Corrections to Chiral Dynamics of Heavy Hadrons: (I) 1/M Correction

In earlier publications we have analyzed the strong and radiative decays of heavy hadrons in a formalism which incorporates both heavy-quark and chiral symmetries. In particular, we have derived a heavy-hadron chiral Lagrangian whose coupling constants are related by the heavy-quark flavor-spin symmetry arising from the QCD Lagrangian with infinitely massive quarks. In this paper, we re-examine the structure of the above chiral Lagrangian by including the effects of $1/m_Q$ corrections in the heavy quark effective theory. The relations among the coupling constants, originally derived in the heavy-quark limit, are modified by heavy quark symmetry breaking interactions in QCD. Some of the implications are discussed.Comment: PHYZZX, 45 pages, 1 figure (not included), CLNS 93/1192, IP-ASTP-02-93, ITP-SB-93-0

SYZ mirror symmetry for hypertoric varieties

We construct a Lagrangian torus fibration on a smooth hypertoric variety and a corresponding SYZ mirror variety using $T$-duality and generating functions of open Gromov-Witten invariants. The variety is singular in general. We construct a resolution using the wall and chamber structure of the SYZ base.Comment: v_2: 31 pages, 5 figures, minor revision. To appear in Communications in Mathematical Physic

Chiral Dynamics and Heavy Quark Symmetry in a Toy Field Theoretic Model

We study a solvable QCD--like toy theory, a generalization of the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model, which implements chiral symmetries of light quarks and heavy quark symmetry. The chiral symmetric and chiral broken phases can be dynamically tuned. This implies a parity doubled heavy--light meson system, corresponding to a $(0^-,1^-)$ multiplet and a $(0^+,1^+)$ heavy spin multiplet. Consequently the mass difference of the two multiplets is given by a Goldberger--Treiman relation and $g_A$ is found to be small. The Isgur--Wise function, $\xi(w)$, the decay constant, $f_B$, and other observables are studied.Comment: 42 pages, SSCL-PP-243; Fermi-Pub-93/059-

Isospin breaking corrections to low-energy pi-K scattering

We evaluate the matrix elements for the processes pi^0 K^0 -> pi^0 K^0 and pi^- K^+ -> pi^0 K^0 in the presence of isospin breaking terms at leading and next-to-leading order. As a direct application the releveant combination of the S-wave scattering lengths involved in the pion-kaon atom lifetime is determined. We discuss the sensitivity of the results with respect to the input parameters.Comment: 33 pages, plain latex, 2 figure

NOTCH3 variants are more common than expected in the general population and associated with stroke and vascular dementia: an analysis of 200 000 participants

Background: Cysteine-altering NOTCH3 variants identical to those causing the rare monogenic form of stroke, CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy), have been reported more common than expected in the general population, but their clinical significance and contribution to stroke and dementia risk in the community remain unclear. Methods: Cysteine-altering NOTCH3 variants were identified in UK Biobank whole-exome sequencing data (N=200 632). Frequency of stroke, vascular dementia and other clinical features of CADASIL, and MRI white matter hyperintensity volume were compared between variant carriers and non-carriers. MRIs from those with variants were visually rated, each matched with three controls. Results: Of 200 632 participants with exome sequencing data available, 443 (~1 in 450) carried 67 different cysteine-altering NOTCH3 variants. After adjustment for various covariates, NOTCH3 variant carriers had increased risk of stroke (OR: 2.33, p=0.0004) and vascular dementia (OR: 5.00, p=0.007), and increased white matter hyperintensity volume (standardised difference: 0.52, p<0.001) and white matter ultrastructural damage on diffusion MRI (standardised difference: 0.72, p<0.001). On visual analysis of MRIs from 47 carriers and 148 matched controls, variants were associated with presence of lacunes (OR: 5.97, p<0.001) and cerebral microbleeds (OR: 4.38, p<0.001). White matter hyperintensity prevalence was most increased in the anterior temporal lobes (OR: 7.65, p<0.001) and external capsule (OR: 13.32, p<0.001). Conclusions: Cysteine-changing NOTCH3 variants are more common in the general population than expected from CADASIL prevalence and are risk factors for apparently ‘sporadic’ stroke and vascular dementia. They are associated with MRI changes of small vessel disease, in a distribution similar to that seen in CADASIL

