1,023 research outputs found
Type-III and IV interacting Weyl points
3+1-dimensional Weyl fermions in interacting systems are described by
effective quasi-relativistic Green's functions parametrized by a 16 element
matrix in an expansion around the Weyl point. The matrix
can be naturally identified as an effective tetrad field for
the fermions. The correspondence between the tetrad field and an effective
quasi-relativistic metric governing the Weyl fermions allows for
the possibility to simulate different classes of metric fields emerging in
general relativity in interacting Weyl semimetals. According to this
correspondence, there can be four types of Weyl fermions, depending on the
signs of the components and of the effective metric. In
addition to the conventional type-I fermions with a tilted Weyl cone and
type-II fermions with an overtilted Weyl cone for and respectively
or , we find additional "type-III" and "type-IV" Weyl
fermions with instabilities (complex frequencies) for
or , respectively. While the type-I and type-II Weyl points allow us
to simulate the black hole event horizon at an interface where changes
sign, the type-III Weyl point leads to effective spacetimes with closed
timelike curves.Comment: 7 pages; journal versio
An RG potential for the quantum Hall effects
The phenomenological analysis of fully spin-polarized quantum Hall systems,
based on holomorphic modular symmetries of the renormalization group (RG) flow,
is generalized to more complicated situations where the spin or other "flavors"
of charge carriers are relevant, and where the symmetry is different. We make
the simplest possible ansatz for a family of RG potentials that can interpolate
between these symmetries. It is parametrized by a single number and we show
that this suffices to account for almost all scaling data obtained to date. The
potential is always symmetric under the main congruence group at level two, and
when takes certain values this symmetry is enhanced to one of the maximal
subgroups of the modular group. We compute the covariant RG -function,
which is a holomorphic vector field derived from the potential, and compare the
geometry of this gradient flow with available temperature driven scaling data.
The value of is determined from experiment by finding the location of a
quantum critical point, i.e., an unstable zero of the -function given by
a saddle point of the RG potential. The data are consistent with , which together with the symmetry leads to a generalized
semi-circle law.Comment: 10 figures, sligthly updated discussion and refs, accepted for PR
Dual gauge field theory of quantum liquid crystals in two dimensions
We present a self-contained review of the theory of dislocation-mediated
quantum melting at zero temperature in two spatial dimensions. The theory
describes the liquid-crystalline phases with spatial symmetries in between a
quantum crystalline solid and an isotropic superfluid: quantum nematics and
smectics. It is based on an Abelian-Higgs-type duality mapping of phonons onto
gauge bosons ("stress photons"), which encode for the capacity of the crystal
to propagate stresses. Dislocations and disclinations, the topological defects
of the crystal, are sources for the gauge fields and the melting of the crystal
can be understood as the proliferation (condensation) of these defects, giving
rise to the Anderson-Higgs mechanism on the dual side. For the liquid crystal
phases, the shear sector of the gauge bosons becomes massive signaling that
shear rigidity is lost. Resting on symmetry principles, we derive the
phenomenological imaginary time actions of quantum nematics and smectics and
analyze the full spectrum of collective modes. The quantum nematic is a
superfluid having a true rotational Goldstone mode due to rotational symmetry
breaking, and the origin of this 'deconfined' mode is traced back to the
crystalline phase. The two-dimensional quantum smectic turns out to be a
dizzyingly anisotropic phase with the collective modes interpolating between
the solid and nematic in a non-trivial way. We also consider electrically
charged bosonic crystals and liquid crystals, and carefully analyze the
electromagnetic response of the quantum liquid crystal phases. In particular,
the quantum nematic is a real superconductor and shows the Meissner effect.
Their special properties inherited from spatial symmetry breaking show up
mostly at finite momentum, and should be accessible by momentum-sensitive
spectroscopy.Comment: Review article, 137 pages, 32 figures. Accepted versio
Developing LCA-based benchmarks for sustainable consumption - for and with users
This article presents the development process of a consumer-oriented, illustrative benchmarking tool enabling consumers to use the results of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) to make informed decisions. Active and environmentally conscious consumers and environmental communicators were identified as key target groups for this type of information. A brochure presenting the benchmarking tool was developed as an participatory, iterative process involving consumer focus groups, stakeholder workshops and questionnaire-based feedback. In addition to learning what works and what does not, detailed suggestions on improved wording and figures were obtained, as well as a wealth of ideas for future applications
Cholesterol lowering efficacy of plant stanol ester in a new type of product matrix, a chewable dietary supplement
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol lowering efficacy of a new type of chewable plant stanol ester food supplement was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, controlled four-week intervention. The participants (LDL cholesterol > 3 mmol/L) consumed four supplements daily with meals either with (n = 50) or without (n = 53) plant stanol esters. Plant stanol ester supplement (2 g/d plant stanols) lowered LDL cholesterol by 7.6%, serum cholesterol by 4.9%, and non-high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol by 6.6% compared with controls (P <0.003). HDL cholesterol or serum triacylglycerol concentrations were unchanged. The taste of the supplement was considered good/very good by 68% of the responders, and convenience to consume it was considered easy/very easy by 78% of the responders. No side effects were reported. In conclusion, this new type of small-volume chewable plant stanol ester supplement lowered LDL cholesterol concentration in hypercholesterolemic subjects providing a convenient dietary tool to regulate circulating cholesterol levels. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe
Serum non-cholesterol sterols and cholesterol metabolism in childhood and adolescence
Background and aims: The profile of cholesterol metabolism, i.e., high absorption vs. high synthesis, may have a role in the development of atherosclerosis, the early lesions of which can be present already in childhood. Since there is no information on cholesterol metabolism in children from birth to adolescence, we evaluated cholesterol metabolism in 0-15 year-old children and adolescents without dyslipidemia. Methods: The study population consisted of 96 children (39 girls, 57 boys) divided into age groups Results: Serum non-cholesterol sterol ratios to cholesterol did not differ between gender. Cholesterol precursors squalene, cholestenol, and desmosterol were higher in the Conclusions: Serum non-cholesterol sterols had different individual profiles by age in childhood and adolescence. From 1 to 10 years of age, cholesterol absorption prevailed cholesterol synthesis. This novel finding emphasizes the importance of dietary aspects related to cardiovascular risk even from early childhood.Peer reviewe
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