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The electroweak monopole, when coupled to gravity, turns to the Reissner-Nordstrom type primordial magnetic blackhole whose mass is bounded below, with the lower bound $M_P \sqrt \alpha$. This changes the overall picture of the monopole production mechanism in the early universe drastically and has deep implications in cosmolpgy. In particular, this enhances the possibility that the electroweak monopoles turned to the primordial magnetic blackholes could become the seed of stellar objects and galaxies, and account for the dark matter of the universe. Moreover, this tells that we have a new type of primordial blackhole different from the popular primordial blackhole in cosmology, the electroweak primordial magnetic blackhole based on a totally different production mechanism. We discuss the physical implications of the electroweak primordial magnetic blackhole.

We investigate the second-order effective energy-momentum tensor (2EMT) constructed by the quadratic terms of the linear scalar cosmological perturbations while the universe is dominated by a scalar field. We show that 2EMT is gauge dependent. We then study 2EMT in three (longitudinal, spatially flat, and comoving) gauge conditions in the slow-roll stage of inflation. We find that 2EMT exhibits an effective fluid of w=-1/3 on super-horizon scales in all of those gauge conditions., Comment: 12 pages

We investigate the second-order effective energy-momentum tensor (2EMT) constructed by the quadratic terms of the linear scalar cosmological perturbations while the universe is dominated by a scalar field. We show that 2EMT is gauge dependent. We then study 2EMT in three (longitudinal, spatially flat, and comoving) gauge conditions in the slow-roll stage of inflation. We find that 2EMT exhibits an effective fluid of w=-1/3 on super-horizon scales in all of those gauge conditions., Comment: 12 pages

Two analytic examples of globally regular non-Abelian gravitating solitons in the Einstein-Yang-Mills-Higgs theory in (3+1)-dimensions are presented. In both cases, the space-time geometries are of the Nariai type and the Yang-Mills field is completely regular and of meron type (namely, proportional to a pure gauge). However, while in the first family (type I) $X_{0} = 1/2$ (as in all the known examples of merons available so far) and the Higgs field is trivial, in the second family (type II) $X_{0}$ is not 1/2 and the Higgs field is non-trivial. We compare the entropies of type I and type II families determining when type II solitons are favored over type I solitons: the VEV of the Higgs field plays a crucial role in determining the phases of the system. The Klein-Gordon equation for test scalar fields coupled to the non-Abelian fields of the gravitating solitons can be written as the sum of a two-dimensional D'Alembert operator plus a Hamiltonian which has been proposed in the literature to describe the four-dimensional Quantum Hall Effect (QHE): the difference between type I and type II solutions manifest itself in a difference between the degeneracies of the corresponding energy levels., Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures

Two analytic examples of globally regular non-Abelian gravitating solitons in the Einstein-Yang-Mills-Higgs theory in (3+1)-dimensions are presented. In both cases, the space-time geometries are of the Nariai type and the Yang-Mills field is completely regular and of meron type (namely, proportional to a pure gauge). However, while in the first family (type I) $X_{0} = 1/2$ (as in all the known examples of merons available so far) and the Higgs field is trivial, in the second family (type II) $X_{0}$ is not 1/2 and the Higgs field is non-trivial. We compare the entropies of type I and type II families determining when type II solitons are favored over type I solitons: the VEV of the Higgs field plays a crucial role in determining the phases of the system. The Klein-Gordon equation for test scalar fields coupled to the non-Abelian fields of the gravitating solitons can be written as the sum of a two-dimensional D'Alembert operator plus a Hamiltonian which has been proposed in the literature to describe the four-dimensional Quantum Hall Effect (QHE): the difference between type I and type II solutions manifest itself in a difference between the degeneracies of the corresponding energy levels., Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures

In this paper, we construct the first analytic examples of (3+1)-dimensional self-gravitating regular cosmic tube solutions which are superconducting, free of curvature singularities and with non-trivial topological charge in the Einstein-SU(2) non-linear sigma-model. These gravitating topological solitons at a large distance from the axis look like a (boosted) cosmic string with an angular defect given by the parameters of the theory, and near the axis, the parameters of the solutions can be chosen so that the metric is singularity free and without angular defect. The curvature is concentrated on a tube around the axis. These solutions are similar to the Cohen-Kaplan global string but regular everywhere, and the non-linear sigma-model regularizes the gravitating global string in a similar way as a non-Abelian field regularizes the Dirac monopole. Also, these solutions can be promoted to those of the fully coupled Einstein-Maxwell non-linear sigma-model in which the non-linear sigma-model is minimally coupled both to the U(1) gauge field and to General Relativity. The analysis shows that these solutions behave as superconductors as they carry a persistent current even when the U(1) field vanishes. Such persistent current cannot be continuously deformed to zero as it is tied to the topological charge of the solutions themselves. The peculiar features of the gravitational lensing of these gravitating solitons are shortly discussed., Comment: 30 pages and 9 figures included. In the new version the title has been slightly changed. The details on why the ansatz does work have been included in the appendix. An extra section on the flat limit has been included. Various clarifying comments on the existing literature have also been inserted. Final version was accepted for publication on European Physical Journal C

