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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Low energy effective theory for axion strings

We consider aspects of the low energy (classical) effective field theory description of global cosmic strings. In the non-relativistic limit, we study the extent to which these are described by the combination of the Nambu-Gotto and Kalb-Ramond actions. While in a formal sense this is the case for infinitely long strings, for more realistic situations, the collective coordinates of the system do not provide a complete description for more than brief intervals; as time evolves it becomes necessary to include low momentum goldstone excitations as well.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

R7-branes as charge conjugation operators

R7-branes are a class of recently discovered nonsupersymmetric real codimension-two duality defects in type IIB string theory predicted by the swampland cobordism conjecture. For type IIB realizations of 6D SCFTs with N = ( 2 , 0 ) supersymmetry, wrapping an R7-brane “at infinity” leads to a topological operator associated with a zero-form charge conjugation symmetry that squares to the identity. Similar considerations hold for those theories obtained from further toroidal compactification, but this can be obstructed by bundle curvature effects. Using some minimal data on the topological sector of the R7-branes, we extract the associated fusion rules for these charge conjugation operators. More broadly, we sketch a top down realization of various topological operators/interfaces associated with C , R , and T transformations. We also use holography to provide strong evidence for the existence of the R7-brane which is complementary to the cobordism conjecture. Similar considerations apply to other string-realized QFTs with symmetry operators constructed via nonsupersymmetric branes which carry a conserved charge. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2022

134 billion intersecting brane models

The landscape of string vacua is very large, but generally expected to be finite in size. Enumerating the number and properties of the vacua is an important task for both the landscape and the swampland, in part to gain a deeper understanding of what is possible and “generic”. We obtain an exact counting of distinct intersecting brane vacua of type IIA string theory on the T 6 /Z 2 × Z 2 orientifold. Care is taken to only count gauge-inequivalent brane configurations. Leveraging the recursive nature by which branes may be added together one-by-one, we use dynamic programming to efficiently count the number of solutions of the tadpole, K-theory and supersymmetry consistency conditions. The distributions of 4D gauge group rank and complex structure moduli for the entire ensemble of intersecting brane vacua are presented. The methods we developed here may be useful in obtaining sharp upper and lower bounds on other corners of the landscape.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Scattering equations in AdS: scalar correlators in arbitrary dimensions

We introduce a bosonic ambitwistor string theory in AdS space. Even though the theory is anomalous at the quantum level, one can nevertheless use it in the classical limit to derive a novel formula for correlation functions of boundary CFT operators in arbitrary space-time dimensions. The resulting construction can be treated as a natural extension of the CHY formalism for the flat-space S-matrix, as it similarly expresses tree-level amplitudes in AdS as integrals over the moduli space of Riemann spheres with punctures. These integrals localize on an operator-valued version of scattering equations, which we derive directly from the ambitwistor string action on a coset manifold. As a testing ground for this formalism we focus on the simplest case of ambitwistor string coupled to two cur- rent algebras, which gives bi-adjoint scalar correlators in AdS. In order to evaluate them directly, we make use of a series of contour deformations on the moduli space of punctured Riemann spheres and check that the result agrees with tree level Witten diagram computations to all multiplicity. We also initiate the study of eigenfunctions of scattering equations in AdS, which interpolate between conformal partial waves in different OPE channels, and point out a connection to an elliptic deformation of the Calogero-Sutherland model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

BPS fivebrane stars. Part I. Expectation values of observables

We study ensembles of 1/2-BPS bound states of fundamental strings and NS-fivebranes (NS5-F1 states) in the AdS decoupling limit. We revisit a solution corresponding to an ensemble average of these bound states, and find that the appropriate duality frame for describing the near-source structure is the T-dual NS5-P frame, where the bound state is a collection of momentum waves on the fivebranes. We find that the fivebranes are generically well-separated; this property results in the applicability of perturbative string theory. The geometry sourced by the typical microstate is not close to that of an extremal non-rotating black hole; instead the fivebranes occupy a ball whose radius is parametrically much larger than the “stretched horizon” scale of the corresponding black hole. These microstates are thus better characterized as BPS fivebrane stars than as small black holes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

