470 research outputs found
Extremal Curves in 2+1-Dimensional Yang-Mills Theory
We examine the structure of the potential energy of 2+1-dimensional
Yang-Mills theory on a torus with gauge group SU(2). We use a standard
definition of distance on the space of gauge orbits. A curve of extremal
potential energy in orbit space defines connections satisfying a certain
partial differential equation. We argue that the energy spectrum is gapped
because the extremal curves are of finite length. Though classical gluon waves
satisfy our differential equation, they are not extremal curves. We construct
examples of extremal curves and find how the length of these curves depends on
the dimensions of the torus. The intersections with the Gribov horizon are
determined explicitly. The results are discussed in the context of Feynman's
ideas about the origin of the mass gap.Comment: Typographical errors and some misleading statements correcte
A Molecular Phylogeny for the Leaf-Roller Moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and Its Implications for Classification and Life History Evolution
Tortricidae, one of the largest families of microlepidopterans, comprise about 10,000 described species worldwide, including important pests, biological control agents and experimental models. Understanding of tortricid phylogeny, the basis for a predictive classification, is currently provisional. We present the first detailed molecular estimate of relationships across the tribes and subfamilies of Tortricidae, assess its concordance with previous morphological evidence, and re-examine postulated evolutionary trends in host plant use and biogeography.We sequenced up to five nuclear genes (6,633 bp) in each of 52 tortricids spanning all three subfamilies and 19 of the 22 tribes, plus up to 14 additional genes, for a total of 14,826 bp, in 29 of those taxa plus all 14 outgroup taxa. Maximum likelihood analyses yield trees that, within Tortricidae, differ little among data sets and character treatments and are nearly always strongly supported at all levels of divergence. Support for several nodes was greatly increased by the additional 14 genes sequenced in just 29 of 52 tortricids, with no evidence of phylogenetic artifacts from deliberately incomplete gene sampling. There is strong support for the monophyly of Tortricinae and of Olethreutinae, and for grouping of these to the exclusion of Chlidanotinae. Relationships among tribes are robustly resolved in Tortricinae and mostly so in Olethreutinae. Feeding habit (internal versus external) is strongly conserved on the phylogeny. Within Tortricinae, a clade characterized by eggs being deposited in large clusters, in contrast to singly or in small batches, has markedly elevated incidence of polyphagous species. The five earliest-branching tortricid lineages are all species-poor tribes with mainly southern/tropical distributions, consistent with a hypothesized Gondwanan origin for the family.We present the first robustly supported phylogeny for Tortricidae, and a revised classification in which all of the sampled tribes are now monophyletic
Laser photon merging in proton-laser collisions
The quantum electrodynamical vacuum polarization effects arising in the
collision of a high-energy proton beam and a strong, linearly polarized laser
field are investigated. The probability that laser photons merge into one
photon by interacting with the proton`s electromagnetic field is calculated
taking into account the laser field exactly. Asymptotics of the probability are
then derived according to different experimental setups suitable for detecting
perturbative and nonperturbative vacuum polarization effects. The
experimentally most feasible setup involves the use of a strong optical laser
field. It is shown that in this case measurements of the polarization of the
outgoing photon and and of its angular distribution provide promising tools to
detect these effects for the first time.Comment: 38 pages, 9 figure
Comparative genome analysis of Burkholderia phytofirmans PsJN reveals a wide spectrum of endophytic lifestyles based on interaction strategies with host plants
Burkholderia phytofirmans PsJN is a naturally occurring plant-associated bacterial endophyte that effectively colonizes a wide range of plants and stimulates their growth and vitality. Here we analyze whole genomes, of PsJN and of eight other endophytic bacteria. This study illustrates that a wide spectrum of endophytic life styles exists. Although we postulate the existence of typical endophytic traits, no unique gene cluster could be exclusively linked to the endophytic lifestyle. Furthermore, our study revealed a high genetic diversity among bacterial endophytes as reflected in their genotypic and phenotypic features. B. phytofirmans PsJN is in many aspects outstanding among the selected endophytes. It has the biggest genome consisting of two chromosomes and one plasmid, well-equipped with genes for the degradation of complex organic compounds and detoxification, e.g., 24 glutathione-S-transferase (GST) genes. Furthermore, strain PsJN has a high number of cell surface signaling and secretion systems and harbors the 3-OH-PAME quorum-sensing system that coordinates the switch of free-living to the symbiotic lifestyle in the plant-pathogen R. solanacearum. The ability of B. phytofirmans PsJN to successfully colonize such a wide variety of plant species might be based on its large genome harboring a broad range of physiological functions
The Global Renormalization Group Trajectory in a Critical Supersymmetric Field Theory on the Lattice Z^3
We consider an Euclidean supersymmetric field theory in given by a
supersymmetric perturbation of an underlying massless Gaussian measure
on scalar bosonic and Grassmann fields with covariance the Green's function of
a (stable) L\'evy random walk in . The Green's function depends on the
L\'evy-Khintchine parameter with . For
the interaction is marginal. We prove for
sufficiently small and initial
parameters held in an appropriate domain the existence of a global
renormalization group trajectory uniformly bounded on all renormalization group
scales and therefore on lattices which become arbitrarily fine. At the same
time we establish the existence of the critical (stable) manifold. The
interactions are uniformly bounded away from zero on all scales and therefore
we are constructing a non-Gaussian supersymmetric field theory on all scales.
