A Novel (2+1)-Dimensional Model of Chiral Symmetry Breaking

We propose a new model of flavour chiral symmetry breaking in a (2+1)-dimensional defect gauge theory of strongly coupled fermions by introducing probe D5/anti-D5-flavour branes on the conifold. After working out the flavour brane embeddings at zero temperature, we thoroughly investigate the spectra of small fluctuations on the world volume of the flavour branes (meson spectrum) and conclude that they are free of tachyons. Thus the proposed probe brane embedding is stable. Moreover, we introduce finite temperature and an external magnetic field and study the thermodynamics of the resulting configurations. Namely, we compute the free energies, entropies, heat capacities and magnetisations. The results are used to establish a detailed phase diagram of the model. We find that the effect of magnetic catalysis of chiral symmetry breaking is realised in our model and show that the meson-melting phase transition coincides with the chiral symmetry breaking phase transition. Furthermore, we show that the model is in a diamagnetic phase.Comment: 1+28 pages, 23 figures, PDFTeX, v2: comments and refs. added, version accepted for publication by JHE

Holographic Bilayer/Monolayer Phase Transitions

In the present work, we discuss the phase structure of bilayer and monolayer phases in the (2+1)-dimensional defect field theory whose gravity dual is obtained by embedding D5/anti-D5 probe flavour branes in the singular conifold. We study in detail the embedding equations and compare the free energies of the resulting configurations at non-zero temperature and external magnetic field perpendicular to the defects. Moreover, we analyse the meson spectrum and confirm the stability of the single bilayer solution.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figure

Production of negative parity baryons in the holographic Sakai-Sugimoto model

We extend our investigation of resonance production in the Sakai-Sugimoto model to the case of negative parity baryon resonances. Using holographic techniques we extract the generalized Dirac and Pauli baryon form factors as well as the helicity amplitudes for these baryonic states. Identifying the first negative parity resonance with the experimentally observed S_{11}(1535), we find reasonable agreement with experimental data from the JLab-CLAS collaboration. We also estimate the contribution of negative parity baryons to the proton structure functions.Comment: 1+30 pages, 8 figures. v3: typos corrected, references added, section 2 and 3 shortened, improved discussion of helicity amplitudes and comparison with experimental result

Towards a Realistic Type IIA T^6/Z_4 Orientifold Model with Background Fluxes, Part 1: Moduli Stabilization

We apply the methods of DeWolfe et al. [hep-th/0505160] to a T^6/Z_4 orientifold model. This is the first step in an attempt to build a phenomenologically interesting meta-stable de Sitter model with small cosmological constant and standard model gauge groups.Comment: 1+30 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX, v2: minor corrections, stability analysis of b_a moduli added, refs added, version accepted for publication in JHE

Supermanifolds - Application to Supersymmetry

Parity is ubiquitous, but not always identified as a simplifying tool for computations. Using parity, having in mind the example of the bosonic/fermionic Fock space, and the framework of Z_2-graded (super) algebra, we clarify relationships between the different definitions of supermanifolds proposed by various people. In addition, we work with four complexes allowing an invariant definition of divergence: - an ascending complex of forms, and a descending complex of densities on real variables - an ascending complex of forms, and descending complex of densities on Grass mann variables. This study is a step towards an invariant definition of integrals of superfunctions defined on supermanifolds leading to an extension to infinite dimensions. An application is given to a construction of supersymmetric Fock spaces.Comment: to appear in the "Michael Marinov Memorial Volume

Towards Relativistic Skyrmions

We revisit baryons in the Skyrme model. Starting from static baryons in the helicity eigenstates, we generalize their wavefunctions to the non-static and relativistic regime. A new representation for gamma matrices in the soliton collective space is constructed and the corresponding Dirac equation is obtained. As an example, we draw consideration on how to apply this new representation on the calculus of vector current vacuum expectation values for baryon states of spin and isospin half and arbitrary momenta and we show how elastic form factors can be derived.Comment: 7 pages, 7th Conference Mathematical Methods in Physics - Londrina 2012, Rio de Janeiro, Brazi

D-Terms from Generalized NS-NS Fluxes in Type II

Orientifolds of type II string theory admit a certain set of generalized NS-NS fluxes, including not only the three-form field strength H, but also metric and non-geometric fluxes, which are related to H by T-duality. We describe in general how these fluxes appear as parameters of an effective N=1 supergravity theory in four dimensions, and in particular how certain generalized NS-NS fluxes can act as charges for R-R axions, leading to D-term contributions to the effective scalar potential. We illustrate these phenomena in type IIB with the example of a certain orientifold of T^6/Z_4.Comment: 31+1 pages, uses utarticle.cls; v2: references adde

Generalized baryon form factors and proton structure functions in the Sakai-Sugimoto model

We investigate the production of positive parity baryon resonances in proton electromagnetic scattering within the Sakai-Sugimoto model. The latter is a string model for the non-perturbative regime of large $N_c$ QCD. Using holographic techniques we calculate the generalized Dirac and Pauli form factors that describe resonance production. We use these results to estimate the contribution of resonance production to the proton structure functions. Interestingly, we find an approximate Callan-Gross relation for the structure functions in a regime of intermediate values of the Bjorken variable.Comment: v3: 38 pages, 25 figures. We added a new subsection in order to compare our results with experimental data. To appear in Nucl. Phys.