13,258 research outputs found
Determining topological order from a local ground state correlation function
Topological insulators are physically distinguishable from normal insulators
only near edges and defects, while in the bulk there is no clear signature to
their topological order. In this work we show that the Z index of topological
insulators and the Z index of the integer quantum Hall effect manifest
themselves locally. We do so by providing an algorithm for determining these
indices from a local equal time ground-state correlation function at any
convenient boundary conditions. Our procedure is unaffected by the presence of
disorder and can be naturally generalized to include weak interactions. The
locality of these topological indices implies bulk-edge correspondence theorem.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. Major changes: the paper was divided into
sections, the locality of the order in 3D topological insulators is also
discusse
Mapping vesicle shapes into the phase diagram: A comparison of experiment and theory
Phase-contrast microscopy is used to monitor the shapes of micron-scale
fluid-phase phospholipid-bilayer vesicles in aqueous solution. At fixed
temperature, each vesicle undergoes thermal shape fluctuations. We are able
experimentally to characterize the thermal shape ensemble by digitizing the
vesicle outline in real time and storing the time-sequence of images. Analysis
of this ensemble using the area-difference-elasticity (ADE) model of vesicle
shapes allows us to associate (map) each time-sequence to a point in the
zero-temperature (shape) phase diagram. Changing the laboratory temperature
modifies the control parameters (area, volume, etc.) of each vesicle, so it
sweeps out a trajectory across the theoretical phase diagram. It is a
nontrivial test of the ADE model to check that these trajectories remain
confined to regions of the phase diagram where the corresponding shapes are
locally stable. In particular, we study the thermal trajectories of three
prolate vesicles which, upon heating, experienced a mechanical instability
leading to budding. We verify that the position of the observed instability and
the geometry of the budded shape are in reasonable accord with the theoretical
predictions. The inability of previous experiments to detect the ``hidden''
control parameters (relaxed area difference and spontaneous curvature) make
this the first direct quantitative confrontation between vesicle-shape theory
and experiment.Comment: submitted to PRE, LaTeX, 26 pages, 11 ps-fi
They are Small Worlds After All: Revised Properties of Kepler M Dwarf Stars and their Planets
We classified the reddest () stars observed by the NASA
mission into main sequence dwarf or evolved giant stars and determined the
properties of 4216 M dwarfs based on a comparison of available photometry with
that of nearby calibrator stars, as well as available proper motions and
spectra. We revised the properties of candidate transiting planets using the
stellar parameters, high-resolution imaging to identify companion stars, and,
in the case of binaries, fitting light curves to identify the likely planet
host. In 49 of 54 systems we validated the primary as the host star. We
inferred the intrinsic distribution of M dwarf planets using the method of
iterative Monte Carlo simulation. We compared several models of planet orbital
geometry and clustering and found that one where planets are exponentially
distributed and almost precisely coplanar best describes the distribution of
multi-planet systems. We determined that M dwarfs host an average of
planets with radii of 1-4 and orbital periods of
1.5-180 d. The radius distribution peaks at and is
essentially zero at , although we identify three giant planet
candidates other than the previously confirmed Kepler-45b. There is suggestive
but not significant evidence that the radius distribution varies with orbital
period. The distribution with logarithmic orbital period is flat except for a
decline for orbits less than a few days. Twelve candidate planets, including
two Jupiter-size objects, experience an irradiance below the threshold level
for a runaway greenhouse on an Earth-like planet and are thus in a "habitable
zone".Comment: MNRAS, in press. Tables 1, 3, and 4 are available in electronic form
in the "anc" director
Topological Equivalence between the Fibonacci Quasicrystal and the Harper Model
One-dimensional quasiperiodic systems, such as the Harper model and the
Fibonacci quasicrystal, have long been the focus of extensive theoretical and
experimental research. Recently, the Harper model was found to be topologically
nontrivial. Here, we derive a general model that embodies a continuous
deformation between these seemingly unrelated models. We show that this
deformation does not close any bulk gaps, and thus prove that these models are
in fact topologically equivalent. Remarkably, they are equivalent regardless of
whether the quasiperiodicity appears as an on-site or hopping modulation. This
proves that these different models share the same boundary phenomena and
explains past measurements. We generalize this equivalence to any
Fibonacci-like quasicrystal, i.e., a cut and project in any irrational angle.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, minor change
Probing the ejecta of evolved massive stars in transition: A VLT/SINFONI K-band survey
Massive evolved stars in transition phases, such as Luminous Blue Variables
(LBVs), B[e] Supergiants (B[e]SGs), and Yellow Hypergiants (YHGs), are not well
understood, and yet crucial steps in determining accurate stellar and galactic
evolution models. The circumstellar environments of these stars reveal their
mass-loss history, identifying clues to both their individual evolutionary
status and the connection between objects of different phases. Here we present
a survey of 25 such evolved massive stars (16 B[e]SGs, 6 LBVs, 2 YHGs, and 1
Peculiar Oe star), observed in the K-band with the Spectrograph for INtegral
Field Observation in the Near-Infrared (SINFONI; R = 4500) on the ESO VLT UT4 8
m telescope. The sample can be split into two categories based on spectral
morphology: one group includes all of the B[e]SGs, the Peculiar Oe star, and
two of the LBVs, while the other includes the YHGs and the rest of the LBVs.
