A Renormalization Group Analysis of the NCG constraints m_{top} = 2\,m_W}, mHiggs=3.14 mWm_{Higgs} = 3.14 \, m_W

We study the evolution under the renormalization group of the restrictions on the parameters of the standard model coming from Non-Commutative Geometry, namely $m_{top} = 2\,m_W$ and $m_{Higgs} = 3.14 \, m_W$. We adopt the point of view that these relations are to be interpreted as {\it tree level} constraints and, as such, can be implemented in a mass independent renormalization scheme only at a given energy scale $\mu_0$. We show that the physical predictions on the top and Higgs masses depend weakly on $\mu_0$.Comment: 7 pages, FTUAM-94/2, uses harvma

Physical qubits from charged particles: IR divergences in quantum information

We consider soft photons effects (IR structure of QED) on the construction of physical qubits. Soft-photons appear when we build charged qubits from the asymptotic states of QED. This construction is necessary in order to include the effect of soft photons on entanglement measures. The nonexistence of free charged particles (due to the long range of QED interactions) lead us to question the sense of the very concept of free charged qubit. In this letter, using the "dressing" formalism, we build physical charged qubits from dressed fields which have the correct asymptotic behavior, are gauge invariant, their propagators have a particle pole structure and are free from infrared divergences. Finally, we discuss the impact of the soft corrections on the entanglement measures.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, RevTeX. Version 2: Some references update

Organic Molecules in the Galactic Center. Hot Core Chemistry without Hot Cores

We study the origin of large abundances of complex organic molecules in the Galactic center (GC). We carried out a systematic study of the complex organic molecules CH3OH, C2H5OH, (CH3)2O, HCOOCH3, HCOOH, CH3COOH, H2CO, and CS toward 40 GC molecular clouds. Using the LTE approximation, we derived the physical properties of GC molecular clouds and the abundances of the complex molecules.The CH3OH abundance between clouds varies by nearly two orders of magnitude from 2.4x10^{-8} to 1.1x10^{-6}. The abundance of the other complex organic molecules relative to that of CH3OH is basically independent of the CH3OH abundance, with variations of only a factor 4-8. The abundances of complex organic molecules in the GC are compared with those measured in hot cores and hot corinos, in which these complex molecules are also abundant. We find that both the abundance and the abundance ratios of the complex molecules relative to CH3OH in hot cores are similar to those found in the GC clouds. However, hot corinos show different abundance ratios than observed in hot cores and in GC clouds. The rather constant abundance of all the complex molecules relative to CH3OH suggests that all complex molecules are ejected from grain mantles by shocks. Frequent (similar 10^{5}years) shocks with velocities >6km/s are required to explain the high abundances in gas phase of complex organic molecules in the GC molecular clouds. The rather uniform abundance ratios in the GC clouds and in Galactic hot cores indicate a similar average composition of grain mantles in both kinds of regions. The Sickle and the Thermal Radio Arches, affected by UV radiation, show different relative abundances in the complex organic molecules due to the differentially photodissociation of these molecules.Comment: 18 pages, 10 Postscript figures, uses aa.cls, aa.bst, 10pt.rtx, natbib.sty, revsymb.sty revtex4.cls, aps.rtx and aalongtabl.sty. Accepted in A&A 2006. version 2. relocated figures and tables. Language editor suggestions. added reference

Hokupa'a-Gemini Discovery of Two Ultracool Companions to the Young Star HD 130948

We report the discovery of two faint ultracool companions to the nearby (d~17.9 pc) young G2V star HD 130948 (HR 5534, HIP 72567) using the Hokupa'a adaptive optics instrument mounted on the Gemini North 8-meter telescope. Both objects have the same common proper motion as the primary star as seen over a 7 month baseline and have near-IR photometric colors that are consistent with an early-L classification. Near-IR spectra taken with the NIRSPEC AO instrument on the Keck II telescope reveal K I lines, FeH, and water bandheads. Based on these spectra, we determine that both objects have spectral type dL2 with an uncertainty of 2 spectral subclasses. The position of the new companions on the H-R diagram in comparison with theoretical models is consistent with the young age of the primary star (<0.8 Gyr) estimated on the basis of X-ray activity, lithium abundance and fast rotation. HD 130948 B and C likely constitute a pair of young contracting brown dwarfs with an orbital period of about 10 years, and will yield dynamical masses for L dwarfs in the near future.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, (13 total pages