We investigate the second-order gravitational scalar perturbations for a barotropic fluid. We derive the effective energy-momentum tensor described by the quadratic terms of the gravitational and the matter perturbations. We show that the second-order effective energy-momentum tensor is gauge dependent. We impose three gauge conditions (longitudinal, spatially-flat, and comoving gauges) for dust and radiation. The resulting energy-momentum tensor is described only by a gauge invariant variable, but the functional form depends on the gauge choice. In the matter-dominated epoch with dust-like fluid background, the second-order effective energy density and pressure of the perturbations evolve as 1/a^2 in all three gauge choices, like the curvature density of the Universe, but they do not provide the correct equation of state. The value of this parameter depends also on the gauge choice. In the radiation-dominated epoch, the perturbations in the short-wave limit behave in the same way as the radiation-like fluid in the longitudinal and the spatially-flat gauges. However, they behave in a different way in the comoving gauge. As a whole, we conclude that the second-order effective energy-momentum tensor of the scalar perturbation is strictly gauge dependent., Comment: 21 pages

In this paper, we construct the first analytic examples of (3+1)-dimensional self-gravitating regular cosmic tube solutions which are superconducting, free of curvature singularities and with non-trivial topological charge in the Einstein-SU(2) non-linear sigma-model. These gravitating topological solitons at a large distance from the axis look like a (boosted) cosmic string with an angular defect given by the parameters of the theory, and near the axis, the parameters of the solutions can be chosen so that the metric is singularity free and without angular defect. The curvature is concentrated on a tube around the axis. These solutions are similar to the Cohen-Kaplan global string but regular everywhere, and the non-linear sigma-model regularizes the gravitating global string in a similar way as a non-Abelian field regularizes the Dirac monopole. Also, these solutions can be promoted to those of the fully coupled Einstein-Maxwell non-linear sigma-model in which the non-linear sigma-model is minimally coupled both to the U(1) gauge field and to General Relativity. The analysis shows that these solutions behave as superconductors as they carry a persistent current even when the U(1) field vanishes. Such persistent current cannot be continuously deformed to zero as it is tied to the topological charge of the solutions themselves. The peculiar features of the gravitational lensing of these gravitating solitons are shortly discussed., Comment: 30 pages and 9 figures included. In the new version the title has been slightly changed. The details on why the ansatz does work have been included in the appendix. An extra section on the flat limit has been included. Various clarifying comments on the existing literature have also been inserted. Final version was accepted for publication on European Physical Journal C

We investigate the second-order gravitational scalar perturbations for a barotropic fluid. We derive the effective energy-momentum tensor described by the quadratic terms of the gravitational and the matter perturbations. We show that the second-order effective energy-momentum tensor is gauge dependent. We impose three gauge conditions (longitudinal, spatially-flat, and comoving gauges) for dust and radiation. The resulting energy-momentum tensor is described only by a gauge invariant variable, but the functional form depends on the gauge choice. In the matter-dominated epoch with dust-like fluid background, the second-order effective energy density and pressure of the perturbations evolve as 1/a^2 in all three gauge choices, like the curvature density of the Universe, but they do not provide the correct equation of state. The value of this parameter depends also on the gauge choice. In the radiation-dominated epoch, the perturbations in the short-wave limit behave in the same way as the radiation-like fluid in the longitudinal and the spatially-flat gauges. However, they behave in a different way in the comoving gauge. As a whole, we conclude that the second-order effective energy-momentum tensor of the scalar perturbation is strictly gauge dependent., Comment: 21 pages

