Showing papers on "Anomaly (physics) published in 2013"

The Chiral Magnetic Effect and Anomaly-Induced Transport

Abstract: The Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME) is the phenomenon of electric charge separation along the external magnetic field that is induced by the chirality imbalance. The CME is a macroscopic quantum effect - it is a manifestation of the chiral anomaly creating a collective motion in Dirac sea. Because the chirality imbalance is related to the global topology of gauge fields, the CME current is topologically protected and hence non-dissipative even in the presence of strong interactions. As a result, the CME and related quantum phenomena affect the hydrodynamical and transport behavior of systems possessing chiral fermions, from the quark-gluon plasma to chiral materials. The goal of the present review is to provide an elementary introduction into the main ideas underlying the physics of CME, a historical perspective, and a guide to the rapidly growing literature on this topic.

Kinetic theory with Berry curvature from quantum field theories

Abstract: A kinetic theory can be modified to incorporate triangle anomalies and the chiral magnetic effect by taking into account the Berry curvature flux through the Fermi surface. We show how such a kinetic theory can be derived from underlying quantum field theories. Using the new kinetic theory, we also compute the parity-odd correlation function that is found to be identical to the result in the perturbation theory in the next-to-leading order hard dense loop approximation.

Chiral gauge field and axial anomaly in a Weyl semimetal

Abstract: Weyl fermions are two-component chiral fermions in $(3+1)$ dimensions. When coupled to a gauge field, the Weyl fermion is known to have an axial anomaly, which means the current conservation of the left-handed and right-handed Weyl fermions cannot be preserved separately. Recently, Weyl fermions have been proposed in condensed-matter systems named ``Weyl semimetals.'' In this paper we propose a Weyl semimetal phase in magnetically doped topological insulators, and study the axial anomaly in this system. We propose that the magnetic fluctuation in this system plays the role of a ``chiral gauge field'' which minimally couples to the Weyl fermions with opposite charges for two chiralities. We study the anomaly equation of this system and discuss its physical consequences, including one-dimensional chiral modes in a ferromagnetic vortex line, and a novel plasmon-magnon coupling.

Ultraviolet properties of N=4 supergravity at four loops.

Abstract: We demonstrate that pure N=4 supergravity is ultraviolet divergent at four loops. The form of the divergence suggests that it is due to the rigid U(1) duality-symmetry anomaly of the theory. This is the first known example of an ultraviolet divergence in a pure ungauged supergravity theory in four dimensions. We use the duality between color and kinematics to construct the integrand of the four-loop four-point amplitude, whose ultraviolet divergence is then extracted by standard integration techniques.

An adaptive flow counting method for anomaly detection in SDN

Abstract: The accuracy and granularity of network flow measurement play a critical role in many network management tasks, especially for anomaly detection. Despite its important, traffic monitoring often introduces overhead to the network, thus, operators have to employ sampling and aggregation to avoid overloading the infrastructure. However, such sampled and aggregated information may affect the accuracy of traffic anomaly detection. In this work, we propose a novel method that performs adaptive zooming in the aggregation of flows to be measured. In order to better balance the monitoring overhead and the anomaly detection accuracy, we propose a prediction based algorithm that dynamically change the granularity of measurement along both the spatial and the temporal dimensions. To control the load on each individual switch, we carefully delegate monitoring rules in the network wide. Using real-world data and three simple anomaly detectors, we show that the adaptive based counting can detect anomalies more accurately with less overhead.

Lifshitz Gravity for Lifshitz Holography

Abstract: We argue that Hořava-Lifshitz (HL) gravity provides the minimal holographic dual for Lifshitz-type field theories with anisotropic scaling and a dynamical exponent z. First we show that Lifshitz spacetimes are vacuum solutions of HL gravity, without need for additional matter. Then we perform holographic renormalization of HL gravity, and show how it reproduces the full structure of the z=2 anisotropic Weyl anomaly in dual field theories in 2+1 dimensions, while its minimal relativistic gravity counterpart yields only one of two independent central charges in the anomaly.

