2D Black Hole and Holographic Renormalization Group

In hep-th/0311177, the Large $N$ renormalization group (RG) flows of a modified matrix quantum mechanics on a circle, capable of capturing effects of nonsingets, were shown to have fixed points with negative specific heat. The corresponding rescaling equation of the compactified matter field with respect to the RG scale, identified with the Liouville direction, is used to extract the two dimensional Euclidean black hole metric at the new type of fixed points. Interpreting the large $N$ RG flows as flow velocities in holographic RG in two dimensions, the flow equation of the matter field around the black hole fixed point is shown to be of the same form as the radial evolution equation of the appropriate bulk scalar coupled to 2D black hole.Comment: 21 page

M5-brane geometries, T-duality and fluxes

We describe a duality relation between configurations of M5-branes in M-theory and type IIB theory on Taub-NUT geometries with NSNS and RR 3-form field strength fluxes. The flux parameters are controlled by the angles between the M5-brane and the (T)duality directions. For one M5-brane, the duality leads to a family of supersymmetric flux configurations which interpolates between imaginary self-dual fluxes and fluxes similar to the Polchinski-Strassler kind. For multiple M5-branes, the IIB configurations are related to fluxes for twisted sector fields in orbifolds. The dual M5-brane picture also provides a geometric interpretation for several properties of flux configurations (like the supersymmetry conditions, their contribution to tadpoles, etc), and for many non-trivial effects in the IIB side. Among the latter, the dielectric effect for probe D3-branes is dual to the recombination of probe M5-branes with background ones; also, a picture of a decay channel for non-supersymmetric fluxes is suggested.Comment: 30 pages, 3 figure

Utilization of wetland ecosystem through fish-crop diversification for enhanced productivity and economic stability for fish-farm community of Indian sub-continent

This paper deals with a number of case studies that were undertaken during the last 8- 10 years in utilizing divergent æTalÆ wetland ecosystems (deep, semi-deep, temporary in a range of agro-ecological zones like NAZ, OAZ and Coastal Zone of the region) for the development of integrated management programmes using a range of approaches. These included (i) system approach (excavation & renovation, methodological approach), (ii) management (fish-crop management, inter & post-harvest care & processing, marketing), (iii) integrated natural resource management utilizing organic as well inorganic sources, and (iv) low-cost fish-feeds, based on fish-crop diversification. This paper also deals with some endangered indigenous fish species. The unique approach of watershed plans (bherri system), which were formulated for upright production systems, was economically successful. Economic indicators reveal there were comparative advantages of mixed farming systems compared to monoculture, exhibiting less than 2.5 fold gains even for resource poor fish farming families.Fishery management, Resource management

Supergravity Description of the Large N Noncommutative Dipole Field Theories

We consider system of Dp-branes in the presence of a nonzero B field with one leg along brane worldvolume and the other transverse to it. We study the corresponding supergravity solutions and show that the worldvolume theories decouple from gravity for $p\leq 5$. Therefore these solutions provide dual description of large N noncommutative dipole field theories. We shall only consider those systems which preserve 8 supercharges in the branes worldvolume. We analyze the system of M5-branes and NS5-branes in the presence of nonzero C field and RR field with one leg along the transverse direction and the others along the worldvolume of the brane, respectively. This could provide a new deformation of (2,0) and little string field theories. Finally, we study the Wilson loops using the dual gravity descriptions.Comment: 24 pages, Latex fil

Relations between fusion cross sections and average angular momenta

We study the relations between moments of fusion cross sections and averages of angular momentum. The role of the centrifugal barrier and the target deformation in determining the effective barrier radius are clarified. A simple method for extracting average angular momentum from fusion cross sections is demonstrated using numerical examples as well as actual data.Comment: 16 REVTeX pages plus 8 included Postscript figures (uses the epsf macro); submitted to Phys. Rev. C; also available at http://nucth.physics.wisc.edu/preprint

Pseudo-Schwarzschild Spherical Accretion as a Classical Black Hole Analogue

We demonstrate that a spherical accretion onto astrophysical black holes, under the influence of Newtonian or various post-Newtonian pseudo-Schwarzschild gravitational potentials, may constitute a concrete example of classical analogue gravity naturally found in the Universe. We analytically calculate the corresponding analogue Hawking temperature as a function of the minimum number of physical parameters governing the accretion flow. We study both the polytropic and the isothermal accretion. We show that unlike in a general relativistic spherical accretion, analogue white hole solutions can never be obtained in such post-Newtonian systems. We also show that an isothermal spherical accretion is a remarkably simple example in which the only one information--the temperature of the fluid, is sufficient to completely describe an analogue gravity system. For both types of accretion, the analogue Hawking temperature may become higher than the usual Hawking temperature. However, the analogue Hawking temperature for accreting astrophysical black holes is considerably lower compared with the temperature of the accreting fluid.Comment: Final Version to appear in the journal General Relativity & Gravitation, Volume 27, Issue 11, 2005. 17 pages, Two colour and one black and white figures. Typos corrected. Recent reference on analogue effect in relativistic accretion disc adde

