Off-shell higher spin $\mathcal{N}=2$ supermultiplets in three spacetime dimensions (3D) are presented in this paper. We propose gauge prepotentials for higher spin superconformal gravity and construct the corresponding gauge-invariant field strengths, which are proved to be conformal primary superfields. These field strengths are higher spin generalizations of the (linearized) $\mathcal{N}=2$ super-Cotton tensor, which controls the superspace geometry of conformal supergravity. We also construct the higher spin extensions of the linearized $\mathcal{N}=2$ conformal supergravity action. We provide two dually equivalent off-shell formulations for massless higher spin $\mathcal{N}=2$ supermultiplets. They involve one and the same superconformal prepotential but differ in the compensators used. For the lowest superspin value $3/2$, these higher spin series terminate at the linearized actions for the (1,1) minimal and $w=-1$ nonminimal $\mathcal{N}=2$ Poincaré supergravity theories constructed in S. M. Kuzenko and G. Tartaglino-Mazzucchelli, arXiv:1109.0496. Similar to the pure 3D supergravity actions, their higher spin counterparts propagate no degrees of freedom. However, the massless higher spin supermultiplets are used to construct off-shell massive $\mathcal{N}=2$ supermultiplets by combining the massless actions with those describing higher spin extensions of the linearized $\mathcal{N}=2$ conformal supergravity. We also demonstrate that every higher spin super-Cotton tensor can be represented as a linear superposition of the equations of motion for the corresponding massless higher spin supermultiplet, with the coefficients being higher-derivative linear operators.

We present a scheme-independent calculation of the infrared value of the anomalous dimension of the fermion bilinear, ${\gamma }_{\overline{\psi }\psi ,IR}$ in an SU(3) gauge theory as a function of the number of fermions, $N_f$, via a series expansion in powers of ${\mathrm{\Delta }}_f$, where ${\mathrm{\Delta }}_f=(16.5-N_f)$, to order ${\mathrm{\Delta }}_f^4$. We perform an extrapolation to obtain the first determination of the exact ${\gamma }_{\overline{\psi }\psi ,IR}$ from continuum field theory. The results are compared with calculations of the $n$-loop values of this anomalous dimension from series in powers of the coupling and from lattice measurements.

For each set of (freely chosen) seed data, the conformal method reduces the Einstein constraint equations to a system of elliptic equations, the conformal constraint equations. We prove an admissibility criterion, based on a (conformal) prescribed scalar curvature problem, which provides a necessary condition on the seed data for the conformal constraint equations to (possibly) admit a solution. We then consider sets of asymptotically Euclidean (AE) seed data for which solutions of the conformal constraint equations exist, and examine the blowup properties of these solutions as the seed data sets approach sets for which no solutions exist. We also prove that there are AE seed data sets which include a Yamabe nonpositive metric and lead to solutions of the conformal constraints. These data sets allow the mean curvature function to have 0’s.

The Hamiltonian formulation of the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity is developed from an ordinary second-order Lagrangian, which is written as a quadratic form of the coefficients of anholonomy of the orthonormal frames (vielbeins). We analyze the structure of eigenvalues of the multi-index matrix entering the (linear) relation between canonical velocities and momenta to obtain the set of primary constraints. The canonical Hamiltonian is then built with the Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse of that matrix. The set of constraints, including the subsequent secondary constraints, completes a first-class algebra. This means that all of them generate gauge transformations. The gauge freedoms are basically the diffeomorphisms and the (local) Lorentz transformations of the vielbein. In particular, the Arnowitt, Deser, and Misner algebra of general relativity is recovered as a subalgebra.

We derive general expressions of $C_l^{\mu X}$, the cross correlation function between the cosmic microwave background spectral $\mu$ distortion and linear perturbations in the cosmic microwave background, such as temperature perturbations and polarizations. The cross correlations are known as new tests for the extremely squeezed shape of primordial non-Gaussianity, which is inaccessible through direct observations of the temperature three-point functions. Our formulas are applicable to the arbitrary combinations of the scalar and tensor perturbations, and we discuss the potential for detecting these quantities. We provide the signal-to-noise ratio of $\mu E$ as well as $\mu T$, based on an experiment similar to the Primordial Inflation Explorer. We also find the signal-to-noise ratio from scale dependent nonlinearity. For instance, we show that $f_{\mathrm{NL}}^{\mathrm{loc}}(k_1,k_2,k_3)={(k_1{k}_2{k}_3)}^{1/3}{k}_0^{-1}{F}_0$, with $k_0=0.05{\mathrm{Mpc}}^{-1}$, can be detectable at $1\sigma$ level, even for $F_0\sim 8$.

The correlation function between two Polyakov loops encodes the free-energy shift due to a pair of separated color-conjugated sources in the hot QCD medium. This is analyzed in terms of a novel Källén-Lehmann spectral representation for the separating distance, implying an increasing and concave free-energy at all temperatures. We express the heavy $\overline{Q}Q$ free-energy shift below the phase transition in QCD in terms of color-neutral purely hadronic states with no explicit reference to quarks and gluons. Good agreement with lattice data is achieved when considering the avoided crossing mechanism underlying string breaking and with standard quenched values of the string tension known from charmonium and bottomonium phenomenology. We also address the role of the corresponding entropy shift and its renormalization group properties.

