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We study the $\eta$-invariant of a Dirac operator on a manifold with boundary subject to local boundary conditions with the help of heat kernel methods. In even dimensions, we relate this invariant to $\eta$-invariants of a boundary Dirac operator, while in odd dimension, it is expressed through the index of boundary operators. We stress the necessity of the strong ellipticity condition for the applicability of our methods. We show that the Witten--Yonekura boundary conditions are not strongly elliptic, though they are very close to strongly elliptic ones., Comment: 19 pages, V2: misprints corrected, comments added

Being motivated by applications to the physics of Weyl semimetals we study spectral geometry of Dirac operator with an abelian gauge field and an axial vector field. We impose chiral bag boundary conditions with variable chiral phase $\theta$ on the fermions. We establish main properties of the spectral functions which ensure applicability of the $\zeta$ function regularization and of the usual heat kernel formulae for chiral and parity anomalies. We develop computational methods, including a perturbation expansion for the heat kernel. We show that the terms in both anomalies which include electromagnetic potential are independent of $\theta$., Comment: 19 pages

We consider the index of a Dirac operator on a compact even dimensional manifold with a domain wall. The latter is defined as a co-dimension one submanifold where the connection jumps. We formulate and prove an analog of the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer theorem that relates the index to the bulk integral of Pontryagin density and $\eta$-invariants of auxiliary Dirac operators on the domain wall. Thus the index is expressed through the global chiral anomaly in the volume and the parity anomaly on the wall., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures

We study a self-interacting scalar $\varphi^4$ theory on the $d$-dimensional noncommutative torus. We determine, for the particular cases $d=2$ and $d=4$, the counterterms required by one-loop renormalization. We discuss higher loops in two dimensions and two-loop contributions to the self-energy in four dimensions. Our analysis points toward the absence of any problems related to the UV/IR mixing and thus to renormalizability of the theory. However, we find another potentially troubling phenomenon which is a wild behavior of the two-point amplitude as a function of the noncommutativity matrix $\theta$., Comment: v2: comments and references added, v3: typos corrected; matches published version

Deformation quantization is a formal deformation of the algebra of smooth functions on some manifold. In the classical setting, the Poisson bracket serves as an initial conditions, while the associativity allows to proceed to higher orders. Some applications to string theory require deformation in the direction of a quasi-Poisson bracket (that does not satisfy the Jacobi identity). This initial condition is incompatible with associativity, it is quite unclear which restrictions can be imposed on the deformation. We show that for any quasi-Poisson bracket the deformation quantization exists and is essentially unique if one requires (weak) hermiticity and the Weyl condition. We also propose an iterative procedure that allows to compute the star product up to any desired order., Comment: discussion extended, tipos corrected, published version

Compactons are solutions of the equations of motion that behave trivially outside a compact region. In general, the operators describing quantum fluctuations above compactons have singularities. However, we show that despite these singularities the quantum theory is well defined. As an example, we calculate the one-loop mass shift of a compacton in a model described by a single real scalar field., Comment: 4 pages

We consider gated graphene nanoribbons subject to Berry-Mondragon boundary conditions in the presence of weak impurities. Using field--theoretical methods, we calculate the density of charge carriers (and, thus, the quantum capacitance) as well as the optical and DC conductivities at zero temperature. We discuss in detail their dependence on the gate (chemical) potential, and reveal a non-linear behaviour induced by the quantization of the transversal momentum., Comment: 17 pages, version accepted for publication in EPJB

Poisson sigma models are a very rich class of two-dimensional theories that includes, in particular, all 2D dilaton gravities. By using the Hamiltonian reduction method, we show that a Poisson sigma model (with a sufficiently well-behaving Poisson tensor) on a finite cylinder is equivalent to a noncommutative quantum mechanics for the boundary data., Comment: revtex4, 4 pages; v2: a considerably extended version with an extended title

We study magneto--optical properties of monolayer graphene by means of quantum field theory methods in the framework of the Dirac model. We reveal a good agreement between the Dirac model and a recent experiment on giant Faraday rotation in cyclotron resonance. We also predict other regimes when the effects are well pronounced. The general dependence of the Faraday rotation and absorption on various parameters of samples is revealed both for suspended and epitaxial graphene., Comment: 10 pp; v2: typos corrected and references added, v3, v4: small changes and more references

