Stringy Effects Research Articles

A late-accelerating universe with no dark energy—and a finite-temperature bigbang

Brane-world models offer the possibility of explaining the late acceleration of the universevia infra-red modifications to general relativity, rather than a dark energy field.However, one also expects ultra-violet modifications to general relativity, whenhigh-energy stringy effects in the early universe begin to grow. We generalize the DGPbrane-world model via an ultra-violet modification, in the form of a Gauss–Bonnet termin the bulk action. The combination of infra-red and ultra-violet modificationsproduces an intriguing cosmology. The DGP feature of late-time accelerationwithout dark energy is preserved, but there is an entirely new feature—there isno infinite-temperature big bang in the early universe. The universe starts withfinite density and pressure, from a ‘quiet’ and ‘sudden’ curvature singularity.

Sitting on the domain Walls of Script N = 1 super Yang-Mills

In pure N=1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills with gauge group SU(N), the domain walls which separate the N vacua have been argued, on the basis of string theory realizations, to be D-branes for the confining string. In a certain limit, this means that a configuration of k parallel domain walls is described by a 2+1-dimensional U(k) gauge theory. This theory has been identified by Acharya and Vafa as the U(k) gauge theory with 4 supercharges broken by a Chern-Simons term of level N in such a way that 2 supercharges are preserved. We argue further that the gauge coupling of the domain wall gauge theory goes like g^2 ~ Lambda/N, for large N. In the case of two domain walls, we show that the U(2) world-volume theory generates a quadratic potential on the Coulomb branch at two loops in perturbation theory which is consistent with there being a supersymmetric bound state of the two wall system. A mass gap of order Lambda/N is generated around the supersymmetric minimum and we estimate the size of the bound-state to be order Lambda/ \sqrt N. At large distance the potential reaches a constant that can qualitatively account for the binding energy of the two walls even though stringy effects are not, strictly speaking, decoupled.

D-brane dynamics near compactified NS5-branes

We examine the dynamics of a $Dp$-brane in the background of $k$ coincident, parallel $NS$5-branes which have had one of their common transverse directions compactified. We find that for small energy, bound orbits can exist at sufficiently large distances where there will be no stringy effects. The orbits are dependent upon the energy density, angular momentum and electric field. The analysis breaks down at radial distances comparable with the compactification radius and we must resort to using a modified form of the harmonic function in this region.

Radion stabilization by stringy effects in general relativity

We consider the effects of a gas of closed strings (treated quantum mechanically) on a background where one dimension is compactified on a circle. After we address the effects of a time-dependent background on aspects of the string spectrum that concern us, we derive the energy-momentum tensor for a string gas and investigate the resulting space-time dynamics. We show that a variety of trajectories are possible for the radius of the compactified dimension, depending on the nature of the string gas, including a demonstration within the context of general relativity (i.e. without a dilaton) of a solution where the radius of the extra dimension oscillates about the self-dual radius, without invoking matter that violates the various energy conditions. In particular, we find that in the case where the string gas is in thermal equilibrium, the radius of the compactified dimension dynamically stabilizes at the self-dual radius, after which a period of usual Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmology of the three uncompactified dimensions can set in. We show that our radion stabilization mechanism requires a stringy realization of inflation as scalar field driven inflation invalidates our mechanism. We also show that our stabilization mechanism is consistent with observational bounds.

A Stringy Cloak for a Classical Singularity

We consider a class of 4D supersymmetric black hole solutions, arising from string theory compactifications, which classically have vanishing horizon area and singular space-time geometry. String theory motivates the inclusion of higher derivative terms, which convert these singular classical solutions into regular black holes with finite horizon area. In particular, the supersymmetric attractor equations imply that the central charge, which determines the radius of the AdS2 × S2 near horizon geometry, acquires a non-vanishing value due to quantum effects. In this case quantum corrections to the Bekenstein-Hawking relation between entropy and area are large. This is the first explicit example where stringy quantum gravity effects replace a classical null singularity by a black hole with finite horizon area.

Chronology Protection in String Theory

Many solutions of General Relativity appear to allow the possibility of time travel. This was initially a fascinating discovery, but geometries of this type violate causality, a basic physical law which is believed to be fundamental. Although string theory is a proposed fundamental theory of quantum gravity, geometries with closed timelike curves have resurfaced as solutions to its low energy equations of motion. In this paper, we will study the class of solutions to low energy effective supergravity theories related to the BMPV black hole and the rotating Wave--D1--D5--brane system. Time travel appears to be possible in these geometries. We will attempt to build the causality violating regions and propose that stringy effects prohibit their construction. We will show how the geometry is corrected and that, once corrected, causality is preserved. We will track our chronology protection proposal in the dual conformal field theory. The absence of closed timelike curves in the geometry coincides with the preservation of unitarity in the conformal field theory. The agent of chronology protection for the geometries studied here mirrors the enhancon mechanism, a mechanism string theory employs to resolve a class of naked singularities.

