213,328 research outputs found
Field-Theoretic Simulations of Polyelectrolyte Complexation
We briefly discuss our recent field-theoretic study of polyelectrolyte
complexation, which occurs in solutions of two oppositely charged
polyelectrolytes. Charged systems require theoretical methods beyond the
mean-field (or self-consistent field) approximation; indeed, mean-field theory
is qualitatively incorrect for such polyelectrolyte solutions. Both analytical
(one-loop) and numerical (complex Langevin) methods to account for charge
correlations are discussed. In particular, the first application of
field-theoretic simulations to polyelectrolyte systems is reported. The
polyelectrolyte charge-charge correlation length and a phase diagram are
provided; effects of charge redistribution are qualitatively explored.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 3 equations, LaTeX; accepted to Journal of
Polymer Science B: Polymer Physics; v2: a revised and expanded version, 6
paragraphs of text and about 20 references adde
Quadrupole polarizabilities of the pion in the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model
The electromagnetic dipole and quadrupole polarizabilities of the neutral and
charged pions are calculated in the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model. Our results
agree with the recent experimental analysis of these quantities based on
Dispersion Sum Rules. Comparison is made with the results from the Chiral
Perturbation Theory.Comment: 9 pages, 1 fi
INFN What Next: Ultra-relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions
This document was prepared by the community that is active in Italy, within
INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare), in the field of
ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The experimental study of the phase
diagram of strongly-interacting matter and of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP)
deconfined state will proceed, in the next 10-15 years, along two directions:
the high-energy regime at RHIC and at the LHC, and the low-energy regime at
FAIR, NICA, SPS and RHIC. The Italian community is strongly involved in the
present and future programme of the ALICE experiment, the upgrade of which will
open, in the 2020s, a new phase of high-precision characterisation of the QGP
properties at the LHC. As a complement of this main activity, there is a
growing interest in a possible future experiment at the SPS, which would target
the search for the onset of deconfinement using dimuon measurements. On a
longer timescale, the community looks with interest at the ongoing studies and
discussions on a possible fixed-target programme using the LHC ion beams and on
the Future Circular Collider.Comment: 99 pages, 56 figure
Collective flow and viscosity in relativistic heavy-ion collisions
Collective flow, its anisotropies and its event-to-event fluctuations in
relativistic heavy-ion collisions, and the extraction of the specific shear
viscosity of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) from collective flow data collected in
heavy-ion collision experiments at RHIC and LHC are reviewed. Specific emphasis
is placed on the similarities between the Big Bang of our universe and the
Little Bangs created in heavy-ion collisions.Comment: 38 pages (incl. 11 figures), 145 references. Invited review prepared
for Annual Review in Nuclear and Particle Physics 63 (2013
Antimatter, Lorentz Symmetry, and Gravity
A brief introduction to the Standard-Model Extension (SME) approach to
testing CPT and Lorentz symmetry is provided. Recent proposals for tests with
antimatter are summarized, including gravitational and spectroscopic tests.Comment: Presented at the 12th International Conference on Low Energy
Antiproton Physics, Kanazawa Japan, March 6-11, 2016, Accepted for
publication in JPS Conference Proceeding
Planning the Future of U.S. Particle Physics (Snowmass 2013): Chapter 4: Cosmic Frontier
These reports present the results of the 2013 Community Summer Study of the
APS Division of Particles and Fields ("Snowmass 2013") on the future program of
particle physics in the U.S. Chapter 4, on the Cosmic Frontier, discusses the
program of research relevant to cosmology and the early universe. This area
includes the study of dark matter and the search for its particle nature, the
study of dark energy and inflation, and cosmic probes of fundamental
symmetries.Comment: 61 page
Experimental and Theoretical Challenges in the Search for the Quark Gluon Plasma: The STAR Collaboration's Critical Assessment of the Evidence from RHIC Collisions
We review the most important experimental results from the first three years
of nucleus-nucleus collision studies at RHIC, with emphasis on results from the
STAR experiment, and we assess their interpretation and comparison to theory.
The theory-experiment comparison suggests that central Au+Au collisions at RHIC
produce dense, rapidly thermalizing matter characterized by: (1) initial energy
densities above the critical values predicted by lattice QCD for establishment
of a Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP); (2) nearly ideal fluid flow, marked by
constituent interactions of very short mean free path, established most
probably at a stage preceding hadron formation; and (3) opacity to jets. Many
of the observations are consistent with models incorporating QGP formation in
the early collision stages, and have not found ready explanation in a hadronic
framework. However, the measurements themselves do not yet establish
unequivocal evidence for a transition to this new form of matter. The
theoretical treatment of the collision evolution, despite impressive successes,
invokes a suite of distinct models, degrees of freedom and assumptions of as
yet unknown quantitative consequence. We pose a set of important open
questions, and suggest additional measurements, at least some of which should
be addressed in order to establish a compelling basis to conclude definitively
that thermalized, deconfined quark-gluon matter has been produced at RHIC.Comment: 101 pages, 37 figures; revised version to Nucl. Phys.
On the theoretical description of weakly charged surfaces
It is widely accepted that the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) theory provides a valid
description for charged surfaces in the so-called weak coupling limit. Here, we
show that the image charge repulsion creates a depletion boundary layer that
cannot be captured by a regular perturbation approach. The correct
weak-coupling theory must include the self-energy of the ion due to the image
charge interaction. The image force qualitatively alters the double layer
structure and properties, and gives rise to many non-PB effects, such as
nonmonotonic dependence of the surface energy on concentration and charge
inversion. In the presence of dielectric discontinuity, there is no limiting
condition for which the PB theory is valid
Exploring the properties of the phases of QCD matter - research opportunities and priorities for the next decade
This document provides a summary of the discussions during the recent joint
QCD Town Meeting at Temple University of the status of and future plans for the
research program of the relativistic heavy-ion community. A list of compelling
questions is formulated, and a number of recommendations outlining the greatest
research opportunities and detailing the research priorities of the heavy-ion
community, voted on and unanimously approved at the Town Meeting, are
presented. They are supported by a broad discussion of the underlying physics
and its relation to other subfields. Areas of overlapping interests with the
"QCD and Hadron Structure" ("cold QCD") subcommunity, in particular the
recommendation for the future construction of an Electron-Ion Collider, are
emphasized. The agenda of activities of the "hot QCD" subcommunity at the Town
Meeting is attached.Comment: 34 pages of text, 254 references,16 figure
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