19,490 research outputs found
Effective Kinetic Theory for High Temperature Gauge Theories
Quasiparticle dynamics in relativistic plasmas associated with hot,
weakly-coupled gauge theories (such as QCD at asymptotically high temperature
) can be described by an effective kinetic theory, valid on sufficiently
large time and distance scales. The appropriate Boltzmann equations depend on
effective scattering rates for various types of collisions that can occur in
the plasma. The resulting effective kinetic theory may be used to evaluate
observables which are dominantly sensitive to the dynamics of typical
ultrarelativistic excitations. This includes transport coefficients
(viscosities and diffusion constants) and energy loss rates. We show how to
formulate effective Boltzmann equations which will be adequate to compute such
observables to leading order in the running coupling of high-temperature
gauge theories [and all orders in ]. As previously proposed
in the literature, a leading-order treatment requires including both
particle scattering processes as well as effective ``'' collinear
splitting processes in the Boltzmann equations. The latter account for nearly
collinear bremsstrahlung and pair production/annihilation processes which take
place in the presence of fluctuations in the background gauge field. Our
effective kinetic theory is applicable not only to near-equilibrium systems
(relevant for the calculation of transport coefficients), but also to highly
non-equilibrium situations, provided some simple conditions on distribution
functions are satisfied.Comment: 40 pages, new subsection on soft gauge field instabilities adde
Symmetric path integrals for stochastic equations with multiplicative noise
A Langevin equation with multiplicative noise is an equation schematically of
the form dq/dt = - F(q) + e(q) xi, where e(q) xi is Gaussian white noise whose
amplitude e(q) depends on q itself. I show how to convert such equations into
path integrals. The definition of the path integral depends crucially on the
convention used for discretizing time, and I specifically derive the correct
path integral when the convention used is the natural, time-symmetric one that
time derivatives are (q_t - q_{t-\Delta t}) / \Delta t and coordinates are (q_t
+ q_{t-\Delta t}) / 2. [This is the convention that permits standard
manipulations of calculus on the action, like naive integration by parts.] It
has sometimes been assumed in the literature that a Stratanovich Langevin
equation can be quickly converted to a path integral by treating time as
continuous but using the rule \theta(t=0) = 1/2. I show that this prescription
fails when the amplitude e(q) is q-dependent.Comment: 8 page
Investigating a simple model of cutaneous wound healing angiogenesis
A simple model of wound healing angiogenesis is presented, and investigated using numerical and asymptotic techniques. The model captures many key qualitative features of the wound healing angiogenic response, such as the propagation of a structural unit into the wound centre. A detailed perturbative study is pursued, and is shown to capture all features of the model. This enables one to show that the level of the angiogenic response predicted by the model is governed to a good approximation by a small number of parameter groupings. Further investigation leads to predictions concerning how one should select between potential optimal means of stimulating cell proliferation in order to increase the level of the angiogenic response
A mathematical model for the capillary endothelial cell-extracellular matrix interactions in wound-healing angiogenesis
Angiogenesis, the process by which new blood capillaries grow into a tissue from surrounding parent vessels, is a key event in dermal wound healing, malignant-tumour growth, and other pathologic conditions. In wound healing, new capillaries deliver vital metabolites such as amino acids and oxygen to the cells in the wound which are involved in a complex sequence of repair processes. The key cellular constituents of these new capillaries are endothelial cells: their interactions with soluble biochemical and insoluble extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins have been well documented recently, although the biological mechanisms underlying wound-healing angiogenesis are incompletely understood. Considerable recent research, including some continuum mathematical models, have focused on the interactions between endothelial cells and soluble regulators (such as growth factors). In this work, a similar modelling framework is used to investigate the roles of the insoluble ECM substrate, of which collagen is the predominant macromolecular protein. Our model consists of a partial differential equation for the endothelial-cell density (as a function of position and time) coupled to an ordinary differential equation for the ECM density. The ECM is assumed to regulate cell movement (both random and directed) and proliferation, whereas the cells synthesize and degrade the ECM. Analysis and numerical solutions of these equations highlights the roles of these processes in wound-healing angiogenesis. A nonstandard approximation analysis yields insight into the travel ling-wave structure of the system. The model is extended to two spatial dimensions (parallel and perpendicular to the plane of the skin), for which numerical simulations are presented. The model predicts that ECM-mediated random motility and cell proliferation are key processes which drive angiogenesis and that the details of the functional dependence of these processes on the ECM density, together with the rate of ECM remodelling, determine the qualitative nature of the angiogenic response. These predictions are experimentally testable, and they may lead towards a greater understanding of the biological mechanisms involved in wound-healing angiogenesis
Looking for CP Violation in W Production and Decay
We describe CP violating observables in resonant and plus one
jet production at the Tevatron. We present simple examples of CP violating
effective operators, consistent with the symmetries of the Standard Model,
which would give rise to these observables. We find that CP violating effects
coming from new physics at the scale could in principle be observable at
the Tevatron with decays.Comment: 15 pgs with standard LATEX, 7 ps figures embedded with eps
Spatial interference from well-separated condensates
We use magnetic levitation and a variable-separation dual optical plug to
obtain clear spatial interference between two condensates axially separated by
up to 0.25 mm -- the largest separation observed with this kind of
interferometer. Clear planar fringes are observed using standard (i.e.
non-tomographic) resonant absorption imaging. The effect of a weak inverted
parabola potential on fringe separation is observed and agrees well with
theory.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures - modified to take into account referees'
improvement
Pesin's Formula for Random Dynamical Systems on
Pesin's formula relates the entropy of a dynamical system with its positive
Lyapunov exponents. It is well known, that this formula holds true for random
dynamical systems on a compact Riemannian manifold with invariant probability
measure which is absolutely continuous with respect to the Lebesgue measure. We
will show that this formula remains true for random dynamical systems on
which have an invariant probability measure absolutely continuous to the
Lebesgue measure on . Finally we will show that a broad class of
stochastic flows on of a Kunita type satisfies Pesin's formula.Comment: 35 page
Generalized Boltzmann equations for on-shell particle production in a hot plasma
A novel refinement of the conventional treatment of Kadanoff--Baym equations
is suggested. Besides the Boltzmann equation another differential equation is
used for calculating the evolution of the non-equilibrium two-point function.
Although it was usually interpreted as a constraint on the solution of the
Boltzmann equation, we argue that its dynamics is relevant to the determination
and resummation of the particle production cut contributions. The differential
equation for this new contribution is illustrated in the example of the cubic
scalar model. The analogue of the relaxation time approximation is suggested.
It results in the shift of the threshold location and in smearing out of the
non-analytic threshold behaviour of the spectral function. Possible
consequences for the dilepton production are discussed.Comment: 22 pages, latex, 2 ps figure
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