In this paper, we construct the first analytic examples of (3+1)-dimensional self-gravitating regular cosmic tube solutions which are superconducting, free of curvature singularities and with non-trivial topological charge in the Einstein-SU(2) non-linear sigma-model. These gravitating topological solitons at a large distance from the axis look like a (boosted) cosmic string with an angular defect given by the parameters of the theory, and near the axis, the parameters of the solutions can be chosen so that the metric is singularity free and without angular defect. The curvature is concentrated on a tube around the axis. These solutions are similar to the Cohen-Kaplan global string but regular everywhere, and the non-linear sigma-model regularizes the gravitating global string in a similar way as a non-Abelian field regularizes the Dirac monopole. Also, these solutions can be promoted to those of the fully coupled Einstein-Maxwell non-linear sigma-model in which the non-linear sigma-model is minimally coupled both to the U(1) gauge field and to General Relativity. The analysis shows that these solutions behave as superconductors as they carry a persistent current even when the U(1) field vanishes. Such persistent current cannot be continuously deformed to zero as it is tied to the topological charge of the solutions themselves. The peculiar features of the gravitational lensing of these gravitating solitons are shortly discussed., Comment: 30 pages and 9 figures included. In the new version the title has been slightly changed. The details on why the ansatz does work have been included in the appendix. An extra section on the flat limit has been included. Various clarifying comments on the existing literature have also been inserted. Final version was accepted for publication on European Physical Journal C

We investigate the second-order gravitational scalar perturbations for a barotropic fluid. We derive the effective energy-momentum tensor described by the quadratic terms of the gravitational and the matter perturbations. We show that the second-order effective energy-momentum tensor is gauge dependent. We impose three gauge conditions (longitudinal, spatially-flat, and comoving gauges) for dust and radiation. The resulting energy-momentum tensor is described only by a gauge invariant variable, but the functional form depends on the gauge choice. In the matter-dominated epoch with dust-like fluid background, the second-order effective energy density and pressure of the perturbations evolve as 1/a^2 in all three gauge choices, like the curvature density of the Universe, but they do not provide the correct equation of state. The value of this parameter depends also on the gauge choice. In the radiation-dominated epoch, the perturbations in the short-wave limit behave in the same way as the radiation-like fluid in the longitudinal and the spatially-flat gauges. However, they behave in a different way in the comoving gauge. As a whole, we conclude that the second-order effective energy-momentum tensor of the scalar perturbation is strictly gauge dependent., Comment: 21 pages

We investigate the second-order gravitational scalar perturbations for a barotropic fluid. We derive the effective energy-momentum tensor described by the quadratic terms of the gravitational and the matter perturbations. We show that the second-order effective energy-momentum tensor is gauge dependent. We impose three gauge conditions (longitudinal, spatially-flat, and comoving gauges) for dust and radiation. The resulting energy-momentum tensor is described only by a gauge invariant variable, but the functional form depends on the gauge choice. In the matter-dominated epoch with dust-like fluid background, the second-order effective energy density and pressure of the perturbations evolve as 1/a^2 in all three gauge choices, like the curvature density of the Universe, but they do not provide the correct equation of state. The value of this parameter depends also on the gauge choice. In the radiation-dominated epoch, the perturbations in the short-wave limit behave in the same way as the radiation-like fluid in the longitudinal and the spatially-flat gauges. However, they behave in a different way in the comoving gauge. As a whole, we conclude that the second-order effective energy-momentum tensor of the scalar perturbation is strictly gauge dependent., Comment: 21 pages

In this paper, we construct the first analytic examples of (3+1)-dimensional self-gravitating regular cosmic tube solutions which are superconducting, free of curvature singularities and with non-trivial topological charge in the Einstein-SU(2) non-linear sigma-model. These gravitating topological solitons at a large distance from the axis look like a (boosted) cosmic string with an angular defect given by the parameters of the theory, and near the axis, the parameters of the solutions can be chosen so that the metric is singularity free and without angular defect. The curvature is concentrated on a tube around the axis. These solutions are similar to the Cohen-Kaplan global string but regular everywhere, and the non-linear sigma-model regularizes the gravitating global string in a similar way as a non-Abelian field regularizes the Dirac monopole. Also, these solutions can be promoted to those of the fully coupled Einstein-Maxwell non-linear sigma-model in which the non-linear sigma-model is minimally coupled both to the U(1) gauge field and to General Relativity. The analysis shows that these solutions behave as superconductors as they carry a persistent current even when the U(1) field vanishes. Such persistent current cannot be continuously deformed to zero as it is tied to the topological charge of the solutions themselves. The peculiar features of the gravitational lensing of these gravitating solitons are shortly discussed., Comment: 30 pages and 9 figures included. In the new version the title has been slightly changed. The details on why the ansatz does work have been included in the appendix. An extra section on the flat limit has been included. Various clarifying comments on the existing literature have also been inserted. Final version was accepted for publication on European Physical Journal C

