Polynomial Invariants for Torus Knots¶and Topological Strings

We make a precision test of a recently proposed conjecture relating Chern–Simons gauge theory to topological string theory on the resolution of the conifold. First, we develop a systematic procedure to extract string amplitudes from vacuum expectation values (vevs) of Wilson loops in Chern–Simons gauge theory, and then we evaluate these vevs in arbitrary irreducible representations of SU(N) for torus knots. We find complete agreement with the predictions derived from the target space interpretation of the string amplitudes. We also show that the structure of the free energy of topological open string theory gives further constraints on the Chern–Simons vevs. Our work provides strong evidence towards an interpretation of knot polynomial invariants as generating functions associated to enumerative problems. Received: 1 May 2000 / Accepted: 6 November 2000     

Complex CKM from spontaneous CP violation without flavor changing neutral current

We analyse the general constraints on unified gauge models with spontaneous CP breaking that satisfy the conditions that (i) CP violation in the quark sector is described by a realistic complex CKM matrix, and (ii) there is no significant flavor changing neutral current effects in the quark sector. We show that the crucial requirement in order to conform to the above conditions is that spontaneous CP breaking occurs at a very high scale by complex vevs of standard model singlet Higgs fields. Two classes of models are found, one consisting of pure Higgs extensions and the other one involving fermionic extensions of the standard model. We give examples of each class and discuss their possible embeddings into higher unified theories. One of the models has the interesting property that spontaneous CP violation is triggered by spontaneous P violation, thereby linking the scale of CP violation to the seesaw scale for neutrino masses.     

Proton decay in four dimensional superstring models

In this paper, we discuss the contraints that emerge from baryon nonconserving processes in theSU(4)×O(4) andSU(5)×U(1) models derived in the fermionic formulation of the four dimensional superstring. We examine dimension five baryon violating operators arising a) from Higgs exchange diagrams, and b) from non-renormalisable terms which arise from the exchange of massive string states. Both kinds of the above operators put non-trivial constraints on the matter field assignments and on the vevs of various singlet fields of the string models under consideration.     

Remodeling the B-Model

We propose a complete, new formalism to compute unambiguously B-model open and closed amplitudes in local Calabi–Yau geometries, including the mirrors of toric manifolds. The formalism is based on the recursive solution of matrix models recently proposed by Eynard and Orantin. The resulting amplitudes are non-perturbative in both the closed and the open moduli. The formalism can then be used to study stringy phase transitions in the open/closed moduli space. At large radius, this formalism may be seen as a mirror formalism to the topological vertex, but it is also valid in other phases in the moduli space. We develop the formalism in general and provide an extensive number of checks, including a test at the orbifold point of A _p fibrations, where the amplitudes compute the ’t Hooft expansion of vevs of Wilson loops in Chern-Simons theory on lens spaces. We also use our formalism to predict the disk amplitude for the orbifold .     

On messengers and metastability in gauge mediation

One notoriously difficult problem in perturbative gauge mediation of supersymmetry breaking via messenger fields is the generic presence of a phenomenologically unacceptable vacuum with messenger vevs, with a lower energy than the desired (“MSSM”) vacuum. We investigate the possibility that quantum corrections promote the latter to the ground state of the theory, and find that this is indeed feasible. For this to happen, the couplings of the messengers to the goldstino superfield must be small, and this implies an additional suppression of the MSSM soft terms with respect to the supersymmetry breaking scale. This in turn sets a lower limit on the masses of the messengers and of the supersymmetry breaking fields, which makes both sectors inaccessible at colliders. Contrary to other scenarios like direct gauge mediation, gaugino masses are unsuppressed with respect to scalar masses.     

Instanton induced green functions in the superfield formalism

We discuss in detail the supersymmetric instanton calculus of NSVZ and extend it to chiral matter fields in the, adjoint representation. The constant Green functions induced by the instanton of supersymmetricSU (2) gauge theories are calculated systematically for the cases with and without scalar vev's bigger than the scale of the gauge theory and for nonvanishing small masses of chiral fields. Oneinstanton contributions to the Green functions containing four fields without large vevs would disturb clustering; but they are argued to vanish; two-instanton effects then lead to a pattern which quantitatively agrees with factorization and the anomaly relation.     

On Higgs-extended MSSM models

Motivated by the LHC results revealing the SM scalar sector as well as by its possible revision, we consider an MSSM scalar extension consisting of two Higgs triplets generating the observed neutrino and Higgs masses. The latter constrains their suppressed vevs and sizable couplings, which slightly influence the extended neutralino sector and the LSP emergence.     

Constraints from charge and colour breaking minima in the (M+1)SSM

We study the constraints on the parameter space of the supersymmetric standard model extended by a gauge singlet, which arise from the absence of global minima of the effective potential with slepton or squark vevs. Particular attention is paid to the so-called “UFB” directions in field space, which are F-flat in the MSSM. Although these directions are no longer F-flat in the (M+1)SSM, we show that the corresponding MSSM-like constraints on m₀/M_1/2 apply also to the (M+1)SSM. The net effect of all constraints on the parameter space are more dramatic than in the MSSM. We discuss the phenomenological implications of these constraints.     