This is a short non-technical introduction to applications of the Quantum Field Theory methods to graphene. We derive the Dirac model from the tight binding model and describe calculations of the polarization operator (conductivity). Later on, we use this quantity to describe the Quantum Hall Effect, light absorption by graphene, the Faraday effect, and the Casimir interaction., Comment: 12pp, based on a talk at QFEXT 11, v2: references added

In a $U(1)_{\star}$-noncommutative (NC) gauge field theory we extend the Seiberg-Witten (SW) map to include the (gauge-invariance-violating) external current and formulate - to the first order in the NC parameter - gauge-covariant classical field equations. We find solutions to these equations in the vacuum and in an external magnetic field, when the 4-current is a static electric charge of a finite size $a$, restricted from below by the elementary length. We impose extra boundary conditions, which we use to rule out all singularities, $1/r$ included, from the solutions. The static charge proves to be a magnetic dipole, with its magnetic moment being inversely proportional to its size $a$. The external magnetic field modifies the long-range Coulomb field and some electromagnetic form-factors. We also analyze the ambiguity in the SW map and show that at least to the order studied here it is equivalent to the ambiguity of adding a homogeneous solution to the current-conservation equation.

It has been argued, that in noncommutative field theories sizes of physical objects cannot be taken smaller than an elementary length related to noncommutativity parameters. By gauge-covariantly extending field equations of noncommutative U(1)_*-theory to the presence of external sources, we find electric and magnetic fields produces by an extended charge. We find that such a charge, apart from being an ordinary electric monopole, is also a magnetic dipole. By writing off the existing experimental clearance in the value of the lepton magnetic moments for the present effect, we get the bound on noncommutativity at the level of 10^4 TeV., Comment: 9 pages, revtex; v2: replaced to match the published version

The low-energy quasi-excitations in graphene are known to be described as Dirac fermions in 2+1 dimensions. Adopting field-theoretical approach we investigate the interaction of these quasi-particles with 3+1 dimensional electromagnetic field focusing on the optical properties of suspended graphene layers and their Casimir interaction with ideal conductor. The magnitude of predicted effects (the rotation of polarization of light and the Casimir force) appears to be well within modern experimental capabilities., Comment: Prepared for presentation at the First European Conference on Nanofilm, March 22-25, 2010.

It is well known that for a given Poisson structure one has infinitely many star products related through the Kontsevich gauge transformations. These gauge transformations have an infinite functional dimension (i.e., correspond to an infinite number of degrees of freedom per point of the base manifold). We show that on a symplectic manifold this freedom may be almost completely eliminated if one extends the star product to all tensor fields in a covariant way and impose some natural conditions on the tensor algebra. The remaining ambiguity either correspond to constant renormalizations to the symplectic structure, or to maps between classically equivalent field theory actions. We also discuss how one can introduce the Riemannian metric in this approach and the consequences of our results for noncommutative gravity theories., Comment: 17p; v2: extended version, to appear in CQG

We adopt the Dirac model for graphene and calculate the Casimir interaction energy between a plane suspended graphene sample and a parallel plane perfect conductor. This is done in two ways. First, we use the Quantum Field Theory (QFT) approach and evaluate the leading order diagram in a theory with 2+1 dimensional fermions interacting with 3+1 dimensional photons. Next, we consider an effective theory for the electromagnetic field with matching conditions induced by quantum quasi-particles in graphene. The first approach turns out to be the leading order in the coupling constant of the second one. The Casimir interaction for this system appears to be rather weak. It exhibits a strong dependence on the mass of the quasi-particles in graphene., Comment: 5pp, v2: improved version, to appear in PRB

The use of a diffeomorphism covariant star product enables us to construct diffeomorphism invariant gravities on noncommutative symplectic manifolds without twisting the symmetries. As an example, we construct noncommutative deformations of all two-dimensional dilaton gravity models thus overcoming some difficulties of earlier approaches. One of such models appears to be integrable. We find all classical solutions of this model and discuss their properties., Comment: 8 pages, v2, v3: references and comments added

