8,401 research outputs found
Desensitizing Inflation from the Planck Scale
A new mechanism to control Planck-scale corrections to the inflationary eta
parameter is proposed. A common approach to the eta problem is to impose a
shift symmetry on the inflaton field. However, this symmetry has to remain
unbroken by Planck-scale effects, which is a rather strong requirement on
possible ultraviolet completions of the theory. In this paper, we show that the
breaking of the shift symmetry by Planck-scale corrections can be
systematically suppressed if the inflaton field interacts with a conformal
sector. The inflaton then receives an anomalous dimension in the conformal
field theory, which leads to sequestering of all dangerous high-energy
corrections. We analyze a number of models where the mechanism can be seen in
action. In our most detailed example we compute the exact anomalous dimensions
via a-maximization and show that the eta problem can be solved using only
weakly-coupled physics.Comment: 34 pages, 3 figures
Simple threshold rules solve explore/exploit tradeâoffs in a resource accumulation search task
How, and how well, do people switch between exploration and exploitation to search for and accumulate resources? We study the decision processes underlying such exploration/exploitation tradeâoffs using a novel card selection task that captures the common situation of searching among multiple resources (e.g., jobs) that can be exploited without depleting. With experience, participants learn to switch appropriately between exploration and exploitation and approach optimal performance. We model participants' behavior on this task with random, threshold, and sampling strategies, and find that a linear decreasing threshold rule best fits participants' results. Further evidence that participants use decreasing thresholdâbased strategies comes from reaction time differences between exploration and exploitation; however, participants themselves report nonâdecreasing thresholds. Decreasing threshold strategies that âfrontâloadâ exploration and switch quickly to exploitation are particularly effective in resource accumulation tasks, in contrast to optimal stopping problems like the Secretary Problem requiring longer exploration
Magnetic order in double-layer manganites (La(1-z)Pr(z))1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7: intrinsic properties and role of the intergrowths
We report on an investigation of the double-layer manganite series
(La(1-z)Pr(z))1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7 (0 <= z <= 1), carried out on single crystals by
means of both macroscopic magnetometry and local probes of magnetism (muSR,
55Mn NMR). Muons and NMR demonstrate an antiferromagnetically ordered ground
state at non-ferromagnetic compositions (z >= 0.6), while more moderate Pr
substitutions (0.2 <= z <= 0.4) induce a spin reorientation transition within
the ferromagnetic phase.
A large magnetic susceptibility is detected at {Tc,TN} < T < 250K at all
compositions. From 55Mn NMR spectroscopy, such a response is unambiguously
assigned to the intergrowth of a ferromagnetic pseudocubic phase
(La(1-z)Pr(z))(1-x)Sr(x)MnO3, with an overall volume fraction estimated as
0.5-0.7% from magnetometry. Evidence is provided for the coupling of the
magnetic moments of these inclusions with the magnetic moments of the
surrounding (La(1-z)Pr(z))1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7 phase, as in the case of finely
dispersed impurities. We argue that the ubiquitous intergrowth phase may play a
role in the marked first-order character of the magnetic transition and the
metamagnetic properties above Tc reported for double-layer manganites.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Kinetics of the long-range spherical model
The kinetic spherical model with long-range interactions is studied after a
quench to or to . For the two-time response and correlation
functions of the order-parameter as well as for composite fields such as the
energy density, the ageing exponents and the corresponding scaling functions
are derived. The results are compared to the predictions which follow from
local scale-invariance.Comment: added "fluctuation-dissipation ratios"; fixed typo
A time lens for high resolution neutron time of flight spectrometers
We examine in analytic and numeric ways the imaging effects of temporal
neutron lenses created by traveling magnetic fields. For fields of parabolic
shape we derive the imaging equations, investigate the time-magnification, the
evolution of the phase space element, the gain factor and the effect of finite
beam size. The main aberration effects are calculated numerically. The system
is technologically feasible and should convert neutron time of flight
instruments from pinhole- to imaging configuration in time, thus enhancing
intensity and/or time resolution. New fields of application for high resolution
spectrometry may be opened.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figure
Ageing in bosonic particle-reaction models with long-range transport
Ageing in systems without detailed balance is studied in bosonic contact and
pair-contact processes with Levy diffusion. In the ageing regime, the dynamical
scaling of the two-time correlation function and two-time response function is
found and analysed. Exact results for non-equilibrium exponents and scaling
functions are derived. The behaviour of the fluctuation-dissipation ratio is
analysed. A passage time from the quasi-stationary regime to the ageing regime
is defined, in qualitative agreement with kinetic spherical models and p-spin
spherical glasses.Comment: Latex2e, 24 pages, with 9 figures include
Ageing, dynamical scaling and its extensions in many-particle systems without detailed balance
Recent studies on the phenomenology of ageing in certain many-particle
systems which are at a critical point of their non-equilibrium steady-states,
are reviewed. Examples include the contact process, the parity-conserving
branching-annihilating random walk, two exactly solvable particle-reaction
models and kinetic growth models. While the generic scaling descriptions known
from magnetic system can be taken over, some of the scaling relations between
the ageing exponents are no longer valid. In particular, there is no obvious
generalization of the universal limit fluctuation-dissipation ratio. The form
of the scaling function of the two-time response function is compared with the
prediction of the theory of local scale-invariance.Comment: Latex2e with IOP macros, 32 pages; extended discussion on contact
process and new section on kinetic growth processe
DNA Spools under Tension
DNA-spools, structures in which DNA is wrapped and helically coiled onto
itself or onto a protein core are ubiquitous in nature. We develop a general
theory describing the non-equilibrium behavior of DNA-spools under linear
tension. Two puzzling and seemingly unrelated recent experimental findings, the
sudden quantized unwrapping of nucleosomes and that of DNA toroidal condensates
under tension are theoretically explained and shown to be of the same origin.
The study provides new insights into nucleosome and chromatin fiber stability
and dynamics
Relativistic calculations of the lifetimes and hyperfine structure constants in Zn
This work presents accurate {\it ab initio} determination of the magnetic
dipole (M1) and electric quadrupole (E2) hyperfine structure constants for the
ground and a few low-lying excited states in Zn, which is one of
the interesting systems in fundamental physics. The coupled-cluster (CC) theory
within the relativistic framework has been used here in this calculations. Long
standing demands for a relativistic and highly correlated calculations like CC
can be able to resolve the disagreements among the lifetime estimations
reported previously for a few low-lying states of Zn. The role of
different electron correlation effects in the determination of these quantities
are discussed and their contributions are presented.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure. submitted to J. Phys. B Fast Trac
Electric charge quantization without anomalies?
In gauge theories like the standard model, the electric charges of the
fermions can be heavily constrained from the classical structure of the theory
and from the cancellation of anomalies. We argue that the anomaly conditions
are not quite as well motivated as the classical constraints, since it is
possible that new fermions could exist which cancel potential anomalies. For
this reason we examine the classically allowed electric charges of the known
fermions and we point out that the electric charge of the tau neutrino is
classically allowed to be non-zero. The experimental bound on the electric
charge of the tau neutrino is many orders of magnitude weaker than for any
other known neutrino. We discuss possible modifications of the minimal standard
model such that electric charge is quantized classically.Comment: 10 McGill/93-3
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