In a recent article we determined analytically the right-handed quark mixing matrix in the minimal left-right symmetric theory with generalized parity. We derived its explicit form as a series expansion in a small parameter that measures the departure from Hermiticity of quark mass matrices. Here we analyze carefully the convergence of the series by including higher order terms and by comparing with numerical results. We apply our findings to some phenomenological applications such as the production and decays of the right-handed gauge boson $W_R$, the neutrinoless double beta decay, the decays of the heavy scalar doublet, the strong $CP$ parameter, and the theoretical limits on the new mass scale from the $K$- and $B$-meson physics. In particular, we demonstrate that the relevant coupling for the production of the $W_R$ gauge boson at hadronic colliders and for the neutrinoless double beta decay equals its left-handed counterpart, within a percent. We also demonstrate that the stability of the theoretical lower limit on the $W_R$ mass from the $K$-meson physics is due to a partial cancellation of the external phases of the right-handed mixing matrix.

We analytically investigate the thermodynamic variables of a hot and dense system, in the framework of the Tsallis nonextensive classical statistics. After a brief review, we start by recalling the corresponding massless limits for all the thermodynamic variables. We then present the details of calculation for the exact massive result regarding the pressure—valid for all values of the $q$ parameter—as well as the Tsallis $T$, $\mu$, and $m$ parameters, where the former characterizes the nonextensivity of the system. The results for other thermodynamic variables, in the massive case, readily follow from appropriate differentiations of the pressure, for which we provide the necessary formulas. For the convenience of the reader, we tabulate all of our results. A special emphasis is put on the method used in order to perform these computations, which happens to reduce cumbersome momentum integrals into simpler ones. Numerical consistency between our analytic results and the corresponding usual numerical integrals are found to be perfectly consistent. Finally, it should be noted that our findings substantially simplify calculations within the Tsallis framework, which is extensively used in many different fields including high-energy nucleus collisions; thus, we hope to shed light on a number of possible applications.

We present a comparative study on the pion induced production of $K^0\mathrm{\Lambda }$ and $D^{-}{\mathrm{\Lambda }}_c^{+}$ off the nucleon. A hybrid framework is utilized by combining an effective Lagrangian method with a Regge approach. We consider the $t$-channel process in a planar diagram by vector-meson Reggeon exchanges and the $u$-channel one in a nonplanar diagram by baryon Reggeon exchanges. The present model reproduces the $K^0\mathrm{\Lambda }$ production data well with a few parameters. Having fixed them, we predict the $D^{-}{\mathrm{\Lambda }}_c^{+}$ production, which turns out to be about $10^4–10^6$ times smaller than the strangeness one, depending on the kinematical regions.

In this paper we investigate the exotic charmonium production in $\gamma \gamma$ interactions present in proton-proton, proton-nucleus, and nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider energies as well as for the proposed energies of the Future Circular Collider. Our results demonstrate that the experimental study of these processes is feasible and can be used to constrain the theoretical decay widths and shed some light on the configuration of the considered multiquark states.

A particular framework for quantum gravity is the doubly special relativity formalism that introduces a new observer-independent scale (the Planck scale). We resort to the methods of statistical mechanics in this framework to determine how the deformed dispersion relation affects the thermodynamics of a photon gas. The ensuing modifications to the density of states, partition function, pressure, internal energy, entropy, free energy, and specific heat are calculated. These results are compared with the outcome obtained in the Lorentz violating model of Camacho and Marcias [Gen. Relativ. Gravit. 39, 1175 (2007)]. The two types of models predict different results due to different spacetime structures near the Planck scale. The resulting modifications can be interpreted as a consequence of the deformed Lorentz symmetry present in the particular model we have considered. In the low energy limit, our calculation coincides with the usual results of photon thermodynamics in special relativity theory, in contrast to the study presented in an earlier article [Phys. Rev. D 81, 085039 (2010)].

We investigate the influence of the vacuum fluctuations of a background electric field over a charged test particle in the presence of a perfectly reflecting flat wall. A switching function connecting different stages of the system is implemented in such a way that its functional dependence is determined by the ratio between the measuring time and the switching duration. The dispersions of the velocity components of the particle are found to be smooth functions of time, and have maximum magnitudes for a measuring time corresponding to about one round trip of a light signal between the particle and the wall. Typical divergences reported in the literature and linked with an oversimplification in modeling this system are naturally regularized in our approach. Estimates suggest that this sort of manifestation of quantum vacuum fluctuations over the motion of the particle could be tested in laboratories.

We reformulate gauge theories in analogy with the vierbein formalism of general relativity. More specifically, we reformulate gauge theories such that their gauge dynamical degrees of freedom are local fields that transform linearly under the dual representation of the charged matter field. These local fields, which naively have the interpretation of nonlocal operators similar to Wilson lines, satisfy constraint equations. A set of basis tensor fields is used to solve these constraint equations, and their field theory is constructed. A new local symmetry in terms of the basis tensor fields is used to make this field theory local and maintain a Hamiltonian that is bounded from below. The field theory of the basis tensor fields is what we call the basis tensor gauge theory.