We show that the presence of parity-odd terms in the conductivity (or, in other words, in the polarization tensor of Dirac quasiparticles in graphene) leads to rotation of polarization of the electromagnetic waves passing through suspended samples of graphene. Parity-odd Chern-Simons type contributions appear in external magnetic field, giving rise to a quantum Faraday effect (though other sources of parity-odd effects may also be discussed). The estimated order of the effect is well above the sensitivity limits of modern optical instruments., Comment: 8 pages

In this short article accessible for non-experts I discuss possible ways of constructing a non-commutative gravity paying special attention to possibilities of realizing the full diffeomorphism symmetry and to relations with 2D gravities., Comment: 10p, Contribution to "Fundamental Interactions - A Memorial Volume for Wolfgang Kummer", to appear in World Scientific, v2: refs added

We propose a method for determining ultra-violet divergences in the vacuum energy for systems whose spectrum of perturbations is defined through a non-linear spectrum problem, i.e, when the fluctuation operator itself depends on the frequency. The method is applied to the plasma shell model, which describes some properties of the interaction of electromagnetic field with fullerens. We formulate a scalar model, which simplifies the matrix structure, but keeps the frequency dependence of the plasma shell, and calculate the ultra-violet divergences in the case when the plasma sheet is slightly curved. The divergent terms are expressed in terms of surface integrals of corresponding invariants., Comment: 14 pages, revtex, v2: clarifications added

We develop an approach to the deformation quantization on the real plane with an arbitrary Poisson structure which based on Weyl symmetrically ordered operator products. By using a polydifferential representation for deformed coordinates $\hat x^j$ we are able to formulate a simple and effective iterative procedure which allowed us to calculate the fourth order star product (and may be extended to the fifth order at the expense of tedious but otherwise straightforward calculations). Modulo some cohomology issues which we do not consider here, the method gives an explicit and physics-friendly description of the star products., Comment: 20 pages, v2, v3: comments and references added

We consider quantum corrections to a kink of noncommutative supersymmetric phi^4 theory in 1+1 dimensions. Despite the presence of an infinite number of time derivatives in the action, we are able to define supercharges and a Hamiltonian by using an unconventional canonical formalism. We calculate the quantum energy E of the kink (defined as a half-sum of the eigenfrequencies of fluctuations) which coincides with its' value in corresponding commutative theory independently of the noncommutativity parameter. The renormalization also proceeds precisely as in the commutative case. The vacuum expectation value of the new Hamiltonian is also calculated and appears to be consistent with the value of the quantum energy E of the kink., Comment: 20 pages, v2: a reference added

We analyze renormalizability properties of noncommutative (NC) theories with a bifermionic NC parameter. We introduce a new 4-dimensional scalar field model which is renormalizable at all orders of the loop expansion. We show that this model has an infrared stable fixed point (at the one-loop level). We check that the NC QED (which is one-loop renormalizable with usual NC parameter) remains renormalizable when the NC parameter is bifermionic, at least to the extent of one-loop diagrams with external photon legs. Our general conclusion is that bifermionic noncommutativity improves renormalizablility properties of NC theories., Comment: 5 figures, a reference added

We calculate quantum corrections to the mass of noncommutative phi^4 kink in (1+1) dimensions for intermediate and large values of the noncommutativity parameter theta. All one-loop divergences are removed by a mass renormalization (which is different from the one required in the topologically trivial sector). For large theta quantum corrections to the mass grow linearly with theta signaling about possible break down of the perturbative expansion., Comment: 18 pages, v2: minor changes

I discuss motivations for introducing Hopf algebra symmetries in noncommutative field theories and briefly describe twisting of main symmetry transformations. New results include an extended list of twisted gauge invariants (which may help to overcome the problem of inconsistency of equations of motion) and a gauge-covariant twist operator (leading to a gauge-covariant star product)., Comment: based on talk at at the Workshop on Quantum Field Theory and Representation Theory, Sao Paulo, August 21-24, 2007

We analyze renormalization and the high temperature expansion of the one-loop effective action of the space-time noncommutative \phi^4 theory by using the zeta function regularization in the imaginary time formalism (i.e., on S^1 x R^3). Interestingly enough, there are no mixed (non-planar) contributions to the counterterms as well as to the power-law high temperature asymptotics. We also study the Wick rotation and formulate assumptions under which the real and imaginary time formalisms are equivalent., Comment: 24 pages, v2: minor changes