On unitarity of the hypergeometric amplitude

The hypergeometric amplitude is a one-parameter deformation of the Veneziano amplitude for four-point tachyon scattering in bosonic string theory that is consistent with S-matrix bootstrap constraints. In this article we construct a similar hypergeometric generalization of the Veneziano amplitude for type-I superstring theory. We then rule out a large region of the (r, m 2 , D) parameter space as non-unitary, and establish another large subset of the (r, m 2 , D) parameter space where all of the residue’s partial wave coefficients are positive. We also analyze positivity in various limits and special cases. As a corollary to our analysis, we are able to directly demonstrate positivity of a wider set of Veneziano amplitude partial wave coefficients than what has been presented elsewhere.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Minimal-Area Metrics on the Swiss Cross and Punctured Torus

The closed string theory minimal-area problem asks for the conformal metric of least area on a Riemann surface with the condition that all non-contractible closed curves have length greater than or equal to an arbitrary constant that can be set to one. Through every point in such a metric there is a geodesic that saturates the length condition, and the saturating geodesics in a given homotopy class form a band. The extremal metric is unknown when bands of geodesics cross, as it happens for surfaces of non-zero genus. Here, we use recently proposed convex programs to numerically find the minimal-area metric on the square torus with a square boundary, for various sizes of the boundary. For large enough boundary the problem is equivalent to the “Swiss cross” challenge posed by Strebel. We find that the metric is positively curved in the two-band region and flat in the single-band regions. For small boundary the metric develops a third band of geodesics wrapping around it, and has both regions of positive and of negative curvature. This surface can be completed to provide the minimal-area metric on a once-punctured torus, representing a closed-string tadpole diagram.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

First constraints on a pixelated universe in light of DESI observations

Pixelated dark energy is a string theory scenario with a quantum mechanically stable cosmological constant. The number of pixels that make up the universe slowly increases, manifesting as a time-dependent source of dark energy. DESI has recently reported evidence for dynamical dark energy that fits within this framework. In light of this, we perform the first cosmological analysis of the pixelated model. We find that the simplest model where the pixel growth rate is constant is able to accommodate the data, providing a marginally better fit than Λ⁢ CDM; and we show that models where the pixel growth rate is increasing and of order the Hubble constant today could provide better fits. Our analysis helps to clarify the features of UV constructions of dark energy necessary to accommodate the data.

dark energy↗
DOE OSTI2022

Radiative natural supersymmetry emergent from the string landscape

In string theory with flux compactifications, anthropic selection for structure formation from a discretuum of vacuum energy values provides at present our only understanding of the tiny yet positive value of the cosmological constant. We apply similar reasoning to a toy model of the multiverse restricted to vacua with the MSSM as the low energy effective theory. Here, one expects a statistical selection favoring large soft SUSY breaking terms leading to a derived value of the weak scale in each pocket universe (with appropriate electroweak symmetry breaking) which differs from the weak scale as measured in our universe. In contrast, the SUSY preserving μ parameter is selected uniformly on a log scale as is consistent with the distribution of SM fermion masses: this favors smaller values of μ. An anthropic selection of the weak scale to within a factor of a few of our measured value — in order to produce complex nuclei as we know them (atomic principle) — provides statistical predictions for Higgs and sparticle masses in accord with LHC measurements. The statistical selection then more often leads to (radiatively-driven) natural SUSY models over the Standard Model or finely-tuned SUSY models such as mSUGRA/CMSSM, split, mini-split, spread, high scale or PeV SUSY. The predicted Higgs and superparticle spectra might be testable at HL-LHC or ILC via higgsino pair production but is certainly testable at higher energy hadron colliders with $ \sqrt{s}$ ~ 30–100 TeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mapping out the internal space in AdS/BCFT with Wilson loops

