Quasi-Fixed Points and Charge and Colour Breaking in Low Scale Models

We show that the current LEP2 lower bound upon the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) lightest Higgs mass rules out quasi-fixed scenarios for string scales between 10^6 and 10^{11} GeV unless the heaviest stop mass is more than 2 TeV. We consider the implications of the low string scale for charge and colour breaking (CCB) bounds in the MSSM, and demonstrate that CCB bounds from F and D-flat directions are significantly weakened. For scales less than 10^{10} GeV these bounds become merely that degenerate scalar mass squared values are positive at the string scale.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures. Replacement has added discussion on errors due to alpha_s(MZ) errors, as well as deviations from the quasi-fixed point. Text has been clarifie

Brane Gases on K3 and Calabi-Yau Manifolds

We initiate the study of Brane Gas Cosmology (BGC) on manifolds with non-trivial holonomy. Such compactifications are required within the context of superstring theory in order to make connections with realistic particle physics. We study the dynamics of brane gases constructed from various string theories on background spaces having a K3 submanifold. The K3 compactifications provide a stepping stone for generalising the model to the case of a full Calabi-Yau three-fold. Duality symmetries are discussed within a cosmological context. Using a duality, we arrive at an N=2 theory in four-dimensions compactified on a Calabi-Yau manifold with SU(3) holonomy. We argue that the Brane Gas model compactified on such spaces maintains the successes of the trivial toroidal compactification while greatly enhancing its connection to particle physics. The initial state of the universe is taken to be a small, hot and dense gas of p-branes near thermal equilibrium. The universe has no initial singularity and the dynamics of string winding modes allow three spatial dimensions to grow large, providing a possible solution to the dimensionality problem of string theory.Comment: 26 pages; Significant revisions: review material truncated; presentation improve

Determination of step rate thresholds corresponding to physical activity intensity classifications in adults

Current recommendations call for adults to be physically active at moderate and/or vigorous intensities. Given the popularity of walking and running, the use of step rates may provide a practical and inexpensive means to evaluate ambulatory intensity. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify step rate thresholds that correspond to various intensity classifications. Methods: Oxygen consumption was measured at rest and during 10 minute treadmill walking and running trials at 6 standardized speeds (54, 80, 107, 134, 161, and 188 m∙min-1) in 9 men and 10 women (28.8 ± 6.8 yrs). Two observers counted the participants’ steps at each treadmill speed. Linear and nonlinear regression analyses were used to develop prediction equations to ascertain step rate thresholds at various intensities. Results: Nonlinear regression analysis of the metabolic cost versus step rates across all treadmill speeds yielded the highest R2 values for men (R2 = .91) and women (R2 = .79). For men, the nonlinear analysis yielded 94 and 125 step∙min-1 for moderate and vigorous intensities, respectively. For women, 99 and 135 step∙min-1 corresponded with moderate and vigorous intensities, respectively. Conclusions: Promoting a step rate of 100 step∙min-1 may serve as a practical public health recommendation to exercise at moderate intensity

Effects of a feeding strategy to increase intramuscular fat content of pork under the conditions of organic farming

In an ongoing study, the effect of the implementation of a specific feeding strategy using a high portion of home-grown grain legumes on the intramuscular fat (IMF) content of pork, is assessed under different conditions on organic farms in Germany and Austria. Preliminary results indicate that variation in the IMF content seems to be higher between farms than between treatments within each farm

On the Thermal History of Calculable Gauge Mediation

Many messenger models with realistic gaugino masses are based on meta-stable vacua. In this work we study the thermal history of some of these models. Analyzing R-symmetric models, we point out that while some of the known messenger models clearly prefer the supersymmetric vacuum, there is a vast class of models where the answer depends on the initial conditions. Along with the vacuum at the origin, the high temperature thermal potential also possesses a local minimum far away from the origin. This vacuum has no analog at zero temperature. The first order phase transition from this vacuum into the supersymmetric vacuum is parametrically suppressed, and the theory, starting from that vacuum, is likely to evolve to the desired gauge-mediation vacuum. We also comment on the thermal evolution of models without R-symmetry.Comment: 22 pages. V2: Comments on the SM effects added. Minor corrections. Reference added. Valuable discussion with S. Abel, J. Jaeckel and V. Khoze acknowledged. V3: Types of EOGM explicitly defined in the introduction. Discussions about the phase transitions expanded. Typo corrected. Journal versio

