2,149 research outputs found
Sine-Gordon Field Theory for the Kosterlitz-Thouless Transitions on Fluctuating Membranes
In the preceding paper, we derived Coulomb-gas and sine-Gordon Hamiltonians
to describe the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition on a fluctuating surface. These
Hamiltonians contain couplings to Gaussian curvature not found in a rigid flat
surface. In this paper, we derive renormalization-group recursion relations for
the sine-Gordon model using field-theoretic techniques developed to study flat
space problems.Comment: REVTEX, 14 pages with 6 postscript figures compressed using uufiles.
Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Oxidative Addition of Aryl Electrophiles to a Prototypical Nickel(0) Complex: Mechanism and Structure/Reactivity Relationships
Detailed kinetic studies of the reaction of a model Ni-0 complex with a range of aryl electrophiles have been conducted. The reactions proceed via a fast ligand exchange pre-equilibrium, followed by oxidative addition to produce either [(NiX)-X-I(dppf)] (and biaryl) or [Ni-II(Ar)X(dppf)]; the ortho substituent of the aryl halide determines selectivity between these possibilities. A reactivity scale is presented in which a range of substrates is quantitatively ranked in order of the rate at which they undergo oxidative addition. The rate of oxidative addition is loosely correlated to conversion in prototypical cross-coupling reactions. Substrates that lead to Ni-I products in kinetic experiments conditions. produce more homocoupling products under catalytic conditions
Aspect-ratio dependence of the spin stiffness of a two-dimensional XY model
We calculate the superfluid stiffness of 2D lattice hard-core bosons at
half-filling (equivalent to the S=1/2 XY-model) using the squared winding
number quantum Monte Carlo estimator. For L_x x L_y lattices with aspect ratio
L_x/L_y=R, and L_x,L_y -> infinity, we confirm the recent prediction [N.
Prokof'ev and B.V. Svistunov, Phys. Rev. B 61, 11282 (1999)] that the
finite-temperature stiffness parameters \rho^W_x and \rho^W_y determined from
the winding number differ from each other and from the true superfluid density
\rho_s. Formally, \rho^W_y -> \rho_s in the limit in which L_x -> infinity
first and then L_y -> infinity. In practice we find that \rho^W_y converges
exponentially to \rho_s for R>1. We also confirm that for 3D systems, \rho^W_x
= \rho^W_y = \rho^W_z = \rho_s for any R. In addition, we determine the
Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature to be T_KT/J=0.34303(8) for the 2D
model.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, 1 table. Minor changes to published versio
Topological Defects on Fluctuating Surfaces: General Properties and the Kosterlitz-Thouless Transition
We investigate the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition for hexatic order on a free
fluctuating membrane and derive both a Coulomb gas and a sine-Gordon
Hamiltonian to describe it. The Coulomb-gas Hamiltonian includes charge
densities arising from disclinations and from Gaussian curvature. There is an
interaction coupling the difference between these two densities, whose strength
is determined by the hexatic rigidity, and an interaction coupling Gaussian
curvature densities arising from the Liouville Hamiltonian resulting from the
imposition of a covariant cutoff. In the sine-Gordon Hamiltonian, there is a
linear coupling between a scalar field and the Gaussian curvature. We discuss
gauge-invariant correlation function for hexatic order and the dielectric
constant of the Coulomb gas. We also derive renormalization group recursion
relations that predict a transition with decreasing bending rigidity .Comment: REVTEX, 45 pages with 11 postscript figures compressed using uufiles.
Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Coarse-Graining and Renormalization Group in the Einstein Universe
The Kadanoff-Wilson renormalization group approach for a scalar
self-interacting field theor generally coupled with gravity is presented. An
average potential that monitors the fluctuations of the blocked field in
different scaling regimes is constructed in a nonflat background and explicitly
computed within the loop-expansion approximation for an Einstein universe. The
curvature turns out to be dominant in setting the crossover scale from a
double-peak and a symmetric distribution of the block variables. The evolution
of all the coupling constants generated by the blocking procedure is examined:
the renormalized trajectories agree with the standard perturbative results for
the relevant vertices near the ultraviolet fixed point, but new effective
interactions between gravity and matter are present. The flow of the conformal
coupling constant is therefore analyzed in the improved scheme and the infrared
fixed point is reached for arbitrary values of the renormalized parameters.Comment: 18 pages, REVTex, two uuencoded figures. (to appear in Phys. Rev.