The first analytic topologically non-trivial solutions in the (3+1)-dimensional gauged non-linear sigma model representing multi-solitons at finite volume with manifest ordered structures generating their own electromagnetic field are presented. The complete set of seven coupled non-linear field equations of the gauged non-linear sigma model together with the corresponding Maxwell equations are reduced in a self-consistent way to just one linear Schrodinger-like equation in two dimensions. The corresponding two dimensional periodic potential can be computed explicitly in terms of the solitons profile. The present construction keeps alive the topological charge of the gauged solitons. Both the energy density and the topological charge density are periodic and the positions of their peaks show a crystalline order. These solitons describe configurations in which (most of) the topological charge and total energy are concentrated within three-dimensional tube-shaped regions. The electric and magnetic fields vanish in the center of the tubes and take their maximum values on their surface while the electromagnetic current is contained within these tube-shaped regions. Electromagnetic perturbations of these families of gauged solitons are shortly discussed., Comment: 18 pages, 22 figures, accepted for publication on EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL C

The first analytic topologically non-trivial solutions in the (3+1)-dimensional gauged non-linear sigma model representing multi-solitons at finite volume with manifest ordered structures generating their own electromagnetic field are presented. The complete set of seven coupled non-linear field equations of the gauged non-linear sigma model together with the corresponding Maxwell equations are reduced in a self-consistent way to just one linear Schrodinger-like equation in two dimensions. The corresponding two dimensional periodic potential can be computed explicitly in terms of the solitons profile. The present construction keeps alive the topological charge of the gauged solitons. Both the energy density and the topological charge density are periodic and the positions of their peaks show a crystalline order. These solitons describe configurations in which (most of) the topological charge and total energy are concentrated within three-dimensional tube-shaped regions. The electric and magnetic fields vanish in the center of the tubes and take their maximum values on their surface while the electromagnetic current is contained within these tube-shaped regions. Electromagnetic perturbations of these families of gauged solitons are shortly discussed., Comment: 18 pages, 22 figures, accepted for publication on EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL C

We construct an analytic black hole solution in $SU(2)$ Einstein-Yang-Mills theory in five dimensions supporting a Meron field. The gauge field is proportional to a pure gauge and has a non-trivial topological charge. The would-be singularity at the Meron core gets shielded from the exterior by the black hole horizon. The metric has only one integration constant, namely, its ADM mass, which is shown to be finite once an appropriate boundary term is added to the action. The thermodynamics is also worked out, and a first-order phase transition, similar to the one occurring in the Reissner-Nordstr{\"o}m case is identified. We also show that the solution produces a \mbox{\textit{spin from isospin effect}}, i.e., even though the theory is constructed out of bosons only, the combined system of a scalar field and this background may become fermionic. More specifically, we study scalar excitations in this purely bosonic background and find that the system describes fermionic degrees of freedom at spatial infinity. Finally, for the asymptotically $AdS_{5}$ case, we study its consequences in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence., Comment: 31 pages, 2 figures. Specific details of the implications in holography added. Version accepted in JHEP

We show that one can reduce the coupled system of seven field equations of the (3+1)-dimensional gauged Skyrme model to the Heun equation (which, for suitable choices of the parameters, can be further reduced to the Whittaker-Hill equation) in two non-trivial topological sectors. Hence, one can get a complete analytic description of gauged solitons in (3+1) dimensions living within a finite volume in terms of classic results in the theory of differential equations and Kummer's con uent functions. We consider here two types of gauged solitons: gauged Skyrmions and gauged time-crystals (namely, gauged solitons periodic in time, whose time-period is protected by a winding number). The dependence of the energy of the gauged Skyrmions on the Baryon charge can be determined explicitly. The theory of Kummer's confluent functions leads to a quantization condition for the period of the time-crystals. Likewise, the theory of Sturm-Liouville operators gives rise to a quantization condition for the volume occupied by the gauged Skyrmions. The present analysis also discloses that resurgent techniques are very well suited to deal with the gauged Skyrme model as well. In particular, we discuss a very nice relation between the electromagnetic perturbations of the gauged Skyrmions and the Mathieu equation which allows to use many of the modern resurgence techniques to determine the behavior of the spectrum of these perturbations., Comment: 28 pages, 6 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. D, New references added