Refined stable pair invariants for E-, M- and [ p , q ]-strings

Abstract: We use mirror symmetry, the refined holomorphic anomaly equation and modularity properties of elliptic singularities to calculate the refined BPS invariants of stable pairs on non-compact Calabi-Yau manifolds, based on del Pezzo surfaces and elliptic surfaces, in particular the half K3. The BPS numbers contribute naturally to the fivedimensional N =1 supersymmetric index of M-theory, but they can be also interpreted in terms of the superconformal index in six dimensions and upon dimensional reduction the generating functions count N = 2 Seiberg-Witten gauge theory instantons in four dimensions. Using the M/F-theory uplift the additional information encoded in the spin content can be used in an essential way to obtain information about BPS states in physical systems associated to small instantons, tensionless strings, gauge symmetry enhancement in F-theory by [p, q]-strings as well as M-strings.

Anomaly cancellation and abelian gauge symmetries in F-theory

Abstract: We study 4D F-theory compactications on singular Calabi-Yau fourfolds with uxes. The resultingN = 1 eective theories can admit non-Abelian and U(1) gauge groups as well as charged chiral matter. In these setups we analyze anomaly cancellation and the generalized Green-Schwarz mechanism. This requires the study of 3DN = 2 theories obtained by a circle compactication and their M-theory duals. Reducing M-theory on

An explicit Z'-boson explanation of the B->K*mu+mu- anomaly

Abstract: A global fit to the recent B->K*mu+mu- data shows indications for a large new-physics contribution to the Wilson coefficient of the semi-leptonic vector operator. In this article we consider a simple Z'-boson model of 3-3-1 type that can accommodate such an effect without violating any other constraint from quark-flavour physics. Implications for yet unobserved decay modes such as B->Xsnunubar and longstanding puzzles like B->piK are also discussed. The Z'-boson masses required to address the observed anomaly lie in the range of 7 TeV. Such heavy Z' bosons evade the existing bounds from precision data and direct searches, and will remain difficult to discover even at a high-luminosity LHC. The potential of an ILC as well as the next generation of low-energy parity-violation experiments in constraining the Z'-boson parameter space is also examined.

Anomalous Transport from Kubo Formulae

Abstract: Chiral anomalies have profound impact on the transport properties of relativistic fluids. In four dimensions there are different types of anomalies, pure gauge and mixed gauge-gravitational anomalies. They give rise to two new non-dissipative transport coefficients, the chiral magnetic conductivity and the chiral vortical conductivity. They can be calculated from the microscopic degrees of freedom with the help of Kubo formulae. We review the calculation of the anomalous transport coefficients via Kubo formulae with a particular emphasis on the contribution of the mixed gauge-gravitational anomaly.

Factorization and N^3LL_p+NNLO Predictions for the Higgs Cross Section with a Jet Veto

Abstract: We have recently derived a factorization formula for the Higgs-boson production cross section in the presence of a jet veto, which allows for a systematic resummation of large Sudakov logarithms of the form alpha_s^n ln^m(p_T^veto/m_H), along with the large virtual corrections known to affect also the total cross section. Here we determine the ingredients entering this formula at two-loop accuracy. Specifically, we compute the dependence on the jet-radius parameter R, which is encoded in the two-loop coefficient of the collinear anomaly, by means of a direct, fully analytic calculation in the framework of soft-collinear effective theory. We confirm the result obtained by Banfi et al. from a related calculation in QCD, and demonstrate that factorization-breaking, soft-collinear mixing effects do not arise at leading power in p_T^veto/m_H, even for R=O(1). In addition, we extract the two-loop collinear beam functions numerically. We present detailed numerical predictions for the jet-veto cross section with partial next-to-next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy, matched to the next-to-next-to-leading order cross section in fixed-order perturbation theory. The only missing ingredients at this level of accuracy are the three-loop anomaly coefficient and the four-loop cusp anomalous dimension, whose numerical effects we estimate to be small.

Inverse magnetic catalysis induced by sphalerons

Abstract: The recently discovered inverse magnetic catalysis around the critical temperature indicates that some important information is missing in our current understanding of conventional chiral dynamics of QCD, which is enhanced by the magnetic field. In this work, we provide a mechanism to explain that the inverse magnetic catalysis around T-c is induced by sphalerons. At high temperatures, sphaleron transitions between distinct classical vacua cause an asymmetry in the chiral number density due to the axial anomaly of QCD. In the presence of a strong magnetic field, the chiral imbalance is enhanced and destroys the pairings between the different chiralities, which naturally lowers the critical temperature of the chiral phase transition for increasing magnetic field. The inverse magnetic catalysis at finite baryon density and the critical end point in the presence of a strong magnetic field is also explored in this work.

