Coherence lengths and anisotropy in MgB2 superconductor

Field and temperature microwave measurements have been carried out on MgB2 thin film grown on Al2O3 substrate. The analysis reveals the mean field coherence length xi_{MF} in the mixed state and a temperature independent anisotropy ratio gamma_{MF} = xi_{MF}^{ab} / xi_{MF}^c approximately 2. At the superconducting transition, the scaling of the fluctuation conductivity yields the Ginzburg-Landau coherence length with a different anisotropy ratio gamma_{GL} = 2.8, also temperature independent.Comment: submitted to PR

D-Theory: Field Theory via Dimensional Reduction of Discrete Variables

A new non-perturbative approach to quantum field theory --- D-theory --- is proposed, in which continuous classical fields are replaced by discrete quantized variables which undergo dimensional reduction. The 2-d classical O(3) model emerges from the (2+1)-d quantum Heisenberg model formulated in terms of quantum spins. Dimensional reduction is demonstrated explicitly by simulating correlation lengths up to 350,000 lattice spacings using a loop cluster algorithm. In the framework of D-theory, gauge theories are formulated in terms of quantum links --- the gauge analogs of quantum spins. Quantum links are parallel transporter matrices whose elements are non-commuting operators. They can be expressed as bilinears of anticommuting fermion constituents. In quantum link models dimensional reduction to four dimensions occurs, due to the presence of a 5-d Coulomb phase, whose existence is confirmed by detailed simulations using standard lattice gauge theory. Using Shamir's variant of Kaplan's fermion proposal, in quantum link QCD quarks appear as edge states of a 5-d slab. This naturally protects their chiral symmetries without fine-tuning. The first efficient cluster algorithm for a gauge theory with a continuous gauge group is formulated for the U(1) quantum link model. Improved estimators for Wilson loops are constructed, and dimensional reduction to ordinary lattice QED is verified numerically.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX, including 9 encapsulated postscript figures. Contribution to Lattice 97 by 5 authors, to appear in Nuclear Physics B (Proceeding Supplements). Requires psfig.tex and espcrc2.st

Self-adapting method for the localization of quantum critical points using Quantum Monte Carlo techniques

A generalization to the quantum case of a recently introduced algorithm (Y. Tomita and Y. Okabe, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 86}, 572 (2001)) for the determination of the critical temperature of classical spin models is proposed. We describe a simple method to automatically locate critical points in (Quantum) Monte Carlo simulations. The algorithm assumes the existence of a finite correlation length in at least one of the two phases surrounding the quantum critical point. We illustrate these ideas on the example of the critical inter-chain coupling for which coupled antiferromagnetic S=1 spin chains order at T=0. Finite-size scaling relations are used to determine the exponents, $\nu=0.72(2)$ and $\eta=0.038(3)$ in agreement with previous estimates.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, published versio

A macroscopic multifractal analysis of parabolic stochastic PDEs

It is generally argued that the solution to a stochastic PDE with multiplicative noise---such as $\dot{u}=\frac12 u"+u\xi$, where $\xi$ denotes space-time white noise---routinely produces exceptionally-large peaks that are "macroscopically multifractal." See, for example, Gibbon and Doering (2005), Gibbon and Titi (2005), and Zimmermann et al (2000). A few years ago, we proved that the spatial peaks of the solution to the mentioned stochastic PDE indeed form a random multifractal in the macroscopic sense of Barlow and Taylor (1989; 1992). The main result of the present paper is a proof of a rigorous formulation of the assertion that the spatio-temporal peaks of the solution form infinitely-many different multifractals on infinitely-many different scales, which we sometimes refer to as "stretch factors." A simpler, though still complex, such structure is shown to also exist for the constant-coefficient version of the said stochastic PDE.Comment: 41 page

Field-induced XY behavior in the S=1/2 antiferromagnet on the square lattice

Making use of the quantum Monte Carlo method based on the worm algorithm, we study the thermodynamic behavior of the S=1/2 isotropic Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the square lattice in a uniform magnetic field varying from very small values up to the saturation value. The field is found to induce a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition at a finite temperature, above which a genuine XY behavior in an extended temperature range is observed. The phase diagram of the system is drawn, and the thermodynamic behavior of the specific heat and of the uniform and staggered magnetization is discussed in sight of an experimental investigation of the field-induced XY behavior.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Relating the Cosmological Constant and Supersymmetry Breaking in Warped Compactifications of IIB String Theory

It has been suggested that the observed value of the cosmological constant is related to the supersymmetry breaking scale M_{susy} through the formula Lambda \sim M_p^4 (M_{susy}/M_p)^8. We point out that a similar relation naturally arises in the codimension two solutions of warped space-time varying compactifications of string theory in which non-isotropic stringy moduli induce a small but positive cosmological constant.Comment: 7 pages, LaTeX, references added and minor changes made, (v3) map between deSitter and global cosmic brane solutions clarified, supersymmetry breaking discussion improved and references adde

The phase diagram of quantum systems: Heisenberg antiferromagnets

A novel approach for studying phase transitions in systems with quantum degrees of freedom is discussed. Starting from the microscopic hamiltonian of a quantum model, we first derive a set of exact differential equations for the free energy and the correlation functions describing the effects of fluctuations on the thermodynamics of the system. These equations reproduce the full renormalization group structure in the neighborhood of a critical point keeping, at the same time, full information on the non universal properties of the model. As a concrete application we investigate the phase diagram of a Heisenberg antiferromagnet in a staggered external magnetic field. At long wavelengths the known relationship to the Quantum Non Linear Sigma Model naturally emerges from our approach. By representing the two point function in an approximate analytical form, we obtain a closed partial differential equation which is then solved numerically. The results in three dimensions are in good agreement with available Quantum Monte Carlo simulations and series expansions. More refined approximations to the general framework presented here and few applications to other models are briefly discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figure

Multiplicity Studies and Effective Energy in ALICE at the LHC

In this work we explore the possibility to perform ``effective energy'' studies in very high energy collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In particular, we focus on the possibility to measure in $pp$ collisions the average charged multiplicity as a function of the effective energy with the ALICE experiment, using its capability to measure the energy of the leading baryons with the Zero Degree Calorimeters. Analyses of this kind have been done at lower centre--of--mass energies and have shown that, once the appropriate kinematic variables are chosen, particle production is characterized by universal properties: no matter the nature of the interacting particles, the final states have identical features. Assuming that this universality picture can be extended to {\it ion--ion} collisions, as suggested by recent results from RHIC experiments, a novel approach based on the scaling hypothesis for limiting fragmentation has been used to derive the expected charged event multiplicity in $AA$ interactions at LHC. This leads to scenarios where the multiplicity is significantly lower compared to most of the predictions from the models currently used to describe high energy $AA$ collisions. A mean charged multiplicity of about 1000-2000 per rapidity unit (at $\eta \sim 0$) is expected for the most central $Pb-Pb$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.5 TeV$.Comment: 12 pages, 19 figures. In memory of A. Smirnitski

The COSINE-100 liquid scintillator veto system

This paper describes the liquid scintillator veto system for the COSINE-100 dark matter experiment and its performance. The COSINE-100 detector consists of eight NaI(Tl) crystals immersed in 2200 L of linear alkylbenzene-based liquid scintillator. The liquid scintillator tags between 65 and 75% of the internal 40K background in the 2–6 keV energy region. We also describe the background model for the liquid scintillator, which is primarily used to assess its energy calibration and threshold