Discrete symmetries in SO(N) grand unified groups and the survival hypothesis

The possibility of introducing the discrete symmetry D is studied, which along with SU^c(3) × SU_L(2) × U(1)-symmetry, remains after the breaking of SO(N) grand unified symmetry by the Higgs fields vevs ～ 10¹⁵ GeV. The D quantum number distinguishes the fermions coupled with W-bosons via left and right currents. As a result, the presence of low-mass fermions in the theory is provided.     

Hybrid inflation in supergravity with (SU(1,1)/U(1))m Kähler manifolds

In the presence of fields without superpotential but with large vevs through D-terms the mass-squared of the inflaton in the context of supergravity hybrid inflation receives positive contributions which could cancel the possibly negative Kähler potential ones. The mechanism is demonstrated using Kähler potentials associated with products of SU(1,1)/U(1) Kähler manifolds. In a particularly simple model of this type all supergravity corrections to the F-term potential turn out to be proportional to the inflaton mass allowing even for an essentially completely flat inflationary potential. The model also allows for a detectable gravitational wave contribution to the microwave background anisotropy. Its initial conditions are quite natural largely due to a built in mechanism for a first stage of “chaotic” D-term inflation.     

Likelihood analysis of the sub-GUT MSSM in light of LHC 13-TeV data

We describe a likelihood analysis using MasterCode of variants of the MSSM in which the soft supersymmetry-breaking parameters are assumed to have universal values at some scale \(M_\mathrm{in}\) below the supersymmetric grand unification scale \(M_\mathrm{GUT}\), as can occur in mirage mediation and other models. In addition to \(M_\mathrm{in}\), such ‘sub-GUT’ models have the 4 parameters of the CMSSM, namely a common gaugino mass \(m_{1/2}\), a common soft supersymmetry-breaking scalar mass \(m_0\), a common trilinear mixing parameter A and the ratio of MSSM Higgs vevs \(\tan \beta \), assuming that the Higgs mixing parameter \(\mu > 0\). We take into account constraints on strongly- and electroweakly-interacting sparticles from \(\sim 36\)/fb of LHC data at 13 TeV and the LUX and 2017 PICO, XENON1T and PandaX-II searches for dark matter scattering, in addition to the previous LHC and dark matter constraints as well as full sets of flavour and electroweak constraints. We find a preference for \(M_\mathrm{in}\sim 10^5\) to \(10^9 \,\, \mathrm {GeV}\), with \(M_\mathrm{in}\sim M_\mathrm{GUT}\) disfavoured by \(\Delta \chi ^2 \sim 3\) due to the \(\mathrm{BR}(B_{s, d} \rightarrow \mu ^+\mu ^-)\) constraint. The lower limits on strongly-interacting sparticles are largely determined by LHC searches, and similar to those in the CMSSM. We find a preference for the LSP to be a Bino or Higgsino with \(m_{\tilde{\chi }^0_{1}} \sim 1 \,\, \mathrm {TeV}\), with annihilation via heavy Higgs bosons H / A and stop coannihilation, or chargino coannihilation, bringing the cold dark matter density into the cosmological range. We find that spin-independent dark matter scattering is likely to be within reach of the planned LUX-Zeplin and XENONnT experiments. We probe the impact of the \((g-2)_\mu \) constraint, finding similar results whether or not it is included.     

Right unitarity triangles and tri-bimaximal mixing from discrete symmetries and unification

We propose new classes of models which predict both tri-bimaximal lepton mixing and a right-angled Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa (CKM) unitarity triangle, α≈90°$\alpha \approx 90\text{°}$. The ingredients of the models include a supersymmetric (SUSY) unified gauge group such as SU(5)$\mathit{SU}(5)$, a discrete family symmetry such as A₄$A_4$ or S₄$S_4$, a shaping symmetry including products of Z₂${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ and Z₄${\mathbb{Z}}_4$ groups as well as spontaneous CP violation. We show how the vacuum alignment in such models allows a simple explanation of α≈90°$\alpha \approx 90\text{°}$ by a combination of purely real or purely imaginary vacuum expectation values (vevs) of the flavons responsible for family symmetry breaking. This leads to quark mass matrices with 1–3 texture zeros that satisfy the “phase sum rule” and lepton mass matrices that satisfy the “lepton mixing sum rule” together with a new prediction that the leptonic CP violating oscillation phase is close to either 0°, 90°, 180°, or 270° depending on the model, with neutrino masses being purely real (no complex Majorana phases). This leads to the possibility of having right-angled unitarity triangles in both the quark and lepton sectors.     