Meta-stable SUSY Breaking Model in Supergravity

We analyze a supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking model proposed by Intriligator, Seiberg and Shih in a supergravity (SUGRA) framework. This is a simple and natural setup which demands neither extra superpotential interactions nor an additional gauge symmetry. In the SUGRA setup, the U(1)R symmetry is explicitly broken by the constant term in the superpotential, and pseudo-moduli field naturally takes non-zero vacuum expectation value through a vanishing cosmological constant condition. Sfermions tend to be heavier than gauginos, and the strong-coupling scale is determined once a ratio of sfermion to gaugino masses is fixed.Comment: 13 page

R-symmetry and Supersymmetry Breaking at Finite Temperature

We analyze the spontaneous $U(1)_R$ symmetry breaking at finite temperature for the simple O'Raifeartaigh-type model introduced in [1] in connection with spontaneous supersymmetry breaking. We calculate the finite temperature effective potential (free energy) to one loop order and study the thermal evolution of the model. We find that the R-symmetry breaking occurs through a second order phase transition. Its associated meta-stable supersymmetry breaking vacuum is thermodynamically favored at high temperatures and the model remains trapped in this state by a potential barrier, as the temperature lowers all the way until T=0.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures - Minor revisions, references added. To appear in JHE

WKB formalism and a lower limit for the energy eigenstates of bound states for some potentials

In the present work the conditions appearing in the WKB approximation formalism of quantum mechanics are analyzed. It is shown that, in general, a careful definition of an approximation method requires the introduction of two length parameters, one of them always considered in the text books on quantum mechanics, whereas the second one is usually neglected. Afterwards we define a particular family of potentials and prove, resorting to the aforementioned length parameters, that we may find an energy which is a lower bound to the ground energy of the system. The idea is applied to the case of a harmonic oscillator and also to a particle freely falling in a homogeneous gravitational field, and in both cases the consistency of our method is corroborated. This approach, together with the Rayleigh--Ritz formalism, allows us to define an energy interval in which the ground energy of any potential, belonging to our family, must lie.Comment: Accepted in Modern Physics Letters

Multiscale Gyrokinetics for Rotating Tokamak Plasmas: Fluctuations, Transport and Energy Flows

This paper presents a complete theoretical framework for plasma turbulence and transport in tokamak plasmas. The fundamental scale separations present in plasma turbulence are codified as an asymptotic expansion in the ratio of the gyroradius to the equilibrium scale length. Proceeding order-by-order in this expansion, a framework for plasma turbulence is developed. It comprises an instantaneous equilibrium, the fluctuations driven by gradients in the equilibrium quantities, and the transport-timescale evolution of mean profiles of these quantities driven by the fluctuations. The equilibrium distribution functions are local Maxwellians with each flux surface rotating toroidally as a rigid body. The magnetic equillibrium is obtained from the Grad-Shafranov equation for a rotating plasma and the slow (resistive) evolution of the magnetic field is given by an evolution equation for the safety factor q. Large-scale deviations of the distribution function from a Maxwellian are given by neoclassical theory. The fluctuations are determined by the high-flow gyrokinetic equation, from which we derive the governing principle for gyrokinetic turbulence in tokamaks: the conservation and local cascade of free energy. Transport equations for the evolution of the mean density, temperature and flow velocity profiles are derived. These transport equations show how the neoclassical corrections and the fluctuations act back upon the mean profiles through fluxes and heating. The energy and entropy conservation laws for the mean profiles are derived. Total energy is conserved and there is no net turbulent heating. Entropy is produced by the action of fluxes flattening gradients, Ohmic heating, and the equilibration of mean temperatures. Finally, this framework is condensed, in the low-Mach-number limit, to a concise set of equations suitable for numerical implementation.Comment: 113 pages, 3 figure