29 research outputs found
Bounds on masses of bulk fields in string compactifications
In string compactification on a manifold X, in addition to the string scale
and the normal scales of low-energy particle physics, there is a Kaluza-Klein
scale 1/R associated with the size of X. We present an argument that generic
string models with low-energy supersymmetry have, after moduli stabilization,
bulk fields with masses which are parametrically lighter than 1/R. We discuss
the implications of these light states for anomaly mediation and gaugino
mediation scenarios.Comment: 15 page
Dynamical mean-field approach to materials with strong electronic correlations
We review recent results on the properties of materials with correlated
electrons obtained within the LDA+DMFT approach, a combination of a
conventional band structure approach based on the local density approximation
(LDA) and the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). The application to four
outstanding problems in this field is discussed: (i) we compute the full
valence band structure of the charge-transfer insulator NiO by explicitly
including the p-d hybridization, (ii) we explain the origin for the
simultaneously occuring metal-insulator transition and collapse of the magnetic
moment in MnO and Fe2O3, (iii) we describe a novel GGA+DMFT scheme in terms of
plane-wave pseudopotentials which allows us to compute the orbital order and
cooperative Jahn-Teller distortion in KCuF3 and LaMnO3, and (iv) we provide a
general explanation for the appearance of kinks in the effective dispersion of
correlated electrons in systems with a pronounced three-peak spectral function
without having to resort to the coupling of electrons to bosonic excitations.
These results provide a considerable progress in the fully microscopic
investigations of correlated electron materials.Comment: 24 pages, 14 figures, final version, submitted to Eur. Phys. J. for
publication in the Special Topics volume "Cooperative Phenomena in Solids:
Metal-Insulator Transitions and Ordering of Microscopic Degrees of Freedom
Signals for Lorentz Violation in Electrodynamics
An investigation is performed of the Lorentz-violating electrodynamics
extracted from the renormalizable sector of the general Lorentz- and
CPT-violating standard-model extension. Among the unconventional properties of
radiation arising from Lorentz violation is birefringence of the vacuum. Limits
on the dispersion of light produced by galactic and extragalactic objects
provide bounds of 3 x 10^{-16} on certain coefficients for Lorentz violation in
the photon sector. The comparative spectral polarimetry of light from
cosmologically distant sources yields stringent constraints of 2 x 10^{-32}.
All remaining coefficients in the photon sector are measurable in
high-sensitivity tests involving cavity-stabilized oscillators. Experimental
configurations in Earth- and space-based laboratories are considered that
involve optical or microwave cavities and that could be implemented using
existing technology.Comment: 23 pages REVTe
Femtosecond spectroscopy of electron-electron and electron-phonon energy relaxation in Ag and Au
The origins and spread of domestic horses from the Western Eurasian steppes
Analysis of 273 ancient horse genomes reveals that modern domestic horses originated in the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region.Domestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare(1). However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling(2-4) at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 bc(3). Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestication, such as Iberia(5) and Anatolia(6), have also recently been challenged. Thus, the genetic, geographic and temporal origins of modern domestic horses have remained unknown. Here we pinpoint the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region, as the homeland of modern domestic horses. Furthermore, we map the population changes accompanying domestication from 273 ancient horse genomes. This reveals that modern domestic horses ultimately replaced almost all other local populations as they expanded rapidly across Eurasia from about 2000 bc, synchronously with equestrian material culture, including Sintashta spoke-wheeled chariots. We find that equestrianism involved strong selection for critical locomotor and behavioural adaptations at the GSDMC and ZFPM1 genes. Our results reject the commonly held association(7) between horseback riding and the massive expansion of Yamnaya steppe pastoralists into Europe around 3000 bc(8,9) driving the spread of Indo-European languages(10). This contrasts with the scenario in Asia where Indo-Iranian languages, chariots and horses spread together, following the early second millennium bc Sintashta culture(11,12).Descriptive and Comparative Linguistic
The origins and spread of domestic horses from the Western Eurasian steppes
Domestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare. However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 bc. Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestication, such as Iberia and Anatolia, have also recently been challenged. Thus, the genetic, geographic and temporal origins of modern domestic horses have remained unknown. Here we pinpoint the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region, as the homeland of modern domestic horses. Furthermore, we map the population changes accompanying domestication from 273 ancient horse genomes. This reveals that modern domestic horses ultimately replaced almost all other local populations as they expanded rapidly across Eurasia from about 2000 bc, synchronously with equestrian material culture, including Sintashta spoke-wheeled chariots. We find that equestrianism involved strong selection for critical locomotor and behavioural adaptations at the GSDMC and ZFPM1 genes. Our results reject the commonly held association between horseback riding and the massive expansion of Yamnaya steppe pastoralists into Europe around 3000 bc driving the spread of Indo-European languages. This contrasts with the scenario in Asia where Indo-Iranian languages, chariots and horses spread together, following the early second millennium bc Sintashta culture