Supergravity Solutions for Harmonic, Static and Flux S-Branes

We seek S-brane solutions in D=11 supergravity which can be characterized by a harmonic function H on the flat transverse space. It turns out that the Einstein's equations force H to be a linear function of the transverse coordinates. The codimension one H=0 hyperplane can be spacelike, timelike or null and the spacelike case reduces to the previously obtained SM2 or SM5 brane solutions. We then consider static S-brane configurations having smeared timelike directions where the transverse Lorentzian symmetry group is broken down to its maximal orthogonal subgroup. Assuming that the metric functions depend on a radial spatial coordinate, we construct explicit solutions in D=11 supergravity which are non-supersymmetric and asymptotically flat. Finally, we obtain spacelike fluxbrane backgrounds which have timelike electric or magnetic fluxlines extending from past to future infinity.Comment: 22 pages, v2: references adde

Comments on Supergravity Description of S-branes

This is a note on the coupled supergravity-tachyon matter system, which has been earlier proposed as a candidate for the effective space-time description of S-branes. In particular, we study an ansatz with the maximal ISO(p+1)xSO(8-p,1) symmetry, for general brane dimensionality p and homogeneous brane distribution in transverse space \rho_\perp. A simple application of singularity theorems shows that (for p \le 7) the most general solution with these symmetries is always singular. (This invalidates a recent claim in the literature.) We include a few general comments about the possibility of describing the decay of unstable D-branes in purely gravitational terms.Comment: 19 pages, refs adde

AdS pp-waves

We obtain the pp-waves of D=5 and D=4 gauged supergravities supported by $U(1)^3$ and $U(1)^4$ gauge field strengths respectively. We show that generically these solutions preserve 1/4 of the supersymmetry, but supernumerary supersymmetry can arise for appropriately constrained harmonic functions associated with the pp-waves. In particular it implies that the solutions are independent of the light-cone coordinate $x^+$. We also obtain the pp-waves in the Freedman-Schwarz model.Comment: Latex, 19 pages, minor changes, to appear in JHE

AdSS_5 Brane World Cosmology

The gravitational equations of the 5-dimensional analogue of the AdSS space-time, where all the matter fields are confined on the 3-brane are examined. The most general solutions are established in the generic case of a non-Z_2-symmetric bulk. Constraining these solutions we derive a number of remarkable metrics widely investigated in the literature. Finally, we make many important conclusions about the viability of the presented scenario and cosmology.Comment: JHEP file, 8 pages, v5: Corrected typo

Anti-de-Sitter Island-Universes from 5D Standing Waves

We construct simple standing wave solutions in a 5D space-time with a ghost scalar field. The nodes of these standing waves are 'islands' of 4D Minkowski space-time. For the 5D model with increasing (decreasing) warp factor there are a finite (infinite) number of nodes and thus Minkowski island-universes having different parameters, such as gravitational and cosmological constants. This feature is similar to the assumptions of the landscape models, which postulate a large number of universes with different parameters. This standing wave solution also provides a new localization mechanism - matter fields can reside only on Minkowski 'islands', where the background space-time does not oscillate.Comment: 14 page pre-print format. Discussion about connection to Weyl gravity added and "E&M" localization method added. To be published MPL

Non-equilibrium dynamics of stochastic point processes with refractoriness

Stochastic point processes with refractoriness appear frequently in the quantitative analysis of physical and biological systems, such as the generation of action potentials by nerve cells, the release and reuptake of vesicles at a synapse, and the counting of particles by detector devices. Here we present an extension of renewal theory to describe ensembles of point processes with time varying input. This is made possible by a representation in terms of occupation numbers of two states: Active and refractory. The dynamics of these occupation numbers follows a distributed delay differential equation. In particular, our theory enables us to uncover the effect of refractoriness on the time-dependent rate of an ensemble of encoding point processes in response to modulation of the input. We present exact solutions that demonstrate generic features, such as stochastic transients and oscillations in the step response as well as resonances, phase jumps and frequency doubling in the transfer of periodic signals. We show that a large class of renewal processes can indeed be regarded as special cases of the model we analyze. Hence our approach represents a widely applicable framework to define and analyze non-stationary renewal processes.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Composite electric S-brane solutions with maximal number of branes

In this paper we consider (n+1)-dimensional cosmological model with scalar field and antisymmetric (p+2)-form. Using an electric composite Sp-brane ansatz the field equations for the original system reduce to the equations for a Toda-like system with n(n-1)/2 quadratic constraints on the charge densities. For certain odd dimensions (D = 4m+1 = 5, 9, 13, ...) and (p+2)-forms (p = 2m-1 = 1, 3, 5, ...) these algebraic constraints can be satisfied with the maximal number of charged branes ({\it i.e.} all the branes have non-zero charge densities). These solutions are characterized by self-dual or anti-self-dual charge density forms Q (of rank 2m). For these algebraic solutions with the particular D, p, Q and non-exceptional dilatonic coupling constant \lambda we obtain general cosmological solutions to the field equations and some properties of these solutions are highlighted (e.g. Kasner-like behavior, the existence of attractor solutions). We prove the absence of maximal configurations for p =1 and even D (e.g. for D =10 supergravity models and those of superstring origin).Comment: 19 pages JHEP format, references adde

Particle Production on Half S-brane

In this paper we will study quantum field theory of fluctuation modes around the rolling tachyon solution on non-BPS D-brane effective action. The goal of this paper is to study particle production during the decay of non-BPS D-brane and explore possible relation with minisuperspace calculation. We find that the number of particles produced on half S-brane exponentially grows for large time which suggests that linearised approximation breaks down and also that backreaction of fluctuation field on classical solution should be taken into account.Comment: 24 pages,v1.references adde

Dynamics of intersecting brane systems -- Classification and their applications --

We present dynamical intersecting brane solutions in higher-dimensional gravitational theory coupled to dilaton and several forms. Assuming the forms of metric, form fields, and dilaton field, we give a complete classification of dynamical intersecting brane solutions with/without M-waves and Kaluza-Klein monopoles in eleven-dimensional supergravity. We apply these solutions to cosmology and black holes. It is shown that these give FRW cosmological solutions and in some cases Lorentz invariance is broken in our world. If we regard the bulk space as our universe, we may interpret them as black holes in the expanding universe. We also discuss lower-dimensional effective theories and point out naive effective theories may give us some solutions which are inconsistent with the higher-dimensional Einstein equations.Comment: 44 pages; v2: minor corrections, references adde