Two species of semi-local cosmic strings in Abelian gauged $mathbb{CP}^2$-sigma models coupled to gravity

We study a semi-local Abelian Higgs sigma model with $mathbb{CP}^2$-valued scalar fields coupled to gravity. We establish the conditions needed for self-duality in this system and obtain cosmic strings, both of self-dual character and out of the self-dual point, in the reference chart of $mathbb{CP}^2$. In any of the other two charts of a minimum atlas, the transition functions break the global $SU(2)$ symmetry to the Abelian subgroup $e^{i sigma^3 alpha}$. In this context, using the transition functions a new self-dual structure can be constructed, which defines a second species of cosmic strings. Because of the presence of a potential energy for the scalar fields, each species takes values in a different bounded region of the target space and is most naturally described using a particular chart of $mathbb{CP}^2$.

On self-gravitating kinks in two-dimensional pseudo-riemannian universes

Two-dimensional scalar field theories with spontaneous symmetry breaking subject to the action of Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity are studied. Solutions for the $phi^4$ and sine-Gordon self-gravitating kinks are presented, both for general gravitational coupling and in the perturbative regime. The analysis is extended to deal with a hierarchy of kinks related to transparent P{o}schl-Teller potentials

A note on BPS vortex bound states

In this note we investigate bound states, where scalar and vector bosons are trapped by BPS vortices in the Abelian Higgs model with a critical ratio of the couplings. A class of internal modes of fluctuation around cylindrically symmetric BPS vortices is characterized mathematically, analysing the spectrum of the second-order fluctuation operator when the Higgs and vector boson masses are equal. A few of these bound states with low values of quantized magnetic flux are described fully, and their main properties are discussed.

Self-Dual Vortices in Abelian Higgs Models with Dielectric Function on the Noncommutative Plane

We show that Abelian Higgs Models with dielectric function defined on the noncommutative plane enjoy self-dual vorticial solutions. By choosing a particular form of the dielectric function, we provide a family of solutions whose Higgs and magnetic fields interpolate between the profiles of the noncommutative Nielsen-Olesen and Chern-Simons vortices. This is done both for the usual $U(1)$ model and for the $SU(2)times U(1)$ semilocal model with a doublet of complex scalar fields. The variety of known noncommutative self-dual vortices which display a regular behaviour when the noncommutativity parameter tends to zero results in this way considerably enlarged.

Quantum fluctuations around low-dimensional topological defects

In these Lectures a method is described to analyze the effect of quantum fluctuations on topological defect backgrounds up to the one-loop level. The method is based on the spectral heat kernel/zeta function regularization procedure, and it is first applied to various types of kinks arising in several deformed linear and non-linear sigma models with different numbers of scalar fields. In the second part, the same conceptual framework is constructed for the topological solitons of the planar semilocal Abelian Higgs model, built from a doublet of complex scalar fields and one U(1) gauge field.

Some new solutions to the Schrodinger equation for the trigonometric E8 Calogero-Sutherland problem

We provide a list of explicit eigenfunctions of the trigonometric Calogero-Sutherland Hamiltonian associated to the root system of the exceptional Lie algebra E8. The quantum numbers of these solutions correspond to the first and second order weights of the Lie algebra.

One-loop fluctuations of semi-local self-dual vortices

Mass shifts induced by one-loop fluctuations of semi-local self-dual vortices are computed. The procedure is based on canonical quantization and heat kernel/ zeta function regularization methods. The issue of the survival of the classical degeneracy in the semi-classical regime is explored.

One loop corrections to the mass of self-dual semi-local planar topological solitons

A formula is derived that allows the computation of one-loop mass shifts for self-dual semilocal topological solitons. These extended objects, which in three spatial dimensions are called semi-local strings, arise in a generalized Abelian Higgs model with a doublet of complex Higgs fields. Having a mixture of global, SU(2), and local (gauge), U(1), symmetries, this weird system may seem bizarre, but it is in fact the bosonic sector of electro-weak theory when the weak mixing angle is of 90 degrees. The procedure for computing the semi-classical mass shifts is based on canonical quantization and heat kernel/zeta function regularization methods.