732 research outputs found
Approximately self-consistent resummations for the thermodynamics of the quark-gluon plasma. I. Entropy and density
We propose a gauge-invariant and manifestly UV finite resummation of the
physics of hard thermal/dense loops (HTL/HDL) in the thermodynamics of the
quark-gluon plasma. The starting point is a simple, effectively one-loop
expression for the entropy or the quark density which is derived from the fully
self-consistent two-loop skeleton approximation to the free energy, but subject
to further approximations, whose quality is tested in a scalar toy model. In
contrast to the direct HTL/HDL-resummation of the one-loop free energy, in our
approach both the leading-order (LO) and the next-to-leading order (NLO)
effects of interactions are correctly reproduced and arise from kinematical
regimes where the HTL/HDL are justifiable approximations. The LO effects are
entirely due to the (asymptotic) thermal masses of the hard particles. The NLO
ones receive contributions both from soft excitations, as described by the
HTL/HDL propagators, and from corrections to the dispersion relation of the
hard excitations, as given by HTL/HDL perturbation theory. The numerical
evaluations of our final expressions show very good agreement with lattice data
for zero-density QCD, for temperatures above twice the transition temperature.Comment: 62 pages REVTEX, 14 figures; v2: numerous clarifications, sect. 2C
shortened, new material in sect. 3C; v3: more clarifications, one appendix
removed, alternative implementation of the NLO effects, corrected eq. (5.16
Polyakov Loops versus Hadronic States
The order parameter for the pure Yang-Mills phase transition is the Polyakov
loop which encodes the symmetries of the Z_N center of the SU(N) gauge group.
On the other side the physical degrees of freedom of any asymptotically free
gauge theory are hadronic states. Using the Yang-Mills trace anomaly and the
exact Z_N symmetry we construct a model able to communicate to the hadrons the
information carried by the order parameter.Comment: RevTex4 2-col., 6 pages, 2 figures. Typos fixed and added a paragraph
in the conclusion
Two-loop HTL Thermodynamics with Quarks
We calculate the quark contribution to the free energy of a hot quark-gluon
plasma to two-loop order using hard-thermal-loop (HTL) perturbation theory. All
ultraviolet divergences can be absorbed into renormalizations of the vacuum
energy and the HTL quark and gluon mass parameters. The quark and gluon HTL
mass parameters are determined self-consistently by a variational prescription.
Combining the quark contribution with the two-loop HTL perturbation theory free
energy for pure-glue we obtain the total two-loop QCD free energy. Comparisons
are made with lattice estimates of the free energy for N_f=2 and with exact
numerical results obtained in the large-N_f limit.Comment: 33 pages, 6 figure
J/\psi production through resolved photon processes at e+ e- colliders
We consider J/psi photoproduction in e+ e- as well as linear photon
colliders. We find that the process is dominated by the resolved photon
channel. Both the once-resolved and twice-resolved cross-sections are sensitive
to (different combinations of) the colour octet matrix elements. Hence, this
may be a good testing ground for colour octet contributions in NRQCD. On the
other hand, the once-resolved J/psi production cross-section, particularly in a
linear photon collider, is sensitive to the gluon content of the photon. Hence
these cross-sections can be used to determine the parton distribution
functions, especially the gluon distribution, in a photon, if the colour octet
matrix elements are known.Comment: Added a figure on parametrisation dependence of photonic parton
densities and some reference
The pressure of QCD at finite temperatures and chemical potentials
The perturbative expansion of the pressure of hot QCD is computed here to
order g^6ln(g) in the presence of finite quark chemical potentials. In this
process all two- and three-loop one-particle irreducible vacuum diagrams of the
theory are evaluated at arbitrary T and mu, and these results are then used to
analytically verify the outcome of an old order g^4 calculation of Freedman and
McLerran for the zero-temperature pressure. The results for the pressure and
the different quark number susceptibilities at high T are compared with recent
lattice simulations showing excellent agreement especially for the chemical
potential dependent part of the pressure.Comment: 35 pages, 6 figures; text revised, one figure replace
Power counting and effective field theory for charmonium
We hypothesize that the correct power counting for charmonia is in the
parameter Lambda_QCD/m_c, but is not based purely on dimensional analysis (as
is HQET). This power counting leads to predictions which differ from those
resulting from the usual velocity power counting rules of NRQCD. In particular,
we show that while Lambda_QCD/m_c power counting preserves the empirically
verified predictions of spin symmetry in decays, it also leads to new
predictions which include: A hierarchy between spin singlet and triplet octet
matrix elements in the J/psi system. A quenching of the net polarization in
production at large transverse momentum. No end point enhancement in radiative
decays. We discuss explicit tests which can differentiate between the
traditional and new theories of NRQCD.Comment: 18 pages, 1 figure Replaced plot of the psi polarization parameter
alpha as a function of transverse momentum. Alpha is now closer to zero for
large transverse moment
