Scalar Matter Research Articles

Rosen-Morse potential and gravitating kinks

We show that in a special type of two-dimensional dilaton-gravity-scalar model, where both the dilaton and the scalar matter fields have noncanonical kinetic terms, it is possible to construct kink solutions whose linear perturbation equation is a Schrödinger-like equation with Rosen-Morse potential. For this potential, eigenvalues and wave functions of the bound states, if had any, can be derived by using the standard shape invariance procedure. Depending on the values of the parameters, the stability potential can be reflective or reflectionless. There can be an arbitrary number of shape modes, but the zero mode is always absent.

Strong Casimir-like Forces in Flocking Active Matter.

Confining in space the equilibrium fluctuations of statistical systems with long-range correlations is known to result into effective forces on the boundaries. Here we demonstrate the occurrence of Casimir-like forces in the nonequilibrium context provided by flocking active matter. In particular, we consider a system of aligning self-propelled particles in two spatial dimensions that are transversally confined by reflecting or partially reflecting walls. We show that in the ordered flocking phase this confined active vectorial fluid is characterized by extensive boundary layers, as opposed to the finite ones usually observed in confined scalar active matter. Moreover, a finite-size, fluctuation-induced contribution to the pressure on the wall emerges, which decays slowly and algebraically upon increasing the distance between the walls. We explain our findings-which display a certain degree of universality-within a hydrodynamic description of the density and velocity fields.

Colloquium : Inclusions, boundaries, and disorder in scalar active matter

<i>Colloquium</i> : Inclusions, boundaries, and disorder in scalar active matter

Gauge-invariant quantum fields

Gauge-invariant quantum fields are constructed in an Abelian power-counting renormalizable gauge theory with both scalar, vector and fermionic matter content. This extends previous results already obtained for the gauge-invariant description of the Higgs mode via a propagating gauge-invariant field. The renormalization of the model is studied in the Algebraic Renormalization approach. The decomposition of Slavnov–Taylor identities into separately invariant sectors is analyzed. We also comment on some non-renormalizable extensions of the model whose 1-PI Green’s functions are the flows of certain differential equations of the homogeneous Euler type, exactly resumming the dependence on a certain set of dim. 6 and dim. 8 derivative operators. The latter are identified uniquely by the condition that they span the mass and kinetic terms in the gauge-invariant dynamical fields. The construction can be extended to non-Abelian gauge groups.

Stability analysis of the cosmological dynamics of O(D, D)-complete stringy gravity

The massless fields in the universal NS-NS sector of string theory form O(D, D) multiplets of Double Field Theory, which is a theory that provides a T-duality covariant formulation of supergravity, leading to a stringy modification of General Relativity. In this framework, it is possible to write down the extensions of the Einstein field equations and the Friedmann equations in such a way that the coupling of gravitational and matter sectors is dictated by the O(D, D) symmetry universally. In this paper, we obtain the autonomous form of the O(D, D)-complete Friedmann equations, find the critical points and perform their stability analysis. We also include the phase portraits of the system. Cosmologically interesting cases of scalar field, radiation, and matter are separately considered and compared with the Chameleon models in a similar setting. Accelerating phases and the conditions for their existence are also given for such cases.

What can abelian gauge theories teach us about kinematic algebras?

The phenomenon of BCJ duality implies that gauge theories possess an abstract kinematic algebra, mirroring the non-abelian Lie algebra underlying the colour information. Although the nature of the kinematic algebra is known in certain cases, a full understanding is missing for arbitrary non-abelian gauge theories, such that one typically works outwards from well-known examples. In this paper, we pursue an orthogonal approach, and argue that simpler abelian gauge theories can be used as a testing ground for clarifying our understanding of kinematic algebras. We first describe how classes of abelian gauge fields are associated with well-defined subalgebras of the diffeomorphism algebra. By considering certain special subalgebras, we show that one may construct interacting theories, whose kinematic algebras are inherited from those already appearing in a related abelian theory. Known properties of (anti-)self-dual Yang-Mills theory arise in this way, but so do new generalisations, including self-dual electromagnetism coupled to scalar matter. Furthermore, a recently obtained non-abelian generalisation of the Navier-Stokes equation fits into a similar scheme, as does Chern-Simons theory. Our results provide useful input to further conceptual studies of kinematic algebras.

