607 research outputs found
Nonpointlike Particles in Harmonic Oscillators
Quantum mechanics ordinarily describes particles as being pointlike, in the
sense that the uncertainty can, in principle, be made arbitrarily
small. It has been shown that suitable correction terms to the canonical
commutation relations induce a finite lower bound to spatial localisation.
Here, we perturbatively calculate the corrections to the energy levels of an in
this sense nonpointlike particle in isotropic harmonic oscillators. Apart from
a special case the degeneracy of the energy levels is removed.Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages, 1 figure included via epsf optio
Probing the minimal length scale by precision tests of the muon g-2
Modifications of the gyromagnetic moment of electrons and muons due to a
minimal length scale combined with a modified fundamental scale M_f are
explored. Deviations from the theoretical Standard Model value for g-2 are
derived. Constraints for the fundamental scale M_f are given.Comment: 4 page
Casimir Effect in the Presence of Minimal Lengths
It is expected that the implementation of minimal length in quantum models
leads to a consequent lowering of Planck's scale. In this paper, using the
quantum model with minimal length of Kempf et al \cite{kempf0}, we examine the
effect of the minimal length on the Casimir force between parallel plates.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure
On the spin of gravitational bosons
We unearth spacetime structure of massive vector bosons, gravitinos, and
gravitons. While the curvatures associated with these particles carry a
definite spin, the underlying potentials cannot be, and should not be,
interpreted as single spin objects. For instance, we predict that a spin
measurement in the rest frame of a massive gravitino will yield the result 3/2
with probability one half, and 1/2 with probability one half. The simplest
scenario leaves the Riemannian curvature unaltered; thus avoiding conflicts
with classical tests of the theory of general relativity. However, the quantum
structure acquires additional contributions to the propagators, and it gives
rise to additional phases.Comment: Honorable mention, 2002 Gravity Research Foundation Essay
Operator identities in q-deformed Clifford analysis
In this paper, we define a q-deformation of the Dirac operator as a generalization of the one dimensional q-derivative. This is done in the abstract setting of radial algebra. This leads to a q-Dirac operator in Clifford analysis. The q-integration on R(m), for which the q-Dirac operator satisfies Stokes' formula, is defined. The orthogonal q-Clifford-Hermite polynomials for this integration are briefly studied
The Minimal Length and Large Extra Dimensions
Planck scale physics represents a future challenge, located between particle
physics and general relativity. The Planck scale marks a threshold beyond which
the old description of spacetime breaks down and conceptually new phenomena
must appear. Little is known about the fundamental theory valid at Planckian
energies, except that it necessarily seems to imply the occurrence of a minimal
length scale, providing a natural ultraviolet cutoff and a limit to the
possible resolution of spacetime.
Motivated by String Theory, the models of large extra dimensions lower the
Planck scale to values soon accessible. These models predict a vast number of
quantum gravity effects at the lowered Planck scale, among them the production
of TeV-mass black holes and gravitons. Within the extra dimensional scenario,
also the minimal length comes into the reach of experiment and sets a
fundamental limit to short distance physics.
We review the status of Planck scale physics in these effective models.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, brief review to appear in Mod. Phys. Let.
Current prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms in long-term care facilities in the Rhine-Main district, Germany, 2013
Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) and in particular multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms (MRGN) are an increasing problem in hospital care. However, data on the current prevalence of MDRO in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are rare. To assess carriage rates of MDRO in LTCF residents in the German Rhine-Main region, we performed a point prevalence survey in 2013. Swabs from nose, throat and perineum were analysed for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), perianal swabs were analysed for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms, MRGN and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). In 26 LTCFs, 690 residents were enrolled for analysis of MRSA colonisation and 455 for analysis of rectal carriage of ESBL/MRGN and VRE. Prevalences for MRSA, ESBL/MRGN and VRE were 6.5%, 17.8%, and 0.4%, respectively. MRSA carriage was significantly associated with MRSA history, the presence of urinary catheters, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes and previous antibiotic therapy, whereas ESBL/MRGN carriage was exclusively associated with urinary catheters. In conclusion, this study revealed no increase in MRSA prevalence in LTCFs since 2007. In contrast, the rate of ESBL/MRGN carriage in German LTCFs was remarkably high. In nearly all positive residents, MDRO carriage had not been known before, indicating a lack of screening efforts and/or a lack of information on hospital discharge
Field theory on evolving fuzzy two-sphere
I construct field theory on an evolving fuzzy two-sphere, which is based on
the idea of evolving non-commutative worlds of the previous paper. The
equations of motion are similar to the one that can be obtained by dropping the
time-derivative term of the equation derived some time ago by Banks, Peskin and
Susskind for pure-into-mixed-state evolutions. The equations do not contain an
explicit time, and therefore follow the spirit of the Wheeler-de Witt equation.
The basic properties of field theory such as action, gauge invariance and
charge and momentum conservation are studied. The continuum limit of the scalar
field theory shows that the background geometry of the corresponding continuum
theory is given by ds^2 = -dt^2+ t d Omega^2, which saturates locally the
cosmic holographic principle.Comment: Typos corrected, minor changes, 23 pages, no figures, LaTe
Hybrid-Vlasov modeling of three-dimensional dayside magnetopause reconnection
Dayside magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause, which is a major driver of space weather, is studied for the first time in a three-dimensional (3D) realistic setup using a hybrid-Vlasov kinetic model. A noon-midnight meridional plane simulation is extended in the dawn-dusk direction to cover 7 Earth radii. The southward interplanetary magnetic field causes magnetic reconnection to occur at the subsolar magnetopause. Perturbations arising from kinetic instabilities in the magnetosheath appear to modulate the reconnection. Its characteristics are consistent with multiple, bursty, and patchy magnetopause reconnection. It is shown that the kinetic behavior of the plasma, as simulated by the model, has consequences on the applicability of methods such as the four-field junction to identify and analyze magnetic reconnection in 3D kinetic simulations.Peer reviewe
The Detectability of Departures from the Inflationary Consistency Equation
We study the detectability, given CMB polarization maps, of departures from
the inflationary consistency equation, r \equiv T/S \simeq -5 n_T, where T and
S are the tensor and scalar contributions to the quadrupole variance,
respectively. The consistency equation holds if inflation is driven by a
slowly-rolling scalar field. Departures can be caused by: 1) higher-order terms
in the expansion in slow-roll parameters, 2) quantum loop corrections or 3)
multiple fields. Higher-order corrections in the first two slow-roll parameters
are undetectably small. Loop corrections are detectable if they are nearly
maximal and r \ga 0.1. Large departures (|\Delta n_T| \ga 0.1) can be seen if r
\ga 0.001. High angular resolution can be important for detecting non-zero
r+5n_T, even when not important for detecting non-zero r.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR
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