We extend a recently derived higher-dimensional Cardy formula to include angular momenta, which we use to obtain the Bekensten-Hawking entropy of anti-de Sitter black branes, compactified rotating branes, and large Schwarzschild/Kerr black holes. This is the natural generalization of Strominger’s microscopic derivation of the Banados-Teitelboim-Zanelli black hole entropy to higher dimensions. We propose an extension to include $U(1)$ charge, which agrees with the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of large Reissner-Nordstrom/Kerr-Newman black holes at high temperature. We extend the results to an arbitrary hyperscaling-violation exponent (this captures the case of black $Dp$-branes as a subclass) and reproduce logarithmic corrections.

Motivated by advanced LIGO (aLIGO)’s recent discovery of gravitational waves, we discuss signatures of new physics that could be seen at ground- and space-based interferometers. We show that a first-order phase transition in a dark sector would lead to a detectable gravitational wave signal at future experiments, if the phase transition has occurred at temperatures few orders of magnitude higher than the electroweak scale. The source of gravitational waves in this case is associated with the dynamics of expanding and colliding bubbles in the early universe. At the same time we point out that topological defects, such as dark sector domain walls, may generate a detectable signal already at aLIGO. Both bubble and domain-wall scenarios are sourced by semiclassical configurations of a dark new physics sector. In the first case, the gravitational wave signal originates from bubble wall collisions and subsequent turbulence in hot plasma in the early universe, while the second case corresponds to domain walls passing through the interferometer at present and is not related to gravitational waves. We find that aLIGO at its current sensitivity can detect smoking-gun signatures from domain-wall interactions, while future proposed experiments including the fifth phase of aLIGO at design sensitivity can probe dark sector phase transitions.

We investigate the formation and dissipation of large-scale neutrino structures in cosmologies where the time evolution of dynamical dark energy is stopped by a growing neutrino mass. In models where the coupling between neutrinos and dark energy grows with the value of the scalar cosmon field, the evolution of neutrino lumps depends on the neutrino mass. For small masses the lumps form and dissolve periodically, leaving only a small backreaction of the neutrino structures on the cosmic evolution. This process heats the neutrinos to temperatures far above the photon temperature, such that neutrinos acquire again an almost relativistic equation of state. The present equation of state of the combined cosmon-neutrino fluid is very close to $-1$. By contrast, for larger neutrino masses, the lumps become stable. The highly concentrated neutrino structures entail a large backreaction similar to the case of a constant neutrino-cosmon coupling. A present average neutrino mass of around 0.5 eV seems to be compatible with observations so far. For masses lower than this value, neutrino-induced gravitational potentials remain small, making the lumps difficult to detect.

We report results of a deep all-sky search for periodic gravitational waves from isolated neutron stars in data from the S6 LIGO science run. The search was possible thanks to the computing power provided by the volunteers of the Einstein@Home distributed computing project. We find no significant signal candidate and set the most stringent upper limits to date on the amplitude of gravitational wave signals from the target population. At the frequency of best strain sensitivity, between 170.5 and 171 Hz we set a 90% confidence upper limit of $5.5\times {10}^{-25}$, while at the high end of our frequency range, around 505 Hz, we achieve upper limits $\simeq {10}^{-24}$. At 230 Hz we can exclude sources with ellipticities greater than ${10}^{-6}$ within 100 pc of Earth with fiducial value of the principal moment of inertia of ${10}^{38}\mathrm{kg}{\mathrm{m}}^2$. If we assume a higher (lower) gravitational wave spin-down we constrain farther (closer) objects to higher (lower) ellipticities.

We study quasiequilibrium solutions of triaxially deformed rotating compact stars—a generalization of Jacobi ellipsoids under relativistic gravity and compressible equations of state (EOSs). For relatively stiff (piecewise) polytropic EOSs, we find supramassive triaxial solutions whose masses exceed the maximum mass of the spherical solution, but are always lower than those of axisymmetric equilibriums. The difference in the maximum masses of triaxial and axisymmetric solutions depends sensitively on the EOSs. If the difference turns out to be only about 10%, it will be strong evidence that the EOS of high density matter becomes substantially softer in the core of neutron stars. This finding opens a novel way to probe phase transitions of high density nuclear matter using detections of gravitational waves from new born neutron stars or magnetars under fallback accretion.

We explore the space of scalar-tensor theories containing two nonconformal metrics, and find a discontinuity pointing to a “critical” cosmological solution. Due to the different maximal speeds of propagation for matter and gravity, the cosmological fluctuations start off inside the horizon even without inflation, and will more naturally have a thermal origin (since there is never vacuum domination). The critical model makes an unambiguous, nontuned prediction for the spectral index of the scalar fluctuations: $n_S=0.96478(64)$. Considering also that no gravitational waves are produced, we have unveiled the most predictive model on offer. The model has a simple geometrical interpretation as a probe 3-brane embedded in an $E{\mathrm{AdS}}_2\times E_3$ geometry.