dynamical fields are driven to their target values is made short compared to the physical timescales. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Worldtube excision method for intermediate-mass-ratio inspirals: Self-consistent evolution in a scalar-charge model

This is a third installment in a program to develop a method for alleviating the scale disparity in binary black hole simulations with mass ratios in the intermediate astrophysical range, where simulation cost is prohibitive while purely perturbative methods may not be adequate. The method is based on excising a “worldtube” around the smaller object, much larger than the object itself, replacing it with an analytical model that approximates a tidally deformed black hole. Previously [N. A. Wittek , Worldtube excision method for intermediate-mass-ratio inspirals: Scalar-field model in 3+1 dimensions, ] we have tested the idea in a toy model of a scalar charge in a fixed circular geodesic orbit around a Schwarzschild black hole, solving for the massless Klein-Gordon field in 3+1 dimensions on the p platform. Here we take the significant further step of allowing the orbit to evolve radiatively, in a self-consistent manner, under the effect of back-reaction from the scalar field. We compute the inspiral orbit and the emitted scalar-field waveform, showing a good agreement with perturbative calculations in the adiabatic approximation. We also demonstrate how our simulations accurately resolve postadiabatic effects (for which we do not have perturbative results). In this work we focus on quasicircular inspirals. Our implementation is publicly accessible in the p numerical relativity code. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Self-gravitating Higgs field of an asymmetric binary scalar charge

Self-gravitating Higgs field of an asymmetric binary scalar charge

Planar anisotropic CPT-odd systems: A field theoretical approach

The primary objective of this study is to introduce field-theoretical tools into the realm of physical properties within planar systems exhibiting possible anisotropic features. This goal is achieved by fitting a specific field-theoretical model to simulate the presence of such a system. The proposed approach enables the investigation of in-plane physical phenomena using analytic methods. Specifically, our focus is on phenomena related to stationary point-like field sources that can mimic defects in material layers. We employ a dimensional reduction procedure on the well-known Carroll–Field–Jackiw model to derive a planar theory. This theory includes an electromagnetic sector governed by Maxwell-Chern–Simons electrodynamics, a scalar sector described by a massless Klein–Gordon field, and a mixed sector where the background vector controls the interactions between the scalar and gauge fields. Across all sectors of this planar theory, we explore physical phenomena arising from interactions with external sources. Specifically, we analyze perturbative effects up to second order in the background vector, examining contributions from both electric and scalar planar charges as well as Dirac points.

Spherically symmetric configurations in the quadratic f(R) gravity

We study spherically symmetric configurations of the quadratic f(R) gravity [f(R)=R−R2/6μ2]. In the case of a purely gravitational system, we have fully investigated the global qualitative behavior of all static solutions satisfying the conditions of asymptotic flatness. These solutions are proved to be regular everywhere except for a naked singularity at the center; they are uniquely determined by the total mass M and the “scalar charge” Q characterizing the strength of the scalaron field at spatial infinity. The case Q=0 yields the Schwarzschild solution, but an arbitrarily small Q≠0 leads to the appearance of a central naked singularity having a significant effect on the neighboring region, even when the space-time metric in the outer region is practically insensitive to the scalaron field. Approximation procedures are developed to derive asymptotic relations near the naked singularity and at spatial infinity, and the leading terms of the solutions are presented. We have investigated the linear stability of the static solutions with respect to radial perturbations satisfying the null Dirichlet boundary condition at the center and numerically estimate the range of parameters corresponding to stable/unstable configurations. In particular, the configurations with sufficiently small Q turn out to be linearly unstable. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Timelike bound orbits and pericenter precession around black hole with conformally coupled scalar hair

We investigate the geodesic motions of timelike particles around a static hairy black hole with conformally coupled scalar field. We mainly focus on the effects of the scalar charge and electric charge on the marginally bound orbits (MBO), innermost stable circular orbits (ISCO) and on the precessing orbits around this black hole. Our results show that both the scalar and electric charges suppress the energy as well as the angular momentum of the particles in the bound orbits. Then, we study the relativistic periastron precessions of the particles and constrain the charge parameters by employing the observational result of the S2 star’s precession in SgrA*. It is found that the constraints on the charge parameters from S2 star’s motion are tighter than those from black hole shadow. Finally, we analyze the periodic motions of the particles and figure out samples of periodic orbits’ configurations around the hairy black hole.