An introduction to phase ordering in scalar active matter

AbstractThese notes provide an introduction to phase ordering in dry, scalar active matter. We first briefly review Model A and Model B, the long-standing continuum descriptions of ordering in systems with a non-conserved and conserved scalar order parameter. We then contrast different ways in which the field theories can be extended so that the phase ordering persists, but in systems that are active and do not reach thermodynamic equilibrium. The active models allow a wide range of dynamical steady states not seen in their passive counterparts. These include microphase separation, active foams and travelling density bands.

Gravitating kinks with asymptotically flat metrics

In this work, we consider a two-dimensional (2D) dilaton gravity model where the dilaton kinetic term is modified by an additional derivative coupling term . In the case with a canonical scalar matter field, the field equations of this model have a simple first-order formalism, from which exact static kink solutions can be constructed. The novelty of these solutions is that the corresponding metric can be asymptotically flat rather than asymptotically anti-de Sitter. The linear stability and the localization of scalar matter fields are also studied. It was found that the solutions are stable against small linear perturbations, and the localization of scalar matter fields can be realized by introducing scalar-kink interactions.

On metric-affine bumblebee model coupled to scalar matter

We consider the coupling of the metric-affine bumblebee gravity model to scalar matter and calculate the lower-order contributions to two-point functions of bumblebee and scalar fields in the weak gravity approximation. We also obtain the one-loop effective potentials for both scalar and vector fields.

Quantum electrodynamics mediated by a photon with continuous spin

In recent work with Zhou, we studied classical interactions of matter with a “continuous spin” field, whose excitations have zero mass but nonzero spin Casimir (spin scale) ρ. We reported evidence that such theories are a calculable infrared deformation of familiar massless theories including electromagnetism. Building on the aforementioned work, this paper presents rules for computing scattering amplitudes involving charged scalar matter and continuous spin photons with nonzero spin scale. As a concrete example, we compute the pair annihilation and Compton scattering amplitudes in this theory and comment on their physical properties, including unitarity and scaling behavior at small and large ρ. Like the classical physics and soft factors studied in prior work, these amplitudes exhibit “helicity correspondence,” recovering familiar amplitudes at energy scales ≫ρ, but with calculable deviations that could be experimentally tested. These results bolster the conjecture that continuous spin particles with a very small ρ could mediate long-range forces in nature (e.g., the photon could be a continuous spin particle), and extend the range of physical effects that could be used to test this hypothesis. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Singular space-times with bounded algebraic curvature scalars

We show that the absence of unbounded algebraic curvature invariants constructed from polynomials of the Riemann tensor cannot guarantee the absence of strong singularities. As a consequence, it is not sufficient to rely solely on the analysis of such scalars to assess the regularity of a given space-time. This conclusion follows from the analysis of incomplete geodesics within the internal region of asymmetric wormholes supported by scalar matter which arise in two distinct metric-affine gravity theories. These wormholes have bounded algebraic curvature scalars everywhere, which highlights that their finiteness does not prevent the emergence of pathologies (singularities) in the geodesic structure of space-time. By analyzing the tidal forces in the internal wormhole region, we find that the angular components are unbounded along incomplete radial time-like geodesics. The strength of the singularity is determined by the evolution of Jacobi fields along such geodesics, finding that it is of strong type, as volume elements are torn apart as the singularity is approached. Lastly, and for completeness, we consider the wormhole of the quadratic Palatini theory and present an analysis of the tidal forces in the entire space-time.

Anti-Instability of Complex Ghost

Abstract We argue that Lee–Wick’s complex ghost appearing in any higher derivative theory is stable and its asymptotic field exists. It may be more appropriate to call it “anti-unstable”, in the sense that the more the ghost "decays" into lighter ordinary particles, the larger the probability that the ghost remains as itself becomes. This is explicitly shown by analyzing the two-point functions of the ghost Heisenberg field which is obtained as an exact result in the N → ∞ limit in a massive scalar ghost theory with light O(N)-vector scalar matter. The anti-instability is a consequence of the fact that the poles of the complex ghost propagator are located on the physical sheet in the complex plane of four-momentum squared. This should be contrasted with the case of the ordinary unstable particle, whose propagator has no pole on the physical sheet.

Dark sector of a Higgs portal with Q4 symmetric matter

We describe the phenomenology of the scalar and dark matter sectors of a BSM theory with Q4 symmetry among the SM fermions. The model features a Higgs portal to a dark sector comprised of heavy right handed neutrinos. We discuss relic abundance as well as direct detection constraints on the DM candidate.