The order of the metal to superconductor transition

We present results from large-scale Monte Carlo simulations on the full Ginzburg-Landau (GL) model, including fluctuations in the amplitude and the phase of the matter-field, as well as fluctuations of the non-compact gauge-field of the theory. {}From this we obtain a precise critical value of the GL parameter \kct separating a first order metal to superconductor transition from a second order one, \kct = (0.76\pm 0.04)/\sqrt{2}. This agrees surprisingly well with earlier analytical results based on a disorder theory of the superconductor to metal transition, where the value \kct=0.798/\sqrt{2} was obtained. To achieve this, we have done careful infinite volume and continuum limit extrapolations. In addition we offer a novel interpretation of \kct, namely that it is also the value separating \typeI and \typeII behaviour.<Comment: Minor corrections, present version accepted for publication in PR

Holographic dual of the Standard Model on the throat

We apply recent techniques to construct geometries, based on local Calabi-Yau manifolds, leading to warped throats with 3-form fluxes in string theory, with interesting structure at their bottom. We provide their holographic dual description in terms of RG flows for gauge theories with almost conformal duality cascades and infrared confinement. We describe a model of a throat with D-branes at its bottom, realizing a 3-family Standard Model like chiral sector. We provide the explicit holographic dual gauge theory RG flow, and describe the appearance of the SM degrees of freedom after confinement. As a second application, we describe throats within throats, namely warped throats with discontinuous warp factor in different regions of the radial coordinate, and discuss possible model building applications.Comment: 46 pages, 21 figures, reference adde

Recent experimental results in sub- and near-barrier heavy ion fusion reactions

Recent advances obtained in the field of near and sub-barrier heavy-ion fusion reactions are reviewed. Emphasis is given to the results obtained in the last decade, and focus will be mainly on the experimental work performed concerning the influence of transfer channels on fusion cross sections and the hindrance phenomenon far below the barrier. Indeed, early data of sub-barrier fusion taught us that cross sections may strongly depend on the low-energy collective modes of the colliding nuclei, and, possibly, on couplings to transfer channels. The coupled-channels (CC) model has been quite successful in the interpretation of the experimental evidences. Fusion barrier distributions often yield the fingerprint of the relevant coupled channels. Recent results obtained by using radioactive beams are reported. At deep sub-barrier energies, the slope of the excitation function in a semi-logarithmic plot keeps increasing in many cases and standard CC calculations over-predict the cross sections. This was named a hindrance phenomenon, and its physical origin is still a matter of debate. Recent theoretical developments suggest that this effect, at least partially, may be a consequence of the Pauli exclusion principle. The hindrance may have far-reaching consequences in astrophysics where fusion of light systems determines stellar evolution during the carbon and oxygen burning stages, and yields important information for exotic reactions that take place in the inner crust of accreting neutron stars.Comment: 40 pages, 63 figures, review paper accepted for EPJ

Gauging Away the Strong CP Problem

We propose a new solution to the strong-CP problem. It involves the existence of an unbroken gauged $U(1)_X$ symmetry whose gauge boson gets a Stuckelberg mass term by combining with a pseudoscalar field $\eta (x)$. The latter has axion-like couplings to $F_{QCD}\wedge F_{QCD}$ so that the theta parameter may be gauged away by a $U(1)_X$ gauge transformation. This system leads to mixed gauge anomalies and we argue that they are cancelled by the addition of an appropriate Wess-Zumino term, so that no SM fermions need to be charged under $U(1)_X$. We discuss scenarios in which the above set of fields and couplings appear. The mechanism is quite generic, but a natural possibility is that the the $U(1)_X$ symmetry arises from bulk gauge bosons in theories with extra dimensions or string models. We show that in certain D-brane Type-II string models (with antisymmetric tensor field strength fluxes) higher dimensional Chern-Simons couplings give rise to the required D=4 Wess-Zumino terms upon compactification. In one of the possible string realizations of the mechanism the $U(1)_X$ gauge boson comes from the Kaluza-Klein reduction of the eleven-dimensional metric in M-theory.Comment: 21 pages, latex, one eps figure; v2 improved discussio