Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Holographic Weyl anomaly in string theory

  Lorenz Eberhardt, Sridip Pal

  SciPost Phys. 16, 027 (2024) · published 24 January 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We compute the worldsheet sphere partition function of string theory on global AdS$_3$ with pure NS-NS flux. Because of an unfixed Möbius symmetry on the worldsheet, there is a cancellation of infinities and only a part of the answer is unambiguous. We show that it precisely reproduces the holographic Weyl anomaly and the ambiguous terms correspond to the possible counterterms of the boundary CFT.

  3 citations

• A symbol and coaction for higher-loop sunrise integrals

  Andreas Forum, Matt von Hippel

  SciPost Phys. Core 6, 050 (2023) · published 12 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We construct a symbol and coaction for the $l$-loop sunrise family of integrals, both for equal-mass and generic-mass cases. These constitute the first concrete examples of symbols and coactions for integrals involving Calabi-Yau threefolds and higher. In order to achieve a symbol of finite length, we recast the differential equations satisfied by these integrals in a unipotent form. We augment the integrals in a natural way by including ratios of maximal cuts $\tau_i$. We discuss the relationship of this construction to constructions of symbols and coactions for multiple polylogarithms and elliptic multiple polylogarithms, and its connection to notions of transcendental weight.

  3 citations

• Matrix models and holography: Mass deformations of long quiver theories in 5d and 3d

  Mohammad Akhond, Andrea Legramandi, Carlos Nunez, Leonardo Santilli, Lucas Schepers

  SciPost Phys. 15, 086 (2023) · published 8 September 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We enlarge the dictionary between matrix models for long linear quivers preserving eight supercharges in $d=5$ and $d=3$ and type IIB supergravity backgrounds with AdS$_{d+1}$ factors. We introduce mass deformations of the field theory that break the quiver into a collection of interacting linear quivers, which are decoupled at the end of the RG flow. We find and solve a Laplace problem in supergravity which realises these deformations holographically. The free energy and expectation values of antisymmetric Wilson loops are calculated on both sides of the proposed duality, finding agreement. With our matching procedure, the free energy satisfies a strong version of the F-theorem.

  3 citations

• Jet modifications from colour rope formation in dense systems of non-parallel strings

  Christian Bierlich, Smita Chakraborty, Gösta Gustafson, Leif Lönnblad

  SciPost Phys. 13, 023 (2022) · published 17 August 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We revisit our rope model for string fragmentation that has been shown to give a reasonable description of strangeness and baryon enhancement in high-multiplicity pp events at the LHC. A key feature of the model is that the enhancement is driven by the increased string tension due to strings overlapping in dense systems. By introducing an improved space-time picture for the overlap between fragmenting strings, where also non-parallel strings are properly taken into account, we are now able to investigate the enhancement both in jets and in the underlying event in a consistent way.

  3 citations

• Tails of Instability and Decay: a Hydrodynamic Perspective

  Olalla A. Castro-Alvaredo, Cecilia De Fazio, Benjamin Doyon, Aleksandra A. Ziółkowska

  SciPost Phys. 12, 115 (2022) · published 31 March 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In the context of quantum field theory (QFT), unstable particles are associated with complex-valued poles of two-body scattering matrices in the unphysical sheet of rapidity space. The Breit-Wigner formula relates this pole to the mass and life-time of the particle, observed in scattering events. In this paper, we uncover new, dynamical signatures of unstable excitations and show that they have a strong effect on the non-equilibrium properties of QFT. Focusing on a 1+1D integrable model, and using the theory of Generalized Hydrodynamics, we study the formation and decay of unstable particles by analysing the release of hot matter into a low-temperature environment. We observe the formation of tails and the decay of the emitted nonlinear waves, in sharp contrast to the situation without unstable excitations. We also uncover a new phenomenon by which a wave of a stable population of unstable particles may persist without decay for long times. We expect these signatures of the presence of unstable particles to have a large degree of universality. Our study shows that the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of many-body systems can be strongly affected not only by the spectrum, but also by excitations with finite life-times.

