Related papers: Semiclassical Partition Functions for Gravity with…
Semiclassical gravity (SG) aims to describe the semiclassical regime of quantum gravity. In SG quantum fields curve classical spacetime in an effective way through the expectation value of their stress-energy tensor, while propagating in…
In a metric variable based Hamiltonian quantization, we give a prescription for constructing semiclassical matter-geometry states for homogeneous and isotropic cosmological models. These "collective" states arise as infinite linear…
We define a wave-function for string theory cosmological backgrounds. We give a prescription for computing its norm following an earlier analysis within general relativity. Under Euclidean continuation, the cosmologies we discuss in this…
Minkowski Functionals are a powerful tool for analyzing large scale structure, in particular if the distribution of matter is highly non-Gaussian, as it is in models in which cosmic strings contribute to structure formation. Here we apply…
A full quantum description of global vortex strings is presented in the framework of a pure Higgs system with a broken global U(1) symmetry in 3+1D. An explicit expression for the string creation operator is obtained, both in terms of the…
It is of interest to find criteria on a 2d CFT which indicate that it gives rise to emergent gravity in a macroscopic 3d AdS space via holography. Symmetric orbifolds in the large $N$ limit have partition functions which are consistent with…
We study properties of the full partition function for the $U(1)$ 5D $\mathcal{N}=2^*$ gauge theory with adjoint hypermultiplet of mass $M$. This theory is ultimately related to abelian 6D (2,0) theory. We construct the full…
We review the polynomial structure of the topological string partition functions as solutions to the holomorphic anomaly equations. We also explain the connection between the ring of propagators defined from special K\"ahler geometry and…
We analyse the perturbative massive open string spectrum of even dimensional superstring compactifications with four, eight and sixteen supercharges. In each of such cases, we focus on universal states that exist independently on the…
The method of topological vertex for topological string theory on toric Calabi-Yau 3-folds is reviewed. Implications of an explicit formula of partition functions in the "on-strip" case, typically the generalized conifolds, are considered.…
This is an expositoray article on the topological string partition function promoting an extension of the partition function of open Gromov-Witten theory of CY 3-folds defined by the trace of vertex operators. We also give a brief survey of…
Perturbative estimates suggest that extended topological defects such as cosmic strings emit few particles, but numerical simulations of the fields from which they are constructed suggest the opposite. In this paper we study the decay of…
As a novel approach with possible relevance to semiclassical gravity, we propose to define regions of space as quantum subsystems. After recalling how to divide a generic quantum system into ``parts'', we apply this idea to a free scalar…
After a brief introduction to classical and quantum gravity we discuss applications of loop quantum gravity in the cosmological realm. This includes the basic formalism and recent results of loop quantum cosmology, and a computation of…
Dynamical triangulations of four-dimensional Euclidean quantum gravity give rise to an interesting, numerically accessible model of quantum gravity. We give a simple introduction to the model and discuss two particularly important issues.…
This paper initiates a systematic study of quantum functions, which are (partial) functions defined in terms of quantum mechanical computations. Of all quantum functions, we focus on resource-bounded quantum functions whose inputs are…
Cosmic strings provide a radically different paradigm for the formation of structure to the prevailing inflationary one. They afford some extra technical complications: for example, the calculation of the power spectrum of matter and…
Fractional superstrings are recently-proposed generalizations of the traditional superstrings and heterotic strings. They have critical spacetime dimensions which are less than ten, and in this paper we investigate model-building for the…
We compute the partition function and specific heat for a quantum mechanical particle under the influence of a quartic double-well potential non-perturbatively, using the semiclassical method. Near the region of bounded motion in the…
We develop a generally applicable method for constructing functions, $C$, which have properties similar to Zamolodchikov's $C$-function, and are geometrically natural objects related to the theory space explored by non-perturbative…