Non-Invasive Mouse Models of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis
SummaryAnimal models of osteoarthritis (OA) are essential tools for investigating the development of the disease on a more rapid timeline than human OA. Mice are particularly useful due to the plethora of genetically modified or inbred mouse strains available. The majority of available mouse models of OA use a joint injury or other acute insult to initiate joint degeneration, representing post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). However, no consensus exists on which injury methods are most translatable to human OA. Currently, surgical injury methods are most commonly used for studies of OA in mice; however, these methods may have confounding effects due to the surgical/invasive injury procedure itself, rather than the targeted joint injury. Non-invasive injury methods avoid this complication by mechanically inducing a joint injury externally, without breaking the skin or disrupting the joint. In this regard, non-invasive injury models may be crucial for investigating early adaptive processes initiated at the time of injury, and may be more representative of human OA in which injury is induced mechanically. A small number of non-invasive mouse models of PTOA have been described within the last few years, including intra-articular fracture of tibial subchondral bone, cyclic tibial compression loading of articular cartilage, and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture via tibial compression overload. This review describes the methods used to induce joint injury in each of these non-invasive models, and presents the findings of studies utilizing these models. Altogether, these non-invasive mouse models represent a unique and important spectrum of animal models for studying different aspects of PTOA
Patterns in reporting and participant inclusion related to race and ethnicity in autism intervention literature: Data from a large-scale systematic review of evidence-based practices
There are marked racial and ethnic disparities in diagnosis and services for individuals on the autism spectrum, yet race and ethnicity are underreported and underexamined in autism research. The current study examines the reporting of race and ethnicity and the inclusion of participants across racial and ethnic groups in studies included in a large-scale systematic review of autism intervention research (1990–2017). Trained research assistants reviewed 1013 articles and extracted data on the reporting of race and ethnicity data and the inclusion of participants from different racial and ethnic categories from each article. Only 25% of the articles reported any data on race and ethnicity and reporting over time has slowly increased across the 28 years of the review. Descriptive statistics suggest that race and ethnicity reporting varied by study design, intervention, and outcomes. In studies with reported data, White participants had the highest rate of participation (64.8%), with a large gap between the next highest rates of participation, which were among Hispanic/Latino (9.4%), Black (7.7%), and Asian (6.4%) participants. The lack of reporting and the limited inclusion of participants across minoritized racial and ethnic groups are concerning and suggest a need to examine practices in autism research from planning to dissemination. Lay Abstract: Researchers who study autism-related interventions do a poor job reporting data related to the race and ethnicity of autistic individuals who participate in their studies, and of those who do report these data, the participants are overwhelmingly White. This is problematic for many reasons, as we know little about how interventions are meeting the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse populations, and we assume that interventions are effective for all when they have been developed and validated primarily with and for White children. This study examined the reporting patterns of autism intervention researchers whose work was included in a large-scale systematic review of the intervention literature published between 1990 and 2017. We found that only 25% of studies (out of 1,013 included in the review) included data related to the race and ethnicity of their participants, with minimal change in reporting patterns across the years. In studies with reported data, White participants had the highest rate of participation, with a large gap between the next highest rates of participation among Hispanic/Latino, Black, and Asian participants. Other race and ethnicity groups had very low representation. This study includes additional analyses which examine how the reporting patterns and the inclusion of racially and ethnically diverse participants varies across study types, interventions, and outcome areas. Reporting this data is merely a starting point to begin to address the many disparities in autism-related healthcare, education, and research practices, and this article includes broader implications and next steps to ensure the field becomes more equitable and inclusive
The inclusive 56Fe(nu_e,e-)56Co cross section
We study the 56Fe(nu_e,e^-)56Co cross section for the KARMEN neutrino
spectrum. The Gamow-Teller contribution to the cross section is calculated
within the shell model, while the forbidden transitions are evaluated within
the continuum random phase approximation. We find a total cross section of 2.73
x 10^-40 cm^2, in agreement with the data.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Replaced due to new improved calculation
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