After Dirac introduced the monopole, topological objects have played increasingly important roles in physics. In this review we discuss the role of the knot, the most sophisticated topological object in physics, and related topological objects in various areas in physics. In particular, we discuss how the knots appear in Maxwell's theory, Skyrme theory, and multi-component condensed matter physics., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1704.05975

We construct an analytic black hole solution in $SU(2)$ Einstein-Yang-Mills theory in five dimensions supporting a Meron field. The gauge field is proportional to a pure gauge and has a non-trivial topological charge. The would-be singularity at the Meron core gets shielded from the exterior by the black hole horizon. The metric has only one integration constant, namely, its ADM mass, which is shown to be finite once an appropriate boundary term is added to the action. The thermodynamics is also worked out, and a first-order phase transition, similar to the one occurring in the Reissner-Nordstr{\"o}m case is identified. We also show that the solution produces a \mbox{\textit{spin from isospin effect}}, i.e., even though the theory is constructed out of bosons only, the combined system of a scalar field and this background may become fermionic. More specifically, we study scalar excitations in this purely bosonic background and find that the system describes fermionic degrees of freedom at spatial infinity. Finally, for the asymptotically $AdS_{5}$ case, we study its consequences in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence., Comment: 31 pages, 2 figures. Specific details of the implications in holography added. Version accepted in JHEP

After Dirac introduced the monopole, topological objects have played increasingly important roles in physics. In this review we discuss the role of the knot, the most sophisticated topological object in physics, and related topological objects in various areas in physics. In particular, we discuss how the knots appear in Maxwell's theory, Skyrme theory, and multi-component condensed matter physics., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1704.05975

We show that one can reduce the coupled system of seven field equations of the (3+1)-dimensional gauged Skyrme model to the Heun equation (which, for suitable choices of the parameters, can be further reduced to the Whittaker-Hill equation) in two non-trivial topological sectors. Hence, one can get a complete analytic description of gauged solitons in (3+1) dimensions living within a finite volume in terms of classic results in the theory of differential equations and Kummer's con uent functions. We consider here two types of gauged solitons: gauged Skyrmions and gauged time-crystals (namely, gauged solitons periodic in time, whose time-period is protected by a winding number). The dependence of the energy of the gauged Skyrmions on the Baryon charge can be determined explicitly. The theory of Kummer's confluent functions leads to a quantization condition for the period of the time-crystals. Likewise, the theory of Sturm-Liouville operators gives rise to a quantization condition for the volume occupied by the gauged Skyrmions. The present analysis also discloses that resurgent techniques are very well suited to deal with the gauged Skyrme model as well. In particular, we discuss a very nice relation between the electromagnetic perturbations of the gauged Skyrmions and the Mathieu equation which allows to use many of the modern resurgence techniques to determine the behavior of the spectrum of these perturbations., Comment: 28 pages, 6 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. D, New references added

We construct regular configurations of the Einstein-Yang-Mills theory in various dimensions. The gauge field is of meron-type: it is proportional to a pure gauge (with a suitable parameter $\lambda$ determined by the field equations). The corresponding smooth gauge transformation cannot be deformed continuously to the identity. In the three-dimensional case we consider the inclusion of a Chern-Simons term into the analysis, allowing $\lambda$ to be different from its usual value of $1/2$. In four dimensions, the gravitating meron is a smooth Euclidean wormhole interpolating between different vacua of the theory. In five and higher dimensions smooth meron-like configurations can also be constructed by considering warped products of the three-sphere and lower-dimensional Einstein manifolds. In all cases merons (which on flat spaces would be singular) become regular due to the coupling with general relativity. This effect is named "gravitational catalysis of merons"., Comment: Accepted for publication on Physical Review D, 14pages, no figure

We construct regular configurations of the Einstein-Yang-Mills theory in various dimensions. The gauge field is of meron-type: it is proportional to a pure gauge (with a suitable parameter $\lambda$ determined by the field equations). The corresponding smooth gauge transformation cannot be deformed continuously to the identity. In the three-dimensional case we consider the inclusion of a Chern-Simons term into the analysis, allowing $\lambda$ to be different from its usual value of $1/2$. In four dimensions, the gravitating meron is a smooth Euclidean wormhole interpolating between different vacua of the theory. In five and higher dimensions smooth meron-like configurations can also be constructed by considering warped products of the three-sphere and lower-dimensional Einstein manifolds. In all cases merons (which on flat spaces would be singular) become regular due to the coupling with general relativity. This effect is named "gravitational catalysis of merons"., Comment: Accepted for publication on Physical Review D, 14pages, no figure