Lattice Spacing Dependence of the First Order Phase Transition for Dynamical Twisted Mass Fermions

Lattice QCD with Wilson fermions generically shows the phenomenon of a first order phase transition. We study the phase structure of lattice QCD using Wilson twisted mass fermions and the Wilson plaquette gauge action are used in a range of beta values where such a first order phase transition is observed. In particular, we investigate the dependence of the first order phase transition on the value of the lattice spacing. Using only data in one phase and neglecting possible problems arising from the phase transition we are able to perform a first scaling test for physical quantities using this action.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, typo corrected, web-list of authors correcte

Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy

We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude, with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Star clusters near and far; tracing star formation across cosmic time

© 2020 Springer-Verlag. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00690-x.Star clusters are fundamental units of stellar feedback and unique tracers of their host galactic properties. In this review, we will first focus on their constituents, i.e.\ detailed insight into their stellar populations and their surrounding ionised, warm, neutral, and molecular gas. We, then, move beyond the Local Group to review star cluster populations at various evolutionary stages, and in diverse galactic environmental conditions accessible in the local Universe. At high redshift, where conditions for cluster formation and evolution are more extreme, we are only able to observe the integrated light of a handful of objects that we believe will become globular clusters. We therefore discuss how numerical and analytical methods, informed by the observed properties of cluster populations in the local Universe, are used to develop sophisticated simulations potentially capable of disentangling the genetic map of galaxy formation and assembly that is carried by globular cluster populations.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

A trans-acting locus regulates an anti-viral expression network and type 1 diabetes risk

Combined analyses of gene networks and DNA sequence variation can provide new insights into the aetiology of common diseases that may not be apparent from genome-wide association studies alone. Recent advances in rat genomics are facilitating systems-genetics approaches. Here we report the use of integrated genome-wide approaches across seven rat tissues to identify gene networks and the loci underlying their regulation. We defined an interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7)-driven inflammatory network (IDIN) enriched for viral response genes, which represents a molecular biomarker for macrophages and which was regulated in multiple tissues by a locus on rat chromosome 15q25. We show that Epstein-Barr virus induced gene 2 (Ebi2, also known as Gpr183), which lies at this locus and controls B lymphocyte migration, is expressed in macrophages and regulates the IDIN. The human orthologous locus on chromosome 13q32 controlled the human equivalent of the IDIN, which was conserved in monocytes. IDIN genes were more likely to associate with susceptibility to type 1 diabetes (T1D)-a macrophage-associated autoimmune disease-than randomly selected immune response genes (P = 8.85 x 10(-6)). The human locus controlling the IDIN was associated with the risk of T1D at single nucleotide polymorphism rs9585056 (P = 7.0 x 10(-10); odds ratio, 1.15), which was one of five single nucleotide polymorphisms in this region associated with EBI2 (GPR183) expression. These data implicate IRF7 network genes and their regulatory locus in the pathogenesis of T1D

Perturbation theory for the two-dimensional abelian Higgs model in the unitary gauge

In the unitary gauge the unphysical degrees of freedom of spontaneously broken gauge theories are eliminated. The Feynman rules are simpler than in other gauges, but it is non-renormalizable by the rules of power counting. On the other hand, it is formally equal to the limit #xi# #->#0 of the renormalizable R_#xi#-gauge. We consider perturbation theory to one-loop order in the R_#xi#-gauge and in the unitary gauge for the case of the two-dimensional abelian Higgs model. An apparent conflict between the unitary gauge and the limit #xi# #->#0 of the R_#xi#-gauge is resolved, and it is demonstrated that results for physical quantities can be obtained in the unitary gauge. (orig.)Available from TIB Hannover: RA 2999(03-080) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Unquenched simulations with N_f= 2 light quark flavours

The quark mass dependence of meson masses and decay constants in N_f = 2 QCD is studied at a fixed gauge coupling with different dynamical quark masses. Partially Quenched Wilson Chiral Perturbation Theory (PQW_#chi#PT) is applied to obtain the extrapolation to zero quark mass. It is shown, that in our analysis NNLO-terms play a more important role than O(a)-terms, which can be neglected. Also we compare our results with recent CP-PACS results. (orig.)Available from TIB Hannover: RA 2999(04-158) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Status of ETMC simulations with 2 +1 +1 twisted mass fermions

The Lattice 2008 proceedings will be published in the online journal, “Proceedings of Science” (PoS) organized by SISSAInternational audienceWe present the status of runs performed in the twisted mass formalism with Nf =2+1+1 flavours of dynamical fermions: a degenerate light doublet and a mass split heavy doublet. The procedure for tuning to maximal twist will be described as well as the current status of the runs using both thin and stout links. Preliminary results for a few observables obtained on ensembles at maximal twist will be given. Finally, a reweighting procedure to tune to maximal twist will be described