Motion of particles around a magnetically charged Euler–Heisenberg black hole with scalar hair and the Event Horizon Telescope

We study the motion of uncharged particles and photons in the background of a magnetically charged Euler–Heisenberg (EH) black hole (BH) with scalar hair. The spacetime can be asymptotically (A)dS or flat. After investigating particle motions around the BH and the behavior of the effective potential of the particle radial motion, we determine the contribution of the BH parameters to the geodesics. Photons follow null geodesics of an effective geometry induced by the corrections of the EH non-linear electrodynamics. Thus, after determining the effective geometry, we calculate the shadow of the BH. We also analyze in detail the case of extremal BH spacetimes and we find that the radius of both the event horizon and shadow exhibits discontinuities when varying with respect to either the magnetic charge or the scalar charge. These extremal scenarios exist for sufficiently small values of the EH parameter, and imply the formation of a second photon ring around the BH shadow. Upon comparing the theoretically calculated BH shadow to the images of the shadows of M87* and Sgr A* observed by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, we impose constraints on the BH parameters, namely the scalar hair (ν\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ u $$\\end{document}), the magnetic charge (Qm\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$Q_{m}$$\\end{document}) and the EH parameter (α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha $$\\end{document}). For sufficiently large values of the EH parameter, our model is in agreement with the EHT observations for approximately every value for the BH magnetic charge.

Charge superradiance on charged BTZ black holes

We study superradiant scattering for a charged scalar field subject to Robin (mixed) boundary conditions on a charged BTZ black hole background. Scalar field modes having a real frequency do not exhibit superradiant scattering, independent of the boundary conditions applied. For scalar field modes with a complex frequency, no superradiant scattering occurs if the black hole is static. After exploring some regions of the parameter space, we provide evidence for the existence of superradiantly scattered modes with complex frequencies for a charged and rotating BTZ black hole. Most of the superradiantly scattered modes we find satisfy Robin (mixed) boundary conditions, but there are also superradiantly scattered modes with complex frequencies satisfying Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. We explore the effect of the black hole and scalar field charge on the outgoing energy flux of these superradiantly scattered modes, and also investigate their stability.

Biorthogonal Majorana zero modes, ELC waves and soliton-fermion duality in non-Hermitian sl(2) affine Toda coupled to fermions

We study a non-Hermitian (NH) sl(2) affine Toda model coupled to fermions through soliton theory techniques and the realizations of the pseudo-chiral and pseudo- Hermitian symmetries. The interplay of non-Hermiticity, integrability, nonlinearity, and topology significantly influence the formation and behavior of a continuum of bound state modes (CBM) and extended waves in the localized continuum (ELC). The non-Hermitian soliton-fermion duality, the complex scalar field topological charges and winding numbers in the spectral topology are uncovered. The biorthogonal Majorana zero modes, dual to the NH Toda solitons with topological charges 2πargz=±i=±1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\frac{2}{\\pi}\\arg \\left(z=\\pm i\\right)=\\pm 1 $$\\end{document}, appear at the complex-energy point gap and are pinned at zero energy. The zero eigenvalue λ(z = ± i) = 0, besides being a zero mode, plays the role of exceptional points (EPs), and each EP separates a real eigenvalue A\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{A} $$\\end{document}-symmetric and A\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{A} $$\\end{document}-symmetry broken regimes for an antilinear symmetry A∈PTγ5PT\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{A}\\in \\left\\{\\mathcal{PT},{\\gamma}_5\\mathcal{PT}\\right\\} $$\\end{document}. Our findings improve the understanding of exotic quantum states, but also paves the way for future research in harnessing non-Hermitian phenomena for topological quantum computation, as well as the exploration of integrability and NH solitons in the theory of topological phases of matter.

Constraining the chameleon-photon coupling with atomic spectroscopy

We compute bounds from atomic spectroscopy on chameleon fields that couple to the photon. Chameleons are a wide class of scalar field models that generically lead to screened fifth forces and a host of novel phenomenologies, particularly when the photon coupling is included. We account for perturbations to the atomic energy levels from both the scalar field ‘fifth force’ and the scalar field’s correction to the electric field. We also account for the electromagnetic interaction’s contribution to the scalar charge of the proton, which enables a considerably wider class of models to be tested than without this effect. We find bounds that cover different areas of chameleon parameter space. A range of models spanning approximately one order of magnitude in chameleon coupling parameters (around M,Mγ≈10−16MPl) are excluded for the first time. We also show that improvements to the theoretical uncertainty of hydrogen’s spectrum within the Standard Model would immediately rule out additional chameleon theory space by this analysis. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Detecting secondary spin with extreme mass ratio inspirals in scalar-tensor theory* *Supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2020YFC2201400), Yun-Gui Gong acknowledges the support by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2020YFC2201504), Chao Zhang was supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2023M742297), Brazilian agencies Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de

In this study, we investigate the detectability of the secondary spin in an extreme mass ratio inspiral (EMRI) system within a modified gravity model coupled with a scalar field. The central black hole, which reduces to a Kerr one, is circularly spiralled by a scalar-charged spinning secondary body on the equatorial plane. The analysis reveals that the presence of the scalar field amplifies the secondary spin effect, allowing for a lower limit of the detectability and an improved resolution of the secondary spin when the scalar charge is sufficiently large. Our findings suggest that secondary spin detection is more feasible when the primary mass is not large, and TianQin is the optimal choice for detection.