The interest of this theory comes from the easily established fact that the
Green's function of a (weakly) self-avoiding L\'evy walk in is a second
moment (two point correlation function) of the supersymmetric measure governing
this model. The control of the renormalization group trajectory is a
preparation for the study of the asymptotics of this Green's function. The
rigorous control of the critical renormalization group trajectory is a
preparation for the study of the critical exponents of the (weakly)
self-avoiding L\'evy walk in .Comment: 82 pages, Tex with macros supplied. Revision includes 1. redefinition
of norms involving fermions to ensure uniqueness. 2. change in the definition
of lattice blocks and lattice polymer activities. 3. Some proofs have been
reworked. 4. New lemmas 5.4A, 5.14A, and new Theorem 6.6. 5.Typos
corrected.This is the version to appear in Journal of Statistical Physic
Selective advantage of epigenetically disrupted cancer cells via phenotypic inertia.
The evolution of established cancers is driven by selection of cells with enhanced fitness. Subclonal mutations in numerous epigenetic regulator genes are common across cancer types, yet their functional impact has been unclear. Here, we show that disruption of the epigenetic regulatory network increases the tolerance of cancer cells to unfavorable environments experienced within growing tumors by promoting the emergence of stress-resistant subpopulations. Disruption of epigenetic control does not promote selection of genetically defined subclones or favor a phenotypic switch in response to environmental changes. Instead, it prevents cells from mounting an efficient stress response via modulation of global transcriptional activity. This "transcriptional numbness" lowers the probability of cell death at early stages, increasing the chance of long-term adaptation at the population level. Our findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the widespread selection of subclonal epigenetic-related mutations in cancer and uncover phenotypic inertia as a cellular trait that drives subclone expansion
Examining "The end of revolution": a foretaste of Wang Hui’s thought
Wang Hui is a significant contemporary Chinese thinker and a key representative of Chinese New Left thought. This article provides a critical review of some of the themes that emerge from Wang’s The End of Revolution as a means of situating his position in China’s intellectual landscape, with a particular mind to exploring the historicity of Wang’s thought as it informs his views. The essay engages some of the key discursive threads in The End of Revolution and provides a critical overview of Wang’s positions on neoliberalism, the tension between Western articulations of modernity and China’s own self-image
Dynamical Properties of one dimensional Mott Insulators
At low energies the charge sector of one dimensional Mott insulators can be
described in terms of a quantum Sine-Gordon model. Using exact results derived
from integrability it is possible to determine dynamical properties like the
frequency dependent optical conductivity. We compare the exact results to
perturbation theory and renormalisation group calculations. We also discuss the
application of our results to experiments on quasi-1D organic conductors.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the NATO ASI/EC
summer school "New Theoretical Approaches to Strongly Correlated Systems"
Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge UK, April 200
Chiang Kai-shek’s “secret deal” at Xian and the start of the Sino-Japanese War
Using newly available archives, particularly the diary and the presidential papers of Chiang Kai-shek, this article challenges the conventional interpretations of the Xian Incident (1936), in particular the widely held belief that the kidnapping of China’s leader Chiang by two rebellious generals forced him to form a united front with the Communist Party to confront Japanese aggression, and of the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War 7 months later. It puts forth the interpretation that full-scale war between China and Japan was started not by Japan but by Chiang after a Japanese provocation, and the united front was only formed after Chiang ordered his best army units to attack Japanese forces in Shanghai in August 1937 turning it into the largest land battle after the First World War. It must be noted, however, that Japan acted provocatively and aggressively in a local incident outside Beijing a month earlier. Chiang decided on war not because he reached an agreement with the Chinese Communists to form a united front whilst a captive in Xian but because in Xian he received a signal from Josef Stalin that the Soviet Union would support him in a war with Japan. Chiang read Stalin right and the Soviet Union became the largest supplier of weapons to China in the first 4 years of China’s 8-year war with Japan. The hitherto unknown or “secret deal” Chiang made in Xian was an implicit one with Stalin, not with the Chinese Communist Party or its man on the spot Zhou Enlai
Confinement in Covariant Gauges
We examine the weak coupling limit of Euclidean SU(n) gauge theory in
covariant gauges. Following an earlier suggestion, an equivariant
BRST-construction is used to define the continuum theory on a finite torus. The
equivariant gauge fixing introduces constant ghost fields as moduli of the
model. We study the parameter- and moduli- space perturbatively. For quark flavors, the moduli flow to a non-trivial fixed point in certain
critical covariant gauges and the one-loop effective potential indicates that
the global SU(n) color symmetry of the gauge fixed model is spontaneously
broken to . Ward identities and renormalization group arguments
imply that the longitudinal gauge boson propagator at long range is dominated
by Goldstone bosons in these critical covariant gauges. In the large
limit, we derive a nonlinear integral equation for the expectation value of
large Wilson loops assuming that the exchange of Goldstone bosons dominates the
interaction at long range in critical covariant gauges. We find numerically
that the expectation value of large circular Wilson loops decreases
exponentially with the enclosed area in the absence of dynamical fermions. The
gauge invariance of this mechanism for confinement in critical covariant gauges
is discussed.Comment: 45 pages, Latex, uses psfig.sty and epsfig.sty to include
postscript-figure
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