  3 citations

• A note on the identity module in $c=0$ CFTs

  Yifei He, Hubert Saleur

  SciPost Phys. 12, 100 (2022) · published 21 March 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  It has long been understood that non-trivial Conformal Field Theories (CFTs) with vanishing central charge ($c=0$) are logarithmic. So far however, the structure of the identity module -- the (left and right) Virasoro descendants of the identity field -- had not been elucidated beyond the stress-energy tensor $T$ and its logarithmic partner $t$ (the solution of the "$c\to 0$ catastrophe"). In this paper, we determine this structure together with the associated OPE of primary fields up to level $h=\bar{h}=2$ for polymers and percolation CFTs. This is done by taking the $c\to 0$ limit of $O(n)$ and Potts models and combining recent results from the bootstrap with arguments based on conformal invariance and self-duality. We find that the structure contains a rank-3 Jordan cell involving the field $T\bar{T}$, and is identical for polymers and percolation. It is characterized in part by the common value of a non-chiral logarithmic coupling $a_0=-{25\over 48}$.

  3 citations

• Towards traversable wormholes from force-free plasmas

  Nabil Iqbal, Simon F. Ross

  SciPost Phys. 12, 086 (2022) · published 9 March 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The near-horizon region of magnetically charged black holes can have very strong magnetic fields. A useful low-energy effective theory for fluctuations of the fields, coupled to electrically charged particles, is force-free electrodynamics. The low energy collective excitations include a large number of Alfven wave modes, which have a massless dispersion relation along the field worldlines. We attempt to construct traversable wormhole solutions using the negative Casimir energy of the Alfven wave modes, analogously to the recent construction using charged massless fermions. The behaviour of massless scalars in the near-horizon region implies that the size of the wormholes is strongly restricted and cannot be made large, even though the force free description is valid in a larger regime.

  3 citations

• Enstrophy from symmetry

  Raja Marjieh, Natalia Pinzani-Fokeeva, Amos Yarom

  SciPost Phys. 12, 085 (2022) · published 9 March 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study symmetry principles associated with the approximately conserved enstrophy current, responsible for the inverse energy cascade in non relativistic 2+1 dimensional turbulence. We do so by identifying the accidental symmetry associated with enstrophy current conservation in a recently realized effective action principle for hydrodynamics. Our analysis deals with both relativistic and non relativistic effective actions and their associated symmetries.

  3 citations

• Born again

  Jorge G. Russo, Paul K. Townsend

  SciPost Phys. 16, 124 (2024) · published 13 May 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Born's original 1933 theory of nonlinear electrodynamics (in contrast to the later Born-Infeld theory) is acausal for strong fields. We explore the issue of strong-field causality violation in families of theories containing Born and/or Born-Infeld, and many variants that have been previously proposed in contexts that include cosmology and black hole physics. Many of these variants are acausal and hence unphysical. A notable exception is the modified Born-Infeld theory with ModMax as its conformal weak-field limit.

  3 citations

• Thermodynamic limit and boundary energy of the spin-1 Heisenberg chain with non-diagonal boundary fields

  Zhihan Zheng, Pei Sun, Xiaotian Xu, Tao Yang, Junpeng Cao, Wen-Li Yang

  SciPost Phys. 12, 071 (2022) · published 22 February 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The thermodynamic limit and boundary energy of the isotropic spin-1 Heisenberg chain with non-diagonal boundary fields are studied. The finite size scaling properties of the inhomogeneous term in the $T-Q$ relation at the ground state are calculated by the density matrix renormalization group. Based on our findings, the boundary energy of the system in the thermodynamic limit can be obtained from Bethe ansatz equations of a related model with parallel boundary fields. These results can be generalized to the $SU(2)$ symmetric high spin Heisenberg model directly.

  3 citations