A Perturbative Determination of Mass Dependent O(a)O(a) Improvement Coefficients in a Relativistic Heavy Quark Action

We present the results for a perturbative determination of mass dependent improvement coefficients $\nu$, $r_s$, $c_E$ and $c_B$ in a relativistic heavy quark action, which we have designed to control $m_Qa$ errors by extending the on-shell $O(a)$ improvement program to the case of $m_Q \gg \Lambda_{\rm QCD}$, where $m_Q$ is the heavy quark mass. The parameters $\nu$ and $r_s$ are determined from the quark propagator and $c_E$ and $c_B$ are from the on-shell quark-quark scattering amplitude. We show that all the parameters, together with the quark wave function and the mass renormalization factors, are determined free from infrared divergences once their tree level values are properly tuned. Results of these parameters are shown as a function of $m_Q a$ for various improved gauge actions.Comment: 41 pages, 6 figures as eps-fil

The core-cusp problem in cold dark matter halos and supernova feedback: Effects of Mass Loss

The core-cusp problem remains as one of the unsolved discrepancies between observations and theories predicted by the standard paradigm of cold dark matter (CDM) cosmology. To solve this problem, we perform N-body simulations to study the nonlinear response of CDM halos to the variance of the gravitational potential induced by gas removal from galaxy centers. In this study, we focus on the timescale of the gas ejection, which is strongly correlated with stellar activities, and demonstrate that it is one of the key factors in determining the dynamical response of CDM halos. The results of simulations show that the power-low index of the mass-density profile of the dark matter halo correlated with the timescale of the mass loss, and it is flatter when the mass loss occurs over a short time than when it occurs over a long time. However, it is still larger than typical observational values; in other words, the central cusp remains for any mass loss model in the simulations. Moreover, for the slow mass-loss case, the final density profile of the dark matter halo recovers the universal density profiles predicted by the CDM cosmology. Therefore, mass loss driven by stellar feedback may not be an effective mechanism to flatten the central cusp.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letter

Two Loop Computation of the Schroedinger Functional in Lattice QCD

We compute the Schroedinger functional (SF) for the case of lattice QCD with Wilson fermions (with and without SW improvement) at two-loop order in lattice perturbation theory. This allows us to extract the three-loop beta-function in the SF-scheme. These results are required to compute the running coupling, the Lambda-parameter and quark masses by finite size techniques with negligible systematic errors. In addition our results enable the implementation of two-loop O(a) improvement in SF-simulations.Comment: 30 pages, numerical changes in eqs.(A.9), (A.10), (5.6), (5.9), (5.12) due to the revision of hep-lat/9801007v2 (Christou et al.

The M81 Group Dwarf Irregular Galaxy DDO 165. II. Connecting Recent Star Formation with ISM Structures and Kinematics

We compare the stellar populations and complex neutral gas dynamics of the M81 group dIrr galaxy DDO 165 using data from the HST and the VLA. Paper I identified two kinematically distinct HI components, multiple localized high velocity gas features, and eight HI holes and shells (the largest of which spans ~2.2x1.1 kpc). Using the spatial and temporal information from the stellar populations in DDO 165, we compare the patterns of star formation over the past 500 Myr with the HI dynamics. We extract localized star formation histories within 6 of the 8 HI holes identified in Paper I, as well as 23 other regions that sample a range of stellar densities and neutral gas properties. From population synthesis modeling, we derive the energy outputs (from stellar winds and supernovae) of the stellar populations within these regions over the last 100 Myr, and compare with refined estimates of the energies required to create the HI holes. In all cases, we find that "feedback" is energetically capable of creating the observed structures in the ISM. Numerous regions with significant energy inputs from feedback lack coherent HI structures but show prominent localized high velocity gas features; this feedback signature is a natural product of temporally and spatially distributed star formation. In DDO 165, the extended period of heightened star formation activity (lasting more than 1 Gyr) is energetically capable of creating the observed holes and high velocity gas features in the neutral ISM.Comment: The Astrophysical Journal, in press. Full-resolution version available on request from the first autho

BB Potentials in Quenched Lattice QCD

The potentials between two B-mesons are computed in the heavy-quark limit using quenched lattice QCD at $m_\pi\sim 400~{\rm MeV}$. Non-zero central potentials are clearly evident in all four spin-isospin channels, (I,s_l) = (0,0) , (0,1) , (1,0) , (1,1), where s_l is the total spin of the light degrees of freedom. At short distance, we find repulsion in the $I\ne s_l$ channels and attraction in the I=s_l channels. Linear combinations of these potentials that have well-defined spin and isospin in the t-channel are found, in three of the four cases, to have substantially smaller uncertainties than the potentials defined with the s-channel (I,s_l), and allow quenching artifacts from single hairpin exchange to be isolated. The BB*\pi coupling extracted from the long-distance behavior of the finite-volume t-channel potential is found to be consistent with quenched calculations of the matrix element of the isovector axial-current. The tensor potentials in both of the s_l = 1 channels are found to be consistent with zero within calculational uncertainties.Comment: 30 page

