14536751
Some No-go Theorems for String Duals of Non-relativistic Lifshitz-like Theories
We study possibilities of string theory embeddings of the gravity duals for non-relativistic Lifshitz-like theories with anisotropic scale invariance. We search classical solutions in type IIA and eleven-dimensional supergravities which are expected to be dual to (2+1)-dimensional Lifshitz-like theories. Under reasonable ansatze, we prove that such gravity duals in the supergravities are not possible. We also discuss a possible physical reason behind this.
18603114
Holography and entanglement in flat spacetime.
We propose a holographic correspondence of the flat spacetime based on the behavior of the entanglement entropy and the correlation functions. The holographic dual theory turns out to be highly nonlocal. We argue that after most part of the space is traced out, the reduced density matrix gives the maximal entropy and the correlation functions become trivial. We present a toy model for this holographic dual using a nonlocal scalar field theory that reproduces the same property of the entanglement entropy. Our conjecture is consistent with the entropy of Schwarzschild black holes in asymptotically flat spacetimes.
119529056
Supersymmetric Probes in a Rotating 5D Attractor
Abstract Supersymmetric zero-brane and one-brane probes in the squashed AdS 2 × S 3 near-horizon geometry of the BMPV black hole are studied. Supersymmetric zero-brane probes stabilized by orbital angular momentum on the S 3 are found and shown to saturate a BPS bound. We also find supersymmetric one-brane probes which have momentum and winding around a U ( 1 ) L × U ( 1 ) R torus in the S 3 and in some cases are static.
54005042
Modular properties of 3D higher spin theory
A bstractIn the three-dimensional $ \mathfrak{s}\mathfrak{l} $(N) Chern-Simons higher-spin theory, we prove that the conical surplus and the black hole solution are related by the S-transformation of the modulus of the boundary torus. Then applying the modular group on a given conical surplus solution, we generate a ‘SL(2, $ \mathbb{Z} $)’ family of smooth constant solutions. We then show how these solutions are mapped into one another by coordinate transformations that act non-trivially on the homology of the boundary torus.After deriving a thermodynamics that applies to all the solutions in the ‘SL(2, $ \mathbb{Z} $)’ family, we compute their entropies and free energies, and determine how the latter transform under the modular transformations. Summing over all the modular images of the conical surplus, we write down a (tree-level) modular invariant partition function.
9048620
On string theory duals of Lifshitz-like fixed points
We present type IIB supergravity solutions which are expected to be dual to certain Lifshitz-like fixed points with anisotropic scale invariance. They are expected to describe a class of D3-D7 systems and their finite temperature generalizations are straightforward. We show that there exist solutions that interpolate between these anisotropic solutions in the IR and the standard AdS5 solutions in the UV. This predicts anisotropic RG flows from familiar isotropic fixed points to anisotropic ones. In our case, these RG flows are triggered by a non-zero theta-angle in Yang-Mills theories that linearly depends on one of the spatial coordinates. We study the perturbations around these backgrounds and discuss the possibility of instability. We also holographically compute their thermal entropies, viscosities, and entanglement entropies.
6352305
ABJM with Flavors and FQHE
We add fundamental matters to the = 6 Chern-Simons theory (ABJM theory), and show that D6-branes wrapped over AdS4 × S3/2 in type IIA superstring theory on AdS4 × 3 give its dual description with = 3 supersymmetry. We confirm this by the arguments based on R-symmetry, supersymmetry, and brane configuration of ABJM theory. We also analyze the fluctuations of the D6-brane and compute the conformal dimensions of dual operators. In the presence of fractional branes, the ABJM theory can model the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE), with RR-fields regarded as the external electric-magnetic field. We show that an addition of the flavor D6-brane describes a class of fractional quantum Hall plateau transitions.
25008570
No-go theorems for unitary and interacting partially massless spin-two fields.
