127 research outputs found
Purely perturbative Boltzmann equation for hot non-Abelian gauge theories
In the perturbation theory, trasnport phenomena in hot non-Abelian gauge
theories like QCD are often plagued with infrared singularities or
nonperturbative effects. We show, in the context of the Kadanoff & Baym
formalism, that there are certain nonequilibrium processes which are free from
such difficulties. For these processes, due to an interplay between the
macroscopic and microscopic physics, characteristic time scale (the mesoscale)
naturally enters as an infrared cutoff and purely perturbative description by
the Boltzmann equation is valid.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, to appear in Physical Review
High temperature color conductivity at next-to-leading log order
The non-Abelian analog of electrical conductivity at high temperature has
previously been known only at leading logarithmic order: that is, neglecting
effects suppressed only by an inverse logarithm of the gauge coupling. We
calculate the first sub-leading correction. This has immediate application to
improving, to next-to-leading log order, both effective theories of
non-perturbative color dynamics, and calculations of the hot electroweak baryon
number violation rate.Comment: 47 pages, 6+2 figure
Non-perturbative dynamics of hot non-Abelian gauge fields: beyond leading log approximation
Many aspects of high-temperature gauge theories, such as the electroweak
baryon number violation rate, color conductivity, and the hard gluon damping
rate, have previously been understood only at leading logarithmic order (that
is, neglecting effects suppressed only by an inverse logarithm of the gauge
coupling). We discuss how to systematically go beyond leading logarithmic order
in the analysis of physical quantities. Specifically, we extend to
next-to-leading-log order (NLLO) the simple leading-log effective theory due to
Bodeker that describes non-perturbative color physics in hot non-Abelian
plasmas. A suitable scaling analysis is used to show that no new operators
enter the effective theory at next-to-leading-log order. However, a NLLO
calculation of the color conductivity is required, and we report the resulting
value. Our NLLO result for the color conductivity can be trivially combined
with previous numerical work by G. Moore to yield a NLLO result for the hot
electroweak baryon number violation rate.Comment: 20 pages, 1 figur
Enhancement of the electronic contribution to the low temperature specific heat of Fe/Cr magnetic multilayer
We measured the low temperature specific heat of a sputtered
magnetic multilayer, as well as separate
thick Fe and Cr films. Magnetoresistance and magnetization
measurements on the multilayer demonstrated antiparallel coupling between the
Fe layers. Using microcalorimeters made in our group, we measured the specific
heat for and in magnetic fields up to for the multilayer. The
low temperature electronic specific heat coefficient of the multilayer in the
temperature range is . This is
significantly larger than that measured for the Fe or Cr films (5.4 and respectively). No magnetic field dependence of was
observed up to . These results can be explained by a softening of the
phonon modes observed in the same data and the presence of an Fe-Cr alloy phase
at the interfaces.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure
Mean Field Dynamics in Non-Abelian Plasmas from Classical Transport Theory
Based on classical transport theory, we present a general set of covariant
equations describing the dynamics of mean fields and their statistical
fluctuations in a non-Abelian plasma in or out-of-equilibrium. A procedure to
obtain the collision integrals for the Boltzmann equation from the microscopic
theory is described. As an application, we study a hot non-Abelian plasma close
to equilibrium, where the fluctuations are integrated out explicitly. For soft
fields, and at logarithmic accuracy, we obtain B\"odeker's effective theory.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, no figures. Typo removed, a reference updated,
version as to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Ergodic Properties of Classical SU(2) Lattice Gauge Theory
We investigate the relationship between the Lyapunov exponents of periodic
trajectories, the average and fluctuations of Lyapunov exponents of ergodic
trajectories, and the ergodic autocorrelation time for the two-dimensional
hyperbola billiard. We then study the fluctuation properties of the ergodic
Lyapunov spectrum of classical SU(2) gauge theory on a lattice. Our results are
consistent with the notion that this system is globally hyperbolic. Among the
many powerful theorems applicable to such systems, we discuss one relating to
the fluctuations in the entropy growth rate.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure
Divergences in Real-Time Classical Field Theories at Non-Zero Temperature
The classical approximation provides a non-perturbative approach to
time-dependent problems in finite temperature field theory. We study the
divergences in hot classical field theory perturbatively. At one-loop, we show
that the linear divergences are completely determined by the classical
equivalent of the hard thermal loops in hot quantum field theories, and that
logarithmic divergences are absent. To deal with higher-loop diagrams, we
present a general argument that the superficial degree of divergence of
classical vertex functions decreases by one with each additional loop: one-loop
contributions are superficially linearly divergent, two-loop contributions are
superficially logarithmically divergent, and three- and higher-loop
contributions are superficially finite. We verify this for two-loop SU(N)
self-energy diagrams in Feynman and Coulomb gauges. We argue that hot,
classical scalar field theory may be completely renormalized by local (mass)
counterterms, and discuss renormalization of SU(N) gauge theories.Comment: 31 pages with 7 eps figure
Reorientation of Spin Density Waves in Cr(001) Films induced by Fe(001) Cap Layers
Proximity effects of 20 \AA thin Fe layers on the spin density waves (SDWs)
in epitaxial Cr(001) films are revealed by neutron scattering. Unlike in bulk
Cr we observe a SDW with its wave vector Q pointing along only one {100}
direction which depends dramatically on the film thickness t_{Cr}. For t_{Cr} <
250 \AA the SDW propagates out-of-plane with the spins in the film plane. For
t_{Cr} > 1000 \AA the SDW propagates in the film plane with the spins
out-of-plane perpendicular to the in-plane Fe moments. This reorientation
transition is explained by frustration effects in the antiferromagnetic
interaction between Fe and Cr across the Fe/Cr interface due to steps at the
interface.Comment: 4 pages (RevTeX), 3 figures (EPS
Simulating hot Abelian gauge dynamics
The time evolution of soft modes in a quantum gauge field theory is to first
approximation classical, but the equations of motion are non-local. We show how
they can be written in a local and Hamiltonian way in an Abelian theory, and
that this formulation is particularly suitable for numerical simulations. This
makes it possible to simulate numerically non-equilibrium processes such as the
phase transition in the Abelian Higgs model and and to study, for instance,
bubble nucleation and defect formation. Such simulations would also help to
understand phase transitions in more complicated gauge theories. Moreover, we
show that the existing analytical results for the time-evolution in a
pure-gauge theory correspond to a special class of initial conditions and that
different initial conditions can lead to qualitatively different behavior. We
compare the results of the simulations to analytical calculations and find an
excellent agreement.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, REVTe
Bjorken Flow, Plasma Instabilities, and Thermalization
At asymptotically high energies, thermalization in heavy ion collisions can
be described via weak-coupling QCD. We present a complete treatment of how
thermalization proceeds, at the parametric weak-coupling level. We show that
plasma instabilities dominate the dynamics, from immediately after the
collision until well after the plasma becomes nearly in equilibrium. Initially
they drive the system close to isotropy, but Bjorken expansion and increasing
diluteness makes the system again become more anisotropic. At time \tau ~
\alpha^(-12/5) Q^(-1) the dynamics become dominated by a nearly-thermal bath;
and at time \tau ~ \alpha^(-5/2) Q^(-1)$ the bath comes to dominate the energy
density, completing thermalization. After this time there is a nearly isotropic
and thermal Quark-Gluon Plasma.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure
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