A systematic study on matrix models for Chern–Simons-matter theories

We investigate the planar solution of matrix models derived from various Chern–Simons-matter theories compatible with the planar limit. The saddle-point equations for most of such theories can be solved in a systematic way. A relation to Fuchsian systems play an important role in obtaining the planar resolvents. For those theories, the eigenvalue distribution is found to be confined in a bounded region even when the ?t Hooft couplings become large. As a result, the vevs of Wilson loops are bounded in the large ?t Hooft coupling limit. This implies that many of Chern–Simons-matter theories have quite different properties from ABJM theory. If the gauge group is of the form U_(N1)k1×U_(N2)k2$\mathrm{U}{(N_1)}_{k_1}\times \mathrm{U}{(N_2)}_{k_2}$, then the resolvents can be obtained in a more explicit form than in the general cases.     

Critical phenomena in nonequilibrium phase transitions

We discuss a number of models associated with phase transitions in purely kinetic models where detailed balance does not hold as in thermal equilibrium systems. These models include some of the features of heterogeneous catalysis on a surface, and are used to examine the effect of local correlations on the reaction process. We argue that many models which do not include desorption will show the same kind of critical behavior if they have a continuous transition to a poisoned state. We also present results for a model with a continuous transition to a non-poisoned state. The effect of adding desorption, diffusion, and anisotropy to these idealized models is also discussed.     

Phenomenological aspects of heterotic orbifold models at one loop

We provide a detailed study of the phenomenology of orbifold compactifications of the heterotic string within the context of supergravity effective theories. Our investigation focuses on those models where the soft Lagrangian is dominated by loop contributions to the various soft supersymmetry breaking parameters. Such models typically predict non-universal soft masses and are thus significantly different from minimal supergravity and other universal models. We consider the pattern of masses that are governed by these soft terms and investigate the implications of certain indirect constraints on supersymmetric models, such as flavor-changing neutral currents, the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon and the density of thermal relic neutralinos. We also comment on the possible discovery of these models at the LHC. These string-motivated models show a novel behavior that interpolates between the phenomenology of unified supergravity models and models dominated by the superconformal anomaly. PACS 11.25.Wx, 12.60.Jv, 04.65.+e     

On the stability of topological phases on a lattice

We study the stability of anyonic models on lattices to perturbations. We establish a cluster expansion for the energy of the perturbed models and use it to study the stability of the models to local perturbations. We show that the spectral gap is stable when the model is defined on a sphere, so that there is no ground state degeneracy. We then consider the toric code Hamiltonian on a torus with a class of abelian perturbations and show that it is stable when the torus directions are taken to infinity simultaneously, and is unstable when the thin torus limit is taken.     

Relaxation in statistical many-agent economy models

We review some statistical many-agent models of economic and social systems inspired by microscopic molecular models and discuss their stochastic interpretation. We apply these models to wealth exchange in economics and study how the relaxation process depends on the parameters of the system, in particular on the saving propensities that define and diversify the agent profiles.     

From Multi-Site to On-Site Transfer Matrix Models for Self-Similar Chains

We show how transfer matrix models on chains that are self-similar (renormalizable) with respect to a substitution rule can be transformed from multi-site models in which transfer matrices depend on the nature of a finite number of neighboring sites, to on-site models in which transfer matrices depend on the nature of one site only. We present sufficient conditions and show that these conditions are satisfied in the case of quasiperiodic chains of two symbols that are renormalizable with respect to an invertible substitution rule. We illustrate the application of our results to tight-binding Schrödinger equations modeling the electronic behavior of self-similar chains of atoms and to models describing the transmission of light through self-similarly stacked multilayers.     

Modelling disorder: the cases of wetting and DNA denaturation

We study the effect of the composition of the genetic sequence on the melting temperature of double stranded DNA, using some simple analytically solvable models proposed in the framework of the wetting problem. We review previous work on disordered versions of these models and solve them when there were not preexistent solutions. We check the solutions with Monte Carlo simulations and transfer matrix numerical calculations. We present numerical evidence that suggests that the logarithmic corrections to the critical temperature due to disorder, previously found in RSOS models, apply more generally to ASOS and continuous models. The agreement between the theoretical models and experimental data shows that, in this context, disorder should be the crucial ingredient of any model while other aspects may be kept very simple, an approach that can be useful for a wider class of problems. Our work has also implications for the existence of correlations in DNA sequences.     

Electric–magnetic duality of lattice systems with topological order

We investigate the duality structure of quantum lattice systems with topological order, a collective order also appearing in fractional quantum Hall systems. We define electromagnetic (EM) duality for all of Kitaev?s quantum double models based on discrete gauge theories with Abelian and non-Abelian groups, and identify its natural habitat as a new class of topological models based on Hopf algebras. We interpret these as extended string-net models, whereupon Levin and Wen?s string-nets, which describe all intrinsic topological orders on the lattice with parity and time-reversal invariance, arise as magnetic and electric projections of the extended models. We conjecture that all string-net models can be extended in an analogous way, using more general algebraic and tensor-categorical structures, such that EM duality continues to hold. We also identify this EM duality with an invertible domain wall. Physical applications include topology measurements in the form of pairs of dual tensor networks.