Reversible Superconductivity in Electrochromic Indium-Tin Oxide Films

Transparent conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films, electrochemically intercalated with sodium or other cations, show tunable superconducting transitions with a maximum $T_c$ at 5 K. The transition temperature and the density of states, $D(E_F)$ (extracted from the measured Pauli susceptibility $\chi_p$ exhibit the same dome shaped behavior as a function of electron density. Optimally intercalated samples have an upper critical field $\approx 4$ T and $\Delta/{k_BT_c} \approx 2.0$. Accompanying the development of superconductivity, the films show a reversible electrochromic change from transparent to colored and are partially transparent (orange) at the peak of the superconducting dome. This reversible intercalation of alkali and alkali earth ions into thin ITO films opens diverse opportunities for tunable, optically transparent superconductors

Super Jackstraws and Super Waterwheels

We construct various new BPS states of D-branes preserving 8 supersymmetries. These include super Jackstraws (a bunch of scattered D- or (p,q)-strings preserving supersymmetries), and super waterwheels (a number of D2-branes intersecting at generic angles on parallel lines while preserving supersymmetries). Super D-Jackstraws are scattered in various dimensions but are dynamical with all their intersections following a common null direction. Meanwhile, super (p,q)-Jackstraws form a planar static configuration. We show that the SO(2) subgroup of SL(2,R), the group of classical S-duality transformations in IIB theory, can be used to generate this latter configuration of variously charged (p,q)-strings intersecting at various angles. The waterwheel configuration of D2-branes preserves 8 supersymmetries as long as the `critical' Born-Infeld electric fields are along the common direction.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure

Lineal Trails of D2-D2bar Superstrings

We study the superstrings suspended between a D2- and an anti-D2-brane. We quantize the string in the presence of some general configuration of gauge fields over the (anti-)D-brane world volumes. The interstring can move only in a specific direction that is normal to the difference of the electric fields of each (anti-)D-branes. Especially when the electric fields are the same, the interstring cannot move. We obtain the condition for the tachyons to disappear from the spectrum.Comment: 15 pages with 4 figures, referenced added, Sec. 5 on the spectrum made cleare

String Pair Creations in D-brane Systems

We investigate the criterion, on the Born-Infeld background fields, for the open string pair creation to occur in D$p$-(anti-)D$p$-brane systems. Although the pair creation occurs generically in both D$p$-D$p$ and D$p$-anti-D$p$ systems for the cases which meet the criterion, it is more drastic in D$p$-anti-D$p$-brane systems by some exponential factor depending on the background fields. Various configurations exhibiting pair creations are obtained via duality transformations. These include the spacelike scissors and two D-strings (slanted at different angles) passing through each other. We raise the scissors paradox and suggest a resolution based on the triple junction in IIB setup.Comment: V2. 1+28 pages, 5 figures in JHEP3, minor changes, added reference

Polarization of Prompt J/psi at the Tevatron

The polarization of prompt J/psi at the Fermilab Tevatron is calculated within the nonrelativistic QCD factorization framework. The contribution from radiative decays of P-wave charmonium states decreases, but does not eliminate, the transverse polarization at large transverse momentum. The angular distribution parameter alpha for leptonic decays of the J/\psi is predicted to increase from near 0 at p_T = 5 GeV to about 0.5 at p_T = 20 GeV. The prediction is consistent with measurements by the CDF Collaboration at intermediate values of p_T, but disagrees by about 3 standard deviations at the largest values of p_T measured.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, one reference added, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Polarization of Upsilon(nS) at the Tevatron

The polarization of inclusive Upsilon(nS) at the Fermilab Tevatron is calculated within the nonrelativistic QCD factorization framework. We use a recent determination of the NRQCD matrix elements from fitting the CDF data on bottomonium production from Run IB of the Tevatron. The result for the polarization of Upsilon(1S) integrated over the transverse momentum bin 8 < p_T < 20 GeV is consistent with a recent measurement by the CDF Collaboration. The transverse polarization of Upsilon(1S) is predicted to increase steadily for p_T greater than about 10 GeV. The Upsilon(2S) and Upsilon(3S) are predicted to have significantly larger transverse polarizations than Upsilon(1S).Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure

Quantum Mechanics on the h-deformed Quantum Plane

We find the covariant deformed Heisenberg algebra and the Laplace-Beltrami operator on the extended $h$-deformed quantum plane and solve the Schr\"odinger equations explicitly for some physical systems on the quantum plane. In the commutative limit the behaviour of a quantum particle on the quantum plane becomes that of the quantum particle on the Poincar\'e half-plane, a surface of constant negative Gaussian curvature. We show the bound state energy spectra for particles under specific potentials depend explicitly on the deformation parameter $h$. Moreover, it is shown that bound states can survive on the quantum plane in a limiting case where bound states on the Poincar\'e half-plane disappear.Comment: 16pages, Latex2e, Abstract and section 4 have been revise

J/psi c\bar{c} production in e+e- and hadronic interactions

Predictions of the nonperturbative Quark Gluon Strings model based on the 1/N-expansion in QCD and string picture of interactions for production of states containing heavy quarks are considered. Relations between fragmentation functions for different states are used to predict the fragmentation function of c-quark to J/psi-mesons. The resulting cross section for J/psi-production in e+e- annihilation is in a good agreement with recent Belle result. It is argued that associated production of c\bar{c} states with open charm should give a substantial contribution to production of these states in hadronic interactions at very high energies.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

Vacuumless kinks systems from vacuum ones, an example

Some years ago, Cho and Vilenkin, introduced a model which presents topological solutions, despite not having degenerate vacua as is usually expected. Here we present a new model with topological defects, connecting degenerate vacua but which in a certain limit recovers precisely the one proposed originally by Cho and Vilenkin. In other words, we found a kind of parent model for the so called vacuumless model. Then the idea is extended to a model recently introduced by Bazeia et al. Finally, we trace some comments the case of the Liouville model.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure