775 research outputs found
Expansions for the Bollobas-Riordan polynomial of separable ribbon graphs
We define 2-decompositions of ribbon graphs, which generalise 2-sums and
tensor products of graphs. We give formulae for the Bollobas-Riordan polynomial
of such a 2-decomposition, and derive the classical Brylawski formula for the
Tutte polynomial of a tensor product as a (very) special case. This study was
initially motivated from knot theory, and we include an application of our
formulae to mutation in knot diagrams.Comment: Version 2 has minor changes. To appear in Annals of Combinatoric
Low noise amplication of an optically carried microwave signal: application to atom interferometry
In this paper, we report a new scheme to amplify a microwave signal carried
on a laser light at =852nm. The amplification is done via a
semiconductor tapered amplifier and this scheme is used to drive stimulated
Raman transitions in an atom interferometer. Sideband generation in the
amplifier, due to self-phase and amplitude modulation, is investigated and
characterized. We also demonstrate that the amplifier does not induce any
significant phase-noise on the beating signal. Finally, the degradation of the
performances of the interferometer due to the amplification process is shown to
be negligible
Anisotropy at the end of the cosmic ray spectrum?
The starburst galaxies M82 and NGC253 have been proposed as the primary
sources of cosmic rays with energies above eV. For energies \agt
10^{20.3} eV the model predicts strong anisotropies. We calculate the
probabilities that the latter can be due to chance occurrence. For the highest
energy cosmic ray events in this energy region, we find that the observed
directionality has less than 1% probability of occurring due to random
fluctuations. Moreover, during the first 5 years of operation at Auger, the
observation of even half the predicted anisotropy has a probability of less
than to occur by chance fluctuation. Thus, this model can be subject
to test at very small cost to the Auger priors budget and, whatever the outcome
of that test, valuable information on the Galactic magnetic field will be
obtained.Comment: Final version to be published in Physical Review
Supersymmetric Benchmarks with Non-Universal Scalar Masses or Gravitino Dark Matter
We propose and examine a new set of benchmark supersymmetric scenarios, some
of which have non-universal Higgs scalar masses (NUHM) and others have
gravitino dark matter (GDM). The scalar masses in these models are either
considerably larger or smaller than the narrow range allowed for the same
gaugino mass m_{1/2} in the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) with universal scalar
masses m_0 and neutralino dark matter. The NUHM and GDM models with larger m_0
may have large branching ratios for Higgs and/or production in the cascade
decays of heavier sparticles, whose detection we discuss. The phenomenology of
the GDM models depends on the nature of the next-to-lightest supersymmetric
particle (NLSP), which has a lifetime exceeding 10^4 seconds in the proposed
benchmark scenarios. In one GDM scenario the NLSP is the lightest neutralino
\chi, and the supersymmetric collider signatures are similar to those in
previous CMSSM benchmarks, but with a distinctive spectrum. In the other GDM
scenarios based on minimal supergravity (mSUGRA), the NLSP is the lighter stau
slepton {\tilde \tau}_1, with a lifetime between ~ 10^4 and 3 X 10^6 seconds.
Every supersymmetric cascade would end in a {\tilde \tau}_1, which would have a
distinctive time-of-flight signature. Slow-moving {\tilde \tau}_1's might be
trapped in a collider detector or outside it, and the preferred detection
strategy would depend on the {\tilde \tau}_1 lifetime. We discuss the extent to
which these mSUGRA GDM scenarios could be distinguished from gauge-mediated
models.Comment: 52 pages LaTeX, 13 figure
Black Holes from Cosmic Rays: Probes of Extra Dimensions and New Limits on TeV-Scale Gravity
If extra spacetime dimensions and low-scale gravity exist, black holes will
be produced in observable collisions of elementary particles. For the next
several years, ultra-high energy cosmic rays provide the most promising window
on this phenomenon. In particular, cosmic neutrinos can produce black holes
deep in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to quasi-horizontal giant air showers.