The difference in LBV spectral appearance is due to some objects being in a
quiescent phase and some objects being in an active or outburst phase. CO
emission features are found in 13 of our targets, with first time detections
for MWC 137, LHA 120-S 35, and LHA 115-S 65. From model fits to the CO band
heads, the emitting regions appear to be detached from the stellar surface.
Each star with ^12CO features also shows ^13CO emission, signaling an evolved
nature. Based on the level of ^13C enrichment, we conclude that many of the
B[e]SGs are likely in a pre-Red Supergiant phase of their evolution. There
appears to be a lower luminosity limit of log L/L_solar = 5.0 below which CO is
not detected. The lack of CO features in several high luminosity B[e]SGs and
variability in others suggests that they may in fact be LBV candidates,
strengthening the connection between these two very similar transition phases.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in A&
Noncommutative spin-1/2 representations
In this letter we apply the methods of our previous paper hep-th/0108045 to
noncommutative fermions. We show that the fermions form a spin-1/2
representation of the Lorentz algebra. The covariant splitting of the conformal
transformations into a field-dependent part and a \theta-part implies the
Seiberg-Witten differential equations for the fermions.Comment: 7 pages, LaTe
Rigid invariance as derived from BRS invariance: The abelian Higgs model
Consequences of a symmetry, e.g.\ relations amongst Green functions, are
renormalization scheme independently expressed in terms of a rigid Ward
identity. The corresponding local version yields information on the respective
current. In the case of spontaneous breakdown one has to define the theory via
the BRS invariance and thus to construct rigid and current Ward identity
non-trivially in accordance with it. We performed this construction to all
orders of perturbation theory in the abelian Higgs model as a prelude to the
standard model. A technical tool of interest in itself is the use of a doublet
of external scalar ``background'' fields. The Callan-Symanzik equation has an
interesting form and follows easily once the rigid invariance is established.Comment: 33 pages, Plain Te
Evaluation of Ocean Color Scanner (OCS) photographic and digital data: Santa Barbara Channel test site, 29 October 1975 overflight
A summary of Ocean Color Scanner data was examined to evaluate detection and discrimination capabilities of the system for marine resources, oil pollution and man-made sea surface targets of opportunity in the Santa Barbara Channel. Assessment of the utility of OCS for the determination of sediment transport patterns along the coastal zone was a secondary goal. Data products provided 1975 overflight were in digital and analog formats. In evaluating the OCS data, automated and manual procedures were employed. A total of four channels of data in digital format were analyzed, as well as three channels of color combined imagery, and four channels of black and white imagery. In addition, 1:120,000 scale color infrared imagery acquired simultaneously with the OCS data were provided for comparative analysis purposes
Noncommutative Lorentz Symmetry and the Origin of the Seiberg-Witten Map
We show that the noncommutative Yang-Mills field forms an irreducible
representation of the (undeformed) Lie algebra of rigid translations, rotations
and dilatations. The noncommutative Yang-Mills action is invariant under
combined conformal transformations of the Yang-Mills field and of the
noncommutativity parameter \theta. The Seiberg-Witten differential equation
results from a covariant splitting of the combined conformal transformations
and can be computed as the missing piece to complete a covariant conformal
transformation to an invariance of the action.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX. v2: Streamlined proofs and extended discussion of
Lorentz transformation
Topology by dissipation
Topological states of fermionic matter can be induced by means of a suitably
engineered dissipative dynamics. Dissipation then does not occur as a
perturbation, but rather as the main resource for many-body dynamics, providing
a targeted cooling into a topological phase starting from an arbitrary initial
state. We explore the concept of topological order in this setting, developing
and applying a general theoretical framework based on the system density matrix
which replaces the wave function appropriate for the discussion of Hamiltonian
ground-state physics. We identify key analogies and differences to the more
conventional Hamiltonian scenario. Differences mainly arise from the fact that
the properties of the spectrum and of the state of the system are not as
tightly related as in a Hamiltonian context. We provide a symmetry-based
topological classification of bulk steady states and identify the classes that
are achievable by means of quasi-local dissipative processes driving into
superfluid paired states. We also explore the fate of the bulk-edge
correspondence in the dissipative setting, and demonstrate the emergence of
Majorana edge modes. We illustrate our findings in one- and two-dimensional
models that are experimentally realistic in the context of cold atoms.Comment: 61 pages, 8 figure
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