21,707 research outputs found
Cuscuton kinks and branes
In this paper, we study a peculiar model for the scalar field. We add the
cuscuton term in a standard model and investigate how this inclusion modifies
the usual behavior of kinks. We find the first order equations and calculate
the energy density and the total energy of the system. Also, we investigate the
linear stability of the model, which is governed by a Sturm-Liouville
eigenvalue equation that can be transformed in an equation of the Shcr\"odinger
type. The model is also investigated in the braneworld scenario, where a first
order formalism is also obtained and the linear stability is investigated.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures; content added; to appear in NP
Critical properties of an aperiodic model for interacting polymers
We investigate the effects of aperiodic interactions on the critical behavior
of an interacting two-polymer model on hierarchical lattices (equivalent to the
Migadal-Kadanoff approximation for the model on Bravais lattices), via
renormalization-group and tranfer-matrix calculations. The exact
renormalization-group recursion relations always present a symmetric fixed
point, associated with the critical behavior of the underlying uniform model.
If the aperiodic interactions, defined by s ubstitution rules, lead to relevant
geometric fluctuations, this fixed point becomes fully unstable, giving rise to
novel attractors of different nature. We present an explicit example in which
this new attractor is a two-cycle, with critical indices different from the
uniform model. In case of the four-letter Rudin-Shapiro substitution rule, we
find a surprising closed curve whose points are attractors of period two,
associated with a marginal operator. Nevertheless, a scaling analysis indicates
that this attractor may lead to a new critical universality class. In order to
provide an independent confirmation of the scaling results, we turn to a direct
thermodynamic calculation of the specific-heat exponent. The thermodynamic free
energy is obtained from a transfer matrix formalism, which had been previously
introduced for spin systems, and is now extended to the two-polymer model with
aperiodic interactions.Comment: 19 pages, 6 eps figures, to appear in J. Phys A: Math. Ge
Singular diffusion and criticality in a confined sandpile
We investigate the behavior of a two-state sandpile model subjected to a
confining potential in one and two dimensions. From the microdynamical
description of this simple model with its intrinsic exclusion mechanism, it is
possible to derive a continuum nonlinear diffusion equation that displays
singularities in both the diffusion and drift terms. The stationary-state
solutions of this equation, which maximizes the Fermi-Dirac entropy, are in
perfect agreement with the spatial profiles of time-averaged occupancy obtained
from model numerical simulations in one as well as in two dimensions.
Surprisingly, our results also show that, regardless of dimensionality, the
presence of a confining potential can lead to the emergence of typical
attributes of critical behavior in the two-state sandpile model, namely, a
power-law tail in the distribution of avalanche sizes.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Mass Generation from Lie Algebra Extensions
Applied to the electroweak interactions, the theory of Lie algebra extensions
suggests a mechanism by which the boson masses are generated without resource
to spontaneous symmetry breaking. It starts from a gauge theory without any
additional scalar field. All the couplings predicted by the Weinberg-Salam
theory are present, and a few others which are nevertheless consistent within
the model.Comment: 11 pages; revtex; title and PACS have been changed; comments included
in the manuscrip
The infall of the Virgo elliptical galaxy M60 toward M87 and the gaseous structures produced by Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities
We present Chandra observations of hot gas structures, characteristic of gas stripping during infall, in the Virgo cluster elliptical galaxy M60 (NGC4649) located 1 Mpc east of M87. 0.5−2 keV Chandra X-ray images show a sharp leading edge in the surface brightness 12.4±0.1 kpc north and west of the galaxy center in the direction of M87 characteristic of a merger cold front due to M60's motion through the Virgo ICM. We measured a temperature of 1.00±0.02 keV for abundance 0.5Z⊙ inside the edge and 1.37+0.35−0.19 keV for abundance 0.1Z⊙ in the Virgo ICM free stream region. We find that the observed jump in surface brightness yields a density ratio of 6.44+1.04−0.67 between gas inside the edge and in the cluster free stream region. If the edge is a cold front due solely to the infall of M60 in the direction of M87, we find a pressure ratio of 4.7+1.7−1.4 and Mach number 1.7±0.3. For 1.37 keV Virgo gas we find a total infall velocity for M60 of 1030±180 kms−1. We calculate the motion in the plane of the sky to be 1012+183−192 km−1 implying an inclination angle ξ=11±3 degrees. Surface brightness profiles show the presence of a faint diffuse gaseous tail. We identify filamentary, gaseous wing structures caused by the galaxy's motion through the ICM. The structure and dimensions of these wings are consistent with simulations of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities as expected if the gas stripping is close to inviscid
Transverse instability of dunes
The simplest type of dune is the transverse one, which propagates with
invariant profile orthogonally to a fixed wind direction. Here we show
numerically and with a linear stability analysis that transverse dunes are
unstable with respect to along-axis perturbations in their profile and decay on
the bedrock into barchan dunes. Any forcing modulation amplifies exponentially
with growth rate determined by the dune turnover time. We estimate the distance
covered by a transverse dune before fully decaying into barchans and identify
the patterns produced by different types of perturbation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; To appear in Physical Review Letter
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