16,778 research outputs found
Large N and double scaling limits in two dimensions
Recently, the author has constructed a series of four dimensional
non-critical string theories with eight supercharges, dual to theories of light
electric and magnetic charges, for which exact formulas for the central charge
of the space-time supersymmetry algebra as a function of the world-sheet
couplings were obtained. The basic idea was to generalize the old matrix model
approach, replacing the simple matrix integrals by the four dimensional matrix
path integrals of N=2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, and the Kazakov
critical points by the Argyres-Douglas critical points. In the present paper,
we study qualitatively similar toy path integrals corresponding to the two
dimensional N=2 supersymmetric non-linear sigma model with target space CP^n
and twisted mass terms. This theory has some very strong similarities with N=2
super Yang-Mills, including the presence of critical points in the vicinity of
which the large n expansion is IR divergent. The model being exactly solvable
at large n, we can study non-BPS observables and give full proofs that double
scaling limits exist and correspond to universal continuum limits. A complete
characterization of the double scaled theories is given. We find evidence for
dimensional transmutation of the string coupling in some non-critical string
theories. We also identify en passant some non-BPS particles that become
massless at the singularities in addition to the usual BPS states.Comment: 38 pages, including an introductory section that makes the paper
self-contained, two figures and one appendix; v2: typos correcte
Intermixture of extended edge and localized bulk energy levels in macroscopic Hall systems
We study the spectrum of a random Schroedinger operator for an electron
submitted to a magnetic field in a finite but macroscopic two dimensional
system of linear dimensions equal to L. The y direction is periodic and in the
x direction the electron is confined by two smooth increasing boundary
potentials. The eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian are classified according to
their associated quantum mechanical current in the y direction. Here we look at
an interval of energies inside the first Landau band of the random operator for
the infinite plane. In this energy interval, with large probability, there
exist O(L) eigenvalues with positive or negative currents of O(1). Between each
of these there exist O(L^2) eigenvalues with infinitesimal current
O(exp(-cB(log L)^2)). We explain what is the relevance of this analysis to the
integer quantum Hall effect.Comment: 29 pages, no figure
Gravitational Waves from Rotating Proto-Neutron Stars
We study the effects of rotation on the quasi normal modes (QNMs) of a newly
born proto neutron star (PNS) at different evolutionary stages, until it
becomes a cold neutron star (NS). We use the
Cowling approximation, neglecting spacetime perturbations, and consider
different models of evolving PNS. The frequencies of the modes of a PNS are
considerably lower than those of a cold NS, and are further lowered by
rotation; consequently, if QNMs were excited in a sufficiently energetic
process, they would radiate waves that could be more easily detectable by
resonant-mass and interferometric detectors than those emitted by a cold NS. We
find that for high rotation rates, some of the g-modes become unstable via the
CFS instability; however, this instability is likely to be suppressed by
competing mechanisms before emitting a significant amount of gravitational
waves.Comment: 5 pages, proceedings of the 5th Edoardo Amaldi Conference On
Gravitational Wave
The dynamics of measles in sub-Saharan Africa.
Although vaccination has almost eliminated measles in parts of the world, the disease remains a major killer in some high birth rate countries of the Sahel. On the basis of measles dynamics for industrialized countries, high birth rate regions should experience regular annual epidemics. Here, however, we show that measles epidemics in Niger are highly episodic, particularly in the capital Niamey. Models demonstrate that this variability arises from powerful seasonality in transmission-generating high amplitude epidemics-within the chaotic domain of deterministic dynamics. In practice, this leads to frequent stochastic fadeouts, interspersed with irregular, large epidemics. A metapopulation model illustrates how increased vaccine coverage, but still below the local elimination threshold, could lead to increasingly variable major outbreaks in highly seasonally forced contexts. Such erratic dynamics emphasize the importance both of control strategies that address build-up of susceptible individuals and efforts to mitigate the impact of large outbreaks when they occur
Ferrodistortive instability at the (001) surface of half-metallic manganites
We present the structure of the fully relaxed (001) surface of the
half-metallic manganite La0.7Sr0.3MnO3, calculated using density functional
theory within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). Two relevant
ferroelastic order parameters are identified and characterized: The tilting of
the oxygen octahedra, which is present in the bulk phase, oscillates and
decreases towards the surface, and an additional ferrodistortive Mn
off-centering, triggered by the surface, decays monotonically into the bulk.