We study Wilson loops in string theory realizations of AdS/BCFT and wedge holography. The field theories are based on 3d N = 4 long quiver gauge theories engineered by D3, D5 and NS5 branes, and on BCFTs involving 4d N = 4 SYM coupled to such 3d theories. The holographic duals have geometry AdS 4 × S 2 × S 2 warped over a strip. We identify the holographic representation of antisymmetric Wilson loops associated with individual 3d gauge nodes in terms of probe D5-branes. The expectation values obtained holographically are matched to supersymmetric localization computations. Our results yield an identification of regions in the internal space with individual 3d gauge nodes. Connecting to bottom-up braneworld models, this gives a concrete notion of which parts of the 10d solutions correspond to the end-of-the-world brane and which to the remaining bulk. We also construct supersymmetric Janus on the brane embeddings in AdS 5 ×S 5 , which describe surface defects with boundaries and interfaces in N = 4 SYM.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

An SU(5) × U(1)' SUSY GUT with a “vector-like chiral” fourth family to fit all low energy data, including the muon g – 2

An additional generation of quarks and leptons and their SUSY counterparts, which are vector-like under the Standard Model gauge group but are chiral with respect to the new U(1) 3–4 gauge symmetry, are added to the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). We show that this model is a GUT and unifies the three SM gauge couplings and also the additional U(1) 3–4 coupling at a GUT scale of ≈ 5 × 10 16 GeV and explains the experimentally observed deviation of the muon g – 2. We also fit the quark flavor changing processes consistent with the latest experimental data and look at the effect of the new particles on the W boson mass without obviously conflicting with the observed masses of particles, CKM matrix elements, neutrino mixing angles, their mass differences, and the lepton-flavor violating bounds. This model predicts sparticle masses less than 25 TeV, with a gluino mass ≈ 2.3 – 3 TeV consistent with constraints, and one of the neutralinos as the LSP with a mass of ≈ 480 – 580 GeV, which is a potential dark matter candidate. The model is string theory motivated and predicts the VL quarks, leptons, a massive Z' and two Dirac neutrinos at the TeV scale and the branching ratios of μ → eγ, τ → μγ and τ → 3μ with BR(μ → eγ) within reach of future experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Thermodynamics of the near-extremal Kerr spacetime

We examine the thermodynamics of a near-extremal Kerr black hole, and demonstrate that the geometry behaves as an ordinary quantum system with a vanishingly small degeneracy at low temperatures. This is in contrast with the classical analysis, which instead predicts a macroscopic entropy for the extremal Kerr black hole. Our results follow from a careful analysis of the gravitational path integral. Specifically, the low temperature canonical partition function behaves as Z ~ T$\frac{3}{2}$ e S 0 +c log S 0 , with S 0 the classical degeneracy and c a numerical coefficient we compute. This is in line with the general expectations for non-supersymmetric near-extremal black hole thermodynamics, as has been clarified in the recent past, although cases without spherical symmetry have not yet been fully analyzed until now. We also point out some curious features relating to the rotational zero modes of the near-extremal Kerr black hole background that affects the coefficient c. This raises a puzzle when considering similar black holes in string theory. Our results generalize to other rotating black holes, as we briefly exemplify.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Hadamard products and BPS networks

We study examples of fourth-order Picard-Fuchs operators that are Hadamard products of two second-order Picard-Fuchs operators. Each second-order Picard-Fuchs operator is associated with a family of elliptic curves, and the Hadamard product computes period integrals on the fibred product of the two elliptic surfaces. We construct 3-cycles on this geometry as the union of 2-cycles in the fibre over contours on the base. We then use the special Lagrangian condition to constrain the contours on the base. This leads to a construction that is reminiscent of spectral networks and exponential networks that have previously appeared in string theory literature.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Thermal partition function of $$ {J}_3{\overline{J}}_3 $$ deformed AdS3

Abstract We derive a compact formula for the one-loop, bosonic string partition function of Euclideanized$$ {J}_3{\overline{J}}_3 $$ J 3 J ¯ 3 deformedAdS 3 with periodic Euclidean time as an integral transform of the partition function of the undeformed EuclideanizedAdS 3 . Such a deformation is interpretable as an irrelevant “single-trace$$ T\overline{T} $$ T T ¯ deformation” of the boundary. We will do this by first establishing a formal procedure to compute a worldsheet torus zero point function for an exactly marginal$$ J\overline{J} $$ J J ¯ deformation of a sigma model with U(1) L × U(1) R global symmetry. We then describe how this procedure is implemented on SL(2,R) sigma model and its Euclidean continuation. Finally, we describe the embedding of the deformed SL(2,R) torus amplitude into critical string theory and interpret the result as the leading perturbative contribution to the thermal partition function of the deformed theory.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Remarks on geometric engineering, symmetry TFTs and anomalies

