Geometrical properties of the trans-spherical solutions in higher dimensions
We investigate the geometrical properties of static vacuum p-brane solutions of Einstein gravity in D=n+p+3 dimensions, which have spherical symmetry of S{sup n+1} orthogonal to the p directions and which are invariant under the translation along them. The solutions are characterized by the mass density and p number of tension densities. The causal structure of the higher-dimensional solutions is essentially the same as that of the five-dimensional ones. Namely, a naked singularity appears for most solutions except for the Schwarzschild black p-brane and the Kaluza-Klein bubble. We show that some important geometric properties such as the area of S{sup n+1} and the total spatial volume are characterized only by the three parameters (the mass density, the sum of tension densities, and the sum of tension density squares), rather than individual tension densities. These geometric properties are analyzed in detail in this parameter space and are compared with those of the five-dimensional case.

title: Extraordinary vacuum black string solutions
abstract: In addition to the boosted static solution there are two other classes of stationary stringlike solutions of the vacuum Einstein equation in (4+1) dimensions. Each class is characterized by three parameters of mass, tension, and momentum flow along the fifth coordinate. We analyze the metric properties of one of the two classes, which was previously assumed to be naked singular, and show that the solution spectrum contains black string and wormhole in addition to the known naked singularity as the momentum flow to mass ratio increases. Interestingly, there does not exist new zero momentum solution in these cases.

title: An efficient representation of Euclidean gravity I
abstract: A bstractWe explore how the topology of spacetime fabric is encoded into the local structure of Riemannian metrics using the gauge theory formulation of Euclidean gravity. In part I, we provide a rigorous mathematical foundation to prove that a general Einstein manifold arises as the sum of SU(2)L Yang-Mills instantons and SU(2)R anti-instantons where SU(2)L and SU(2)R are normal subgroups of the four-dimensional Lorentz group Spin(4) = SU(2)L × SU(2)R. Our proof relies only on the general properties in four dimensions: The Lorentz group Spin(4) is isomorphic to SU(2)L × SU(2)R and the six-dimensional vector space Λ2T∗M of two-forms splits canonically into the sum of three-dimensional vector spaces of self-dual and anti-self-dual two-forms, i.e., $ {\Lambda^2}{T^{ * }}M = \Lambda_{ + }^2 \oplus \Lambda_{ - }^2 $. Consolidating these two, it turns out that the splitting of Spin(4) is deeply correlated with the decomposition of two-forms on four-manifold which occupies a central position in the theory of four-manifolds.

title: Classical stability of black D3-branes
abstract: We have investigated the classical stability of charged black D3-branes in the type-IIB supergravity under small perturbations. For s-wave perturbations it turns out that black D3-branes are unstable when they have small charge density. As the charge density increases for given mass density, however, the instability decreases down to zero at a certain finite value of the charge density, and then black D3-branes become stable all the way down to the extremal point. It has also been shown that such critical value at which its stability behavior changes agrees very well with the predicted one by the thermodynamic stability behavior of the corresponding black hole system through the Gubser-Mitra conjecture. Unstable mode solutions we found involve non-vanishing fluctuations of the self-dual five-form field strength. Some implications of our results are also discussed.

title: Global and local D-vortices
abstract: Codimension-two objects on a system of brane-antibrane are studied in the context of Born-Infeld type effective field theory with a complex tachyon and U(1) × U(1) gauge fields. When the radial electric field is turned on in D2 ¯ D2, we find static regular global and local D-vortex solutions which could be candidates of straight cosmic D-strings in a superstring theory. A natural extension to DF-strings is briefly discussed.

title: ON WILSON SURFACES IN TOPOLOGICAL CHERN-SIMONS INTERACTION IN 3+1 DIMENSIONS
abstract: We comment on the regularization of the expectation values of Wilson surfaces for the bosonic string in 3+1 dimensions. We analyze the singular behaviors of propagators for the Chern-Simons action with the additional higher order terms.

title: Exclusive two-vector-meson production from e+e- annihilation
abstract: The exclusive production of pairs of vector mesons with J{sup PC}=1{sup --} in e{sup +}e{sup -} collisions can proceed through e{sup +}e{sup -} annihilation into two virtual photons. At energies much greater than the meson masses, the cross section is dominated by the independent fragmentation of the virtual photons into the vector mesons. The fragmentation approximation is used to calculate the cross sections and angular distributions for pairs of vector mesons that can be produced at the B factories. The predicted cross sections for  and {rho}{sup 0}+{phi} production agree with recent measurements by the BABAR Collaboration. For the production of two charmonium vector mesons, the nonfragmentation corrections to the cross sections are calculated by using the NRQCD factorization formalism. The predicted cross sections for J/{psi}+J/{psi} and J/{psi}+{psi}(2S) production are compatible with upper limits set by the Belle Collaboration.