Anomaly inflow and thermal equilibrium

Abstract: Using the anomaly inflow mechanism, we compute the flavor/Lorentz non-invariant contribution to the partition function in a background with a U(1) isometry. This contribution is a local functional of the background fields. By identifying the U(1) isometry with Euclidean time we obtain a contribution of the anomaly to the thermodynamic partition function from which hydrostatic correlators can be efficiently computed. Our result is in line with, and an extension of, previous studies on the role of anomalies in a hydrodynamic setting. Along the way we find simplified expressions for Bardeen-Zumino polynomials and various transgression formulae

On the U(1) duality anomaly and the S-matrix of N =4 supergravity

Abstract: $ \mathcal{N} $ = 4 Poincare supergravity has a global SU(1, 1) duality symmetry that acts manifestly only on shell as it involves duality rotations of vector fields. A U(1) subgroup of this symmetry is known to be anomalous at the quantum level in the presence of a non-trivial gravitational background. We first derive this anomaly from a novel perspective, by relating it to a similar anomaly in conformal supergravity where SU(1, 1) acts off shell, using the fact that $ \mathcal{N} $ = 4 Poincare supergravity has a superconformal formulation. We explicitly construct the corresponding local and nonlocal anomalous terms in the one-loop effective action. We then study how this anomaly is reflected in the supergravity S-matrix. Calculating one-loop $ \mathcal{N} $ = 4 supergravity scattering amplitudes (with and without additional matter multiplets) using color/kinematics duality and the double-copy construction we find that a particular U(1) symmetry which was present in the tree-level amplitudes is broken at the quantum level. This breaking manifests itself in the appearance of new one-loop $ \mathcal{N} $ = 4 supergravity amplitudes that have non-vanishing soft-scalar limits (these amplitudes are absent in $ \mathcal{N} $ > 4 supergravities). We discuss the relation between these symmetry-violating amplitudes and the corresponding U(1) anomalous term in the one-loop supergravity effective action.

Exact results for boundaries and domain walls in 2d supersymmetric theories

Abstract: We apply supersymmetric localization to N=(2,2) gauged linear sigma models on a hemisphere, with boundary conditions, i.e., D-branes, preserving B-type supersymmetries. We explain how to compute the hemisphere partition function for each object in the derived category of equivariant coherent sheaves, and argue that it depends only on its K theory class. The hemisphere partition function computes exactly the central charge of the D-brane, completing the well-known formula obtained by an anomaly inflow argument. We also formulate supersymmetric domain walls as D-branes in the product of two theories. In particular 4d line operators bound to a surface operator, corresponding via the AGT relation to certain defects in Toda CFT's, are constructed as domain walls. Moreover we exhibit domain walls that realize the sl(2) affine Hecke algebra.

Deformed N=2 theories, generalized recursion relations and S-duality

Abstract: We study the non-perturbative properties of N = 2 super conformal field theories in four dimensions using localization techniques. In particular we consider SU(2) gauge theories, deformed by a generic ǫ-background, with four fundamental flavors or with one adjoint hypermultiplet. In both cases we explicitly compute the first few instanton cor- rections to the partition function and the prepotential using Nekrasov's approach. These results allow us to reconstruct exact expressions involving quasi-modular functions of the bare gauge coupling constant and to show that the prepotential terms satisfy a modular anomaly equation that takes the form of a recursion relation with an explicitly ǫ-dependent term. We then investigate the implications of this recursion relation on the modular prop- erties of the effective theory and find that with a suitable redefinition of the prepotential and of the effective coupling it is possible, at least up to the third order in the deforma- tion parameters, to cast the S-duality relations in the same form as they appear in the Seiberg-Witten solution of the undeformed theory.

Six-dimensional superconformal couplings of non-abelian tensor and hypermultiplets

Abstract: We construct six-dimensional superconformal models with non-abelian tensor and hypermultiplets. They describe the field content of (2, 0) theories, coupled to (1, 0) vector multiplets. The latter are part of the non-abelian gauge structure that also includes non-dynamical three- and four-forms. The hypermultiplets are described by gauged nonlinear sigma models with a hyper-Kahler cone target space. We also address the question of constraints in these models and show that their resolution requires the inclusion of abelian factors. These provide couplings that were previously considered for anomaly cancellations with abelian tensor multiplets and resulted in the selection of ADE gauge groups.