We examine the generic theory of a paratially massless (PM) spin-two field interacting with gravity in four dimensions from a bottom-up perspective. By analyzing the most general form of the Lagrangian, we first show that if such a theory exists, its de Sitter background must admit either so(1,5) or so(2,4) global symmetry depending on the relative sign of the kinetic terms: the former for a positive sign the latter for a negative sign. Further analysis reveals that the coupling constant of the PM cubic self-interaction must be fixed with a purely imaginary number in the case of a positive sign. We conclude that there cannot exist a unitary theory of a PM spin-two field coupled to Einstein gravity with a perturbatively local Lagrangian. In the case of a negative sign we recover conformal gravity. As a special case of our analysis, it is shown that the PM limit of massive gravity also lacks the PM gauge symmetry.
119261799
Holographic superconductors in quasi-topological gravity
In this paper we study (3+1) dimensional holographic superconductors in quasi-topological gravity which is recently proposed by R. Myers et.al.. Through both analytical and numerical analysis, we find in general the condensation becomes harder with the increase of coupling parameters of higher curvature terms. In particular, comparing with those in ordinary Gauss-Bonnet gravity, we find that positive cubic corrections in quasi-topological gravity suppress the condensation while negative cubic terms make it easier. We also calculate the conductivity numerically for various coupling parameters. It turns out that the universal relation of ωg/Tc ≃ 8 is unstable and this ratio becomes larger with the increase of the coupling parameters. A brief discussion on the condensation from the CFT side is also presented.
209999832
Measurements of charge transfer efficiency in a proton-irradiated swept charge device
Charged Coupled Devices (CCDs) have been successfully used in several low energy X-ray astronomical satellites over the past two decades. Their high energy resolution and high spatial resolution make them a perfect tool for low energy astronomy, such as observing the formation of galaxy clusters and the environment around black holes. The Low Energy X-ray Telescope (LE) group is developing a Swept Charge Device (SCD) for the Hard Xray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) satellite. A SCD is a special low energy X-ray CCD, which can be read out a thousand times faster than traditional CCDs, simultaneously keeping excellent energy resolution. A test method for measuring the charge transfer efficiency (CTE) of a prototype SCD has been set up. Studies of the charge transfer inefficiency (CTI) with a proton-irradiated SCD have been performed at a range of operating temperatures. The SCD is irradiated by 3x10(8)cm(-2) 10 MeV protons.
7659445
Uncovering the Putative B-star Binary Companion of the SN 1993J Progenitor
The Type IIb supernova (SN) 1993J is one of only a few stripped-envelope SNe with a progenitor star identified in pre-explosion images. SN IIb models typically invoke H envelope stripping by mass transfer in a binary system. For the case of SN 1993J, the models suggest that the companion grew to 22 M_☉ and became a source of ultraviolet (UV) excess. Located in M81, at a distance of only 3.6 Mpc, SN 1993J offers one of the best opportunities to detect the putative companion and test the progenitor model. Previously published near-UV spectra in 2004 showed evidence for absorption lines consistent with a hot (B2 Ia) star, but the field was crowded and dominated by flux from the SN. Here we present Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Wide-Field Camera 3 observations of SN 1993J from 2012, at which point the flux from the SN had faded sufficiently to potentially measure the UV continuum properties from the putative companion. The resulting UV spectrum is consistent with contributions from both a hot B star and the SN, although we cannot rule out line-of-sight coincidences.
14709478
The lick AGN monitoring project: photometric light curves and optical variability characteristics
The Lick AGN Monitoring Project targeted 13 nearby Seyfert 1 galaxies with the intent of measuring the masses of their central black holes using reverberation mapping. The sample includes 12 galaxies selected to have black holes with masses roughly in the range 106-107 M ☉, as well as the well-studied active galactic nucleus (AGN) NGC 5548. In conjunction with a spectroscopic monitoring campaign, we obtained broadband B and V images on most nights from 2008 February through 2008 May. The imaging observations were carried out by four telescopes: the 0.76 m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope, the 2 m Multicolor Active Galactic Nuclei Monitoring telescope, the Palomar 60 inch (1.5 m) telescope, and the 0.80 m Tenagra II telescope. Having well-sampled light curves over the course of a few months is useful for obtaining the broad-line reverberation lag and black hole mass, and also allows us to examine the characteristics of the continuum variability. In this paper, we discuss the observational methods and the photometric measurements, and present the AGN continuum light curves. We measure various variability characteristics of each of the light curves. We do not detect any evidence for a time lag between the B- and V-band variations, and we do not find significant color variations for the AGNs in our sample.