D15, July) Transmission errors have been correcte
Interface optical phonons in spheroidal dots: Raman selection rules
The contribution of interface phonons to the first order Raman scattering in
nanocrystals with non spherical geometry is analyzed. Interface optical phonons
in the spheroidal geometry are discussed and the corresponding Frohlich-like
electron-phonon interaction is reported in the framework of the dielectric
continuum approach. It is shown that the interface phonon modes are strongly
dependent on the nanocrystal geometry, particularly on the ellipsoid's
semi-axis ratio. The new Raman selection rules have revealed that solely
interface phonon modes with even angular momentum are allowed to contribute to
the first order phonon-assisted scattering of light. On this basis we are able
to give an explanation for the observed low frequency shoulders present in the
Raman cross-section of several II-VI semiconductor nanostructures.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure
Photoconductance Quantization in a Single-Photon Detector
We have made a single-photon detector that relies on photoconductive gain in
a narrow electron channel in an AlGaAs/GaAs 2-dimensional electron gas. Given
that the electron channel is 1-dimensional, the photo-induced conductance has
plateaus at multiples of the quantum conductance 2e/h. Super-imposed on
these broad conductance plateaus are many sharp, small, conductance steps
associated with single-photon absorption events that produce individual
photo-carriers. This type of photoconductive detector could measure a single
photon, while safely storing and protecting the spin degree of freedom of its
photo-carrier. This function is valuable for a quantum repeater that would
allow very long distance teleportation of quantum information.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Observations of Low Frequency Solar Radio Bursts from the Rosse Solar-Terrestrial Observatory
The Rosse Solar-Terrestrial Observatory (RSTO; www.rosseobservatory.ie) was
established at Birr Castle, Co. Offaly, Ireland (53 05'38.9", 7 55'12.7") in
2010 to study solar radio bursts and the response of the Earth's ionosphere and
geomagnetic field. To date, three Compound Astronomical Low-cost Low-frequency
Instrument for Spectroscopy and Transportable Observatory (CALLISTO)
spectrometers have been installed, with the capability of observing in the
frequency range 10-870 MHz. The receivers are fed simultaneously by biconical
and log-periodic antennas. Nominally, frequency spectra in the range 10-400 MHz
are obtained with 4 sweeps per second over 600 channels. Here, we describe the
RSTO solar radio spectrometer set-up, and present dynamic spectra of a sample
of Type II, III and IV radio bursts. In particular, we describe fine-scale
structure observed in Type II bursts, including band splitting and rapidly
varying herringbone features
ADAMTS9-regulated pericellular matrix dynamics governs focal adhesion-dependent smooth muscle differentiation
Focal adhesions anchor cells to extracellular matrix (ECM) and direct assembly of a pre-stressed actin cytoskeleton. They act as a cellular sensor and regulator, linking ECM to the nucleus. Here, we identify proteolytic turnover of the anti-adhesive proteoglycan versican as a requirement for maintenance of smooth muscle cell (SMC) focal adhesions. Using conditional deletion in mice, we show that ADAMTS9, a secreted metalloprotease, is required for myometrial activation during late gestation and for parturition. Through knockdown of ADAMTS9 in uterine SMC, and manipulation of pericellular versican via knockdown or proteolysis, we demonstrate that regulated pericellular matrix dynamics is essential for focal adhesion maintenance. By influencing focal adhesion formation, pericellular versican acts upstream of cytoskeletal assembly and SMC differentiation. Thus, pericellular versican proteolysis by ADAMTS9 balances pro- and anti-adhesive forces to maintain an SMC phenotype, providing a concrete example of the dynamic reciprocity of cells and their ECM
Renormalization Group and Decoupling in Curved Space: II. The Standard Model and Beyond
We continue the study of the renormalization group and decoupling of massive
fields in curved space, started in the previous article and analyse the higher
derivative sector of the vacuum metric-dependent action of the Standard Model.
The QCD sector at low-energies is described in terms of the composite effective
fields. For fermions and scalars the massless limit shows perfect
correspondence with the conformal anomaly, but similar limit in a massive
vector case requires an extra compensating scalar. In all three cases the
decoupling goes smoothly and monotonic. A particularly interesting case is the
renormalization group flow in the theory with broken supersymmetry, where the
sign of one of the beta-functions changes on the way from the UV to IR.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figure
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