Anodically polarized nickel electrodes in DMSO or DMF solutions of pseudohalide ions: IR spectroelectrochemical studies

A novel subtractively normalized interfacial Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (SNIFTIRS) investigation of anodically polarized nickel electrodes in pseudohalide-containing DMF or DMSO solutions (i.e. OCN⁻, SCN⁻, SeCN⁻), in supporting electrolyte, tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (TBAP), is presented. In general, the data showed that nickel demonstrated irreversible anodic dissolution in all solutions studied at very high values of the applied potential, > +500 mV (AgCl/Ag). The predominant speciation of nickel in these systems was as complex ions consisting of Ni²⁺ ion complexed to pseudohalide ions and solvent molecules. Insoluble films and dissolved CO₂ were also detected, though mostly in the Ni/OCN⁻ systems studied. Ni(II)/pseudohalide complex ion species detected were modeled using solutions containing Ni²⁺ ion mixed with pseudohalide ion in different mole ratios. In general, the Ni/OCN⁻ electrochemical system behaved differently relative to those of Ni/SCN⁻ and Ni/SeCN⁻ due to the difference in colors observed in cell solutions after SNIFTIRS experiments which was mirrored in the model solutions. Ni(II)-cyanate species had a different, coordination geometry and gave a characteristic bright blue color due possibly to Ni(NCO)₄²⁻ ion while Ni(II) thiocyanate and selenocyanate complex ion species had octahedral coordination geometries containing solvent and one coordinated pseudohalide ion and formed greeny yellow solutions

A Comparison of Supersymmetry Breaking and Mediation Mechanisms

We give a unified treatment of different models of supersymmetry breaking and mediation from a four dimensional effective field theory standpoint. In particular a comparison between GMSB and various gravity mediated versions of SUSY breaking shows that, once the former is embedded within a SUGRA framework, there is no particular advantage to that mechanism from the point of view of FCNC suppression. We point out the difficulties of all these scenarios - in particular the cosmological modulus problem. We end with a discussion of possible string theory realizations.Comment: Added clarifications and references, 20 page

A pilot study: Evaluation of sensor system design for optical fibre humidity sensors subjected to aggressive air sewer environment

Research has identified that humidity plays a fundamental role on the conversion of hydrogen sulphide into sulphuric acid during corrosion of concrete in gravity sewers and that potentially minor reductions in humidity can reduce corrosion rates. The high levels of hydrogen sulfide and the high relative humidity (typically > 98%) that leads to condensation in sewer air makes humidity measurement within such environment difficult. The work presented here aims to tackle this issue by applying a more durable packaging that could withstand the harsh environment. The humidity monitoring element in the probe is based on a moisture-sensitive polymer coated fibre grating in series with an uncoated grating for temperature compensation. To optimize the device to be operational, two designs of the probe assembly were configured using different material, thus aiming to provide long term durability. The aim of the probe design evaluated was to achieve both a good sensitivity to humidity and to protect the sensing elements from the aggressive environment and which had rendered ineffective the electrical sensors placed in the sewer and used for cross-comparison. The packaged sensors were trailed in situ over a period of 5 months, during which the sensors were constantly subjected to the prevailing high, but varying levels of humidity and hydrogen sulfide gas. The results show the significant promise for tailor made packaging which will protect the sensor element from the harsh environment while retaining good sensitivity. These outcomes show a promising future for optical fiber sensors to be employed for the measurement of humidity in the long term in harsh environmental applications

Effects of heavy modes on vacuum stability in supersymmetric theories

We study the effects induced by heavy fields on the masses of light fields in supersymmetric theories, under the assumption that the heavy mass scale is much higher than the supersymmetry breaking scale. We show that the square-masses of light scalar fields can get two different types of significant corrections when a heavy multiplet is integrated out. The first is an indirect level-repulsion effect, which may arise from heavy chiral multiplets and is always negative. The second is a direct coupling contribution, which may arise from heavy vector multiplets and can have any sign. We then apply these results to the sGoldstino mass and study the implications for the vacuum metastability condition. We find that the correction from heavy chiral multiplets is always negative and tends to compromise vacuum metastability, whereas the contribution from heavy vector multiplets is always positive and tends on the contrary to reinforce it. These two effects are controlled respectively by Yukawa couplings and gauge charges, which mix one heavy and two light fields respectively in the superpotential and the Kahler potential. Finally we also comment on similar effects induced in soft scalar masses when the heavy multiplets couple both to the visible and the hidden sector.Comment: LaTex, 24 pages, no figures; v2 some comments and references adde

Gaugino Anomaly Mediated SUSY Breaking: phenomenology and prospects for the LHC

We examine the supersymmetry phenomenology of a novel scenario of supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking which we call Gaugino Anomaly Mediation, or inoAMSB. This is suggested by recent work on the phenomenology of flux compactified type IIB string theory. The essential features of this scenario are that the gaugino masses are of the anomaly-mediated SUSY breaking (AMSB) form, while scalar and trilinear soft SUSY breaking terms are highly suppressed. Renormalization group effects yield an allowable sparticle mass spectrum, while at the same time avoiding charged LSPs; the latter are common in models with negligible soft scalar masses, such as no-scale or gaugino mediation models. Since scalar and trilinear soft terms are highly suppressed, the SUSY induced flavor and CP-violating processes are also suppressed. The lightest SUSY particle is the neutral wino, while the heaviest is the gluino. In this model, there should be a strong multi-jet +etmiss signal from squark pair production at the LHC. We find a 100 fb^{-1} reach of LHC out to m_{3/2}\sim 118 TeV, corresponding to a gluino mass of \sim 2.6 TeV. A double mass edge from the opposite-sign/same flavor dilepton invariant mass distribution should be visible at LHC; this, along with the presence of short-- but visible-- highly ionizing tracks from quasi-stable charginos, should provide a smoking gun signature for inoAMSB.Comment: 30 pages including 14 .eps figure