Abstract Geometric engineering is a collection of tools developed to establish dictionaries between local singularities in string theory and (supersymmetric) quantum fields. Extended operators and defects, as well as their higher quantum numbers captured by topological symmetries, can be encoded within geometric engineering dictionaries. In this paper we revisit and clarify aspects of these techniques, with special emphasis on ’t Hooft anomalies, interpreted from the SymTFT perspective as obstructions to the existence of Neumann boundary conditions. These obstructions to gauging higher symmetries are captured via higher link correlators for the SymTFT on spheres. In this work, we give the geometric engineering counterpart of this construction in terms of higher links of topological membranes. We provide a consistency check in the context of 5D SCFTs with anomalous 1-form symmetries, where we give two independent derivations of the anomaly in terms of higher links, one purely field theoretical and the other purely geometrical. Along the way, we also recover the construction of non-invertible duality defects in 4D$$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 SYM from a geometric engineering perspective.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2024

A T-duality of non-supersymmetric heterotic strings and an implication for Topological Modular Forms

Abstract Motivated by recent developments connecting non-supersymmetric heterotic string theory to the theory of Topological Modular Forms (TMF), we show that the worldsheet theory with central charge (17,$$ \frac{3}{2} $$ 3 2 ) obtained by fibering the (E 8 ) 1 × (E 8 ) 1 current algebra over the two$$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = (0, 1) sigma model onS 1 with antiperiodic spin structure (such that theE 8 factors are exchanged as we go around the circle), is continuously connected to the (E 8 ) 2 theory in the Gaiotto Johnson-Freyd Witten sense of going “up and down the RG trajectories”. Combined with the work of Tachikawa and Yamashita, this furnishes a physical derivation of the fact that the (E 8 ) 2 theory corresponds to the unique nontrivial torsion element [(E 8 ) 2 ] of TMF 31 with zero mod-2 elliptic genus.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Hydrodynamics of simply spinning black holes & hydrodynamics for spinning quantum fluids

We find hydrodynamic behavior in large simply spinning five-dimensional Anti-de Sitter black holes. These are dual to spinning quantum fluids through the AdS/CFT correspondence constructed from string theory. Due to the spatial anisotropy introduced by the angular momentum, hydrodynamic transport coefficients are split into groups longitudinal or transverse to the angular momentum, and aligned or anti-aligned with it. Analytic expressions are provided for the two shear viscosities, the longitudinal momentum diffusion coefficient, two speeds of sound, and two sound attenuation coefficients. Known relations between these coefficients are generalized to include dependence on angular momentum. The shear viscosity to entropy density ratio varies between zero and 1/(4π) depending on the direction of the shear. These results can be applied to heavy ion collisions, in which the most vortical fluid was reported recently. In passing, we show that large simply spinning five-dimensional Myers-Perry black holes are perturbatively stable for all angular momenta below extremality.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Non-supersymmetric $AdS_6$ and the swampland

We discuss infinite families of non-supersymmetric AdS 6 solutions in Type IIB string theory. They are siblings of supersymmetric solutions which are associated with (p,q) 5-brane webs and holographically dual to 5d SCFTs engineered by those brane webs. The non-supersymmetric backgrounds carry identical 5-brane charges and are connected to the supersymmetric ones by RG flows. We study the stability of the non-supersymmetric solutions, identifying perturbative and non-perturbative decay channels for all the backgrounds explicitly available. We also identify likely decay mechanisms for solutions that have not been constructed explicitly but may be expected to exist based on brane web considerations. Finally, we exclude scale separation by constructing universal spin 2 modes with masses comparable to the mass-scale of the cosmological constant.

supersymmetry breaking↗