Modular anomaly equation, heat kernel and S-duality in N=2 theories

Abstract: We investigate epsilon-deformed N=2 superconformal gauge theories in four dimensions, focusing on the N=2* and Nf=4 SU(2) cases. We show how the modular anomaly equation obeyed by the deformed prepotential can be efficiently used to derive its non-perturbative expression starting from the perturbative one. We also show that the modular anomaly equation implies that S-duality is implemented by means of an exact Fourier transform even for arbitrary values of the deformation parameters, and then we argue that it is possible, perturbatively in the deformation, to choose appropriate variables such that it reduces to a Legendre transform.

Spontaneously broken conformal symmetry: dealing with the trace anomaly

Abstract: The majority of renormalizable field theories possessing the scale invariance at the classical level exhibits the trace anomaly once quantum corrections are taken into account. This leads to the breaking of scale and conformal invariance. At the same time any realistic theory must contain gravity and is thus non-renormalizable. We show that discarding the renormalizability it is possible to construct viable models allowing to preserve the scale invariance at the quantum level. We present explicit one-loop computations for two toy models to demonstrate the main idea of the approach. Constructing the renormalized energy momentum tensor we show that it is traceless, meaning that the conformal invariance is also preserved.

First-principles study of the mechanisms of the pressure-induced dielectric anomalies in ferroelectric perovskites

Abstract: The pressure-induced giant dielectric anomaly at 0 K of ABO3 perovskites is investigated at the Hartree-Fock, density-functional theory and hybrid levels. Its mechanism is analyzed in terms of thermodynamic phase stability, structural and phonon contributions and Born effective charges. It is shown that the IR-active soft phonon is responsible for the anomaly. This mode always involves a displacement and a deformation of the oxygen octahedra, while the roles of A and B ions vary among the materials and between high- and low-pressure phase transitions. A sharp increase in the phonon amplitude near the phase transition gives rise to the dielectric anomaly. The use of hybrid functionals is required for agreement with experimental data. The calculations show that the dielectric anomaly in the pressure-induced phase transitions of these perovskites is a property of the bulk material.

Stress tensors from trace anomalies in conformal field theories

Abstract: Using trace anomalies, we determine the vacuum stress tensors of arbitrary even dimensional conformal field theories in Weyl flat backgrounds. We demonstrate a simple relation between the Casimir energy on the real line times a sphere and the type A anomaly coefficient. This relation generalizes earlier results in two and four dimensions. These field theory results for the Casimir are shown to be consistent with holographic predictions in two, four, and six dimensions.

Multiscale Anomaly Detection Using Diffusion Maps

Abstract: We propose a multiscale approach to anomaly detection in images, combining spectral dimensionality reduction and a nearest-neighbor-based anomaly score. We use diffusion maps to embed the data in a low dimensional representation, which separates the anomaly from the background. The diffusion distance between points is then used to estimate the local density of each pixel in the new embedding. The diffusion map is constructed based on a subset of samples from the image and then extended to all other pixels. Due to the interpolative nature of extension methods, this may limit the ability of the diffusion map to reveal the presence of the anomaly in the data. To overcome this limitation, we propose a multiscale approach based on Gaussian pyramid representation, which drives the sampling process to ensure separability of the anomaly from the background clutter. The algorithm is successfully tested on side-scan sonar images of sea-mines.

Origins of the isospin violation of dark matter interactions

Abstract: Light dark matter (DM) with a large DM-nucleon spin-independent scattering cross section and moreover proper isospin violation (ISV) f(n)/f(p) approximate to -0.7 may provide a way to understand the confusing DM.)M direct detection results. Further using the stringent astrophysical and collider constraints, we systematically investigate the origin of ISV,T first via general operator analyses and further via specifying three types of mediators: a light Z ' from chiral U(1)(x), an approximate spectator Higgs doublet (It can explain the W + jj anomaly simultaneously) and color triplets. In addition, although Z' from an exotic U(1)(x) mixing with U(1)(Y) generates only f(n) = 0, we can combine it with the conventional to achieve the proper ISV. As a concrete example, we propose the U(1)(x) model where the U(1)(x) charged light sneutrino is an inelastic DM, which dominantly annihilates to light dark states such as Z' with sub-GeV mass. The model can consistently (with other DM direct detection results) and safely interpret the recent GoGeNT annual modulation result.