We consider a Moyal plane and propose to make the noncommutativity parameter \Theta^{\mu\nu} bifermionic, i.e., composed of two fermionic (Grassmann odd) parameters. The Moyal product then contains a finite number of derivatives, which allows to avoid difficulties of the standard approach. As an example, we construct a two-dimensional noncommutative field theory model based on the Moyal product with a bifermionic parameter and show that it has a locally conserved energy-momentum tensor. The model has no problems with the canonical quantization and appears to be renormalizable., Comment: 8 pages, v2: reference added, v3: misprints corrected

We compute a Chern-Simons term induced by the fermions on noncommutative torus interacting with two U(1) gauge fields. For rational noncommutativity \theta \propto P/Q we find a new mixed term in the action which involves only those fields which are (2\pi)/Q periodic, like the fields in a crystal with Q^2 nodes., Comment: 9 pp; v2: references and discussion added

The heat trace asymptotics on the noncommutative torus, where generalized Laplacians are made out of left and right regular representations, is fully determined. It turns out that this question is very sensitive to the number-theoretical aspect of the deformation parameters. The central condition we use is of a Diophantine type. More generally, the importance of number theory is made explicit on a few examples. We apply the results to the spectral action computation and revisit the UV/IR mixing phenomenon for a scalar theory. Although we find non-local counterterms in the NC $\phi^4$ theory on $\T^4$, we show that this theory can be made renormalizable at least at one loop, and may be even beyond.

We begin with the simplest possible introduction to supergravity. Then we discuss its spin 3/2 stress tensor; these results are new. Next, we discuss boundary conditions on fields and boundary actions for N=1 supergravity. Finally, we discuss new boundary contributions to the mass and central charge of monopoles in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. All models are in 3+1 dimensions., Comment: 15 pages. Talk given by P. van Nieuwenhuizen at the Einstein-celebration gravitational conference at Puri (India) in December 2005

It has been proposed that the Poincare and some other symmetries of noncommutative field theories should be twisted. Here we extend this idea to gauge transformations and find that twisted gauge symmetries close for arbitrary gauge group. We also analyse twisted-invariant actions in noncommutative theories., Comment: 5 pages, added references; v3: added more references and comments, to appear in MPLA

We start with a noncommutative version of the Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity in two dimensions which has a linear potential for the dilaton fields. We study whether it is possible to deform this model by adding quadratic terms to the potential but preserving the number of gauge symmetries. We find that no such deformation exists (provided one does not twist the gauge symmetries)., Comment: Added reference

Requiring the presence of a horizon imposes constraints on the physical phase space. After a careful analysis of dilaton gravity in 2D with boundaries (including the Schwarzschild and Witten black holes as prominent examples), it is shown that the classical physical phase space is smaller as compared to the generic case if horizon constraints are imposed. Conversely, the number of gauge symmetries is larger for the horizon scenario. In agreement with a recent conjecture by 't Hooft, we thus find that physical degrees of freedom are converted into gauge degrees of freedom at a horizon., Comment: 32 pages, uses iopart_mod.cls, v2: added ref, v3: added paragraph in conclusions

We derive the complete orbit of boundary conditions for supergravity models which is closed under the action of all local symmetries of these models, and which eliminates spurious field equations on the boundary. We show that the Gibbons-Hawking boundary conditions break local supersymmetry if one imposes local boundary conditions on all fields. Nonlocal boundary conditions are not ruled out. We extend our analysis to BRST symmetry and to the Hamiltonian formulation of these models., Comment: 37 pages, v2: references added, v3: misprint corrected

After an introduction into the subject we show how one constructs a canonical formalism in space-time noncommutative theories which allows to define the notion of first-class constraints and to analyse gauge symmetries. We use this formalism to perform a noncommutative deformation of two-dimensional string gravity (also known as Witten black hole)., Comment: Based on lectures given at IFSAP-2004 (St.Petersburg), to be submitted to Theor. Math. Phys., dedicated to Yu.V.Novozhilov on the occasion of his 80th birthday

Euclidean dilaton gravity in two dimensions is studied exploiting its representation as a complexified first order gravity model. All local classical solutions are obtained. A global discussion reveals that for a given model only a restricted class of topologies is consistent with the metric and the dilaton. A particular case of string motivated Liouville gravity is studied in detail. Path integral quantisation in generic Euclidean dilaton gravity is performed non-perturbatively by analogy to the Minkowskian case., Comment: 27 p., LaTeX, v2: included new refs. and a footnote

