Spontaneous polarisation of the neutral interface for valence asymmetric coulombic systems

In this paper, we discuss the phenomenon of a spontaneous polarisation of a neutral hard planar interface for valence asymmetric coulombic systems. Within a field theoretical description, we account for the existence of non trivial charge density and electric potential profiles. The analysis of the phenomenon shows that the effect is related to combinatorics in relation with the existence of the two independent species cations and anions. This simple and basic feature is related to the quantum mechanical properties of the system. The theoretical results are compared with numerical simulations data and are shown to be in very good agreement, which a fortiori justifies our physical interpretation.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure

Exact diagonalization of the Bohr Hamiltonian for rotational nuclei: Dynamical gamma softness and triaxiality

Detailed quantitative predictions are obtained for phonon and multiphonon excitations in well-deformed rotor nuclei within the geometric framework, by exact numerical diagonalization of the Bohr Hamiltonian in an SO(5) basis. Dynamical gamma deformation is found to significantly influence the predictions through its coupling to the rotational motion. Basic signatures for the onset of rigid triaxial deformation are also obtained.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures; to be published Phys. Rev.

A formally exact field theory for classical systems at equilibrium

We propose a formally exact statistical field theory for describing classical fluids with ingredients similar to those introduced in quantum field theory. We consider the following essential and related problems : i) how to find the correct field functional (Hamiltonian) which determines the partition function, ii) how to introduce in a field theory the equivalent of the indiscernibility of particles, iii) how to test the validity of this approach. We can use a simple Hamiltonian in which a local functional transposes, in terms of fields, the equivalent of the indiscernibility of particles. The diagrammatic expansion and the renormalization of this term is presented. This corresponds to a non standard problem in Feynman expansion and requires a careful investigation. Then a non-local term associated with an interaction pair potential is introduced in the Hamiltonian. It has been shown that there exists a mapping between this approach and the standard statistical mechanics given in terms of Mayer function expansion. We show on three properties (the chemical potential, the so-called contact theorem and the interfacial properties) that in the field theory the correlations are shifted on non usual quantities. Some perspectives of the theory are given.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure

Consequences of wall stiffness for a beta-soft potential

Modifications of the infinite square well E(5) and X(5) descriptions of transitional nuclear structure are considered. The eigenproblem for a potential with linear sloped walls is solved. The consequences of the introduction of sloped walls and of a quadratic transition operator are investigated.Comment: RevTeX 4, 8 pages, as published in Phys. Rev.

First order shape transition and critical point nuclei in Sm isotopes from relativistic mean field approach

The critical point nuclei in Sm isotopes, which marks the first order phase transition between spherical U(5) and axially deformed shapes SU(3), have been investigated in the microscopic quadrupole constrained relativistic mean field (RMF) model plus BCS method with all the most used interactions, i.e., NL1, NL3, NLSH and TM1. The calculated potential energy surfaces show a clear shape transition for the even-even Sm isotopes with $N = 82\sim 96$ and the critical point nuclei are found to be $^{148}$Sm, $^{150}$Sm and $^{152}$Sm. Similar conclusions can also be drawn from the microscopic neutron and proton single particle spectra.Comment: 6 figure

Six-dimensional Davidson potential as a dynamical symmetry of the symplectic Interacting Vector Boson Model

A six-dimensional Davidson potential, introduced within the framework of the Interacting Vector Boson Model (IVBM), is used to describe nuclei that exhibit transitional spectra between the purely rotational and vibrational limits of the theory. The results are shown to relate to a new dynamical symmetry that starts with the $Sp(12,R) \supset SU(1,1) \times SO(6)$ reduction. Exact solutions for the eigenstates of the model Hamiltonian in the basis defined by a convenient subgroup chain of SO(6) are obtained. A comparison of the theoretical results with experimental data for heavy nuclei with transitional spectra illustrates the applicability of the theory.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Simplified approach to the application of the geometric collective model

The predictions of the geometric collective model (GCM) for different sets of Hamiltonian parameter values are related by analytic scaling relations. For the quartic truncated form of the GCM -- which describes harmonic oscillator, rotor, deformed gamma-soft, and intermediate transitional structures -- these relations are applied to reduce the effective number of model parameters from four to two. Analytic estimates of the dependence of the model predictions upon these parameters are derived. Numerical predictions over the entire parameter space are compactly summarized in two-dimensional contour plots. The results considerably simplify the application of the GCM, allowing the parameters relevant to a given nucleus to be deduced essentially by inspection. A precomputed mesh of calculations covering this parameter space and an associated computer code for extracting observable values are made available through the Electronic Physics Auxiliary Publication Service. For illustration, the nucleus 102Pd is considered.Comment: RevTeX 4, 15 pages, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Political institutions and debt crises

This paper shows that political institutions matter in explaining defaults on external and domestic debt obligations. We explore a large number of political and macroeconomic variables using a non-parametric technique to predict safety from default. The advantage of this technique is that it is able to identify patterns in the data that are not captured in standard probit analysis. We find that political factors matter, and do so in different ways for democratic and non-democratic regimes, and for domestic and external debt. In democracies, a parliamentary system or sufficient checks and balances almost guarantee the absence of default on external debt when economic fundamentals or liquidity are sufficiently strong. In dictatorships, high stability and tenure play a similar role for default on domestic debt

The Elusive Costs of Sovereign Defaults

Few would dispute that sovereign defaults entail significant economic costs, including, most notably, important output losses. However, most of the evidence supporting this conventional wisdom, based on annual observations, suffers from serious measurement and identification problems. To address these drawbacks, we examine the impact of default on growth by looking at quarterly data for emerging economies. We find that, contrary to what is typically assumed, output contractions precede defaults. Moreover, we find that the trough of the contraction coincides with the quarter of default, and that output starts to grow thereafter, indicating that default episode seems to mark the beginning of the economic recovery rather than a further decline. This suggests that, whatever negative effects a default may have on output, those effects result from anticipation of a default rather than the default itself