Boundary sinh-Gordon model and its supersymmetric extension

Abstract

Three different aspects of the sinh-Gordon model are explored in this thesis. We begin, in chapter one, with a summary of the model and the necessary background. Chapter two studies the model with two boundary conditions. Two approaches are presented to investigate the reflection factors off the boundaries and the energy of the theory. In chapter three, perturbation theory is developed to study the theory with one general boundary condition. A contribution to the quantum reflection factor is obtained and compared with the result obtained for the special boundary condition. Chapters four and five investigate the supersymmetric extension of the model in the presence of a single boundary. Firstly, the classical limits of the supersymmetric reflection matrices are checked. The exact reflection factors are studied perturbatively up to the second order of the coupling constant. Secondly, the perturbation theory and the path integral formalism are employed in the supersymmetric model to study the quantum reflection factors. We conclude with a brief sixth chapter describing the outlook for further investigations.