Closed bosonic strings in background gauge fields

The coupling to abelian background gauge fields of closed bosonic strings compactified on a torus is considered. There exist specific field configurations for which the theory cannot be defined consistently, in spite of the fact that the field equations of motion are then solved exactly. This critical behaviour is related to a breakdown of local and global world-sheet symmetries, as well as of spacetime unitarity. A physical interpretation of this phenomenon is proposed. The issue of spacetime duality is also discussed. This symmetry is shown to be partially broken for generic background field configurations.     

Gauge interaction as periodicity modulation

The paper is devoted to a geometrical interpretation of gauge invariance in terms of the formalism of field theory in compact space–time dimensions (Dolce, 2011) [8]. In this formalism, the kinematic information of an interacting elementary particle is encoded on the relativistic geometrodynamics of the boundary of the theory through local transformations of the underlying space–time coordinates. Therefore gauge interactions are described as invariance of the theory under local deformations of the boundary. The resulting local variations of the field solution are interpreted as internal transformations. The internal symmetries of the gauge theory turn out to be related to corresponding space–time local symmetries. In the approximation of local infinitesimal isometric transformations, Maxwell’s kinematics and gauge invariance are inferred directly from the variational principle. Furthermore we explicitly impose periodic conditions at the boundary of the theory as semi-classical quantization condition in order to investigate the quantum behavior of gauge interaction. In the abelian case the result is a remarkable formal correspondence with scalar QED.     

Self-Dual Strings in Six Dimensions: Anomalies,the <Emphasis Type="Italic">ADE</Emphasis>-Classification,and the World-Sheet <Emphasis Type="Italic">WZW</Emphasis>-Model

We consider the (2,0) supersymmetric theory of tensor multiplets and self-dual strings in six space-time dimensions. Space-time diffeomorphisms that leave the string world-sheet invariant appear as gauge transformations on the normal bundle of the world-sheet. The naive invariance of the model under such transformations is however explicitly broken by anomalies: The electromagnetic coupling of the string to the two-form gauge field of the tensor multiplet suffers from a classical anomaly, and there is also a one-loop quantum anomaly from the chiral fermions on the string world-sheet. Both of these contributions are proportional to the Euler class of the normal bundle of the string world-sheet, and consistency of the model requires that they cancel. This imposes strong constraints on possible models, which are found to obey an ADE-classification. We then consider the decoupled world-sheet theory that describes low-energy fluctuations (compared to the scale set by the string tension) around a configuration with a static, straight string. The anomaly structure determines this to be a supersymmetric version of the level one Wess-Zumino-Witten model based on the group      

Infrared stability or anti-grandunification

We attempt to exploit the idea that the observed symmetries in particle physics may be infrared attractive fixed points of general classes of theories which do not obey the particular symmetries. Westudy some global as well as abelian gauge symmetries. For the latter we find that spinor QED is an infrared attractor while scalar QED is not.     

Quantum Superconformal Symmetry in N = 2 Harmonic Superspace

In gauge theories, not all rigid symmetries of the classical action can be maintained manifestly in the quantization procedure, even in the absence of anomalies. If this occurs for an anomaly-free symmetry, the effective action is invariant under a transformation that differs from its classical counterpart by quantum corrections. In this note, we set up a harmonic superspace formalism for computing quantum deformations of superconformal symmetry in the N = 4 supersymmetric Yang–Mills theory.     

Stabilizing the axion by discrete gauge symmetries

The axion solution to the strong CP problem makes use of a global Peccei–Quinn U(1) symmetry which is susceptible to violations from quantum gravitational effects. We show how discrete gauge symmetries can protect the axion from such violations. PQ symmetry emerges as an approximate global symmetry from discrete gauge symmetries. Simple models based on Z_N symmetries with N=11,12, etc., are presented realizing the DFSZ axion and the KSVZ axion. The discrete gauge anomalies are canceled by a discrete version of the Green–Schwarz mechanism. In the supersymmetric extension our models provide a natural link between the SUSY breaking scale, the axion scale, and the SUSY-preserving μ term.     

