D3-D5 theories with unquenched flavors

We construct the string duals of the defect theories generated when N_f flavor D5-branes intersect N_c color D3-branes along a 2+1 dimensional subspace. We work in the Veneziano limit in which N_c and N_f are large and N_f/N_c is fixed. By smearing the D5-branes, we find supergravity solutions that take into account the backreaction of the flavor branes and preserve two supercharges. When the flavors are massless the resulting metric displays an anisotropic Lifshitz-like scale invariance. The case of massive quarks is also considered.Comment: 29 pages, 1 figure; v2: references adde

On the consequences of the uncertainty principle on the superconducting fluctuations well inside the normal state

We first argue that the collective behaviour of the Cooper pairs created by thermal fluctuations well above the superconducting transition temperature, Tc, is dominated by the uncertainty principle which, in particular, leads to a well-defined temperature, T^C, above which the superconducting coherence vanishes. On the grounds of the BCS approach, the corresponding reduced-temperature, ln(T^C/Tc), is estimated to be around 0.55, i.e., above T^C \approx 1.7Tc coherent Cooper pairs cannot exist. The implications of these proposals on the superfluid density are then examined using the Gaussian-Ginzburg-Landau approximation. Then we present new measurements of the thermal fluctuation effects on the electrical conductivity and on the magnetization in different low- and high-Tc superconductors with different dopings which are in excellent agreement with these proposals and that demonstrate the universality of ln(T^C/Tc).Comment: LaTeX, 10 pages, 3 figures, as published in Europhysics Letter

Gravity dual of a multilayer system

We construct a gravity dual to a system with multiple (2+1)-dimensional layers in a (3 + 1)-dimensional ambient theory. Following a top-down approach, we generate a geometry corresponding to the intersection of D3- and D5-branes along 2+1 dimensions. The D5-branes create a codimension one defect in the worldvolume of the D3-branes and are homogeneously distributed along the directions orthogonal to the defect. We solve the fully backreacted ten-dimensional supergravity equations of motion with smeared D5-brane sources. The solution is supersymmetric, has an intrinsic mass scale, and exhibits anisotropy at short distances in the gauge theory directions. We illustrate the running behavior in several observables, such as Wilson loops, entanglement entropy, and within thermodynamics of probe branes.Peer reviewe

Flavored anisotropic black holes

We construct a black hole geometry dual to a (2+1)-dimensional defect in an ambient (3+1)-dimensional gauge theory at non-zero temperature and quark density. The geometry is a solution to the equations of motion of type IIB supergravity with brane sources, a low energy limit of an intersection of stacks of color D3-branes and flavor D5-branes. We consider the case in which the number of D5-branes is large and they can be homogeneously distributed along the directions orthogonal to the defect, creating in this way a multilayer structure. The quark density is generated by exciting a gauge field in the worldvolume of the dynamic brane sources. We study the thermodynamics of the anisotropic black hole and compute the energy density of the dual theory, as well as the pressures and speeds of sound along the directions parallel and orthogonal to the defect. We also calculate transport coefficients in the shear channel, quark-antiquark potentials, and the entanglement entropies for slab subregions. These analyses give us a good overview on how the degrees of freedom are spread, entangled, and behave in this unquenched system in the deconfining phase at strong coupling.Peer reviewe

The in-plane paraconductivity in La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 thin film superconductors at high reduced-temperatures: Independence of the normal-state pseudogap

The in-plane resistivity has been measured in $La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4$ (LSxCO) superconducting thin films of underdoped ($x=0.10,0.12$), optimally-doped ($x=0.15$) and overdoped ($x=0.20,0.25$) compositions. These films were grown on (100)SrTiO$_3$ substrates, and have about 150 nm thickness. The in-plane conductivity induced by superconducting fluctuations above the superconducting transition (the so-called in-plane paraconductivity, $\Delta\sigma_{ab}$) was extracted from these data in the reduced-temperature range 10^{-2}\lsim\epsilon\equiv\ln(T/\Tc)\lsim1. Such a $\Delta\sigma_{ab}(\epsilon)$ was then analyzed in terms of the mean-field--like Gaussian-Ginzburg-Landau (GGL) approach extended to the high-$\epsilon$ region by means of the introduction of a total-energy cutoff, which takes into account both the kinetic energy and the quantum localization energy of each fluctuating mode. Our results strongly suggest that at all temperatures above Tc, including the high reduced-temperature region, the doping mainly affects in LSxCO thin films the normal-state properties and that its influence on the superconducting fluctuations is relatively moderate: Even in the high-$\epsilon$ region, the in-plane paraconductivity is found to be independent of the opening of a pseudogap in the normal state of the underdoped films.Comment: 35 pages including 10 figures and 1 tabl

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

A Scenario for the Critical Fluctuations near the Transition of Few-Bilayer Films of High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductors

We study the critical fluctuations near the resistive transition of very thin films of high-temperature cuprate superconductors composed of a number N of only a few unit cells of superconducting bilayers. For that, we solve the fluctuation spectrum of a Gaussian–Ginzburg–Landau model for few-bilayers superconductors considering two alternating Josephson interlayer interaction strengths, and we obtain the corresponding paraconductivity above the transition. Then, we extend these calculations to temperatures below the transition through expressions for the Ginzburg number and Kosterlitz–Thouless-like critical region. When compared with previously available data in YBa2Cu3O7−δ few-bilayers systems, with N = 1 to 4, our results seem to provide a plausible scenario for their critical regime