169 research outputs found
Bulk and brane radiative effects in gauge theories on orbifolds
We have computed one-loop bulk and brane mass renormalization effects in a
five-dimensional gauge theory compactified on the M_4 \times S^1/Z_2 orbifold,
where an arbitrary gauge group G is broken by the orbifold action to its
subgroup H. The space-time components of the gauge boson zero modes along the H
generators span the gauge theory on the orbifold fixed point branes while the
zero modes of the higher-dimensional components of the gauge bosons along the
G/H generators play the role of Higgs fields with respect to the gauge group H.
No quadratic divergences in the mass renormalization of the gauge and Higgs
fields are found either in the bulk or on the branes. All brane effects for the
Higgs field masses vanish (only wave function renormalization effects survive)
while bulk effects are finite and can trigger, depending on the fermionic
content of the theory, spontaneous Hosotani breaking of the brane gauge group
H. For the gauge fields we do find logarithmic divergences corresponding to
mass renormalization of their heavy Kaluza-Klein modes. Two-loop brane effects
for Higgs field masses are expected from wave function renormalization brane
effects inserted into finite bulk mass corrections.Comment: 31 pages, uses axodraw.sty and mcite.st
The MSSM from Scherk-Schwarz Supersymmetry Breaking
We present a five-dimensional model compactified on an interval where
supersymmetry is broken by the Scherk-Schwarz mechanism. The gauge sector
propagates in the bulk, two Higgs hypermultiplets are quasilocalized, and quark
and lepton multiplets localized, in one of the boundaries. The effective
four-dimensional theory is the MSSM with very heavy gauginos, heavy squarks and
light sleptons and Higgsinos. The soft tree-level squared masses of the Higgs
sector can be negative and they can (partially) cancel the positive one-loop
contributions from the gauge sector. Electroweak symmetry breaking can then
comfortably be triggered by two-loop radiative corrections from the top-stop
sector. The fine tuning required to obtain the electroweak scale is found to be
much smaller than in the MSSM, with essentially no fine-tuning for few TeV
gaugino masses. All bounds from direct Higgs searches at LEP and from
electroweak precision observables can be satisfied. The lightest supersymmetric
particle is a (Higgsino-like) neutralino that can accomodate the abundance of
Dark Matter consistently with recent WMAP observations.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figure
Fermions and Supersymmetry Breaking in the Interval
We study fermions, such as gravitinos and gauginos in supersymmetric
theories, propagating in a five-dimensional bulk where the fifth dimensional
component is assumed to be an interval. We show that the most general boundary
condition at each endpoint of the interval is encoded in a single complex
parameter representing a point in the Riemann sphere. Upon introducing a
boundary mass term, the variational principle uniquely determines the boundary
conditions and the bulk equations of motion. We show the mass spectrum becomes
independent from the Scherk-Schwarz parameter for a suitable choice of one of
the two boundary conditions. Furthermore, for any value of the Scherk-Schwarz
parameter, a zero-mode is present in the mass spectrum and supersymmetry is
recovered if the two complex parameters are tuned.Comment: 10 pages. v2: Paragraph on off-shell globally supersymmetric
Lagrangian added. Version published in PL
Heterogeneous Ca2+ influx along the adult calyx of held: A structural and computational study
The calyx of Held is a morphologically complex nerve terminal containing hundreds to thousands of active zones. The calyx must support high rates of transient, sound-evoked vesicular release superimposed on a background of sustained release, due to the high spontaneous rates of some afferent fibers. One means of distributing vesicle release in space and time is to have heterogeneous release probabilities (Pr) at distinct active zones, which has been observed at several CNS synapses including the calyx of Held. Pr may be modulated by vesicle proximity to Ca2+ channels, by Ca2+ buffers, by changes in phosphorylation state of proteins involved in the release process, or by local variations in Ca2+ influx. In this study, we explore the idea that the complex geometry of the calyx also contributes to heterogeneous Pr by impeding equal propagation of action potentials through all calyx compartments. Given the difficulty of probing ion channel distribution and recording from adult calyces, we undertook a structural and modeling approach based on computerized reconstructions of calyces labeled in adult cats. We were thus able to manipulate placement of conductances and test their effects on Ca2+ concentration in all regions of the calyx following an evoked action potential in the calyceal axon. Our results indicate that with a non-uniform distribution of Na+ and K+ channels, action potentials do not propagate uniformly into the calyx, Ca2+ influx varies across different release sites, and latency for these events varies among calyx compartments. We suggest that the electrotonic structure of the calyx of Held, which our modeling efforts indicate is very sensitive to the axial resistivity of cytoplasm, may contribute to variations in release probability within the calyx
On the Equation of State of Nuclear Matter in 158A GeV Pb+Pb Collisions
Within a hydrodynamical approach we investigate the sensitivity of single
inclusive momentum spectra of hadrons in 158A GeV Pb+Pb collisions to three
different equations of state of nuclear matter. Two of the equations of state
are based on lattice QCD results and include a phase transition to a
quark-gluon plasma. The third equation of state has been extracted from the
microscopic transport code RQMD under the assumption of complete local
thermalization. All three equations of state provide reasonable fits to data
taken by the NA44 and NA49 Collaborations. The initial conditions before the
evolution of the fireballs and the space-time evolution pictures differ
dramatically for the three equations of state when the same freeze-out
temperature is used in all calculations. However, the softest of the equations
of state results in transverse mass spectra that are too steep in the central
rapidity region. We conclude that the transverse particle momenta are
determined by the effective softness of the equation of state during the
fireball expansion.Comment: 4 pages, including 4 figures and 2 tables. For a PostScript file of
the manuscript, you can also goto http://t2.lanl.gov/schlei/eprint.htm
Size of Fireballs Created in High Energy Lead-Lead Collisions as Inferred from Coulomb Distortions of Pion Spectra
We compute the Coulomb effects produced by an expanding, highly charged
fireball on the momentum distribution of pions. We compare our results to data
on Au+Au at 11.6 A GeV from E866 at the BNL AGS and to data on Pb+Pb at 158 A
GeV from NA44 at the CERN SPS. We conclude that the distortion of the spectra
at low transverse momentum and mid-rapidity can be explained in both
experiments by the effect of the large amount of participating charge in the
central rapidity region. By adjusting the fireball expansion velocity to match
the average transverse momentum of protons, we find a best fit when the
fireball radius is about 10 fm, as determined by the moment when the pions
undergo their last scattering. This value is common to both the AGS and CERN
experiments.Comment: Enlarged discussion, new references added, includes new analysis of
pi-/pi+ at AGS energies. 12 pages 5 figures, uses LaTex and epsfi
Superluminal neutrinos in long baseline experiments and SN1987a
Precise tests of Lorentz invariance in neutrinos can be performed using long
baseline experiments such as MINOS and OPERA or neutrinos from astrophysical
sources. The MINOS collaboration reported a measurement of the muonic neutrino
velocities that hints to super-luminal propagation, very recently confirmed at
6 sigma by OPERA. We consider a general parametrisation which goes beyond the
usual linear or quadratic violation considered in quantum-gravitational models.
We also propose a toy model showing why Lorentz violation can be specific to
the neutrino sector and give rise to a generic energy behaviour E^alpha, where
alpha is not necessarily an integer number. Supernova bounds and the preferred
MINOS and OPERA regions show a tension, due to the absence of shape distortion
in the neutrino bunch in the far detector of MINOS. The energy independence of
the effect has also been pointed out by the OPERA results.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures; comment on Cherenkov emission added, version
matching JHEP published pape
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