Field-control, phase-transitions, and life's emergence

Instances of critical-like characteristics in living systems at each organizational level as well as the spontaneous emergence of computation (Langton), indicate the relevance of self-organized criticality (SOC). But extrapolating complex bio-systems to life's origins, brings up a paradox: how could simple organics--lacking the 'soft matter' response properties of today's bio-molecules--have dissipated energy from primordial reactions in a controlled manner for their 'ordering'? Nevertheless, a causal link of life's macroscopic irreversible dynamics to the microscopic reversible laws of statistical mechanics is indicated via the 'functional-takeover' of a soft magnetic scaffold by organics (c.f. Cairns-Smith's 'crystal-scaffold'). A field-controlled structure offers a mechanism for bootstrapping--bottom-up assembly with top-down control: its super-paramagnetic components obey reversible dynamics, but its dissipation of H-field energy for aggregation breaks time-reversal symmetry. The responsive adjustments of the controlled (host) mineral system to environmental changes would bring about mutual coupling between random organic sets supported by it; here the generation of long-range correlations within organic (guest) networks could include SOC-like mechanisms. And, such cooperative adjustments enable the selection of the functional configuration by altering the inorganic network's capacity to assist a spontaneous process. A non-equilibrium dynamics could now drive the kinetically-oriented system towards a series of phase-transitions with appropriate organic replacements 'taking-over' its functions.Comment: 54 pages, pdf fil

Markov-Yukawa Transversality Principle And 3D-4D Interlinkage Of Bethe-Salpeter Amplitudes

This article is designed to focus attention on the Markov-Yukawa Transversality Principle (MYTP) as a novel paradigm for an exact 3D-4D interlinkage between the corresponding BSE amplitudes, with a closely parallel treatment of $q{\bar q}$ and $qqq$ systems, stemming from a common 4-fermion Lagrangian mediated by gluon (vector)-like exchange. This unique feature of MYTP owes its origin to a Lorentz- covariant 3D support to the BS kernel, which acts as a sort of `gauge principle' and distinguishes it from most other 3D approaches to strong interaction dynamics. Some of the principal approaches in the latter category are briefly reviewed so as to set the (less familiar) MYTP in their context. Two specific types of MYTP which provide 3D support to the BSE kernel, are considered: a) Covariant Instantaneity Ansatz (CIA); b) Covariant LF/NP ansatz (Cov.LF). Both lead to formaly identical 3D BSE reductions but produce sharply different 4D structures: Under CIA, the 4D loop integrals suffer from Lorentz mismatch of the vertex functions, leading to ill-defined time-like momentum integrals, but Cov LF is free from this disease. This is illustrated by the pion form factor under Cov LF. The reconstruction of the 4D $qqq$ wave function is achieved by Green's function techniques. PACS: 11.10 st ; 12.38 Lg ; 13.40.Fn. Keywords: Tamm-Dancoff, Bethe-Salpeter, Quasi-potentials, Light-front (LF), Markov-Yukawa, 3D-4D Interlinkage, CIA, Cov-LF, Spectroscopy.Comment: Latex file 38 pp; to appear in the Proceedings of the XXIII Intl. Workshop on Fundamental Problems in QFT, Protvino, June 200

The Dimensions of Field Theory : From Particles to Strings

This is an editorial summary of the contents of a Book comprising a set of Articles by acknowledged experts dealing with the impact of Field Theory on major areas of physics (from elementary particles through condensed matter to strings), arranged subjectwise under six broad heads. The Book which emphasizes the conceptual, logical and formal aspects of the state of the art in these respective fields, carries a Foreword by Freeman Dyson, and is to be published by the Indian National Science Academy on the occasion of the International Mathematical Year 2000. The authors and full titles of all the Articles (33) are listed sequentially (in the order of their first appearance in the narration) under the bibliography at the end of this Summary, while a few of the individual articles to appear in the Book are already available on the LANL internet.Comment: LaTex file, 24 page