Anderson Transitions

The physics of Anderson transitions between localized and metallic phases in disordered systems is reviewed. The term ``Anderson transition'' is understood in a broad sense, including both metal-insulator transitions and quantum-Hall-type transitions between phases with localized states. The emphasis is put on recent developments, which include: multifractality of critical wave functions, criticality in the power-law random banded matrix model, symmetry classification of disordered electronic systems, mechanisms of criticality in quasi-one-dimensional and two-dimensional systems and survey of corresponding critical theories, network models, and random Dirac Hamiltonians. Analytical approaches are complemented by advanced numerical simulations.Comment: 63 pages, 39 figures, submitted to Rev. Mod. Phy

Heavy Meson Electromagnetic Mass Differences from QCD

We compute the electromagnetic mass differences of mesons containing a single heavy quark in terms of measurable data using QCD-based arguments in heavy-quark effective theory. We derive an unsubtracted dispersion relation that shows that the mass differences are calculable in terms of the properties of the lowest-lying physical intermediate states. We then consider the problem in the large-$N$ limit, where $N$ is the number of QCD colors. In this limit, we can write a kind of double-dispersion relation for the amplitude required to determine the electromagnetic mass difference. We use this to derive analogs of the Weinberg sum rules for heavy meson matrix elements valid to leading order in $1/N$ and to $O(1/m_Q)$ in the heavy quark expansion. In order to obtain our final result, we assume that the electromagnetic mass differences and sum rules are dominated by the lowest-lying states in analogy with the situation for the $\pi^+$--$\pi^0$ mass difference. Despite the fact that some of the matrix elements appearing in our final result have not yet been accurately measured, we can obtain useful numerical estimates: for example, we obtain (M_{B^+} - M_{B^0})^{EM} \simeq +1.8 \MeV. We argue that our results are accurate to about $30\%$.Comment: 20 pages, plain TeX, 1 uuencoded postscript figur

The <i>Herschel</i> view of the massive star-forming region NGC 6334

Aims: Fundamental to any theory of high-mass star formation are gravity and turbulence. Their relative importance, which probably changes during cloud evolution, is not known. By investigating the spatial and density structure of the high-mass star-forming complex NGC 6334 we aim to disentangle the contributions of turbulence and gravity. Methods: We used Herschel PACS and SPIRE imaging observations from the HOBYS key programme at wavelengths of 160, 250, 350, and 500 μm to construct dust temperature and column density maps. Using probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the column density determined for the whole complex and for four distinct sub-regions (distinguished on the basis of differences in the column density, temperature, and radiation field), we characterize the density structure of the complex. We investigate the spatial structure using the Δ-variance, which probes the relative amount of structure on different size scales and traces possible energy injection mechanisms into the molecular cloud. Results: The Δ-variance analysis suggests that the significant scales of a few parsec that were found are caused by energy injection due to expanding HII regions, which are numerous, and by the lengths of filaments seen everywhere in the complex. The column density PDFs have a lognormal shape at low densities and a clearly defined power law at high densities for all sub-regions whose slope is linked to the exponent α of an equivalent spherical density distribution. In particular with α = 2.37, the central sub-region is largly dominated by gravity, caused by individual collapsing dense cores and global collapse of a larger region. The collapse is faster than free-fall (which would lead only to α = 2) and thus requires a more dynamic scenario (external compression, flows). The column density PDFs suggest that the different sub-regions are at different evolutionary stages, especially the central sub-region, which seems to be in a more evolved stage

First Observation of Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission in a Free-Electron Laser at 109 nm Wavelength

We present the first observation of Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE) in a free-electron laser (FEL) in the Vacuum Ultraviolet regime at 109 nm wavelength (11 eV). The observed free-electron laser gain (approx. 3000) and the radiation characteristics, such as dependency on bunch charge, angular distribution, spectral width and intensity fluctuations all corroborate the existing models for SASE FELs.Comment: 6 pages including 6 figures; e-mail: [email protected]

Strong Coupling Fixed Points of Current Interactions and Disordered Fermions in 2D

The all-orders beta function is used to study disordered Dirac fermions in 2D. The generic strong coupling fixed `points' of anisotropic current-current interactions at large distances are actually isotropic manifolds corresponding to subalgebras of the maximal current algebra at short distances. The IR theories are argued to be current algebra cosets. We illustrate this with the simple example of anisotropic su(2), which is the physics of Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions. We work out the phase diagram for the Chalker-Coddington network model which is in the universality class of the integer Quantum Hall transition. One massless phase is in the universality class of dense polymers.Comment: published version (Phys. Rev. B