Invariant Regularization of Anomaly-Free Chiral Theories

We present a generalization of the Frolov-Slavnov invariant regularization scheme for chiral fermion theories in curved spacetimes. local gauge symmetries of the theory, including local Lorentz invariance. The perturbative scheme works for arbitrary representations which satisfy the chiral gauge anomaly and the mixed Lorentz-gauge anomaly cancellation conditions. Anomalous theories on the other hand manifest themselves by having divergent fermion loops which remain unregularized by the scheme. Since the invariant scheme is promoted to also include local Lorentz invariance, spectator fields which do not couple to gravity cannot be, and are not, introduced. Furthermore, the scheme is truly chiral (Weyl) in that all fields, including the regulators, are left-handed; and only the left-handed spin connection is needed. The scheme is, therefore, well suited for the study of the interaction of matter with all four known forces in a completely chiral fashion. In contrast with the vectorlike formulation, the degeneracy between the Adler-Bell-Jackiw current and the fermion number current in the bare action is preserved by the chiral regularization scheme.Comment: 28pgs, LaTeX. Typos corrected. Further remarks on singlet current

The Stretched Horizon and Black Hole Complementarity

Three postulates asserting the validity of conventional quantum theory, semi-classical general relativity and the statistical basis for thermodynamics are introduced as a foundation for the study of black hole evolution. We explain how these postulates may be implemented in a ``stretched horizon'' or membrane description of the black hole, appropriate to a distant observer. The technical analysis is illustrated in the simplified context of 1+1 dimensional dilaton gravity. Our postulates imply that the dissipative properties of the stretched horizon arise from a course graining of microphysical degrees of freedom that the horizon must possess. A principle of black hole complementarity is advocated. The overall viewpoint is similar to that pioneered by 't~Hooft but the detailed implementation is different.Comment: (some misprints in equations have been fixed), 48 pages (including figures), SU-ITP-93-1

On the Effective Description of Large Volume Compactifications

We study the reliability of the Two-Step moduli stabilization in the type-IIB Large Volume Scenarios with matter and gauge interactions. The general analysis is based on a family of N=1 Supergravity models with a factorizable Kaehler invariant function, where the decoupling between two sets of fields without a mass hierarchy is easily understood. For the Large Volume Scenario particular analyses are performed for explicit models, one of such developed for the first time here, finding that the simplified version, where the Dilaton and Complex structure moduli are regarded as frozen by a previous stabilization, is a reliable supersymmetric description whenever the neglected fields stand at their leading F-flatness conditions and be neutral. The terms missed by the simplified approach are either suppressed by powers of the Calabi-Yau volume, or are higher order operators in the matter fields, and then irrelevant for the moduli stabilization rocedure. Although the power of the volume suppressing such corrections depends on the particular model, up to the mass level it is independent of the modular weight for the matter fields. This at least for the models studied here but we give arguments to expect the same in general. These claims are checked through numerical examples. We discuss how the factorizable models present a context where despite the lack of a hierarchy with the supersymmetry breaking scale, the effective theory still has a supersymmetric description. This can be understood from the fact that it is possible to find vanishing solution for the auxiliary components of the fields being integrated out, independently of the remaining dynamics. Our results settle down the question on the reliability of the way the Dilaton and Complex structure are treated in type-IIB compactifications with large compact manifold volumina.Comment: 23 pages + 2 appendices (38 pages total). v2: minor improvements, typos fixed. Version published in JHE

Evaporating Black Holes and Entropy

We study the Hawking radiation for the geometry of an evaporating 1+1 dimensional black hole. We compute Bogoliubov coefficients and the stress tensor. We use a recent result of Srednicki to estimate the entropy of entanglement produced in the evaporation process, for the 1+1 dimensional hole and for the 3+1 dimensional hole. It is found that the one space dimensional result of Srednicki is the pertinent one to use, in both cases.Comment: 29 pages, one figure (available from authors), Latex. (Mailer errors removed.

M Theory As A Matrix Model: A Conjecture

We suggest and motivate a precise equivalence between uncompactified eleven dimensional M-theory and the N = infinity limit of the supersymmetric matrix quantum mechanics describing D0-branes. The evidence for the conjecture consists of several correspondences between the two theories. As a consequence of supersymmetry the simple matrix model is rich enough to describe the properties of the entire Fock space of massless well separated particles of the supergravity theory. In one particular kinematic situation the leading large distance interaction of these particles is exactly described by supergravity . The model appears to be a nonperturbative realization of the holographic principle. The membrane states required by M-theory are contained as excitations of the matrix model. The membrane world volume is a noncommutative geometry embedded in a noncommutative spacetime.Comment: Typo and tex error corrected. 41 pages, harvma