Warped electroweak breaking without custodial symmetry

We propose an alternative to the introduction of an extra gauge (custodial) symmetry to suppress the contribution of KK modes to the T   parameter in warped theories of electroweak breaking. The mechanism is based on a general class of warped 5D metrics and a Higgs propagating in the bulk. The metrics are nearly AdS in the UV region but depart from AdS in the IR region, towards where KK fluctuations are mainly localized, and have a singularity outside the slice between the UV and IR branes. This gravitational background is generated by a bulk stabilizing scalar field which triggers a natural solution to the hierarchy problem. Depending on the model parameters, gauge-boson KK modes can be consistent with present bounds on EWPT for mKK?1 TeV$m_{\mathit{KK}}?1\text{TeV}$ at 95% CL. The model contains a light Higgs mode which unitarizes the four-dimensional theory. The reduction in the precision observables can be traced back to a large wave function renormalization for this mode.     

Rindler-type geometry inside a black hole

An anisotropic fluid with positive energy density and negative pressures is proposed in the black hole interior. The gravitational field is constant everywhere inside and is given by the horizon surface gravity. Even though the geometry is of Rindler type it is curved because of the spherical symmetry used and is singular at the origin. The Israel junction conditions are studied on the stretched horizon instead of using a matching process on the null surface r=2M$r=2M$. The entropy of any inner sphere is mass independent, maximally packed and unaffected by the outer layers.     

Black holes on gravitational instantons

In this paper, we classify and construct five-dimensional black holes on gravitational instantons in vacuum Einstein gravity, with R×U(1)×U(1)$\mathbb{R}\times U(1)\times U(1)$ isometry. These black holes have spatial backgrounds which are Ricci-flat gravitational instantons with U(1)×U(1)$U(1)\times U(1)$ isometry, and are completely regular space–times outside the event horizon. Most of the known exact five-dimensional vacuum black-hole solutions can be classified within this scheme. Amongst the new space–times presented are static black holes on the Euclidean Kerr and Taub-bolt instantons. We also present a rotating black hole on the Eguchi–Hanson instanton.     

Proof of a universal lower bound on the shear viscosity to entropy density ratio

It has been conjectured, on the basis of the gauge-gravity duality, that the ratio of the shear viscosity to the entropy density should be universally bounded from below by 1/4π$1/4\pi$ in units of the Planck constant divided by the Boltzmann constant. Here, we prove the bound for any ghost-free extension of Einstein gravity and the field-theory dual thereof. Our proof is based on the fact that, for such an extension, any gravitational coupling can only increase from its Einstein value. Therefore, since the shear viscosity is a particular gravitational coupling, it is minimal for Einstein gravity. Meanwhile, we show that the entropy density can always be calibrated to its Einstein value. Our general principles are demonstrated for a pair of specific models, one with ghosts and one without.     

Eternal inflation with Liouville cosmology

We present a concrete holographic realization of the eternal inflation in (1+1)$(1+1)$-dimensional Liouville gravity by applying the philosophy of the FRW/CFT correspondence proposed by Freivogel, Sekino, Susskind and Yeh (FSSY). The dual boundary theory is nothing but the old matrix model describing the two-dimensional Liouville gravity coupled with minimal model matter fields. In Liouville gravity, the flat Minkowski space or even the AdS space will decay into the dS space, which is in stark contrast with higher-dimensional theories, but the spirit of the FSSY conjecture applies with only minimal modification. We investigate the classical geometry as well as some correlation functions to support our claim. We also study an analytic continuation to the time-like Liouville theory to discuss possible applications in (1+3)$(1+3)$-dimensional cosmology along with the original FSSY conjecture, where the boundary theory involves the time-like Liouville theory. We show that the decay rate in the (1+3)$(1+3)$ dimension is more suppressed due to the quantum gravity correction of the boundary theory.     

Refined holographic entanglement entropy for the AdS solitons and AdS black holes

We consider the refinement of the holographic entanglement entropy for the holographic dual theories to the AdS solitons and AdS black holes, including the corrected ones by the Gauss–Bonnet term. The refinement is obtained by extracting the UV-independent piece of the holographic entanglement entropy, the so-called renormalized entanglement entropy which is independent of the choices of UV cutoff. Our main results are: (i) the renormalized entanglement entropies of the _AdSd+1${\mathrm{AdS}}_{d+1}$ soliton for d=4,5$d=4,5$ are neither monotonically decreasing along the RG flow nor positive-definite, especially around the deconfinement/confinement phase transition; (ii) there is no topological entanglement entropy for AdS₅ soliton even with Gauss–Bonnet correction; (iii) for the AdS black holes, the renormalized entanglement entropy obeys an expected volume law at IR regime, and the transition between UV and IR regimes is a smooth crossover even with Gauss–Bonnet correction; (iv) based on AdS/MERA conjecture, we postulate that the IR fixed-point state for the non-extremal AdS soliton is a trivial product state.     

Even-dimensional topological gravity from Chern–Simons gravity

It is shown that the topological action for gravity in 2n  -dimensions can be obtained from the (2n+1)$(2n+1)$-dimensional Chern–Simons gravity genuinely invariant under the Poincaré group. The 2n  -dimensional topological gravity is described by the dynamics of the boundary of a (2n+1)$(2n+1)$-dimensional Chern–Simons gravity theory with suitable boundary conditions.     

