Topological insulating phases from two-dimensional nodal loop semimetals

Starting from a minimal model for a 2D nodal loop semimetal, we study the effect of chiral mass gap terms. The resulting Dirac loop anomalous Hall insulator's Chern number is the phase winding number of the mass gap terms on the loop. We provide simple lattice models, analyze the topological phases and generalize a previous index characterizing topological transitions. The responses of the Dirac loop anomalous Hall and quantum spin Hall insulators to a magnetic field's vector potential are also studied both in weak and strong field regimes, as well as the edge states in a ribbon geometry.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Next-to-leading order QCD effects in associated charged Higgs and W boson production in the MSSM at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

We present the calculations of the next-to-leading order (NLO) QCD corrections to the inclusive total cross sections for the associated production of the $W^{\pm}H^{\mp}$ through $b\bar{b}$ annihilation in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The NLO QCD corrections can either enhance or reduce the total cross sections, but they generally efficiently reduce the dependence of the total cross sections on the renormalization/factorization scale. The magnitude of the NLO QCD corrections is about 10% in most of the parameter space and can reach 15% in some parameter regions. We also show the Monte Carlo simulation results for the $2j+\tau_{jet}+\not{p}_{T}$ signature from the $W^{\pm}$ and the $H^{\mp}$ decays including the NLO QCD effects, and find an observable signal at a $5\sigma$ level in some parameter region of the minimal supergravity model.Comment: version to be published in Phys.Rev.

Cavity Mode Frequencies and Strong Optomechanical Coupling in Two-Membrane Cavity Optomechanics

We study the cavity mode frequencies of a Fabry-P\'erot cavity containing two vibrating dielectric membranes. We derive the equations for the mode resonances and provide approximate analytical solutions for them as a function of the membrane positions, which act as an excellent approximation when the relative and center-of-mass position of the two membranes are much smaller than the cavity length. With these analytical solutions, one finds that extremely large optomechanical coupling of the membrane relative motion can be achieved in the limit of highly reflective membranes when the two membranes are placed very close to a resonance of the inner cavity formed by them. We also study the cavity finesse of the system and verify that, under the conditions of large coupling, it is not appreciably affected by the presence of the two membranes. The achievable large values of the ratio between the optomechanical coupling and the cavity decay rate, $g/\kappa$, make this two-membrane system the simplest promising platform for implementing cavity optomechanics in the strong coupling regime.Comment: Contribution to the special issue on "Nano-optomechanics" in Journal of Optics, edited by I. Wilson-Rae, J. Sankey and H. Offerhau

Symmetry breaking and manipulation of nonlinear optical modes in an asymmetric double-channel waveguide

We study light-beam propagation in a nonlinear coupler with an asymmetric double-channel waveguide and derive various analytical forms of optical modes. The results show that the symmetry-preserving modes in a symmetric double-channel waveguide are deformed due to the asymmetry of the two-channel waveguide, yet such a coupler supports the symmetry-breaking modes. The dispersion relations reveal that the system with self-focusing nonlinear response supports the degenerate modes, while for self-defocusingmedium the degenerate modes do not exist. Furthermore, nonlinear manipulation is investigated by launching optical modes supported in double-channel waveguide into a nonlinear uniform medium.Comment: 10 page

Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels: structural basis of ligand efficacy and allosteric modulation

Most working proteins, including metabolic enzymes, transcription regulators, and membrane receptors, transporters, and ion channels, share the property of allosteric coupling. The term 'allosteric' means that these proteins mediate indirect interactions between sites that are physically separated on the protein. In the example of ligand-gated ion channels, the binding of a suitable ligand elicits local conformational changes at the binding site, which are coupled to further conformational changes in regions distant from the binding site. The physical motions finally arrive at the site of biological activity: the ion-permeating pore. The conformational changes that lead from the ligand binding to the actual opening of the pore comprise 'gating'. In 1956, del Castillo and Katz suggested that the competition between different ligands at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) could be explained by formation of an intermediate, ligand-bound, yet inactive state of the receptor, which separates the active state of the receptor from the initial binding of the ligand (del Castillo & Katz, 1957). This 'binding-then-gating', two-step model went beyond the then-prevailing drug-receptor model that assumes a single bimolecular binding reaction, and paralleled Stephenson's conceptual dichotomy of 'affinity' and 'efficacy' (Stephenson, 1956). In 1965 Monod, Wyman and Changeux presented a simple allosteric model (the MWC model) (Monod et al. 1965) that explained the cooperative binding of oxygen to haemoglobin; it was adopted as an important paradigm for ligand-gated channels soon after its initial formulation (Changeux et al. 1967; Karlin, 1967; Colquhoun, 1973)

High energy Scattering in 2+1 QCD: A Dipole Picture

A dipole picture of high energy scattering is developed in the 2+1 dimensional QCD, following Mueller. A generalized integral equation for the dipole density with a given separation and center of mass position is derived, and meson-meson non-forward scattering amplitude is therefore calculated. We also calculate the amplitude due to two pomeron exchange, and the triple pomeron coupling. We compare the result obtained by this method to our previous result based on an effective action approach, and find the two results agree at the one pomeron exchange level.Comment: minor typos corrected. Postscript files are available through anonymous ftp quark.het.brown.edu, in the directory /pub/preprints, file name is 9407299. Hard copy is available upon reques

Bottomonium spectrum at order v^6 from domain-wall lattice QCD: precise results for hyperfine splittings

The bottomonium spectrum is computed in dynamical 2+1 flavor lattice QCD, using NRQCD for the b quarks. The main calculations in this work are based on gauge field ensembles generated by the RBC and UKQCD collaborations with the Iwasaki action for the gluons and a domain-wall action for the sea quarks. Lattice spacing values of approximately 0.08 fm and 0.11 fm are used, and simultaneous chiral extrapolations to the physical pion mass are performed. As a test for gluon discretization errors, the calculations are repeated on two ensembles generated by the MILC collaboration with the Luscher-Weisz gauge action. Gluon discretization errors are also studied in a lattice potential model using perturbation theory for four different gauge actions. The nonperturbative lattice QCD results for the radial and orbital bottomonium energy splittings obtained from the RBC/UKQCD ensembles are found to be in excellent agreement with experiment. To get accurate results for spin splittings, the spin-dependent order-v^6 terms are included in the NRQCD action, and suitable ratios are calculated such that most of the unknown radiative corrections cancel. The cancellation of radiative corrections is verified explicitly by repeating the calculations with different values of the couplings in the NRQCD action. Using the lattice ratios of the S-wave hyperfine and the 1P tensor splitting, and the experimental result for the 1P tensor splitting, the 1S hyperfine splitting is found to be 60.3+-5.5(stat)+-5.0(syst)+-2.1(exp) MeV, and the 2S hyperfine splitting is predicted to be 23.5+-4.1(stat)+-2.1(syst)+-0.8(exp) MeV.Comment: 36 pages, 14 figures. v2: added Appendix D containing detailed analysis of gluon discretization errors using a lattice potential model and comparison to results from MILC ensembles. Estimates of systematic errors in hyperfine splittings now include gluon discretization errors and b-bbar annihilation contribution. Accepted for publication in PR