Anomaly-free perturbations with inverse-volume and holonomy corrections in Loop Quantum Cosmology

Abstract: This article addresses the issue of the closure of the algebra of constraints for generic (cosmological) perturbations when taking into account simultaneously the two main corrections of effective loop quantum cosmology, namely the holonomy and the inverse-volume terms. Previous works on either the holonomy or the inverse volume case are reviewed and generalized. In the inverse-volume case, we point out new possibilities. An anomaly-free solution including both corrections is found for perturbations, and the corresponding equations of motion are derived.

Effective action of 6D F-theory with U(1) factors: rational sections make Chern-Simons terms jump

Abstract: We derive the six-dimensional (1, 0) effective action arising from F-theory on an elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau threefold with multiple sections. The considered theories admit both non-Abelian and Abelian gauge symmetries. Our derivation employs the M-theory to F-theory duality in five-dimensions after circle reduction. Five-dimensional gauge and gravitational Chern-Simons terms are shown to arise at one-loop by integrating out massive Coulomb branch and Kaluza-Klein modes. In the presence of a non-holomorphic zero section, we find an improved systematic for performing the F-theory limit by using the concept of the extended relative Mori cone. In this situation Kaluza-Klein modes can become lighter than Coulomb branch modes and a jump in the Chern-Simons levels occurs. By determining Chern-Simons terms for various threefold examples we are able to compute the complete six-dimensional charged matter spectrum and show consistency with six-dimensional anomalies.

Restoring unitarity in the q-deformed world-sheet S-matrix

Abstract: The world-sheet S-matrix of the string in AdS5 ×S 5 has been shown to admit a q-deformation that relates it to the S-matrix of a generalization of the sine-Gordon theory, which arises as the Pohlmeyer reduction of the superstring. Whilst this is a fascinating development the resulting S-matrix is not explicitly unitary. The problem has been known for a long time in the context of S-matrices related to quantum groups. A braiding relation often called “unitarity” actually only corresponds to quantum field theory unitarity when the S-matrix is Hermitian analytic and quantum group S-matrices manifestly violate this. On the other hand, overall consistency of the S-matrix under the bootstrap requires that the deformation parameter is a root of unity and consequently one is forced to perform the “vertex” to IRF, or SOS, transformation on the states to truncate the spectrum consistently. In the IRF formulation unitarity is now manifest and the string S-matrix and the S-matrix of the generalised sine-Gordon theory are recovered in two different limits. In the latter case, expanding the Yang-Baxter equation we find that the tree-level S-matrix of the Pohlmeyer-reduced string should satisfy a modified classical Yang-Baxter equation explaining the apparent anomaly in the perturbative computation. We show that the IRF form of the S-matrix meshes perfectly with the bootstrap equations.

Non-Abelian tensor towers and (2,0) superconformal theories

Abstract: With the aim to study six-dimensional (2, 0) superconformal theories with non-Abelian tensor multiplets we propose a five-dimensional superconformal action with eight supersymmetries for an infinite tower of non-Abelian vector, tensor and hypermultiplets. It describes the dynamics of the complete spectrum of the (2, 0) theories compactified on a circle coupled to an additional vector multiplet containing the circle radius and the Kaluza-Klein vector arising from the six-dimensional metric. All couplings are only given in terms of group theoretical constants and the Kaluza-Klein levels. After superconformal symmetry is reduced to Poincare supersymmetry we find a Kaluza-Klein inspired action coupling super-Yang-Mills theory to an infinite tower of massive non-Abelian tensors. We explore the possibility to restore sixteen supersymmetries by using techniques known from harmonic superspace. Namely, additional bosonic coordinates on a four-sphere are introduced to enhance the R-symmetry group. Maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories and the Abelian (2, 0) tensor theories are recovered as special cases of our construction. Finally, we comment on the generation of an anomaly balancing Wess-Zumino term for the R-symmetry vector at one loop.

Anomaly induced chiral magnetic current in a Weyl semimetal: Chiral electronics

Abstract: Electric circuits involving Weyl semimetals possess unusual properties induced by the quantum anomaly. The chiral magnetic current in a Weyl semimetal subjected to magnetic field modifies the behavior of such circuits in a drastic way. We consider two explicit examples: (i) a circuit involving the ``chiral battery'' and (ii) a circuit that can be used as a ``quantum amplifier'' of magnetic field. The unique properties of these circuits stem from the chiral anomaly and may be utilized for creating ``chiral electronic'' devices.