832 research outputs found
Stability Walls in Heterotic Theories
We study the sub-structure of the heterotic Kahler moduli space due to the
presence of non-Abelian internal gauge fields from the perspective of the
four-dimensional effective theory. Internal gauge fields can be supersymmetric
in some regions of the Kahler moduli space but break supersymmetry in others.
In the context of the four-dimensional theory, we investigate what happens when
the Kahler moduli are changed from the supersymmetric to the non-supersymmetric
region. Our results provide a low-energy description of supersymmetry breaking
by internal gauge fields as well as a physical picture for the mathematical
notion of bundle stability. Specifically, we find that at the transition
between the two regions an additional anomalous U(1) symmetry appears under
which some of the states in the low-energy theory acquire charges. We compute
the associated D-term contribution to the four-dimensional potential which
contains a Kahler-moduli dependent Fayet-Iliopoulos term and contributions from
the charged states. We show that this D-term correctly reproduces the expected
physics. Several mathematical conclusions concerning vector bundle stability
are drawn from our arguments. We also discuss possible physical applications of
our results to heterotic model building and moduli stabilization.Comment: 37 pages, 4 figure
Implications of the Top Quark Mass Measurement for the CKM Parameters, and CP Asymmetries
Motivated by the recent determination of the top quark mass by the CDF
collaboration, \mt =174 \pm 10 ^{+13}_{-12} GeV, we review and update the
constraints on the parameters of the quark flavour mixing matrix in
the standard model. In performing our fits, we use inputs from the measurements
of the following quantities: (i) \abseps, the CP-violating parameter in
decays, (ii) \delmd, the mass difference due to the \bdbdbar\ mixing, (iii)
the matrix elements \absvcb and \absvub, and (iv) -hadron lifetimes. We
find that the allowed region of the unitarity triangle is very large, mostly
due to theoretical uncertainties. (This emphasizes the importance of
measurements of CP-violating rate asymmetries in the system.) Nevertheless,
the present data do somewhat restrict the allowed values of the coupling
constant product and the renormalization-scale
invariant bag constant . With the updated CKM matrix we present the
currently-allowed range of the ratio , as well as
the standard model predictions for the \bsbsbar\ mixing parameter \xs and the
quantities , and , which characterize
the CP-asymmetries in -decays. The ALEPH collaboration has recently reported
a significant improvement on the lower limit on the \bs-\bsb mass
difference, (95\% C.L.). This has interesting
consequences for the CKM parameters which are also worked out.
NOTE: this is a revised and updated version of our previous paper.Comment: LaTeX, 27 pages, 16 uuencoded figures (enclosed), CERN-TH.7398/94,
UdeM-GPP-TH-94-0
Heterotic-type IIA duality with fluxes
In this paper we study a possible non-perturbative dual of the heterotic
string compactified on K3 x T^2 in the presence of background fluxes. We show
that type IIA string theory compactified on manifolds with SU(3) structure can
account for a subset of the possible heterotic fluxes. This extends our
previous analysis to a case of a non-perturbative duality with fluxes.Comment: 26 pages, minor corrections; version to appear in JHE
Non-destructive, dynamic detectors for Bose-Einstein condensates
We propose and analyze a series of non-destructive, dynamic detectors for
Bose-Einstein condensates based on photo-detectors operating at the shot noise
limit. These detectors are compatible with real time feedback to the
condensate. The signal to noise ratio of different detection schemes are
compared subject to the constraint of minimal heating due to photon absorption
and spontaneous emission. This constraint leads to different optimal operating
points for interference-based schemes. We find the somewhat counter-intuitive
result that without the presence of a cavity, interferometry causes as much
destruction as absorption for optically thin clouds. For optically thick
clouds, cavity-free interferometry is superior to absorption, but it still
cannot be made arbitrarily non-destructive . We propose a cavity-based
measurement of atomic density which can in principle be made arbitrarily
non-destructive for a given signal to noise ratio
Nongeometric Flux Compactifications
We investigate a simple class of type II string compactifications which
incorporate nongeometric "fluxes" in addition to "geometric flux" and the usual
H-field and R-R fluxes. These compactifications are nongeometric analogues of
the twisted torus. We develop T-duality rules for NS-NS geometric and
nongeometric fluxes, which we use to construct a superpotential for the
dimensionally reduced four-dimensional theory. The resulting structure is
invariant under T-duality, so that the distribution of vacua in the IIA and IIB
theories is identical when nongeometric fluxes are included. This gives a
concrete framework in which to investigate the possibility that generic string
compactifications may be nongeometric in any duality frame. The framework
developed in this paper also provides some concrete hints for how mirror
symmetry can be generalized to compactifications with arbitrary H-flux, whose
mirrors are generically nongeometric.Comment: 26 pages, JHEP3. v3: references, minor corrections, and
clarifications added. v4: sign correcte
Cardioprotective effect of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response during chronic pressure overload
Background
The mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) is activated when misfolded proteins accumulate within mitochondria and leads to increased expression of mitochondrial chaperones and proteases to maintain protein quality and mitochondrial function. Cardiac mitochondria are essential for contractile function and regulation of cell viability, while mitochondrial dysfunction characterizes heart failure. The role of the UPRmt in the heart is unclear.