title: He I D3 Observations of the 1984 May 22 M6.3 Solar Flare
abstract: The He I D3 line has a unique response to a flare impact on the low solar atmosphere and can be a powerful diagnostic tool for energy transport processes. Using images obtained from the recently digitized films of the Big Bear Solar Observatory, we report D3 observations of the M6.3 flare on 1984 May 22, which occurred in an active region with a circular magnetic polarity inversion line (PIL). The impulsive phase of the flare starts with a main elongated source that darkens in D3, inside of which bright emission kernels appear at the time of the initial small peak in hard X-rays (HXRs). These flare cores subsequently evolve into a sharp emission strand lying within the dark halo; this evolution occurs at the same time as the main peak in HXRs, reversing the overall source contrast from ?5% to 5%. The radiated energy in D3 during the main peak is estimated to be about 1030 erg, which is comparable to that carried by nonthermal electrons above 20?keV. Afterward, the flare proceeds along the circular PIL in the counterclockwise direction to form a dark circular ribbon in D3, which apparently mirrors the bright ribbons in H? and He I 10830 ?. All of these ribbons last for over one hour in the late gradual phase. We suggest that the present event resembles the so-called black-light flare that was proposed based on continuum images, and that D3 darkening and brightening features herein may be due to thermal conduction heating and the direct precipitation of high-energy electrons, respectively.

title: Model independent analysis of the forward–backward asymmetry of top quark production at the Tevatron
abstract: Motivated by a possible anomaly in the forward–backward (FB) asymmetry of top quark ( A FB ) observed at the Tevatron, we perform a model independent analysis on q q ¯ → t t ¯ using an effective Lagrangian with dim-6 four-quark operators. We derive necessary conditions on new physics structures and the couplings that are consistent with the t t ¯ production cross section and A FB measured at the Tevatron, and discuss possible new physics scenarios that could generate such dim-6 operators.

title: The Higgs Boson Sector of the Next-to-MSSM with CP Violation
abstract: We perform a comprehensive study of the Higgs sector in the framework of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model with CP-violating parameters in the superpotential and in the soft-supersymmetry-breaking sector. Since the CP is no longer a good symmetry, the two CP-odd and the three CP-even Higgs bosons of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model in the CP-conserving limit will mix. We show explicitly how the mass spectrum and couplings to gauge bosons of the various Higgs bosons change when the CP-violating phases take on nonzero values. We include full one-loop and the logarithmically enhanced two-loop effects employing the renormalization-group (RG) improved approach. In addition, the LEP limits, the global minimum condition, and the positivity of the square of the Higgs-boson mass have been imposed. We demonstrate the effects on the Higgs-mass spectrum and the couplings to gauge bosons with and without the RG-improved corrections. Substantial modifications to the allowed parameter space happen because of the changes to the Higgs-boson spectrum and their couplings with the RG-improved corrections. Finally, we calculate the mass spectrum and couplings of the few selected scenarios and compare to the previous results in literature where possible; in particular, we illustrate a scenario motivated by electroweak baryogenesis.

title: Radiative corrections to scalar masses and mixing in a scale invariant two Higgs doublet model
abstract: We study the Higgs boson mass spectrum of a classical scale invariant realization of the two Higgs doublet model (SI-2HDM). The classical scale symmetry of the theory is explicitly broken by quantum loop effects due to gauge interactions, Higgs self-couplings and top quark Yukawa couplings. We determine the allowed parameter space compatible with perturbative unitarity and electroweak precision data. Taking into account the LEP and the recent LHC exclusion limits on a standard-model-like Higgs boson HSM, we obtain rather strict constraints on the mass spectrum of the heavy Higgs sector of the SI-2HDM. In particular, if MHSM 125 GeV, the SI-2HDM strongly favors scenarios in which at least one of the nonstandard neutral Higgs bosons has a mass close to 400 GeV and is generically degenerate with the charged Higgs boson, whilst the third neutral Higgs scalar is lighter than 500 GeV.