Origins of global anomalies in quantum mechanics

Simple and tractable examples of abelian and non-abelian gauge systems with global anomalies are presented in quantum mechanics. Explicit calculations are done both in the path-integral and hamiltonian formalism. Algebraic criteria are given for the existence of global gauge anomalies. These criteria are applied for every gauge group and many representations. The inconsistency of theories with a global gauge anomaly is discussed.     

The abelian anti-ghost equation for the standard model in the 't Hooft background gauge

In this paper we study the abelian anti-ghost equation for the Standard Model quantized in the 't Hooft background gauge. We show that this equation assures the non-renormalization of the abelian ghost fields and prevents possible abelian anomalies.     

Extended antifield formalism

The antifield formalism is extended so as to incorporate the rigid symmetries of a given theory. To that end, it is necessary to introduce global ghosts not only for the given rigid symmetries, but also for all the higher order conservation laws, associated with conserved antisymmetric tensors j^μ₁3μ_k fulfilling _μ1j^μ₁3μ_k 2˜ 0. Otherwise, one may encounter obstructions of the type discussed in by the authors. These higher order conservation laws are shown to define additional rigid symmetries of the master equation and to form — together with the standard symmetries — an interesting algebraic structure. They lead furthermore to independent Ward identities which are derived in the standard manner, because the resulting master (“Zinn-Justin”) equation capturing both the gauge symmetries and the rigid symmetries of all orders takes a known form. Issues such as anomalies or consistent deformations of the action preserving some set of rigid symmetries can be also systematically analysed in this framework.     

Abelian gauge glasses

Gauge glasses are lattice gauge theories with quenched random couplings; in this paper, the two simplest abelian models, having Z₂ and U(1) gauge symmetries respectively, are constructed. An important extension of gauge invariance is defined and the disorder invariant under this symmetry, the frustration, is identified. Simple energetic properties of frustrations are derived using duality arguments. The question of the existence of a weakly coupled glassy phase is raised, and then addressed using replica mean field theory and real-space renormalisation group techniques, both in the context of the Z₂ model. A phase transition is found for dimension six and above. The implications for random dynamics are discussed.     

Geometry and topology of chiral anomalies in gauge theories

Geometrical and topological aspects of chiral anomalies in gauge theories are reviewed. Geometrical and topological concepts and results for chiral anomalies in gauge theories are considered, including differential forms, Lie groups, homotopy, homology, cohomology, Riemannian manifolds, fibre bundles, characteristic classes, index theorems and spectral flow. Gauge theories and their formulation in terms of differential forms and fibre bundles are described. The quantisation of gauge theories is performed using path integrals, and the orbit space, BRST symmetries and ? vacuum are discussed. Gauge theories with fermions are formulated, including realistic models of strong and weak interactions. Chiral anomalies and related issues such as the existence of Schwinger terms, their origins in terms of differential forms, cohomology, the orbit space, BRST identities, Hamiltonian systems and relations to index theorems are analysed. Constraints on models for particle physics from chiral anomalies and theories involving spontaneously broken chiral symmetry described by effective Lagrangians are also mentioned.     

Cancellation of global anomalies in spontaneously broken gauge theories

I discuss the generalization to global gauge anomalies of the familiar procedure for the cancellation of local gauge anomalies in effective theories of spontaneously broken symmetries     

Light-cone distribution amplitudes of the ground state bottom baryons in HQET

We prove the existence of hidden symmetries in the general relativity theory defined by exact solutions with generic off-diagonal metrics, nonholonomic (non-integrable) constraints, and deformations of the frame and linear connection structure. A special role in characterization of such spacetimes is played by the corresponding nonholonomic generalizations of Stackel–Killing and Killing–Yano tensors. There are constructed new classes of black hole solutions and we study hidden symmetries for ellipsoidal and/or solitonic deformations of “prime” Kerr–Sen black holes into “target” off-diagonal metrics. In general, the classical conserved quantities (integrable and not-integrable) do not transfer to the quantized systems and produce quantum gravitational anomalies. We prove that such anomalies can be eliminated via corresponding nonholonomic deformations of fundamental geometric objects (connections and corresponding Riemannian and Ricci tensors) and by frame transforms.     