An example of Kaluza–Klein-like theory with boundary conditions,which lead to massless and mass protected spinors chirally coupled to gauge fields

The genuine Kaluza–Klein-like theories (with no fields in addition to gravity) have difficulties with the existence of massless spinors after the compactification of some of dimensions of space [E. Witten, Nucl. Phys. B 186 (1981) 412; E. Witten, Princeton Technical Rep. PRINT-83-1056, October 1983]. We assume a M(1+3)×$M^{(1+3)}\times$ a flat finite disk in (1+5)$(1+5)$-dimensional space, with the boundary allowing spinors of only one handedness. Massless spinors then chirally couple to the corresponding background gauge gravitational field, which solves equations of motion for a free field, linear in the Riemann curvature.     

Primordial perturbation in Hořava–Lifshitz cosmology

Recently, Ho?ava has proposed a renormalizable theory of gravity with critical exponent z=3$z=3$ in the UV. This proposal might imply that the scale invariant primordial perturbation can be generated in any expansion of early universe with a∼tn$a\sim t^n$ and n>1/3$n>1/3$, which, in this Letter, will be confirmed by solving the motion equation of perturbation mode on super sound horizon scale for any background evolution of early universe. It is found that if enough efolding number of primordial perturbation suitable for observable universe is required, then n?1$n?1$ needs to be satisfied, unless the scale of UV regime is quite low. However, the possible UV completeness of HL gravity helps to relax this bound.     

Associative-algebraic approach to logarithmic conformal field theories

We set up a strategy for studying large families of logarithmic conformal field theories by using the enlarged symmetries and non-semisimple associative algebras appearing in their lattice regularizations (as discussed in a companion paper [N. Read, H. Saleur, Enlarged symmetry algebras of spin chains, loop models, and S-matrices, cond-mat/0701259]). Here we work out in detail two examples of theories derived as the continuum limit of XXZ spin-1/2 chains, which are related to spin chains with supersymmetry algebras gl(n|n)$\mathrm{gl}(n|n)$ and gl(n+1|n)$\mathrm{gl}(n+1|n)$, respectively, with open (or free) boundary conditions in all cases. These theories can also be viewed as vertex models, or as loop models. Their continuum limits are boundary conformal field theories (CFTs) with central charge c=−2$c=-2$ and c=0$c=0$ respectively, and in the loop interpretation they describe dense polymers and the boundaries of critical percolation clusters, respectively. We also discuss the case of dilute (critical) polymers as another boundary CFT with c=0$c=0$. Within the supersymmetric formulations, these boundary CFTs describe the fixed points of certain nonlinear sigma models that have a supercoset space as the target manifold, and of Landau–Ginzburg field theories. The submodule structures of indecomposable representations of the Virasoro algebra appearing in the boundary CFT, representing local fields, are derived from the lattice. A central result is the derivation of the fusion rules for these fields.     

Gauge-invariant metric fluctuations from NKK theory of gravity: de Sitter expansion

In this Letter we study gauge-invariant metric fluctuations from a noncompact Kaluza–Klein (NKK) theory of gravity in de Sitter expansion. We recover the well-known result δρ/ρ?2Φ$\delta \rho /\rho ?2\Phi$, obtained from the standard 4D semiclassical approach to inflation. The spectrum for these fluctuations should be dependent of the fifth (spatial-like) coordinate.     

Boundary operators in the one-matrix model

The one matrix model is known to reproduce in the continuum limit the (2,2p+1)$(2,2p+1)$ minimal Liouville gravity. Recently, two of the authors have shown how to construct arbitrary critical boundary conditions within this matrix model. So far, between two such boundary conditions only one boundary operator was constructed. In this Letter, we explain how to construct all the set of boundary operators that can be inserted. As a consistency check, we reproduce the corresponding Liouville boundary 2pt function from the matrix model correlator. In addition, we remark a connection between a matrix model relation and the boundary ground ring operator insertion in the continuum theory.     

Black rings in six dimensions

We propose a general framework for the numerical study of balanced black rings for any spacetime dimensions d?5$d?5$. Numerical solutions are constructed in a systematic way for d=6$d=6$, by solving the Einstein field equations with suitable boundary conditions. These black rings have a regular event horizon with S¹×S³$S^1\times S^3$ topology, and they approach the Minkowski background asymptotically. We analyze their global and horizon properties.     

Cosmology with torsion: An alternative to cosmic inflation

We propose a simple scenario which explains why our Universe appears spatially flat, homogeneous and isotropic. We use the Einstein–Cartan–Kibble–Sciama (ECKS) theory of gravity which naturally extends general relativity to include the spin of matter. The torsion of spacetime generates gravitational repulsion in the early Universe filled with quarks and leptons, preventing the cosmological singularity: the Universe expands from a state of minimum but finite radius. We show that the dynamics of the closed Universe immediately after this state naturally solves the flatness and horizon problems in cosmology because of an extremely small and negative torsion density parameter, ΩS≈−¹⁰⁻⁶⁹${\Omega }_S\approx -{10}^{-69}$. Thus the ECKS gravity provides a compelling alternative to speculative mechanisms of standard cosmic inflation. This scenario also suggests that the contraction of our Universe preceding the bounce at the minimum radius may correspond to the dynamics of matter inside a collapsing black hole existing in another universe, which could explain the origin of the Big Bang.     

Six-dimensional Yang black holes in dilaton gravity

We study the six-dimensional dilaton gravity Yang black holes of Bergshoeff, Gibbons and Townsend, which carry (1,−1)$(1,-1)$ charge in SU(2)×SU(2)$\mathit{SU}(2)\times \mathit{SU}(2)$ gauge group. We find what values of the asymptotic parameters (mass and scalar charge) lead to a regular horizon, and show that there are no regular solutions with an extremal horizon.