Related papers: Breaking symmetry, breaking ground
In this work the most promising string cosmology models are re-viewed model by model in detail. These models are based on conceptsform string theory and heterotic M theory to construct possible scenar-ios for the beginning and the evolution…
We provide a formal introduction into the classic theorems of general topology and its axiomatic foundations in set theory. In this second part we introduce the fundamental concepts of topological spaces, convergence, and continuity, as…
S.A. Solovyov (2008) has recently introduced the notion of a Q-topological space (and Q-continuous maps between them), where Q is a fixed member of a variety of Omega-algebras, which in turn gives rise to the category Q-TOP of such spaces.…
This lecture consists of two parts. The first is a (totally unsystematic) survey of some of the high points in the evolution of gravity and its successors, primarily in the course of the past century. The second summarizes some new work on…
We give examples of string compactifications to 4d Minkowski space with different amounts of supersymmetry that can be connected by spherical domain walls. The tension of these domain walls is tunably lower than the 4d Planck scale. The…
This is an invited contribution to the Special Issue of "Foundations of Physics" titled "Forty Years Of String Theory: Reflecting On the Foundations". I have been asked to assess string theory as an outsider, and to compare it with the…
The scenario of a cosmology with topological defects is surveyed starting from the field theoretic aspects and ending with a description of large-scale structure formation and magnetic field generation. (Lectures delivered at ICTP, Trieste,…
These notes provide a brief introduction to modern cosmology, focusing primarily on theoretical issues. Some attention is paid to aspects of potential interest to students of string theory, on both sides of the two-way street of…
We discuss some hitherto puzzling features of the small-scale structure of cosmic strings. We argue that kinks play a key role, and that an important quantity to study is their sharpness distribution. In particular we suggest that for very…
We review the most recent progress in our understanding of quantum mechanical observables in cosmology in the perturbative regime. It relies on an approach that considers them directly as functions of the data at the space-like boundary at…
Dynamical supersymmetry breaking is a fascinating theoretical problem. It is also of phenomenological significance. A better understanding of this phenomenon can help in model building, which in turn is useful in guiding the search for…
A brief description of some salient aspects of four-dimensional supersymmetry: early history, supermanifolds, the MSSM, cold dark matter, the cosmological constant and the string landscape.
The properties of cosmic strings have been investigated in detail for their implications in early-universe cosmology. Although many variations of the basic structure have been discovered, with implications for both the microscopic and…
Symmetry Theories (SymThs) provide a flexible framework for analyzing the global categorical symmetries of a $D$-dimensional QFT$_{D}$ in terms of a $(D+1)$-dimensional bulk system SymTh$_{D+1}$. In QFTs realized via local string…
We discuss formation of cosmic strings associated with a spontaneously broken approximate $U(1)$ symmetry by performing classical field-theoretical simulations. An original $U(1)$ symmetry is explicitly broken down to its subgroup $Z_N$…
We start with the relation between the chiral symmetry breaking and gauge field topology. New lattice result further enhance the notion of Zero Mode Zone, a very narrow strip of states with quasizero Dirac eigenvalues. Then we move to the…
An approach to quantum gravity and cosmology is proposed based on a synthesis of four elements: 1) the Bekenstein bound and the related holographic hypothesis of 't Hooft and Susskind, 2) topological quantum field theory, 3) a new approach…
Topological defects, in particular cosmic strings, give rise to an interesting mechanism for generating the primordial perturbations in the early Universe which are required to explain the present structure. An overview of the cosmic string…
The concepts of symmetry and its breakdown are investigated in two different terms according to whether the resulting asymmetry is universal or only obtained for a special configuration: we shall illustrate this by considering in the first…
This is the foreword to the book we edited on the origins and early development of supersymmetry, which has been just issued by World Scientific. This book presents a view on the discovery of supersymmetry and pioneering investigations…