Quantum Phase Transition in a Graphene Model

We present results for the equation of state of a graphene-like model in an effort to understand the properties of its quantum phase transition. The N_f fermion species interact through a three dimensional instantaneous Coulomb potential. Since there are no reliable analytical tools that work for all values of N_f and the coupling constant g, we rely on Monte Carlo simulations to calculate the critical properties of the model near the phase transition. We consider the four-component formulation for the fermion fields, which arises naturally as the continuum limit of the staggered fermion construction in (2+1) dimensions. In the limit of infinitely strong Coulomb interaction, the system undergoes a quantum phase transition at a critical number of fermion species N_fc ~ 4.7. We also calculate the values of the critical exponents at the quantum phase transition.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, presented at the 25th international conference on Low Temperature Physics, 6-13 August 2008, Amsterda

Vegetation response to cattail management at Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas

Dense, monospecific cattail (Typha spp.) stands are a problem in many prairie wetlands because they alter habitat structure and function, resulting in a decrease in use by wildlife species. Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, a Wetland of International Importance in central Kansas, has experienced a large increase in cattails and a subsequent decrease in migratory wetland bird use. As a consequence, intensive cattail management is practiced. We assessed the effectiveness of prescribed burning, discing following prescribed burning, and cattle grazing following prescribed burning at two stocking rates of 5 and 20 head per 11 ha in suppressing cattail, as well as the effects of these treatments on non-cattail vegetation

Application of the Maximum Entropy Method to the (2+1)d Four-Fermion Model

We investigate spectral functions extracted using the Maximum Entropy Method from correlators measured in lattice simulations of the (2+1)-dimensional four-fermion model. This model is particularly interesting because it has both a chirally broken phase with a rich spectrum of mesonic bound states and a symmetric phase where there are only resonances. In the broken phase we study the elementary fermion, pion, sigma and massive pseudoscalar meson; our results confirm the Goldstone nature of the pi and permit an estimate of the meson binding energy. We have, however, seen no signal of sigma -> pi pi decay as the chiral limit is approached. In the symmetric phase we observe a resonance of non-zero width in qualitative agreement with analytic expectations; in addition the ultra-violet behaviour of the spectral functions is consistent with the large non-perturbative anomalous dimension for fermion composite operators expected in this model.Comment: 25 pages, 13 figure

BEC-BCS Crossover in the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio Model of QCD

The BEC-BCS crossover in QCD at finite baryon and isospin chemical potentials is investigated in the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model. The diquark condensation in two color QCD and the pion condensation in real QCD would undergo a BEC-BCS crossover when the corresponding chemical potential increases. We determined the crossover chemical potential as well as the BEC and BCS regions. The crossover is not triggered by increasing the strength of attractive interaction among quarks but driven by changing the charge density. The chiral symmetry restoration at finite temperature and density plays an important role in the BEC-BCS crossover. For real QCD, strong couplings in diquark and vector meson channels can induce a diquark BEC-BCS crossover in color superconductor, and in the BEC region the chromomagnetic instability is fully cured and the ground state is a uniform phase.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures. V2: typos corrected, references added. V3: typos in Appendix B correcte

Numerical Portrait of a Relativistic BCS Gapped Superfluid

We present results of numerical simulations of the 3+1 dimensional Nambu - Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model with a non-zero baryon density enforced via the introduction of a chemical potential mu not equal to 0. The triviality of the model with a number of dimensions d>=4 is dealt with by fitting low energy constants, calculated analytically in the large number of colors (Hartree) limit, to phenomenological values. Non-perturbative measurements of local order parameters for superfluidity and their related susceptibilities show that, in contrast to the 2+1 dimensional model, the ground-state at high chemical potential and low temperature is that of a traditional BCS superfluid. This conclusion is supported by the direct observation of a gap in the dispersion relation for 0.5<=(mu a)<=0.85, which at (mu a)=0.8 is found to be roughly 15% the size of the vacuum fermion mass. We also present results of an initial investigation of the stability of the BCS phase against thermal fluctuations. Finally, we discuss the effect of splitting the Fermi surfaces of the pairing partners by the introduction of a non-zero isospin chemical potential.Comment: 41 pages, 19 figures, uses axodraw.sty, v2: minor typographical correction

