Systematic approach to cyclic orbifolds

We introduce an orbifold induction procedure which provides a systematic construction of cyclic orbifolds, including their twisted sectors. The procedure gives counterparts in the orbifold theory of all the current-algebraic constructions of conformal field theory and enables us to find the orbifold characters and their modular transformation properties.Comment: 39 pages, LaTeX. v2,3: references added. v4: typos correcte

Direct imaging of liquid-nanoparticle interface with atom probe tomography

Understanding the structure and chemical composition at the liquid-nanoparticle (NP) interface is crucial for a wide range of physical, chemical and biological processes. In this study, direct imaging of the liquid-NP interface by atom probe tomography (APT) is reported for the first time, which reveals the distributions and the interactions of key atoms and molecules in this critical domain. The APT specimen is prepared by controlled graphene encapsulation of the solution containing nanoparticles on a metal tip, with an end radius in the range of 50 nm to allow field ionization and evaporation. Using Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) in suspension as an example, analysis of the mass spectrum and three-dimensional (3D) chemical maps from APT provides a detailed image of the water-gold interface with near-atomic resolution. At the water-gold interface, the formation of an electrical double layer (EDL) rich in water (H2O) molecules has been observed, which results from the charge from the binding between the trisodium-citrate layer and the AuNP. In the bulk water region, the density of reconstructed H2O has been shown to be consistent, reflecting a highly packed density of H2O molecules after graphene encapsulation. This study is the first demonstration of direct imaging of liquid-NP interface using APT with results providing an atom-by-atom 3D dissection of the liquid-NP interface

Valence QCD: Connecting QCD to the Quark Model

A valence QCD theory is developed to study the valence quark properties of hadrons. To keep only the valence degrees of freedom, the pair creation through the Z graphs is deleted in the connected insertions; whereas, the sea quarks are eliminated in the disconnected insertions. This is achieved with a new ``valence QCD'' lagrangian where the action in the time direction is modified so that the particle and antiparticle decouple. The theory has the vector and axial $U(2N_F)$ symmetry in the particle-antiparticle space. Through lattice simulation, it appears that this is dynamically broken down to $U_q(N_F) \times U_{\bar{q}}(N_F)$. Furthermore, the lattice simulation reveals spin degeneracy in the hadron masses and SU(6) relations in the ratios of $F_A/D_A, F_S/D_S$, and $\mu^n/\mu^p$. This leads to an approximate $U_q(2N_F) \times U_{\bar{q}}(2N_F)$ symmetry which is the basis for the valence quark model. We find that the masses of N, $\Delta, \rho, \pi, a_1$, and $a_0$ all drop precipitously compared to their counterparts in the quenched QCD calculation. This is interpreted as due to the disapperance of the `constituent' quark mass which is dynamically generated through tadpole diagrams. Form the near degeneracy between N and $\Delta$ for the quark masses we have studied (ranging from one to four times the strange mass), we conclude that the origin of the hyper-fine splitting in the baryon is largely attibuted to the Goldstone boson exchanges between the quarks. These are the consequences of lacking chiral symmetry in valence QCD. We discuss its implication on the models of hadrons.Comment: 68 pages, LaTex, 36 postscript figures including 1 color figur

Heavy Quark Symmetry and the Skyrme Model

We present a consistent way of describing heavy baryons containing a heavy quark as bound states of an $SU(2)$ soliton and heavy mesons. The resulting mass formula reveals the heavy quark symmetry explicitly. By extending the model to the orbitally excited states, we establish the generic structure of the heavy baryon spectrum. As anticipated from the heavy quark spin symmetry, the $c$-factor denoting the hyperfine splitting constant {\em vanishes} and the baryons with the same angular momentum of light degrees of freedom form degenerate doublets. This approach is also applied to the pentaquark exotic baryons, where the conventional $c$-factor plays no more a role of the hyperfine constant. After diagonalizing the Hamiltonian of order $N_c^{-1}$, we get the degenerate doublets, which implies the vanishing of genuine hyperfine splitting.Comment: REVTeX, 33 pages, 3 figures included, SNUTP-94/13 (revised

Effective quark model with chiral U(3)XU(3) symmetry for baryon octet and decuplet

We suggest an effective quark model for low-lying baryon octet and decuplet motivated by QCD with a linearly rising confinement potential incorporating the extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (ENJL) model with linear realization of chiral U(3)XU(3) symmetry. Baryons are considered as external heavy states coupled to local three-quark currents with fixed spinorial structure and to low-lying mesons through quark-meson interactions defined in the ENJL--model. In the constituent quark loop representation we have calculated the coupling constants of the (pi NN), (pi N Delta) and (gamma N Delta) interactions and the (sigma_{\pi N})-term. The obtained results are in reasonable agreement with experimental data and other effective field theory approaches.Comment: 16 pages, Latex, no figure

QCD and strongly coupled gauge theories : challenges and perspectives

We highlight the progress, current status, and open challenges of QCD-driven physics, in theory and in experiment. We discuss how the strong interaction is intimately connected to a broad sweep of physical problems, in settings ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to strongly coupled, complex systems in particle and condensed-matter physics, as well as to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We also discuss how success in describing the strong interaction impacts other fields, and, in turn, how such subjects can impact studies of the strong interaction. In the course of the work we offer a perspective on the many research streams which flow into and out of QCD, as well as a vision for future developments.Peer reviewe

Highly stretchable and strain-insensitive fiber-based wearable electrochemical biosensor to monitor glucose in the sweat

Development of high-performance fiber-shaped wearable sensors is of great significance for next-generation smart textiles for real-time and out-of-clinic health monitoring. The previous focus has been mainly on monitoring physical parameters such as pressure and strains associated with human activities. Development of an enzyme-based non-invasive wearable electrochemical sensor to monitor biochemical vital signs of health such as the glucose level in sweat has attracted increasing attention recently, due to the unmet clinical needs for the diabetic patients. To achieve this, the key challenge lies in the design of a highly stretchable fiber with high conductivity, facile enzyme immobilization, and strain-insensitive properties. Herein, we demonstrate an elastic gold fiber-based three-electrode electrochemical platform that can meet the aforementioned criteria toward wearable textile glucose biosensing. The gold fiber could be functionalized with Prussian blue and glucose oxidase to obtain the working electrode and modified by Ag/AgCl to serve as the reference electrode; and the nonmodified gold fiber could serve as the counter electrode. The as-fabricated textile glucose biosensors achieved a linear range of 0–500 μM and a sensitivity of 11.7 μA mM–1 cm–2. Importantly, such sensing performance could be maintained even under a large strain of 200%, indicating the potential applications in real-world wearable biochemical diagnostics from human sweat