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to: 1) identify conditions that activate the UPRmt in the heart; and 2) study the relationship among the UPRmt, mitochondrial function, and cardiac contractile function.
Methods
Cultured cardiac myocytes were subjected to different stresses in vitro. Mice were subjected to chronic pressure overload. Tissues and blood biomarkers were studied in patients with aortic stenosis.
Results
Diverse neurohumoral or mitochondrial stresses transiently induced the UPRmt in cultured cardiomyocytes. The UPRmt was also induced in the hearts of mice subjected to chronic hemodynamic overload. Boosting the UPRmt with nicotinamide riboside (which augments NAD+ pools) in cardiomyocytes in vitro or hearts in vivo significantly mitigated the reductions in mitochondrial oxygen consumption induced by these stresses. In mice subjected to pressure overload, nicotinamide riboside reduced cardiomyocyte death and contractile dysfunction. Myocardial tissue from patients with aortic stenosis also showed evidence of UPRmt activation, which correlated with reduced tissue cardiomyocyte death and fibrosis and lower plasma levels of biomarkers of cardiac damage (high-sensitivity troponin T) and dysfunction (N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide).
Conclusions
These results identify the induction of the UPRmt in the mammalian (including human) heart exposed to pathological stresses. Enhancement of the UPRmt ameliorates mitochondrial and contractile dysfunction, suggesting that it may serve an important protective role in the stressed heart
Nonlinear multidimensional cosmological models with form fields: stabilization of extra dimensions and the cosmological constant problem
We consider multidimensional gravitational models with a nonlinear scalar
curvature term and form fields in the action functional. In our scenario it is
assumed that the higher dimensional spacetime undergoes a spontaneous
compactification to a warped product manifold. Particular attention is paid to
models with quadratic scalar curvature terms and a Freund-Rubin-like ansatz for
solitonic form fields. It is shown that for certain parameter ranges the extra
dimensions are stabilized. In particular, stabilization is possible for any
sign of the internal space curvature, the bulk cosmological constant and of the
effective four-dimensional cosmological constant. Moreover, the effective
cosmological constant can satisfy the observable limit on the dark energy
density. Finally, we discuss the restrictions on the parameters of the
considered nonlinear models and how they follow from the connection between the
D-dimensional and the four-dimensional fundamental mass scales.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX2e, minor changes, improved references, fonts include
Measurement of the B-Meson Inclusive Semileptonic Branching Fraction and Electron-Energy Moments
We report a new measurement of the B-meson semileptonic decay momentum
spectrum that has been made with a sample of 9.4/fb of electron-positron
annihilation data collected with the CLEO II detector at the Y(4S) resonance.
Electrons from primary semileptonic decays and secondary charm decays were
separated by using charge and angular correlations in Y(4S) events with a
high-momentum lepton and an additional electron. We determined the semileptonic
branching fraction to be (10.91 +- 0.09 +- 0.24)% from the normalization of the
electron-energy spectrum. We also measured the moments of the electron energy
spectrum with minimum energies from 0.6 GeV to 1.5 GeV.Comment: 36 pages postscript, als available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS/, Submitted to PRD (back-to-back with
preceding preprint hep-ex/0403052
Lifetime Differences, direct CP Violation and Partial Widths in D0 Meson Decays to K+K- and pi+pi-
We describe several measurements using the decays D0->K+K- and pi+pi-. We
find the ratio of partial widths, Gamma(D0->K+K-)/Gamma(D0->pi+pi-), to be
2.96+/-0.16+/-0.15, where the first error is statistical and the second is
systematic. We observe no evidence for direct CP violation, obtaining A_CP(KK)
= (0.0+/-2.2+/-0.8)% and A_CP(pipi = (1.9+/-3.2+/-0.8)%. In the limit of no CP
violation we measure the mixing parameter y_CP = -0.012+/-0.025+/-0.014 by
measuring the lifetime difference between D0->K+ K- or pi+pi- and the CP
neutral state, D0->K-pi+. We see no evidence for mixing.Comment: 14 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PRD, Rapid Communicatio
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