54,099 research outputs found
Semiclassical Green Function in Mixed Spaces
A explicit formula on semiclassical Green functions in mixed position and
momentum spaces is given, which is based on Maslov's multi-dimensional
semiclassical theory. The general formula includes both coordinate and momentum
representations of Green functions as two special cases of the form.Comment: 8 pages, typeset by Scientific Wor
Power Corrections in Charmless B Decays
In this paper, we focus on the role of power corrections in QCD
factorization(QCDF) method in charmless two-body nonleptonic meson decays.
We use the ratio of the branching fraction of to
that of , for which the theoretical uncertainties are
greatly reduced, to show clearly that the power corrections in charmless B
decays are probably large. With other similar ratios considered, for example,
for the decay, it is very likely that, among various
sources of power corrections, annihilation topology plays an indispensable role
at least for penguin dominated channels. We also consider some
selective ratios of direct CP asymmetries. Among these, we find that, if power
corrections other than the chirally enhanced power corrections and annihilation
topology were negligible, QCDF would predict the direct CP asymmetry of to be about 3 times larger than that of ,
with opposite sign. Experimentally any significant deviation from this
prediction would suggest either new physics or possibly the importance of
long-distance rescattering effects.Comment: references and note added, to appear in Phys. Rev.
The Odyssey Approach for Optimizing Federated SPARQL Queries
Answering queries over a federation of SPARQL endpoints requires combining
data from more than one data source. Optimizing queries in such scenarios is
particularly challenging not only because of (i) the large variety of possible
query execution plans that correctly answer the query but also because (ii)
there is only limited access to statistics about schema and instance data of
remote sources. To overcome these challenges, most federated query engines rely
on heuristics to reduce the space of possible query execution plans or on
dynamic programming strategies to produce optimal plans. Nevertheless, these
plans may still exhibit a high number of intermediate results or high execution
times because of heuristics and inaccurate cost estimations. In this paper, we
present Odyssey, an approach that uses statistics that allow for a more
accurate cost estimation for federated queries and therefore enables Odyssey to
produce better query execution plans. Our experimental results show that
Odyssey produces query execution plans that are better in terms of data
transfer and execution time than state-of-the-art optimizers. Our experiments
using the FedBench benchmark show execution time gains of at least 25 times on
average.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure
Self-shadowing Effects of Slim Accretion Disks in Active Galactic Nuclei: Diverse Appearance of the Broad-line Region
Supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) undergo a wide
range of accretion rates, which lead to diversity of appearance. We consider
the effects of anisotropic radiation from accretion disks on the broad-line
region (BLR), from the Shakura-Sunyaev regime to slim disks with
super-Eddington accretion rates. The geometrically thick funnel of the inner
region of slim disks produces strong self-shadowing effects that lead to very
strong anisotropy of the radiation field. We demonstrate that the degree of
anisotropy of the radiation fields grows with increasing accretion rate. As a
result of this anisotropy, BLR clouds receive different spectral energy
distributions depending on their location relative to the disk, resulting in
diverse observational appearance of the BLR. We show that the self-shadowing of
the inner parts of the disk naturally produces two dynamically distinct regions
of the BLR, depending on accretion rate. These two regions manifest themselves
as kinematically distinct components of the broad H line profile with
different line widths and fluxes, which jointly account for the Lorentzian
profile generally observed in narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. In the time
domain, these two components are expected reverberate with different time lags
with respect to the varying ionizing continuum, depending on the accretion rate
and the viewing angle of the observer. The diverse appearance of the BLR due to
the anisotropic ionizing energy source can be tested by reverberation mapping
of H and other broad emission lines (e.g., \feii), providing a new tool
to diagnose the structure and dynamics of the BLR. Other observational
consequences of our model are also explored.Comment: emulatapj style, 15 pages, 6 figures, in pres
Comment on "Self-Purification in Semiconductor Nanocrystals"
In a recent Letter [PRL 96, 226802 (2006)], Dalpian and Chelikowsky claimed
that formation energies of Mn impurities in CdSe nanocrystals increase as the
size of the nanocrystal decreases, and argued that this size dependence leads
to "self-purification" of small nanocrystals. They presented
density-functional-theory (DFT) calculations showing a strong size dependence
for Mn impurity formation energies, and proposed a general explanation. In this
Comment we show that several different DFT codes, pseudopotentials, and
exchange-correlation functionals give a markedly different result: We find no
such size dependence. More generally, we argue that formation energies are not
relevant to substitutional doping in most colloidally grown nanocrystals.Comment: 1 page, 1 figur
Cosmology with Varying Constants
The idea of possible time or space variations of the `fundamental' constants
of nature, although not new, is only now beginning to be actively considered by
large numbers of researchers in the particle physics, cosmology and
astrophysics communities. This revival is mostly due to the claims of possible
detection of such variations, in various different contexts and by several
groups. Here, I present the current theoretical motivations and expectations
for such variations, review the current observational status, and discuss the
impact of a possible confirmation of these results in our views of cosmology
and physics as a whole.Comment: 14 pages, no figures. Essay to appear in Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond.
A Triennial Series (Christmas 2002 Issue
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