Stringy profiles of gauge field tadpoles near orbifold singularities: II. field theoretical implications

Recent work has provided a direct string calculation of the internal coordinate dependence of gauge field tadpoles on the orbifold C^3/Z_3. We investigate the structure of these profiles in momentum and coordinate space representations using both analytical and numerical methods. The twisted states are determined to be localized within a few string lengths of the singularity. This provides an example of how delta-like singularities, which are typical for field theories on orbifolds, are avoided in string theory. A systematic expansion of the full string result allows us to speculate on how the leading stringy effects can be incorporated in a field theoretical description. In one heterotic model, we find that even though tachyons are not present in the physical spectrum, they totally dominate the tadpole profile in the vicinity of the fixed point.

Can MAP and Planck map Planck physics?

We investigate whether a recently proposed modulation of the power spectrum of primordial density fluctuations generated through transplankian (maybe stringy) effects during inflation can be observed. We briefly review the mechanism leading to the modulation and apply it to a generic slow-roll scenario of inflation. We then investigate how these primordial modulation effects leave an imprint in the cosmic microwave background radiation. Our conclusions are that for favourable parameter values already the presently flying MAP satellite will have a chance to detect such transplanckian oscillations in the pattern of temperature fluctuations on the sky, and that the upcoming Planck satellite will either detect them or put stringent limits related to the mass scale where the new effects appear.

String universality

If there is a single underlying "theory of everything" which in some limits of its "moduli space" reduces to the five weakly coupled string theories in 10D, and 11D SUGRA, then it is possible that all six of them have some common domain of validity and that they are in the same universality class, in the sense that the 4D low energy physics of the different theories is the same. We call this notion String Universality. This suggests that the true vacuum of string theory is in a region of moduli space equally far (in some sense) from all perturbative theories, most likely around the self-dual point with respect to duality symmetries connecting them. We estimate stringy non-perturbative effects from wrapped brane instantons in each perturbative theory, show how they are related by dualities, and argue that they are likely to lead to moduli stabilization only around the self-dual point. We argue that moduli stabilization should occur near the string scale, and SUSY breaking should occur at a much lower intermediate scale, and that it originates from different sources. We discuss the problems of moduli stabilization and SUSY breaking in currently popular scenarios, explain why these problems are generic, and discuss how our scenario can evade them. We show that String Universality is not inconsistent with phenomenology but that it is in conflict with some popular versions of brane world scenarios.

Space/time non-commutativity and causality

Field theories based on non-commutative spacetimes exhibit very distinctive non-local effects which mix the ultraviolet with the infrared in bizarre ways. In particular if the time coordinate is involved in the non-commutativity the theory seems to be seriously acausal and inconsistent with conventional hamiltonian evolution. To illustrate these effects we study the scattering of wave packets in a field theory with space/time non-commutativity. In this theory we find effects which seem to precede their causes and rigid rods which grow instead of Lorentz contract as they are boosted. These field theories are evidently inconsistent and violate causality and unitarity. On the other hand open string theory in a background electric field is expected to exhibit space/time non-commutativity. This raises the question of whether they also lead to acausal behavior. We show that this is not the case. Stringy effects conspire to cancel the acausal effects that are present for the non-commutative field theory.

String Theory and the Space-Time Uncertainty Principle

The notion of a space-time uncertainty principle in string theory is clarified and further developed. The motivation and the derivation of the principle are first reviewed in a reasonably self-contained way. It is then shown that the nonperturbative (Borel summed) high-energy and high-momentum transfer behavior of string scattering is consistent with the space-time uncertainty principle. It is also shown that, in consequence of the principle, string theories in 10 dimensions generically exhibit a characteristic length scale which is equal to the well-known 11 dimensional Planck length $g_s^{1/3}\ell_s$ of M-theory as the scale at which stringy effects take over the effects of classical supergravity, even without involving D-branes directly. The meanings of the space-time uncertainty relation in connection with D-branes and black holes are discussed and reinterpreted. Finally, we present a novel interpretation of the Schild-gauge action for strings from a viewpoint of noncommutative geometry, which conforms to the space-time uncertainty relation by manifestly exhibiting a noncommutativity of quantized string coordinates dominantly between space and time. We also discuss the consistency of the space-time uncertainty relation with S and T dualities.