Hairy black holes and naked singularities of quartic quasi-topological gravity within the framework of logarithmic electrodynamics

We establish a new family of hairy black hole solutions of quartic quasi-topological gravity sourced by logarithmic electrodynamics and conformal scalar field. Here, we derive the metric function defining black hole structures and investigate the effects of electric charge, scalar hair, and dimensionality parameters on the location of the event horizon. The corresponding hairy black hole solution of the quartic quasi-topological gravity sourced by Maxwell field is also deduced in this setup. In addition, we also compute thermodynamic quantities for these objects such as temperature, entropy and heat capacity, and check the first law of thermodynamics. Furthermore, the impacts of scalar hair and electric charge on the divergences of heat capacity and extreme black hole’s horizon radius are also investigated. Finally, we also analyze thermodynamic stability and critical behavior of the resultant hairy black holes at the event horizon.

Turnaround Radius for charged particles in the Reissner–Nordström deSitter spacetime

We investigate the turnaround radius of the Reissner–Nordström deSitter Spacetime and how the turnaround radius changes if a test particle carries charge. We also consider the Martínez–Troncoso–Zanelli (MTZ) solution of conformally coupled gravity and investigate how the turnaround radius changes for a scalar test charge. In both scalar and electric interaction cases we find that the Turnaround Radius depends on the particle’s energy.

Self-gravitating Higgs field of scalar charge

Исследовано самогравитирующее хиггсово поле скалярного заряда. Показано, что в нулевом и первом приближениях по малости скалярного заряда гравитационное поле скалярного заряда описывается метрикой Шварцшильда-де Ситтера с космологической постоянной, определяемой вакуумным потенциалом хиггсова поля. Получено и исследовано уравнение на возмущение вакуумного потенциала. Приведены частные точные решения полевого уравнения. Показано, что в случае голой сингулярности решения полевого уравнения имеют характер микроскопических осцилляций с комптоновской длиной волны. Исследованы предельные асимптотические случаи поведения решений и проведен их сравнительный анализ по отношению к решению Фишера. Проведено усреднение микроскопических осцилляций скалярного поля и показано, что при $\Lambda>0$ они дают отрицательный вклад в макроскопическую энергию скалярного поля, уменьшая наблюдаемое значение массы черной дыры. Проведено компьютерное моделирование скалярного поля, демонстрирующее различные типы поведения решений.

Self-gravitating Higgs field of scalar charge

Self-gravitating Higgs field of scalar charge

Ringdowns for black holes with scalar hair: The large mass case

Deviations from general relativity can alter the quasinormal mode (QNM) ringdown of perturbed black holes. It is known that a shift-symmetric (hence massless) scalar can only introduce black hole hair if it couples to the Gauss-Bonnet invariant, in which case the scalar charge is fixed with respect to the black hole mass and controlled by the strength of that coupling. The charge per unit mass decreases with the mass and can, therefore, be used as a perturbative parameter for black holes that are sufficiently large with respect to the scale suppressing the deviation from general relativity or the Standard model. We construct an effective field theory scheme for QNMs using this perturbative parameter to capture deviations from Kerr for both the background and the perturbations. We demonstrate that up to second order in the charge per unit mass, QNMs can be calculated by solving standard linearized perturbation equations for the Kerr metric with sources depending on solutions of the same equations up to first order. It follows that corrections to the QNM frequencies are heavily suppressed for sufficiently massive black holes, meaning that LISA is very unlikely to detect any evidence of scalar hair in ringdown signals. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

The role of scalar current coupling along surfaces

In this paper we propose a coupling between the complex scalar field and an external Dirac delta-like planar potential. The coupling is achieved through the Klein–Gordon current normal to the plane where the potential is concentrated. The results are obtained exactly and exhibit many peculiarities. We show that a complex scalar charge does not interact with the potential, but the potential modifies the interaction between two scalar charges if they are placed on opposite sides of the planar potential. When the coupling constant between the potential and the field goes to infinity, the classical field solutions satisfy a kind of MIT boundary conditions along the plane where the potential is concentrated.

Measuring scalar charge with compact binaries: High accuracy modeling with self-force

Using the self-force approach, we present the premier first-post-adiabatic accuracy formalism for modeling compact binaries in theories with a massless scalar field nonminimally coupled to gravity. We limit the binary secondary to being a non-spinning compact body with no scalar dipole (we will address the spinning and scalar dipole cases in an upcoming paper). By producing an ansatz for the scalar charged point particle action, we derive first- and second-order perturbative field equations and equations of motion for the secondary compact object. Under our assumptions, implementing this formalism will produce sufficiently accurate waveform templates for precision measurements of the scalar charge of the secondary with LISA data on extreme-mass-ratio inspirals. Our formalism is consistent with almost general scalar-tensor theories of gravity. Implementing our formalism builds on self-force models in general relativity; we show the incorporation into the two-timescale formalism is straightforward. Excitingly, implementation poses no significantly more challenging barriers than computing first-post-adiabatic waveforms in general relativity. Published by the American Physical Society 2024