The narrow d-like energy band that is characteristic of unrelaxed manganite
surfaces is shifted down in energy by these structural distortions, retaining
its uppermost layer localization. The magnitude of the zero-temperature
magnetization is unchanged from its bulk value, but the effective spin-spin
interactions are reduced at the surface.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
The three-dimensional non-anticommutative superspace
We propose two alternative formulations for a three-dimensional
non-anticommutative superspace in which some of the fermionic coordinates obey
Clifford anticommutation relations. For this superspace, we construct the
supersymmetry generators satisfying standard anticommutation relations and the
corresponding supercovariant derivatives. We formulate a scalar superfield
theory in such a superspace and calculate its propagator. We also suggest a
prescription for the introduction of interactions in such theories.Comment: 9 pages, revtex4, v3: some clarifications and references added,
version accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.
Spectral flow and level spacing of edge states for quantum Hall hamiltonians
We consider a non relativistic particle on the surface of a semi-infinite
cylinder of circumference submitted to a perpendicular magnetic field of
strength and to the potential of impurities of maximal amplitude . This
model is of importance in the context of the integer quantum Hall effect. In
the regime of strong magnetic field or weak disorder it is known that
there are chiral edge states, which are localised within a few magnetic lengths
close to, and extended along the boundary of the cylinder, and whose energy
levels lie in the gaps of the bulk system. These energy levels have a spectral
flow, uniform in , as a function of a magnetic flux which threads the
cylinder along its axis. Through a detailed study of this spectral flow we
prove that the spacing between two consecutive levels of edge states is bounded
below by with , independent of , and of the
configuration of impurities. This implies that the level repulsion of the
chiral edge states is much stronger than that of extended states in the usual
Anderson model and their statistics cannot obey one of the Gaussian ensembles.
Our analysis uses the notion of relative index between two projections and
indicates that the level repulsion is connected to topological aspects of
quantum Hall systems.Comment: 22 pages, no figure
Normative Alethic Pluralism
Some philosophers have argued that truth is a norm of judgement and have provided a variety of formulations of this general thesis. In this paper, I shall side with these philosophers and assume that truth is a norm of judgement. What I am primarily interested in here are two core questions concerning the judgement-truth norm: (i) what are the normative relationships between truth and judgement? And (ii) do these relationships vary or are they constant? I argue for a pluralist picture—what I call Normative Alethic Pluralism (NAP)—according to which (i) there is more than one correct judgement-truth norm and (ii) the normative relationships between truth and judgement vary in relation to the subject matter of the judgement. By means of a comparative analysis of disagreement in three areas of the evaluative domain—refined aesthetics, basic taste and morality—I show that there is an important variability in the normative significance of disagreement—I call this the variability conjecture. By presenting a variation of Lynch’s scope problem for alethic monism, I argue that a monistic approach to the normative function of truth is unable to vindicate the conjecture. I then argue that normative alethic pluralism provides us with a promising model to account for it
Extremal statistics of curved growing interfaces in 1+1 dimensions
We study the joint probability distribution function (pdf) of the maximum M
of the height and its position X_M of a curved growing interface belonging to
the universality class described by the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation in 1+1
dimensions. We obtain exact results for the closely related problem of p
non-intersecting Brownian bridges where we compute the joint pdf P_p(M,\tau_M)
where \tau_M is there the time at which the maximal height M is reached. Our
analytical results, in the limit p \to \infty, become exact for the interface
problem in the growth regime. We show that our results, for moderate values of
p \sim 10 describe accurately our numerical data of a prototype of these
systems, the polynuclear growth model in droplet geometry. We also discuss
applications of our results to the ground state configuration of the directed
polymer in a random potential with one fixed endpoint.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Published version, to appear in Europhysics
Letters. New results added for non-intersecting excursion
- …