Solitons with isospin

We study the symmetries of the soliton spectrum of a pair of T-dual integrable models, invariant under global SL(2)(q) circle times U(1) transformations. They represent an integrable perturbation of the reduced Gepner parafermions, based on certain gauged SL(3)-WZW model. Their (semiclassical) topological soliton solutions, carrying isospin and belonging to the root of unity representations of q-deformed SU(2)(q)-algebra are obtained. We derive the semiclassical particle spectrum of these models, which is further used to prove their T-duality properties. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

Infrared degrees of freedom of Yang-Mills theory in the Schrodinger representation

We set up a new calculational framework for the Yang-Mills vacuum transition amplitude in the Schrodinger representation. After integrating out hard-mode contributions perturbatively and performing a gauge-invariant gradient expansion of the ensuing soft-mode action, a manageable saddle-point expansion for the vacuum overlap can be formulated. In combination with the squeezed approximation to the vacuum wave functional this allows for an essentially analytical treatment of physical amplitudes. Moreover, it leads to the identification of dominant and gauge-invariant classes of gauge field orbits which play the role of gluonic infrared (IR) degrees of freedom. The latter emerge as a diverse set of saddle-point solutions and are represented by unitary matrix fields. We discuss their scale stability, the associated virial theorem and other general properties including topological quantum numbers and action bounds. We then find important saddle-point solutions (most of them solitons) explicitly and examine their physical impact. While some are related to tunneling solutions of the classical Yang-Mills equation, i.e. to instantons and merons, others appear to play unprecedented roles. A remarkable new class of IR degrees of freedom consists of Faddeev-Niemi type link and knot solutions, potentially related to glueballs.

T-duality in 2D integrable models

The non-conformal analogue of Abelian T-duality transformations relating pairs of axial and vector integrable models from the non-Abelian affine Toda family is constructed and studied in detail.

Covariant multiloop superstring amplitudes

In this article, the multiloop amplitude prescription using the super-Poincare invariant pure spinor formalism for the superstring is reviewed. Unlike the RNS prescription, there is no sum over spin structures and surface terms coming from the boundary of moduli space can be ignored. Massless N-point multiloop amplitudes vanish for N < 4, which implies (with two mild assumptions) the perturbative finiteness of superstring theory. Also, R-4 terms receive no multiloop contributions in agreement with the Type IIB S-duality conjecture of Green and Gutperle. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier SAS on behalf of Academie des sciences.

Observing an invisible Higgs boson

Given its weak coupling to bottom quarks and tau leptons, the Higgs boson may predominantly decay into invisible particles like gravitinos, neutralinos, or gravitons. We consider the manifestation of such an invisibly decaying Higgs boson in weak boson fusion at the CERN LHC. Distinctive kinematic distributions of the two quark jets of the signal as compared to Zjj and Wjj backgrounds allow to restrict the Higgs branching ratio to 'invisible' final states to some 13% with 10 fb(-1) of data, provided events with two energetic forward jets of high dijet invariant mass and with substantial missing transverse momentum can be triggered efficiently. It is also possible to discover these particles with masses up to 480 GeV in weak boson fusion, at the 5 sigma level, provided their invisible branching ratio is close to 100%. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

One loop conformal invariance of the superstring in an AdS(5) x S-5 background

It is proven that the pure spinor superstring in an AdS(5) x S-5 background remains conformally invariant at one loop level in the sigma model perturbation theory.

Search for particles decaying into a Z boson and a photon in p(p)over-bar collisions at root s=1.96 TeV

We present the results of a search for a new particle X produced in p (p) over bar collisions at root s- = 1.96 TeV and subsequently decaying to Z gamma. The search uses 0.3 fb(-1) of data collected with the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We set limits on the production cross section times the branching fraction sigma(p (p) over bar -> X) x B(X -> Z gamma) that range from 0.4 to 3.5 pb at the 95% C.L. for X with invariant masses between 100 and 1000 GeV/c(2), over a wide range of X decay widths. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lorentz-violating dilatations in momentum space and some extensions on nonlinear actions of Lorentz-algebra-preserving systems

We work on some general extensions of the formalism for theories which preserve the relativity of inertial frames with a nonlinear action of the Lorentz transformations on momentum space. Relativistic particle models invariant under the corresponding deformed symmetries are presented with particular emphasis on deformed dilatation transformations. The algebraic transformations relating the deformed symmetries with the usual (undeformed) ones are provided in order to preserve the Lorentz algebra. Two distinct cases are considered: a deformed dilatation transformation with a spacelike preferred direction and a very special relativity embedding with a lightlike preferred direction. In both analysis we consider the possibility of introducing quantum deformations of the corresponding symmetries such that the spacetime coordinates can be reconstructed and the particular form of the real space-momentum commutator remains covariant. Eventually feasible experiments, for which the nonlinear Lorentz dilatation effects here pointed out may be detectable, are suggested.

Quantization of the superstring in Ramond-Ramond backgrounds

Sigma model actions are constructed for the type II superstring compactified to four-and six-dimensional curved backgrounds which can contain non-vanishing Ramond-Ramond fields. These actions are N = 2 worldsheet superconformally invariant and can be covariantly quantized preserving manifest spacetime supersymmetry. They are constructed using a hybrid Version of superstring variables which combines features of the Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz and Green-Schwarz formalisms. For the AdS(2) x S-2 and AdS(3) x S-3 backgrounds, these actions differ from the classical Green-Schwarz actions by a crucial kinetic term for the fermions. Parts of this work have been done in collaborations with M Bershadsky, T Hauer, W Siegel, C Vafa, E Witten, S Zhukov and B Zwiebach.

Gauge invariance, color-octet vector resonances and double technieta production at the Tevatron

We show that the usual vector meson dominance method does not apply directly to the mixing of a color-octet vector boson (color-octet technirho) with the gluon because of gauge invariance. We propose a gauge invariant method where one works in a physical basis with mass eigenstate fields, As a result, we show that the physical technirho does not couple to two gluons, contrary to the general belief, Consequences for the production of a pair of color-octet, isosinglet technipions (technietas) at Fermilab is analyzed by means of a simulation of the signal and background, including kinematical cuts. We find that the signal is too small to be observed. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier B.V. B.V.

Pion structure in the instanton liquid model

The covariant quark model of the pion based on the effective nonlocal quark-hadron Lagrangian involving nonlocality induced by instanton fluctuations of the QCD vacuum is reviewed. Explicit gauge invariant formalism allows us to construct the conserved vector and axial currents and to demonstrate their consistency with the Ward-Takahashi identities and low-energy theorems. The spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry results in the dynamic quark mass and the vertex of the quark-pion interaction, both momentum-dependent. The parameters of the instanton vacuum, the average size of the instantons, and the effective quark mass are expressed in terms of the vacuum expectation values of the lowest dimension quark-gluon operators and low-energy pion observables. The transition pion form factor for the processes gamma*gamma --> pi (0) and gamma*gamma* --> pi (0) is analyzed in detail. The kinematic dependence of the transition form factor at high momentum transfers allows one to determine the relationship between the light-cone amplitude of the quark distribution in the pion and the quark-pion vertex function. Its dynamic dependence implies that the transition form factor gamma*gamma --> pi (0) at high momentum transfers is acutely sensitive to the size of the nonlocality of nonperturbative fluctuations in the QCD vacuum. In the leading twist, the distribution amplitude and the distribution function of the valence quarks in the pion are calculated at a low normalization point of the order of the inverse average instanton size rho (-1)(c). The QCD results are evolved to higher momentum transfers and are in reasonable agreement with available experimental data on the pion structure.

Trilepton signal for supersymmetry at the Fermilab Tevatron reexamined

Within a wide class of models, the CERN LEP2 lower limit of 95 GeV on the chargino mass implies gluinos are heavier than similar to 300 GeV. In this case electroweak (W) over tilde(1)(W) over tilde(1) production and (W) over tilde(1)(Z) over tilde(2) production are the dominant supersymmerry (SUSY) processes at the Fermilab Tevatron, and the extensively examined isolated trilepton signal From (W) over tilde(1)(Z) over tilde(2) production assumes an even greater importance. We update our previous calculations of the SUSY reach of luminosity upgrades of the Fermilab Tevatron in this channel incorporating (i) decay matrix elements in the computation of the momenta of leptons from chargino and neutralino decays, (ii) the trilepton background from W*Z* and W*gamma* production which, though neglected in previous analyses, turns out to be the dominant background, and finally, (iii) modified sets of cuts designed to reduce these new backgrounds and increase the range of model parameters for which the signal is observable. We show our improved projections for the reach for SUSY of both the Fermilab Main Injector and the proposed TeV33 upgrade. We also present opposite sign same flavor dilepton invariant mass distributions as well as the p(T) distributions of leptons in SUSY trilepton events, and comment upon how the inclusion of decay matrix elements impacts upon the Tevatron reach, as well as upon the extraction of neutralino masses.

Ultra peripheral heavy ion collisions and the energy dependence of the nuclear radius

To estimate realistic cross sections in ultra peripheral heavy ion collisions we must remove effects of strong absorption. One method to eliminate these effects make use of a Glauber model calculation, where the nucleon-nucleon energy dependent cross sections at small impact parameter are suppressed. In another method we impose a geometrical cut on the minimal impact parameter of the nuclear collision ((b)min > R-1 + R-2, where R-i is the radius of ion 'i'). In this last case the effect of a possible nuclear radius dependence with the energy has not been considered in detail up to now. Here we introduce this effect showing that for final states with small invariant mass the effect is negligible. However when the final state has a relatively large invariant mass, e.g., an intermediate mass Higgs boson, the cross section can decrease up to 50%. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Spacetime algebraic skeleton

The cosmological constant is shown to have an algebraic meaning: it is essentially an eigenvalue of a Casimir invariant of the Lorentz group acting on the spaces tangent to every spacetime. This is found in the context of de Sitter spacetimes, for which the Einstein equation is a relation between operators. Nevertheless, the result brings, to the foreground the skeleton algebraic structure underlying the geometry of general physical spacetimes. which differ from one another by the fleshening of that structure by different tetrad fields.

QCD vacuum topology and glueballs

We outline a comprehensive study of spin-0 glueball properties which, in particular, keeps track of the topological gluon structure. Specifically, we implement (semi-hard) topological instanton physics as well as topological charge screening in the QCD vacuum into the operator product expansion (OPE) of the glueball correlators. A realistic instanton size distribution and the (gauge-invariant) renormalization of the instanton contributions are also implemented. Predictions for 0(++) and 0(-+) glueball properties are presented.