Particle-like solutions to higher order curvature Einstein--Yang-Mills systems in d dimensions

We consider the superposition of the first two members of the gravitational hierarchy (Einstein plus first Gauss-Bonnet(GB)) interacting with the superposition of the first two members of the $SO_{(\pm)}(d)$ Yang--Mills hierarchy, in $d$ dimensions. Such systems can occur in the low energy effective action of string theory. Particle-like solutions %for the systems with only an Einstein term, and with only a GB term, in dimensions $d=6,8$ are constructed respectively. Our results reveal qualitatively new properties featuring double-valued solutions with critical behaviour. In this preliminary study, we have restricted ourselves to one-node solutions.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure

Kinetic equilibration in heavy ion collisions: the role of elastic processes

We discuss the question of thermalization during the very early stages of a high energy heavy ion collision. We review a recent study where we explicitely showed that, contrarily to a widely used assumption, elastic collisions between the produced partons are not sufficient to rapidly drive the system toward local kinetic equilibrium. We then briefly discuss recent developments concerning the description of kinetic equilibration and comment on some open issues related to phenomenology.Comment: Talk given at "Quark Matter 2002", July 17-24, Nantes, Franc

Magnetic charge, angular momentum and negative cosmological constant

We argue that there are no axially symmetric rotating monopole solutions for a Yang-Mills-Higgs theory in flat spacetime background. We construct axially symmetric Yang-Mills-Higgs solutions in the presence of a negative cosmological constant, carrying magnetic charge $n$ and a nonvanishing electric charge. However, these solution are also nonrotating.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, 7 figure

Gravitating sphalerons and sphaleron black holes in asymptotically anti-de Sitter spacetime

Numerical arguments are presented for the existence of spherically symmetric regular and black hole solutions of the EYMH equations with a negative cosmological constant. These solutions approach asymptotically the anti-de Sitter spacetime. The main properties of the solutions and the differences with respect to the asymptotically flat case are discussed. The instability of the gravitating sphaleron solutions is also proven.Comment: 30 pages, LaTeX, 8 Encapsulated PostScript figure

Dyons in N=4 Gauged Supergravity

We study monopole and dyon solutions to the equations of motion of the bosonic sector of N = 4 gauged supergravity in four dimensional space-time. A static, spherically symmetric ansatz for the metric, gauge fields, dilaton and axion leads to soliton solutions which, in the electrically charged case, have compact spatial sections. Both analytical and numerical results for the solutions are presented.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures. Minor changes, references adde

Perturbations of global monopoles as a black hole's hair

We study the stability of a spherically symmetric black hole with a global monopole hair. Asymptotically the spacetime is flat but has a deficit solid angle which depends on the vacuum expectation value of the scalar field. When the vacuum expectation value is larger than a certain critical value, this spacetime has a cosmological event horizon. We investigate the stability of these solutions against the spherical and polar perturbations and confirm that the global monopole hair is stable in both cases. Although we consider some particular modes in the polar case, our analysis suggests the conservation of the "topological charge" in the presence of the event horizons and violation of black hole no-hair conjecture in asymptotically non-flat spacetime.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, some descriptions were improve

Gravitating Instantons In 3 Dimensions

We study the Einstein-Chern-Simons gravity coupled to Yang-Mills-Higgs theory in three dimensional Euclidean space with cosmological constant. The classical equations reduce to Bogomol'nyi type first order equations in curved space. There are BPS type gauge theory instanton (monopole) solutions of finite action in a gravitational instanton which itself has a finite action. We also discuss gauge theory instantons in the vacuum (zero action) AdS space. In addition we point out to some exact solutions which are singular.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, title has changed, gravitational instanton actions are adde

Highly-anisotropic and strongly-dissipative hydrodynamics with transverse expansion

A recently formulated framework of highly-anisotropic and strongly-dissipative hydrodynamics (ADHYDRO) is used to describe the evolution of matter created in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. New developments of the model contain: the inclusion of asymmetric transverse expansion (combined with the longitudinal boost-invariant flow) and comparisons of the model results with the RHIC data, which have become possible after coupling of ADHYDRO with THERMINATOR. Various soft-hadronic observables (the transverse-momentum spectra, the elliptic flow coefficient v_2, and the HBT radii) are calculated for different initial conditions characterized by the value of the initial pressure asymmetry. We find that as long as the initial energy density profile is unchanged the calculated observables remain practically the same. This result indicates the insensitivity of the analyzed observables to the initial anisotropy of pressure and suggests that the complete thermalization of the system may be delayed to easily acceptable times of about 1 fm/c

Features of Motion Around Global Monopole in Asymptotically dS/AdS Spacetime

In this paper, we study the motion of test particle and light around the Global Monopole in asymptotically dS/AdS spacetime. The motion of a test particle and light in the exterior region of the global monopole in dS/AdS spacetime has been investigated. Although the test particle's motion is quite different from the case in asymptotically flat spacetime, the behaviors of light(null geodesic) remain unchanged except a energy(frequency) shift. Through a phase-plane analysis, we prove analytically that the existence of a periodic solution to the equation of motion for a test particle will not be altered by the presence of cosmological constant and the deficit angle, whose presence only affects the position and type of the critical point on the phase plane. We also show that the apparent capture section of the global monopole in dS/AdS spacetime is quite different from that in flat spacetime.Comment: 15 pages, 4 PS figures, accepted for publication in Class. Quantum Gra

Yang-Mills Solutions on Euclidean Schwarzschild Space

We show that the apparently periodic Charap-Duff Yang-Mills `instantons' in time-compactified Euclidean Schwarzschild space are actually time independent. For these solutions, the Yang-Mills potential is constant along the time direction (no barrier) and therefore, there is no tunneling. We also demonstrate that the solutions found to date are three dimensional monopoles and dyons. We conjecture that there are no time-dependent solutions in the Euclidean Schwarzschild background.Comment: 12 pages, references added, version to appear in PR