Yukawa terms in noncommutative SO(10) and E6 GUTs

We propose a method for constructing Yukawa terms for noncommutative SO(10) and E6 GUTs, when these GUTs are formulated within the enveloping-algebra formalism. The most general noncommutative Yukawa term that we propose contains, at first order in thetamunu, the most general BRS invariant Yukawa contribution whose only dimensionful parameter is the noncommutativity parameter. This noncommutative Yukawa interaction is thus renormalisable at first order in thetamunu.Comment: 14 pages, no figure

On the chemical ladder of esters. Detection and formation of ethyl formate in the W51 e2 hot molecular core

The detection of organic molecules with increasing complexity and potential biological relevance is opening the possibility to understand the formation of the building blocks of life in the interstellar medium. One of the families of molecules with astrobiological interest are the esters, whose simplest member, methyl formate, is rather abundant in star-forming regions. The next step in the chemical complexity of esters is ethyl formate, C$_2$H$_5$OCHO. Only two detections of this species have been reported so far, which strongly limits our understanding of how complex molecules are formed in the interstellar medium. We have searched for ethyl formate towards the W51 e2 hot molecular core, one of the most chemically rich sources in the Galaxy and one of the most promising regions to study prebiotic chemistry, especially after the recent discovery of the P$-$O bond, key in the formation of DNA. We have analyzed a spectral line survey towards the W51 e2 hot molecular core, which covers 44 GHz in the 1, 2 and 3 mm bands, carried out with the IRAM 30m telescope. We report the detection of the trans and gauche conformers of ethyl formate. A Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium analysis indicates that the excitation temperature is 78$\pm$10 K and that the two conformers have similar source-averaged column densities of (2.0$\pm$0.3)$\times$10$^{16}$ cm$^{-2}$ and an abundance of $\sim$10$^{-8}$. We compare the observed molecular abundances of ethyl formate with different competing chemical models based on grain surface and gas-phase chemistry. We propose that grain-surface chemistry may have a dominant role in the formation of ethyl formate (and other complex organic molecules) in hot molecular cores, rather than reactions in the gas phase.Comment: Accepted in A&A; 11 pages, 6 figures, 7 Table

Magnetic Field Effects on the Transport Properties of One-sided Rough Wires

We present a detailed numerical analysis of the effect of a magnetic field on the transport properties of a `small-$N$' one-sided surface disordered wire. When time reversal symmetry is broken due to a magnetic field $B$, we find a strong increase with $B$ not only of the localization length $\xi$ but also of the mean free path $\ell$ caused by boundary states. Despite this, the universal relationship between $\ell$ and $\xi$ does hold. We also analyze the conductance distribution at the metal-insulator crossover, finding a very good agreement with Random Matrix Theory with two fluctuating channels within the Circular Orthogonal(Unitary) Ensemble in absence(presence) of $B$Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

The U(1)A anomaly in noncommutative SU(N) theories

We work out the one-loop $U(1)_A$ anomaly for noncommutative SU(N) gauge theories up to second order in the noncommutative parameter $\theta^{\mu\nu}$. We set $\theta^{0i}=0$ and conclude that there is no breaking of the classical $U(1)_A$ symmetry of the theory coming from the contributions that are either linear or quadratic in $\theta^{\mu\nu}$. Of course, the ordinary anomalous contributions will be still with us. We also show that the one-loop conservation of the nonsinglet currents holds at least up to second order in $\theta^{\mu\nu}$. We adapt our results to noncommutative gauge theories with SO(N) and U(1) gauge groups.Comment: 50 pages, 5 figures in eps files. Some comments and references adde

Even harmonic generation in isotropic media of dissociating homonuclear molecules

Isotropic gases irradiated by long pulses of intense IR light can generate very high harmonics of the incident field. It is generally accepted that, due to the symmetry of the generating medium, be it an atomic or an isotropic molecular gas, only odd harmonics of the driving field can be produced. Here we show how the interplay of electronic and nuclear dynamics can lead to a marked breakdown of this standard picture: a substantial part of the harmonic spectrum can consist of even rather than odd harmonics. We demonstrate the effect using ab-initio solutions of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation for $H$$_2$$^+$ and its isotopes in full dimensionality. By means of a simple analytical model, we identify its physical origin, which is the appearance of a permanent dipole moment in dissociating homonuclear molecules, caused by light-induced localization of the electric charge during dissociation. The effect arises for sufficiently long laser pulses and the region of the spectrum where even harmonics are produced is controlled by pulse duration. Our results (i) show how the interplay of femtosecond nuclear and attosecond electronic dynamics, which affects the charge flow inside the dissociating molecule, is reflected in the nonlinear response, and (ii) force one to augment standard selection rules found in nonlinear optics textbooks by considering light-induced modifications of the medium during the generation process.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure