331 research outputs found
Ab initio calculation of the Hoyle state
The Hoyle state plays a crucial role in the hydrogen burning of stars heavier
than our sun and in the production of carbon and other elements necessary for
life. This excited state of the carbon-12 nucleus was postulated by Hoyle [1]
as a necessary ingredient for the fusion of three alpha particles to produce
carbon at stellar temperatures. Although the Hoyle state was seen
experimentally more than a half century ago [2,3], nuclear theorists have not
yet uncovered the nature of this state from first principles. In this letter we
report the first ab initio calculation of the low-lying states of carbon-12
using supercomputer lattice simulations and a theoretical framework known as
effective field theory. In addition to the ground state and excited spin-2
state, we find a resonance at -85(3) MeV with all of the properties of the
Hoyle state and in agreement with the experimentally observed energy. These
lattice simulations provide insight into the structure of this unique state and
new clues as to the amount of fine-tuning needed in nature for the production
of carbon in stars.Comment: 4 pp, 3 eps figs, version accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letter
Dynamical symmetry of isobaric analog 0+ states in medium mass nuclei
An algebraic sp(4) shell model is introduced to achieve a deeper
understanding and interpretation of the properties of pairing-governed 0+
states in medium mass atomic nuclei. The theory, which embodies the simplicity
of a dynamical symmetry approach to nuclear structure, is shown to reproduce
the excitation spectra and fine structure effects driven by proton-neutron
interactions and isovector pairing correlations across a broad range of nuclei.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Examples of the Zeroth Theorem of the History of Physics
The zeroth theorem of the history of science (enunciated by E. P. Fischer)
and widely known in the mathematics community as Arnol'd's Principle (decreed
by M. V. Berry), states that a discovery (rule, regularity, insight) named
after someone (often) did not originate with that person. I present five
examples from physics: the Lorentz condition defining the Lorentz gauge of the
electromagnetic potentials; the Dirac delta function (x); the Schumann
resonances of the earth-ionosphere cavity; the Weizsacker-Williams method of
virtual quanta; the BMT equation of spin dynamics. I give illustrated thumbnail
sketches of both the true and reputed discoverers and quote from their
"discovery" publications.Comment: 36 pages, 8 figures. Small revisions, added material and references -
Arnol'd's law, Emil Wiechert. Submitted to Am. J. Phy
Particle Aggregation in a turbulent Keplerian flow
In the problem of planetary formation one seeks a mechanism to gather small
solid particles together into larger accumulations of solid matter. Here we
describe a scenario in which turbulence mediates this process by aggregating
particles into anticyclonic regions. If, as our simulations suggest,
anticyclonic vortices form as long-lived coherent structures, the process
becomes more powerful because such vortices trap particles effectively. Even if
the turbulence is decaying, following the upheaval that formed the disk, there
is enough time to make the dust distribution quite lumpy.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Nuclear masses set bounds on quantum chaos
It has been suggested that chaotic motion inside the nucleus may
significantly limit the accuracy with which nuclear masses can be calculated.
Using a power spectrum analysis we show that the inclusion of additional
physical contributions in mass calculations, through many-body interactions or
local information, removes the chaotic signal in the discrepancies between
calculated and measured masses. Furthermore, a systematic application of global
mass formulas and of a set of relationships among neighboring nuclei to more
than 2000 nuclear masses allows to set an unambiguous upper bound for the
average errors in calculated masses which turn out to be almost an order of
magnitude smaller than estimated chaotic components.Comment: 4 pages, Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter
Finite size corrections to scaling in high Reynolds number turbulence
We study analytically and numerically the corrections to scaling in
turbulence which arise due to the finite ratio of the outer scale of
turbulence to the viscous scale , i.e., they are due to finite size
effects as anisotropic forcing or boundary conditions at large scales. We find
that the deviations \dzm from the classical Kolmogorov scaling of the velocity moments \langle |\u(\k)|^m\rangle \propto k^{-\zeta_m}
decrease like . Our numerics employ a
reduced wave vector set approximation for which the small scale structures are
not fully resolved. Within this approximation we do not find independent
anomalous scaling within the inertial subrange. If anomalous scaling in the
inertial subrange can be verified in the large limit, this supports the
suggestion that small scale structures should be responsible, originating from
viscosity either in the bulk (vortex tubes or sheets) or from the boundary
layers (plumes or swirls)
Mean-Field vs Monte-Carlo equation of state for the expansion of a Fermi superfluid in the BCS-BEC crossover
The equation of state (EOS) of a Fermi superfluid is investigated in the
BCS-BEC crossover at zero temperature. We discuss the EOS based on Monte-Carlo
(MC) data and asymptotic expansions and the EOS derived from the extended BCS
(EBCS) mean-field theory. Then we introduce a time-dependent density
functional, based on the bulk EOS and Landau's superfluid hydrodynamics with a
von Weizs\"acker-type correction, to study the free expansion of the Fermi
superfluid. We calculate the aspect ratio and the released energy of the
expanding Fermi cloud showing that MC EOS and EBCS EOS are both compatible with
the available experimental data of Li atoms. We find that the released
energy satisfies an approximate analytical formula that is quite accurate in
the BEC regime. For an anisotropic droplet, our numerical simulations show an
initially faster reversal of anisotropy in the BCS regime, later suppressed by
the BEC fluid.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, presented to the 15th International Laser
Physics Workshop (Lausanne, July 24-28, 2006); to be published in Laser
Physic
Variational bound on energy dissipation in plane Couette flow
We present numerical solutions to the extended Doering-Constantin variational
principle for upper bounds on the energy dissipation rate in turbulent plane
Couette flow. Using the compound matrix technique in order to reformulate this
principle's spectral constraint, we derive a system of equations that is
amenable to numerical treatment in the entire range from low to asymptotically
high Reynolds numbers. Our variational bound exhibits a minimum at intermediate
Reynolds numbers, and reproduces the Busse bound in the asymptotic regime. As a
consequence of a bifurcation of the minimizing wavenumbers, there exist two
length scales that determine the optimal upper bound: the effective width of
the variational profile's boundary segments, and the extension of their flat
interior part.Comment: 22 pages, RevTeX, 11 postscript figures are available as one
uuencoded .tar.gz file from [email protected]
DC and AC Josephson effects with superfluid Fermi atoms across a Feshbach resonance
We show that both DC and AC Josephson effects with superfluid Fermi atoms in
the BCS-BEC crossover can be described at zero temperature by a nonlinear
Schrodinger equation (NLSE). By comparing our NLSE with mean-field extended BCS
calculations, we find that the NLSE is reliable in the BEC side of the
crossover up to the unitarity limit. The NLSE can be used for weakly-linked
atomic superfluids also in the BCS side of the crossover by taking the
tunneling energy as a phenomenological parameter.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, presented at the Scientific Seminar on Physics of
Cold Trapped Atoms, 17th International Laser Physics Workshop (Trondheim,
June 30 - July 4, 2008
The pion structure function and jet production in
Despite its theoretical and practical importance, the pion structure is still
badly constrained, particularly at low and in the sea-quark and gluon
sectors. Recently ZEUS have presented data on dijet photoproduction with a
leading neutron, which is dominated by slightly off-shell pion exchange and can
be used to constrain the pion densities down to . We
compare a recent NLO calculation to the ZEUS data and find that the lower gluon
densities of SMRS seem to be preferred by the data. Theoretical uncertainties,
in particular from the pion flux, are discussed in some detail.Comment: Talk presented at the Ringberg Workshop on ``New Trends in HERA
Physics 2001''. 12 pages, 10 postscript figure
- …