Gauging of chiral bosonized actions

We present bosonic actions which are equivalent to various chiral fermion theories. For the case of one chiral fermion coupled to an abelian gauge field, we present two bosonized actions, one corresponding to regularizing in the vector conserving scheme and the other in the left-right scheme. We then propose an action for the non-abelian bosonization of Weyl fermions which is a WZW action coupled to a fixed curved background. The chiral WZW action is then coupled to non-abelian gauge fields. We derive the anomalies of the axial current (in the vector conserving scheme) and the left-right currents (in the left-right regularization scheme), both for the abelian and non-abelian bosonized actions. The expressions for the anomalies are identical to those derived in the corresponding fermionic theories.     

One Fermion-Loop Correction and Supersymmetry in the Heterotic String Theory

(2, 0) world-sheet supersymmetry is shown to be one of the necessary conditions for space-time supersymmetry in most cases. Special care is taken to study the cancellation of local Lorentz and gauge anomalies caused by one fermion-loop..My computation shows that local counterterms which simultaneously restore local Lorentz and gauge invariance of the sigma model do not satisfy the criteria of (2, 0) supersymmetry. But local counterterms and the non-local part of one loop effective action are together invariant under the (2, 0) supersymmetry transformation.     

A computation of Tr(−1)F in supersymmetric gauge theories with matter

We introduce “multi-twisted” boundary conditions (MTBC) for gauge theories in a finite volume. MTBC can be applied for a class of gauge theories with non-trivial centers and allow the existence of some matter multiplets which transform non-trivially under the center group. The Witten index for the supersymmetric extension of the gauge theory can be calculated when global abelian symmetries exist and turns out to be non-zero and independent of the matter representations.     

Removal of Chiral Anomalies in Abelian Gauge Theories

It is shown that chiral anomalies can be removed in abelian gauge theories. After a discussion of the two dimensional case where exact solutions are available we study the four dimensional theory. We use perturbation theory, i. e. analyse the triangle Feynman integrals, and determine the general subtraction structure of the gauge current. Then we show that gauges exist for which current conservation holds and the theory is gauge invariant. As far as the generating functional is concerned the anomaly is employed first as gauge fixing condition. After rewriting the interaction in a gauge invariant form the gauge fixing condition can be imposed as usual. In our approach the integration over the gauge group remains trivial.     

Global Gauge Anomalies in Coset Models of Conformal Field Theory

We study the occurrence of global gauge anomalies in the coset models of two-dimensional conformal field theory that are based on gauged WZW models. A complete classification of the non-anomalous theories for a wide family of gauged rigid adjoint or twisted-adjoint symmetries of WZW models is achieved with the help of Dynkin’s classification of Lie subalgebras of simple Lie algebras.     

Relativistic Gauge Invariant Potentials

A global method characterizing the invariant connections on an abelian principal bundle under a group of transformations is applied in order to get gauge invariant electromagnetic (elm.) potentials in a systematic way. So, we have classified all the elm. gauge invariant potentials under the Poincaré subgroups of dimensions 4, 5, and 6, up to conjugation. It is paid attention in particular to the situation where these subgroups do not act transitively on the space-time manifold. We have used the same procedure for some galilean subgroups to get nonrelativistic potentials and study the way they are related to their relativistic partners by means of contractions. Some conformal gauge invariant potentials have also been derived and considered when they are seen as consequence of an enlargement of the Poincaré symmetries.     

A Pati–Salam model from branes

We explore the possibility of embedding the Pati–Salam model in the context of Type I brane models. We study a generic model with U(4)_C×U(2)_L×U(2)_R gauge symmetry and matter fields compatible with a Type I brane configuration. Examining the anomaly cancellation conditions of the surplus abelian symmetries we find an alternative hypercharge embedding that is compatible with a low string/brane scale of the order of 5–7 TeV, when the U(4)_C and U(2)_R brane stack couplings are equal. Proton stability is assured as baryon number is associated to a global symmetry remnant of the broken abelian factors. It is also shown that this scenario can accommodate an extra low energy abelian symmetry that can be associated to lepton number. The issue of fermion and especially neutrino masses is also discussed.