On the Interplay of Monopoles and Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Non-Compact Lattice QED

Non-compact lattice QED is simulated for various numbers of fermion species $N_f$ ranging from 8 through 40 by the exact Hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm. Over this range of $N_f$, chiral symmetry breaking is found to be strongly correlated with the effective monopoles in the theory. For $N_f$ between 8 and 16 the chiral symmetry breaking and monopole percolation transitions are second order and coincident. Assuming powerlaw critical behavior, the correlation length exponent for the chiral transition is identical to that of monopole percolation. This result supports the conjecture that monopole percolation ``drives" the nontrivial chiral transition. For $N_f$ between 20 and 32, the monopoles experience a first order condensation transition coincident with a first order chiral transition. For $N_f$ as large as 40 both transitions are strongly suppressed. The data at large N_f (N_f \mathrel {\mathpalette \vereq >} 20) is interpreted in terms of a strongly interacting monopole gas-liquid transition.Comment: Revtex file, 23 pages, hardcopy figures only

Mesonic Wavefunctions in the three-dimensional Gross-Neveu model

We present results from a numerical study of bound state wavefunctions in the (2+1)-dimensional Gross-Neveu model with staggered lattice fermions at both zero and nonzero temperature. Mesonic channels with varying quantum numbers are identified and analysed. In the strongly coupled chirally broken phase at T=0 the wavefunctions expose effects due to varying the interaction strength more effectively than straightforward spectroscopy. In the weakly coupled chirally restored phase information on fermion - antifermion scattering is recovered. In the hot chirally restored phase we find evidence for a screened interaction. The T=0 chirally symmetric phase is most readily distinguished from the symmetric phase at high T via the fermion dispersion relation.Comment: 18 page

Circles of Influence: The Role of School-Community Partnerships in the Character Formation and Citizenship of Secondary School Students

Partnerships between schools, families, and communities provide a support net for each student and play a role in promoting academic success (Epstein, 1995; Shapiro, Ginsberg, & Brown, 2002) and moral development. This article is based on a qualitative study of a secondary school with numerous partnerships selected from a southern Ontario school board characterized by economic and cultural diversity. Drawing on the analysis of archival data, observations, and 19 interviews with the educators and community partners at one of the schools, it was found that the study participants shared an understanding of education as the joint responsibility of the school and the community. This article discusses the partnership practices and in so doing, the roles of community partners in encouraging moral development by supporting students academically, emotionally, and socially. When community partners provided learning opportunities and resources not available in the school, the students enhanced their skill sets and were exposed to diverse community values. Through partnership activities, civic responsibility was promoted, and students’ social capital was strengthened as they established their own links with the community in which they lived.Les partenariats entre les écoles, les familles et les communautés constituent un réseau d’appui pour chaque élève et promeuvent le succès académique (Epstein, 1995; Shapiro, Ginsberg, & Brown, 2002) et le développement moral. Cet article repose sur une étude qualitative d’une école secondaire ayant conclu plusieurs partenariats et faisant partie d’un conseil scolaire du sud de l’Ontario caractérisé par la diversité économique et culturelle. L’analyse de données d’archives, des observations et 19 entrevues auprès d’enseignants et de partenaires de la communauté ont permis de conclure que les participants à l’étude partageaient une vision selon laquelle l’éducation était une responsabilité conjointe de l’école et la communauté. Cet article porte sur les pratiques du partenariat et donc du rôle des partenaires communautaires dans l’incitation au développement moral par l’appui académique, émotif et social. Quand les partenaires communautaires offraient des occasions d’apprentissage et des ressources qui n’étaient pas disponibles à l’école, les élèves pouvaient améliorer leurs habiletés et leurs connaissances de diverses valeurs de la communauté. En permettant aux élèves d’établir des liens avec leur communauté, ces activités ont favorisé le développement d’un esprit civique et ont renforcé le capital social chez les élèves