Related papers: B^F Theory and Flat Spacetimes

Let X be a smooth algebraic variety on which a solvable Lie group acts freely on a dense open orbit. Such varieties include generalized flag varieties, toric varieties, Bott-Samelson varieties, and many spherical varieties, as well as…

Let $G$ be a real linear algebraic group and $L$ a finitely generated cosimplicial group. We prove that the space of homomorphisms $Hom(L_n,G)$ has a homotopy stable decomposition for each $n\geq 1$. When $G$ is a compact Lie group, we show…

For any closed surface $S$ of genus $g \geq 2$, we show that the deformation space of marked hyperbolic 3-manifolds homotopy equivalent to $S$, $AH(S \times I)$, is not locally connected. This proves a conjecture of Bromberg who recently…

A group, $\fl{H}$, of automorphisms of a totally disconnected locally compact group, $G$, is flat if there is a compact open $U\leq G$ such that the index $[\alpha(U):U\cap \alpha(U)]$ is mininimized for every $\alpha\in\fl{H}$. The…

We discuss some consequences of the fact that symmetry groups appearing in compactified (super-)gravity may be non-simply connected. The possibility to add fermions to a theory results in a simple criterion to decide whether a 3-dimensional…

We present simple examples of finite-dimensional connected homogeneous spaces (they are actually topological manifolds) with nonhomogeneous and nonrigid factors. In particular, we give an elementary solution of an old problem in general…

Motivated by the group of Galilean transformations and the subgroup of Galilean transformations which fix time zero, we introduce the notion of a $b$-Lie group as a pair $(G,H)$ where $G$ is a Lie group and $H$ is a codimension-one Lie…

We resurrect a standard construction of analytical mechanics dating from the last century. The technique allows one to pass from any dynamical system whose first order evolution equations are known, and whose bracket algebra is not…

A new local, covariant ``counter-term'' is used to construct a variational principle for asymptotically flat spacetimes in any spacetime dimension $ d \ge 4$. The new counter-term makes direct contact with more familiar background…

We study Z(2) lattice gauge theory on triangulations of a compact 3-manifold. We reformulate the theory algebraically, describing it in terms of the structure constants of a bidimensional vector space H equipped with algebra and coalgebra…

We use closed geodesics to construct and compute Bott-type Morse homology groups for the energy functional on the loop space of flat $n$-dimensional tori, $n\ge 1$, and Bott-type Floer cohomology groups for their cotangent bundles equipped…

In this article and its sequel we discuss the asymptotic structure of space-times representing isolated bodies in General Relativity. Such space-times are usually required to be asymptotically flat (AF), and thus to have a prescribed type…

Let G be a compact Lie group. By work of Chataur and Menichi, the homology of the space of free loops in the classifying space of G is known to be the value on the circle in a homological conformal field theory. This means in particular…

Let U be a real form of a complex semisimple Lie group, and tau, sigma, a pair of commuting involutions on U. This data corresponds to a reflective submanifold of a symmetric space, U/K. We define an associated integrable system, and…

Given a topological group G, its orbit category Orb_G has the transitive G-spaces G/H as objects and the G-equivariant maps between them as morphisms. A well known theorem of Elmendorf then states that the category of G-spaces and the…

The Hamiltonian formulation of scalar-tensor theories of gravity is derived from their Lagrangian formulation by Hamiltonian analysis. The Hamiltonian formalism marks off two sectors of the theories by the coupling parameter $\omega(\phi)$.…

A function from configuration space to moduli space of surface may induce a homomorphism between their fundamental groups which are braid groups and mapping class groups of surface, respectively. This map $\phi: B_k \rightarrow…

We introduce the description of a Wilson surface as a 2-dimensional topological quantum field theory with a 1-dimensional Hilbert space. On a closed surface, the Wilson surface theory defines a topological invariant of the principal…

We develop representation theoretic techniques to construct three dimensional non-semisimple topological quantum field theories which model homologically truncated topological B-twists of abelian Gaiotto-Witten theory with linear matter.…

We study covariant models for vacuum spherical gravity within a canonical setting. Starting from a general ansatz, we derive the most general family of Hamiltonian constraints that are quadratic in first-order and linear in second-order…