Dynamic control of the Bose–Einstein-like condensation transition in scalar active matter

The dynamics of a generic class of scalar active matter exhibiting a diffusivity edge is studied in a confining potential where the amplitude is governed by a time-dependent protocol. For such non-equilibrium systems, the diffusion coefficient vanishes when the single-particle density field reaches a critical threshold, inducing a condensation transition that is formally akin to Bose–Einstein condensation. We show that this transition arises even for systems that do not reach a steady state, leading to condensation in finite time. Since the transition can be induced for a fixed effective temperature by evolving the system, we effectively show that the temporal coordinate constitutes an alternative control parameter to tune the transition characteristics. For a constant-amplitude protocol, our generalised thermodynamics reduces in the steady-state limit to earlier results. Lastly, we show numerically that for periodic modulation of the potential amplitude, the condensation transition is reentrant.

Localization of scalar matter with nonminimal derivative coupling on braneworlds

The localization of scalar matter with nonminimal derivative coupling (NMDC) in the braneworld model is studied. Two types of brane models are considered: a thin brane (the Modified Randall-Sundrum) and a thick brane generated by the bulk scalar field. The 5-dimensional theory of scalar field with NMDC is reduced to the effective 4-dimensional theory by imposing the fulfillment of localization conditions. In this article, the localization properties of field with NMDC are examined in both models. We found that the massless and massive scalar field with NMDC can be localized on the MRS thin brane. In the thick brane, the massless scalar field is localized.

Nematic Torques in Scalar Active Matter: When Fluctuations Favor Polar Order and Persistence.

We study the impact of nematic alignment on scalar active matter in the disordered phase. We show that nematic torques control the emergent physics of particles interacting via pairwise forces and can either induce or prevent phase separation. The underlying mechanism is a fluctuation-induced renormalization of the mass of the polar field that generically arises from nematic torques. The correlations between the fluctuations of the polar and nematic fields indeed conspire to increase the particle persistence length, contrary to what phenomenological computations predict. This effect is generic and our theory also quantitatively accounts for how nematic torques enhance particle accumulation along confining boundaries and opposes demixing in mixtures of active and passive particles.

Kink solutions in generalized 2D dilaton gravity

We study static kink solutions in a generalized two-dimensional dilaton gravity model, where the kinetic term of the dilaton is generalized to be an arbitrary function of the canonical one X=−12(∇φ)2, say F(X), and the kink is generated by a canonical scalar matter field ϕ. It is found that for arbitrary F(X), the background field equations have a simple first-order formalism, and the linear perturbation equation can always be written as a Schrödinger-like equation with factorizable Hamiltonian operator. After choosing appropriate F(X) and superpotential, we obtain a sine-Gordon type kink solution with pure AdS2 metric. The linear perturbation issue of this solution becomes an exactly solvable conformal quantum mechanics problem, if one of the model parameter takes a critical value.

Capillary action and stationary currents in scalar active matter

Active matter consists of particles (motile microorganism or active colloids) that consume nutrients or fuel and convert it into a persistent motion, has received a lot of attention due to its intrinsic out-of-equilibrium character on the microscale [1]. The simplest representatives of active matter are spherically symmetric, active Brownian particles (ABPs) [2] without alignment, however, with excluded volume interactions [3,4].

Scale invariant Einstein-Cartan gravity and flat space conformal symmetry

We find the conditions under which scale-invariant Einstein-Cartan gravity with scalar matter fields leads to an approximate conformal invariance of the flat space particle theory up to energies of the order of the Planck mass. In the minimal setup, these models, in addition to the fields of the Standard Model and the graviton, contain only one extra particle — a massless dilaton. Theories of this type can pave the way for a self-completion all the way up the Planck scale and lead to rather universal inflationary predictions, close to those of the simplest Higgs-inflation scenario in the metric theory of gravity.

Just some simple (but nontrivial) analytical solutions for de Broglie–Bohm quantum cosmology

In this work, we provide some simple analytical solutions to the Wheeler–DeWitt equation for the minisuperspace applied to de Broglie–Bohm quantum cosmology for particular potentials of a scalar matter field ϕ. One solution describes a constantly rolling scalar field with a quadratic potential plus a negative cosmological constant. The scale factor is given by a Gaussian function. The other solution describes a flat Minkowski universe with the potential of a hilltop form.