252 research outputs found
On the Nature of the Phase Transition in SU(N), Sp(2) and E(7) Yang-Mills theory
We study the nature of the confinement phase transition in d=3+1 dimensions
in various non-abelian gauge theories with the approach put forward in [1]. We
compute an order-parameter potential associated with the Polyakov loop from the
knowledge of full 2-point correlation functions. For SU(N) with N=3,...,12 and
Sp(2) we find a first-order phase transition in agreement with general
expectations. Moreover our study suggests that the phase transition in E(7)
Yang-Mills theory also is of first order. We find that it is weaker than for
SU(N). We show that this can be understood in terms of the eigenvalue
distribution of the order parameter potential close to the phase transition.Comment: 15 page
Exact Diagonalization of Two Quantum Models for the Damped Harmonic Oscillator
The damped harmonic oscillator is a workhorse for the study of dissipation in
quantum mechanics. However, despite its simplicity, this system has given rise
to some approximations whose validity and relation to more refined descriptions
deserve a thorough investigation. In this work, we apply a method that allows
us to diagonalize exactly the dissipative Hamiltonians that are frequently
adopted in the literature. Using this method we derive the conditions of
validity of the rotating-wave approximation (RWA) and show how this approximate
description relates to more general ones. We also show that the existence of
dissipative coherent states is intimately related to the RWA. Finally, through
the evaluation of the dynamics of the damped oscillator, we notice an important
property of the dissipative model that has not been properly accounted for in
previous works; namely, the necessity of new constraints to the application of
the factorizable initial conditions.Comment: 19 pages, 2 figures, ReVTe
Motion-Induced Radiation from a Dynamically Deforming Mirror
A path integral formulation is developed to study the spectrum of radiation
from a perfectly reflecting (conducting) surface. It allows us to study
arbitrary deformations in space and time. The spectrum is calculated to second
order in the height function. For a harmonic traveling wave on the surface, we
find many different regimes in which the radiation is restricted to certain
directions. It is shown that high frequency photons are emitted in a beam with
relatively low angular dispersion whose direction can be controlled by the
mechanical deformations of the plate.Comment: 4 pages, 2 eps figues included, final version as appeared in PR
Morris-Thorne wormholes with a cosmological constant
First, the ideas introduced in the wormhole research field since the work of
Morris and Thorne are briefly reviewed, namely, the issues of energy
conditions, wormhole construction, stability, time machines and astrophysical
signatures. Then, spherically symmetric and static traversable Morris-Thorne
wormholes in the presence of a generic cosmological constant are analyzed. A
matching of an interior solution to the unique exterior vacuum solution is done
using directly the Einstein equations. The structure as well as several
physical properties and characteristics of traversable wormholes due to the
effects of the cosmological term are studied. Interesting equations appear in
the process of matching. For instance, one finds that for asymptotically flat
and anti-de Sitter spacetimes the surface tangential pressure of the
thin-shell, at the boundary of the interior and exterior solutions, is always
strictly positive, whereas for de Sitter spacetime it can take either sign as
one could expect, being negative (tension) for relatively high cosmological
constant and high wormhole radius, positive for relatively high mass and small
wormhole radius, and zero in-between. Finally, some specific solutions with
generic cosmological constant, based on the Morris-Thorne solutions, are
provided.Comment: latex, 49 pages, 8 figures. Expanded version of the paper published
in Physical Review
Quantum radiation pressure on a moving mirror at finite temperature
We compute the radiation pressure force on a moving mirror, in the
nonrelativistic approximation, assuming the field to be at temperature At
high temperature, the force has a dissipative component proportional to the
mirror velocity, which results from Doppler shift of the reflected thermal
photons. In the case of a scalar field, the force has also a dispersive
component associated to a mass correction. In the electromagnetic case, the
separate contributions to the mass correction from the two polarizations
cancel. We also derive explicit results in the low temperature regime, and
present numerical results for the general case. As an application, we compute
the dissipation and decoherence rates for a mirror in a harmonic potential
well.Comment: Figure 3 replaced, changes mainly in Sections IV and V, new appendix
introduced. To appear in Physical Review
Fluctuations, dissipation and the dynamical Casimir effect
Vacuum fluctuations provide a fundamental source of dissipation for systems
coupled to quantum fields by radiation pressure. In the dynamical Casimir
effect, accelerating neutral bodies in free space give rise to the emission of
real photons while experiencing a damping force which plays the role of a
radiation reaction force. Analog models where non-stationary conditions for the
electromagnetic field simulate the presence of moving plates are currently
under experimental investigation. A dissipative force might also appear in the
case of uniform relative motion between two bodies, thus leading to a new kind
of friction mechanism without mechanical contact. In this paper, we review
recent advances on the dynamical Casimir and non-contact friction effects,
highlighting their common physical origin.Comment: 39 pages, 4 figures. Review paper to appear in Lecture Notes in
Physics, Volume on Casimir Physics, edited by Diego Dalvit, Peter Milonni,
David Roberts, and Felipe da Rosa. Minor changes, a reference adde
Categorizing Different Approaches to the Cosmological Constant Problem
We have found that proposals addressing the old cosmological constant problem
come in various categories. The aim of this paper is to identify as many
different, credible mechanisms as possible and to provide them with a code for
future reference. We find that they all can be classified into five different
schemes of which we indicate the advantages and drawbacks.
Besides, we add a new approach based on a symmetry principle mapping real to
imaginary spacetime.Comment: updated version, accepted for publicatio
- …