We determine the sensitivity of cosmic ray detectors to black hole production
and compare the results to other probes of extra dimensions. With n \ge 4 extra
dimensions, current bounds on deeply penetrating showers from AGASA already
provide the most stringent bound on low-scale gravity, requiring a fundamental
Planck scale M_D > 1.3 - 1.8 TeV. The Auger Observatory will probe M_D as large
as 4 TeV and may observe on the order of a hundred black holes in 5 years. We
also consider the implications of angular momentum and possible exponentially
suppressed parton cross sections; including these effects, large black hole
rates are still possible. Finally, we demonstrate that even if only a few black
hole events are observed, a standard model interpretation may be excluded by
comparison with Earth-skimming neutrino rates.Comment: 30 pages, 18 figures; v2: discussion of gravitational infall, AGASA
and Fly's Eye comparison added; v3: Earth-skimming results modified and
strengthened, published versio
SuperWIMP Dark Matter Signals from the Early Universe
Cold dark matter may be made of superweakly-interacting massive particles,
superWIMPs, that naturally inherit the desired relic density from late decays
of metastable WIMPs. Well-motivated examples are weak-scale gravitinos in
supergravity and Kaluza-Klein gravitons from extra dimensions. These particles
are impossible to detect in all dark matter experiments. We find, however, that
superWIMP dark matter may be discovered through cosmological signatures from
the early universe. In particular, superWIMP dark matter has observable
consequences for Big Bang nucleosynthesis and the cosmic microwave background
(CMB), and may explain the observed underabundance of 7Li without upsetting the
concordance between deuterium and CMB baryometers. We discuss implications for
future probes of CMB black body distortions and collider searches for new
particles. In the course of this study, we also present a model-independent
analysis of entropy production from late-decaying particles in light of WMAP
data.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, typos correcte
Evaluation of Hungarian Wines for Resveratrol by Overpressured Layer Chromatography
A method, including solid phase extraction sample preparation, overpressured layer chromatographic separation and subsequent densitometric evaluation, was developed for measurement of total resveratrol (cis- and trans-isomers) content of wine. The amount of resveratrol was determined in wine samples from different winemaking regions of Hungary. The total resveratrol was high in Hungarian red wines (3.6â11 mg/L), and much lower in white ones (0.04â1.5 mg/L)
Analytic models of plausible gravitational lens potentials
Gravitational lenses on galaxy scales are plausibly modelled as having
ellipsoidal symmetry and a universal dark matter density profile, with a Sersic
profile to describe the distribution of baryonic matter. Predicting all lensing
effects requires knowledge of the total lens potential: in this work we give
analytic forms for that of the above hybrid model. Emphasising that complex
lens potentials can be constructed from simpler components in linear
combination, we provide a recipe for attaining elliptical symmetry in either
projected mass or lens potential. We also provide analytic formulae for the
lens potentials of Sersic profiles for integer and half-integer index. We then
present formulae describing the gravitational lensing effects due to
smoothly-truncated universal density profiles in cold dark matter model. For
our isolated haloes the density profile falls off as radius to the minus fifth
or seventh power beyond the tidal radius, functional forms that allow all
orders of lens potential derivatives to be calculated analytically, while
ensuring a non-divergent total mass. We show how the observables predicted by
this profile differ from that of the original infinite-mass NFW profile.
Expressions for the gravitational flexion are highlighted. We show how
decreasing the tidal radius allows stripped haloes to be modelled, providing a
framework for a fuller investigation of dark matter substructure in galaxies
and clusters. Finally we remark on the need for finite mass halo profiles when
doing cosmological ray-tracing simulations, and the need for readily-calculable
higher order derivatives of the lens potential when studying catastrophes in
strong lenses.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, matches published versio
Percolation in three-dimensional random field Ising magnets
The structure of the three-dimensional random field Ising magnet is studied
by ground state calculations. We investigate the percolation of the minority
spin orientation in the paramagnetic phase above the bulk phase transition,
located at [Delta/J]_c ~= 2.27, where Delta is the standard deviation of the
Gaussian random fields (J=1). With an external field H there is a disorder
strength dependent critical field +/- H_c(Delta) for the down (or up) spin
spanning. The percolation transition is in the standard percolation
universality class. H_c ~ (Delta - Delta_p)^{delta}, where Delta_p = 2.43 +/-
0.01 and delta = 1.31 +/- 0.03, implying a critical line for Delta_c < Delta <=
Delta_p. When, with zero external field, Delta is decreased from a large value
there is a transition from the simultaneous up and down spin spanning, with
probability Pi_{uparrow downarrow} = 1.00 to Pi_{uparrow downarrow} = 0. This
is located at Delta = 2.32 +/- 0.01, i.e., above Delta_c. The spanning cluster
has the fractal dimension of standard percolation D_f = 2.53 at H = H_c(Delta).
We provide evidence that this is asymptotically true even at H=0 for Delta_c <
Delta <= Delta_p beyond a crossover scale that diverges as Delta_c is
approached from above. Percolation implies extra finite size effects in the
ground states of the 3D RFIM.Comment: replaced with version to appear in Physical Review
A Quantum-Mechanical Equivalent-Photon Spectrum for Heavy-Ion Physics
In a previous paper, we calculated the fully quantum-mechanical cross section
for electromagnetic excitation during peripheral heavy-ion collisions. Here, we
examine the sensitivity of that cross section to the detailed structure of the
projectile and target nuclei. At the transition energies relevant to nuclear
physics, we find the cross section to be weakly dependent on the projectile
charge radius, and to be sensitive to only the leading momentum-transfer
dependence of the target transition form factors. We exploit these facts to
derive a quantum-mechanical ``equivalent-photon spectrum'' valid in the
long-wavelength limit. This improved spectrum includes the effects of
projectile size, the finite longitudinal momentum transfer required by
kinematics, and the response of the target nucleus to the off-shell photon.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure
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