Field Redefinition Invariance in Quantum Field Theory

The issue of field redefinition invariance of path integrals in quantum field theory is reexamined. A ``paradox'' is presented involving the reduction to an effective quantum-mechanical theory of a $(d+1)$-dimensional free scalar field in a Minkowskian spacetime with compactified spatial coordinates. The implementation of field redefinitions both before and after the reduction suggests that operator-ordering issues in quantum field theory should not be ignored.Comment: 7 page

Minimal distance transformations between links and polymers: Principles and examples

The calculation of Euclidean distance between points is generalized to one-dimensional objects such as strings or polymers. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the minimal transformation between two polymer configurations are derived. Transformations consist of piecewise rotations and translations subject to Weierstrass-Erdmann corner conditions. Numerous examples are given for the special cases of one and two links. The transition to a large number of links is investigated, where the distance converges to the polymer length times the mean root square distance (MRSD) between polymer configurations, assuming curvature and non-crossing constraints can be neglected. Applications of this metric to protein folding are investigated. Potential applications are also discussed for structural alignment problems such as pharmacophore identification, and inverse kinematic problems in motor learning and control.Comment: Submitted to J. Phys.:Condens. Matte

The role of the slope of `realistic' potential barriers in preventing relativistic tunnelling in the Klein zone

The transmission of fermions of mass m and energy E through an electrostatic potential barrier of rectangular shape (i.e. supporting an infinite electric field), of height U> E + m - due to the many-body nature of the Dirac equation evidentiated by the Klein paradox - has been widely studied. We exploit here the analytical solution, given by Sauter for the linearly rising potential step, to show that the tunnelling rate through a more realistic trapezoidal barrier is exponentially depressed, as soon as the length of the regions supporting a finite electric field exceeds the Compton wavelenght of the particle - the latter circumstance being hardly escapable in most realistic cases

First Passage Time Densities in Non-Markovian Models with Subthreshold Oscillations

Motivated by the dynamics of resonant neurons we consider a differentiable, non-Markovian random process $x(t)$ and particularly the time after which it will reach a certain level $x_b$. The probability density of this first passage time is expressed as infinite series of integrals over joint probability densities of $x$ and its velocity $\dot{x}$. Approximating higher order terms of this series through the lower order ones leads to closed expressions in the cases of vanishing and moderate correlations between subsequent crossings of $x_b$. For a linear oscillator driven by white or coloured Gaussian noise, which models a resonant neuron, we show that these approximations reproduce the complex structures of the first passage time densities characteristic for the underdamped dynamics, where Markovian approximations (giving monotonous first passage time distribution) fail

Two loops calculation in chiral perturbation theory and the unitarization program of current algebra

In this paper we compare two loop Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT) calculation of pion-pion scattering with the unitarity second order correction to the current algebra soft-pion theorem. It is shown that both methods lead to the same analytic structure for the scattering amplitude.Comment: 13 pages, Revtex 3.0, no figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.

Introduction to Chiral Perturbation Theory

A brief introduction to chiral perturbation theory, the effective field theory of quantum chromodynamics at low energies, is given.Comment: 26 pages, 11 figures. Lectures given at the summer school ISSSMB 2006 in Akyaka, Turkey, September 200

Pion Mass Effects in the Large NN Limit of \chiPT

We compute the large $N$ effective action of the $O(N+1)/O(N)$ non-linear sigma model including the effect of the pion mass to order $m^2_{\pi}/f_{\pi}^2$. This action is more complex than the one corresponding to the chiral limit not only because of the pion propagators but also because chiral symmetry produce new interactions proportional to $m^2_{\pi}/f_{\pi}^2$. We renormalize the action by including the appropriate counter terms and find the renormalization group equations for the corresponding couplings. Then we estudy the unitarity propierties of the scattering amplitudes. Finally our results are applied to the particular case of the linear sigma model and also are used to fit the pion scattering phase shifts.Comment: FT/UCM/18/9

Cosmological constraints on R-parity violation from neutrino decay

If the neutrino mass is non-zero, as hinted by several experiments, then R-parity-violating supersymmetric Yukawa couplings can drive a heavy neutrino decay into lighter states. The heavy neutrino may either decay radiatively into a lighter neutrino, or it may decay into three light neutrinos through a Z-mediated penguin. For a given mass of the decaying neutrino, we calculate its lifetime for the various modes, each mode requiring certain pairs of R-parity-violating couplings be non-zero. We then check whether the calculated lifetimes fall in zones allowed or excluded by cosmological requirements. For the latter case, we derive stringent new constraints on the corresponding products of R-parity-violating couplings for given values of the decaying neutrino mass.Comment: 13 pages, Latex, uses axodraw.sty; version to appear in Physical Review

FlexOracle: predicting flexible hinges by identification of stable domains

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Protein motions play an essential role in catalysis and protein-ligand interactions, but are difficult to observe directly. A substantial fraction of protein motions involve hinge bending. For these proteins, the accurate identification of flexible hinges connecting rigid domains would provide significant insight into motion. Programs such as GNM and FIRST have made global flexibility predictions available at low computational cost, but are not designed specifically for finding hinge points.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we present the novel FlexOracle hinge prediction approach based on the ideas that energetic interactions are stronger <it>within </it>structural domains than <it>between </it>them, and that fragments generated by cleaving the protein at the hinge site are independently stable. We implement this as a tool within the Database of Macromolecular Motions, MolMovDB.org. For a given structure, we generate pairs of fragments based on scanning all possible cleavage points on the protein chain, compute the energy of the fragments compared with the undivided protein, and predict hinges where this quantity is minimal. We present three specific implementations of this approach. In the first, we consider only pairs of fragments generated by cutting at a <it>single </it>location on the protein chain and then use a standard molecular mechanics force field to calculate the enthalpies of the two fragments. In the second, we generate fragments in the same way but instead compute their free energies using a knowledge based force field. In the third, we generate fragment pairs by cutting at <it>two </it>points on the protein chain and then calculate their free energies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Quantitative results demonstrate our method's ability to predict known hinges from the Database of Macromolecular Motions.</p