We study quantisation of noncommutative gravity theories in two dimensions (with noncommutativity defined by the Moyal star product). We show that in the case of noncommutative Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity the path integral over gravitational degrees of freedom can be performed exactly even in the presence of a matter field. In the matter sector, we study possible choices of the operators describing quantum fluctuations and define their basic properties (e.g., the Lichnerowicz formula). Then we evaluate two leading terms in the heat kernel expansion, calculate the conformal anomaly and the Polyakov action (as an expansion in the conformal field)., Comment: 22 pages, v2: reference added, v3: corrections in sec.3, references added

The one-loop renormalization in field theories can be formulated in terms of the heat kernel expansion. In this paper we calculate leading contributions of discontinuities of background fields and their derivatives to the heat kernel coefficients. These results are then used to estimate contributions of the discontinuities to the Casimir energy. Sign of such contribution is defined solely by the order of discontinuous derivative. We also discuss renormalization in the presence of singular (delta-function) potentials. We show that an independent surface tension counterterm is necessary. This observation seems to resolve some contradictions in previous calculations., Comment: 9 pages, revtex4; v2: clarifying remarks in sec. IV

We study the spectrum of fluctuations about static solutions in 1+1 dimensional non-commutative scalar field models. In the case of soliton solutions non-commutativity leads to creation of new bound states. In the case of static singular solutions an infinite tower of bound states is produced whose spectrum has a striking similarity to the spectrum of confined quark states., Comment: revtex4, 6 pages, v2: a reference added

We consider a natural generalisation of the Laplace type operators for the case of non-commutative (Moyal star) product. We demonstrate existence of a power law asymptotic expansion for the heat kernel of such operators on T^n. First four coefficients of this expansion are calculated explicitly. We also find an analog of the UV/IR mixing phenomenon when analysing the localised heat kernel., Comment: 10 pp; v2: math improved, references added, to be published in LMP

It is known that in the zeta function regularization and in the Fujikawa method chiral anomaly is defined through a coefficient in the heat kernel expansion for the Dirac operator. In this paper we apply the heat kernel methods to calculate boundary contributions to the chiral anomaly for local (bag) boundary conditions. As a by-product some new results on the heat trace asymptotics are also obtained., Comment: 20 p., latex

The heat kernel expansion is a very convenient tool for studying one-loop divergences, anomalies and various asymptotics of the effective action. The aim of this report is to collect useful information on the heat kernel coefficients scattered in mathematical and physical literature. We present explicit expressions for these coefficients on manifolds with and without boundaries, subject to local and non-local boundary conditions, in the presence of various types of singularities (e.g., domain walls). In each case the heat kernel coefficients are given in terms of several geometric invariants. These invariants are derived for scalar and spinor theories with various interactions, Yang-Mills fields, gravity, and open bosonic strings. We discuss the relations between the heat kernel coefficients and quantum anomalies, corresponding anomalous actions, and covariant perturbation expansions of the effective action (both "low-" and "high-energy" ones)., Comment: 113 pp, to be submitted to Phys.Repts, v2: added references and corrected typos

Path integral quantization of dilaton gravity in two dimensions is applied to the CGHS model to the first nontrivial order in matter loops. Our approach is background independent as geometry is integrated out exactly. The result is an effective shift of the Killing norm: the apparent horizon becomes smaller. The Hawking temperature which is constant to leading order receives a quantum correction. As a consequence, the specific heat becomes positive and proportional to the square of the black hole mass., Comment: 18 pages, JHEP style, 1 eps figure, v2: extended the discussion, added new formulas for mass change, added three new references (in particular [35])

We calculate quantum corrections to the mass of the vortex in N=2 supersymmetric abelian Higgs model in (2+1) dimensions. We put the system in a box and apply the zeta function regularization. The boundary conditions inevitably violate a part of the supersymmetries. Remaining supersymmetry is however enough to ensure isospectrality of relevant operators in bosonic and fermionic sectors. A non-zero correction to the mass of the vortex comes from finite renormalization of couplings., Comment: Latex, 18 pp; v2 reference added; v3 minor changes

Some simple observations concerning certain kappa-deformations in the framework of 2D dilaton gravity formulated as Poisson-sigma models are discussed, and the question of (non-)triviality is addressed., Comment: 5 pages (twocolumn), proceedings contribution to the XIV Hutsulian workshop on "Mathematical Theories and their Physical & Technical Applications", v2: version as it appears in the Ukrainian Journal of Physics, added references and clarifying remarks

The virtual black hole phenomenon, which has been observed previously in specific models, is established for generic 2D dilaton gravity theories with scalar matter. The ensuing effective line element can become asymptotically flat only for two classes of models, among them spherically reduced theories and the string inspired dilaton black hole (CGHS model). We present simple expressions for the lowest order scalar field vertices of the effective theory which one obtains after integrating out geometry exactly. Treating the boundary in a natural and simple way asymptotic states, tree-level vertices and tree-level S-matrix are conformally invariant. Examples are provided pinpointing the physical consequences of virtual black holes on the (CPT-invariant) S-matrix for gravitational scattering of scalar particles. For minimally coupled scalars the evaluation of the S-matrix in closed form is straightforward. For a class of theories including the CGHS model all tree-graph vertices vanish, which explains the particular simplicity of that model and at the same time shows yet another essential difference to the Schwarzschild case., Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, v2: added clarifying comments, corrected typos, v3: shortened title and added our definition of "virtual black holes" to the introduction, updated references

The study of general two dimensional models of gravity allows to tackle basic questions of quantum gravity, bypassing important technical complications which make the treatment in higher dimensions difficult. As the physically important examples of spherically symmetric Black Holes, together with string inspired models, belong to this class, valuable knowledge can also be gained for these systems in the quantum case. In the last decade new insights regarding the exact quantization of the geometric part of such theories have been obtained. They allow a systematic quantum field theoretical treatment, also in interactions with matter, without explicit introduction of a specific classical background geometry. The present review tries to assemble these results in a coherent manner, putting them at the same time into the perspective of the quite large literature on this subject., Comment: 144 pages, 16 figures; v2,v3: added refs. and corrected typos, v4: added 2 refs. and corrected typos (published version), v5: added note with some relevant refs., v6: diligent students found still a couple of typos, added 1 ref., v7: last update from Vienna (a couple of typos), v8: Leipzig edition (a dozen typos), v9: MIT edition (4 typos, 1 ref.)

In the presence of a boundary interaction, Neumann boundary conditions should be modified to contain a function S of the boundary fields: (\nabla_N +S)\phi =0. Information on quantum boundary dynamics is then encoded in the $S$-dependent part of the effective action. In the present paper we extend the multiple reflection expansion method to the Robin boundary conditions mentioned above, and calculate the heat kernel and the effective action (i) for constant S, (ii) to the order S^2 with an arbitrary number of tangential derivatives. Some applications to symmetry breaking effects, tachyon condensation and brane world are briefly discussed., Comment: latex, 22 pages, no figures

In the s-wave approximation the 4D Einstein gravity with scalar fields can be reduced to an effective 2D dilaton gravity coupled nonminimally to the matter fields. We study the leading order (tree level) vertices. The 4-particle matrix element is calculated explicitly. It is interpreted as scattering with formation of a virtual black hole state. As one novel feature we predict the gravitational decay of s-waves., Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, added clarifying comments in the introduction, the conclusion, and the virtual black hole section

We study the objects (called spectral branes or S-branes) which are obtained by imposing non-local spectral boundary conditions at the boundary of the world sheet of the bosonic string. They possess many nice properties which make them an ideal test ground for the string theory methods. Depending on a particular choice of the boundary operator S-branes may be commutative or non-commutative. We demonstrate that projection of the B-field on the brane directions (i.e. on the components which actually influence the boundary conditions) is done with the help of the chirality operator. We show that the T-duality transformation maps an S-brane to another S-brane. At the expense of introducing non-local interactions in the bulk we construct also a duality transformation between S-branes and D-branes or open strings., Comment: 14 pages

We study the spectral geometry of an operator of Laplace type on a manifold with a singular surface. We calculate several first coefficients of the heat kernel expansion. These coefficients are responsible for divergences and conformal anomaly in quantum brane-world scenario., Comment: latex, 25 pp