Comments on D-instantons in c

We suggest that the boundary cosmological constant ζ in c<1 unitary string theory be regarded as the one-dimensional complex coordinate of the target space on which the boundaries of world-sheets can live. From this viewpoint we explicitly construct analogues of D-instantons which satisfy Polchinski's “combinatorics of boundaries.” We further show that our operator formalism developed in the preceding articles is powerful in evaluating D-instanton effects, and also demonstrate for simple cases that these effects exactly coincide with the stringy nonperturbative effects found in the exact solutions of string equations.

The deformed two-dimensional black hole

A deformation of the wave equation on a two-dimensional black hole is considered as a toy-model for possible gravitational or stringy nonlocal effects. The deformed wave-equation allows for an initial-value problem despite being nonlocal. The singularity present in the classical geometry is resolved by the deformation, so that propagation of a wave-packet can be continued through the classically singular region, ultimately reaching another asymptotically “flat” region.

Predictions from an anomalous U(1) model of Yukawa hierarchies

We present a supersymmetric standard model with three gauged Abelian symmetries, of a type commonly found in superstrings. One is anomalous, the other two are $E_6$ family symmetries. It has a vacuum in which only these symmetries are broken by stringy effects. It reproduces all observed quark and charged lepton Yukawa hierarchies, and the value of the Weinberg angle. It predicts three massive neutrinos, with mixing that can explain both the small angle MSW effect, and the atmospheric neutrino anomaly. The Cabibbo angle is expressed in terms of the gauge couplings at unification. It conserves R-parity, and proton decay is close to experimental bounds.

Duality, compactification, and [formula omitted] effects in the heterotic string theory

Two classes of stringy instanton effects, stronger than standard field theory instantons, are identified in the heterotic string theory. These contributions are established using type IIA/heterotic and type I/heterotic dualities. They provide examples for the heterotic case of the effects predicted by Shenker based on the large-order behavior of perturbation theory. The corrections vanish as the radius of the compactification goes to infinity. For appropriate amplitudes, they are computable worldsheet or worldline instanton effects on the dual side. Some potential applications are discussed.

Quantum moduli spaces of N=1 string theories.

Generically, string models with $N=1$ supersymmetry are not expected to have moduli beyond perturbation theory; stringy nonperturbative effects as well as low energy field-theoretic phenomena such as gluino condensation will lift any flat directions. In this work, we describe models where some subspace of the moduli space survives nonperturbatively. Discrete $R$ symmetries forbid any inherently stringy effects, and dynamical considerations control the field-theoretic effects. The surviving subspace is a space of high symmetry; the system is attracted to this subspace by a potential which we compute. Models of this type may be useful for considerations of duality and raise troubling cosmological questions about string theory. Our considerations also suggest a mechanism for fixing the expectation value of the dilaton.

Supersymmetry and dualities

Duality transformations with respect to rotational isometries relate supersymmetric with non-supersymmetric backgrounds in string theory. We find that non-local world-sheet effects have to be taken into account in order to restore supersymmetry at the string level. The underlying superconformal algebra remains the same, but in this case T-duality relates local with non-local realizations of the algebra in terms of parafermions. This is another example where stringy effects resolve paradoxes of the effective field theory. (Contribution to the proceedings of the Trieste conference on S-Duality and Mirror Symmetry; to appear in Nucl Phys B Proc Suppl)

EXTREMAL BLACK HOLES AND ELEMENTARY STRING STATES

Some of the extremal black hole solutions in string theory have the same quantum numbers as the Bogomol’nyi saturated elementary string states. We explore the possibility that these black holes can be identified with elementary string excitations. It is shown that stringy effects could correct the Bekenstein-Hawking formula for the black hole entropy in such a way that it correctly reproduces the logarithm of the density of elementary string states. In particular, this entropy has the correct dependence on three independent parameters, the mass and the left-handed charge of the black hole, and the string coupling constant.

Exact results for N = 2 compactifications of heterotic strings

We search for N = 2, d = 4 theories which can be realized both as heterotic string compactifications on K3 × T 2 and as type II string compactifications on Calabi-Yau threefolds. In such cases, the exact non-perturbative superpotential of one string theory is given in terms of tree level computations in the other string theory. In particular we find concrete examples which provide the stringy realization of the results of Seiberg and Witten on N = 2 Yang-Mills theory, corrected by gravitational/ stringy effects. We also discuss some examples which shed light on how the moduli spaces of different N = 2 heterotic vacua are connected.

Combinatorics of boundaries in string theory.

We investigate the possibility that stringy nonperturbative effects appear as holes in the world sheet. We focus on the case of Dirichlet string theory, which we argue should be formulated rather differently than in previous work, and we find that the effects of boundaries are naturally weighted by ${\mathit{e}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{O}(1/{\mathit{g}}_{\mathrm{st}})}$.