Universality and scaling behavior of RG gauge actions

We study universality and scaling properties of RG gauge actions (Iwasaki and DBW2). In the first part we consider the critical temperature T_{c} and compute the reference energy scale r_{0} for critical couplings \beta_{c} corresponding to N_{t}=3,4,6,8. The universality of T_{c}r_{0} between Iwasaki and Wilson action is confirmed and the scaling behavior of the Iwasaki action is found to be better than the one for the Wilson action. The results for the DBW2 action show larger lattice artefacts. A continuum value T_{c}r_{0}=0.7498(50) is extracted. We compute also the glueball masses for the states 0^{++} and 2^{++}, investigate the scaling of m_{0^{++}}r_{0} and m_{2^{++}}r_{0} and point out practical problems which are due to the violation of positivity present in the RG actions.Comment: 36 page

The Lattice Λ\Lambda Parameter in Domain Wall QCD

We evaluate the ratio of the scale parameter $\Lambda$ in domain wall QCD to the one in the continuum theory at one loop level incorporating the effect of massless quarks. We show that the Pauli-Villars regulator is required to subtract the unphysical massive fermion modes which emerge in the fermion loop contributions to the gluon self energy. Detailed results are presented as a function of the domain wall height $M$.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure as eps-file, some references adde

The ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey Treasury VII. The NGC 4214 Starburst and the Effects of Star Formation History on Dwarf Morphology

We present deep Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) optical observations obtained as part of the ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey Treasury (ANGST) as well as early release Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) ultra-violet and infrared observations of the nearby dwarf starbursting galaxy NGC 4214. Our data provide a detailed example of how covering such a broad range in wavelength provides a powerful tool for constraining the physical properties of stellar populations. The deepest data reach the ancient red clump at M_F814W -0.2. All of the optical data reach the main sequence turnoff for stars younger than ~300 Myr, and the blue He burning sequence for stars younger than 500 Myr. The full CMD-fitting analysis shows that all three fields in our data set are consistent with ~75% of the stellar mass being older than 8 Gyr, in spite of showing a wide range in star formation rates at the present day. Thus, our results suggest that the scale length of NGC 4214 has remained relatively constant for many Gyr. As previously noted by others, we also find the galaxy has recently ramped up production, consistent with its bright UV luminosity and its population of UV-bright massive stars. In the central field we find UV point sources with F336W magnitudes as bright as -9.9. These are as bright as stars with masses of at least 52-56 M_sun and ages near 4 Myr in stellar evolution models. Assuming a standard IMF, our CMD is well-fitted by an increase in star formation rate beginning 100 Myr ago. The stellar populations of this late-type dwarf are compared with those of NGC 404, an early-type dwarf that is also the most massive galaxy in its local environment. The late-type dwarf appears to have a similar high fraction of ancient stars, suggesting that these dominant galaxies may form at early epochs even if they have low total mass and very different present-day morphologies.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Diquark Masses from Lattice QCD

We present first results for diquark correlation functions calculated in Landau gauge on the lattice. Masses have been extracted from the long distance behaviour of these correlation functions. We find that the ordering of diquark masses with spin 0 and 1 states in colour anti-triplet and sextet channels is in accordance with instanton motivated interaction models. Although we find evidence for an attractive interaction in colour anti-triplet states with a splitting between spin 0 and spin 1 diquarks that can account for the mass splitting between the nucleon and the delta, there is no evidence for a deeply bound diquark state.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX2e uses revtex, 3 EPS-figures, small corrections, references update

On the Origin of the Supergiant HI Shell and Putative Companion in NGC 6822

We present new Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging of six positions spanning 5.8 kpc of the HI major axis of the Local Group dIrr NGC 6822, including both the putative companion galaxy and the large HI hole. The resulting deep color magnitude diagrams show that NGC 6822 has formed >50% of its stars in the last ~5 Gyr. The star formation histories of all six positions are similar over the most recent 500 Myr, including low-level star formation throughout this interval and a weak increase in star formation rate during the most recent 50 Myr. Stellar feedback can create the giant HI hole, assuming that the lifetime of the structure is longer than 500 Myr; such long-lived structures have now been observed in multiple systems and may be the norm in galaxies with solid-body rotation. The old stellar populations (red giants and red clump stars) of the putative companion are consistent with those of the extended halo of NGC 6822; this argues against the interpretation of this structure as a bona fide interacting companion galaxy and against its being linked to the formation of the HI hole via an interaction. Since there is no evidence in the stellar population of a companion galaxy, the most likely explanation of the extended HI structure in NGC 6822 is a warped disk inclined to the line of sight.Comment: The Astrophysical Journal, in press. Full-resolution version available on request from the first autho