An operator approach to BRST invariant transition amplitudes

The transition amplitudes for the free spinless and spinning relativistic particles are obtained by applying an operator method developed long ago by Dirac and Schwinger to the BFV form of the BRST theory for constrained systems.Comment: 10 pages, Latex, IF-UFRJ-9

BFV Quantization of Relativistic Spinning Particles with a Single Bosonic Constraint

Using the BFV approach we quantize a pseudoclassical model of the spin one half relativistic particle that contains a single bosonic constraint, contrary to the usual locally supersymmetric models that display first and second class constraints.Comment: 5 p., Latex, IF-UFRJ-94-1

Track clustering with a quantum annealer for primary vertex reconstruction at hadron colliders

Clustering of charged particle tracks along the beam axis is the first step in reconstructing the positions of hadronic interactions, also known as primary vertices, at hadron collider experiments. We use a 2036 qubit D-Wave quantum annealer to perform track clustering in a limited capacity on artificial events where the positions of primary vertices and tracks resemble those measured by the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The algorithm, which is not a classical-quantum hybrid but relies entirely on quantum annealing, is tested on a variety of event topologies from 2 primary vertices and 10 tracks up to 5 primary vertices and 15 tracks. It is benchmarked against simulated annealing executed on a commercial CPU constrained to the same processor time per anneal as time in the physical annealer, and performance is found to be comparable for small numbers of vertices with an intriguing advantage noted for 2 vertices and 16 tracks

Comment on Solution of the Relativistic Dirac-Morse Problem

We do not think that the relativistic Morse potential problem has been correctly formulated and solved by Alhaidari (Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 210405 (2001)).Comment: Revtex, 4 pages, preprint "Notas de F\'\i sica" CBPF-NF-011/02/Fev./200

Quantization in black hole backgrounds

Quantum field theory in a semiclassical background can be derived as an approximation to quantum gravity from a weak-coupling expansion in the inverse Planck mass. Such an expansion is studied for evolution on "nice-slices" in the spacetime describing a black hole of mass M. Arguments for a breakdown of this expansion are presented, due to significant gravitational coupling between fluctuations, which is consistent with the statement that existing calculations of information loss in black holes are not reliable. For a given fluctuation, the coupling to subsequent fluctuations becomes of order unity by a time of order M^3. Lack of a systematic derivation of the weakly-coupled/semiclassical approximation would indicate a role for the non-perturbative dynamics of gravity, and possibly for the proposal that such dynamics has an essentially non-local quality.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figures, harvmac. v2: added refs, minor clarification

Clinical specialty training in UK undergraduate medical schools: A retrospective observational study

Objectives: To determine if increased exposure to clinical specialties at medical school is associated with increased interest in pursuing that specialty as a career after foundation training. Design: A retrospective observational study. Setting: 31 UK medical schools were asked how much time students spend in each of the clinical specialties. We excluded two schools that were solely Graduate Entry, and two schools were excluded for insufficient information. Main outcome measures: Time spent on clinical placement from UK undergraduate medical schools, and the training destinations of graduates from each school. A general linear model was used to analyse the relationship between the number of weeks spent in a specialty at medical school and the percentage of graduates from that medical school entering each of the Core Training (CT1)/Specialty Training (ST1) specialties directly after Foundation Year 2 (FY2). Results: Students spend a median of 85 weeks in clinical training. This includes a median of 28 weeks on medical firms, 15 weeks in surgical firms, and 8 weeks in general practice (GP). In general, the number of training posts available in a specialty was proportionate to the number of weeks spent in medical school, with some notable exceptions including GP. Importantly, we found that the number of weeks spent in a specialty at medical school did not predict the percentage of graduates of that school training in that specialty at CT1/ST1 level (ß coefficient=0.061, p=0.228). Conclusions: This study found that there was no correlation between the percentage of FY2 doctors appointed directly to a CT1/ST1 specialty and the length of time that they would have spent in those specialties at medical school. This suggests that curriculum adjustments focusing solely on length of time spent in a specialty in medical school would be unlikely to solve recruitment gaps in individual specialties

Precision Measurement of Transition Matrix Elements via Light Shift Cancellation

We present a method for accurate determination of atomic transition matrix elements at the 10^{-3} level. Measurements of the ac Stark (light) shift around "magic-zero" wavelengths, where the light shift vanishes, provide precise constraints on the matrix elements. We make the first measurement of the 5s-6p matrix elements in rubidium by measuring the light shift around the 421 nm and 423 nm zeros with a sequence of standing wave pulses. In conjunction with existing theoretical and experimental data, we find 0.3236(9) e a_0 and 0.5230(8) e a_0 for the 5s-6p_{1/2} and 5s-6p_{3/2} elements, respectively, an order of magnitude more accurate than the best theoretical values. This technique can provide needed, accurate matrix elements for many atoms, including those used in atomic clocks, tests of fundamental symmetries, and quantum information.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Hawking radiation as tunneling from a Vaidya black hole in noncommutative gravity

In the context of a noncommutative model of coordinate coherent states, we present a Schwarzschild-like metric for a Vaidya solution instead of the standard Eddington-Finkelstein metric. This leads to the appearance of an exact $(t - r)$ dependent case of the metric. We analyze the resulting metric in three possible causal structures. In this setup, we find a zero remnant mass in the long-time limit, i.e. an instable black hole remnant. We also study the tunneling process across the quantum horizon of such a Vaidya black hole. The tunneling probability including the time-dependent part is obtained by using the tunneling method proposed by Parikh and Wilczek in terms of the noncommutative parameter $\sigma$. After that, we calculate the entropy associated to this noncommutative black hole solution. However the corrections are fundamentally trifling; one could respect this as a consequence of quantum inspection at the level of semiclassical quantum gravity.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure