Generalized Nonlinear Proca Equation and its Free-Particle Solutions

We introduce a non-linear extension of Proca's field theory for massive vector (spin $1$) bosons. The associated relativistic nonlinear wave equation is related to recently advanced nonlinear extensions of the Schroedinger, Dirac, and Klein-Gordon equations inspired on the non-extensive generalized thermostatistics. This is a theoretical framework that has been applied in recent years to several problems in nuclear and particle physics, gravitational physics, and quantum field theory. The nonlinear Proca equation investigated here has a power-law nonlinearity characterized by a real parameter $q$ (formally corresponding to the Tsallis entropic parameter) in such a way that the standard linear Proca wave equation is recovered in the limit $q \rightarrow 1$. We derive the nonlinear Proca equation from a Lagrangian that, besides the usual vectorial field $\Psi^{\mu}(\vec{x},t)$, involves an additional field $\Phi^{\mu}(\vec{x},t)$. We obtain exact time dependent soliton-like solutions for these fields having the form of a $q$-plane wave, and show that both field equations lead to the relativistic energy-momentum relation $E^{2} = p^{2}c^{2} + m^{2}c^{4}$ for all values of $q$. This suggests that the present nonlinear theory constitutes a new field theoretical representation of particle dynamics. In the limit of massless particles the present $q$-generalized Proca theory reduces to Maxwell electromagnetism, and the $q$-plane waves yield localized, transverse solutions of Maxwell equations. Physical consequences and possible applications are discussed

Effects of Random Biquadratic Couplings in a Spin-1 Spin-Glass Model

A spin-1 model, appropriated to study the competition between bilinear (J_{ij}S_{i}S_{j}) and biquadratic (K_{ij}S_{i}^{2}S_{j}^{2}) random interactions, both of them with zero mean, is investigated. The interactions are infinite-ranged and the replica method is employed. Within the replica-symmetric assumption, the system presents two phases, namely, paramagnetic and spin-glass, separated by a continuous transition line. The stability analysis of the replica-symmetric solution yields, besides the usual instability associated with the spin-glass ordering, a new phase due to the random biquadratic couplings between the spins.Comment: 16 pages plus 2 ps figure

A experiência da pessoa com dor oncológica na sua transcendência

Objetivo: compreender a experiência da pessoa com dor crónica do foro oncológico na sua transcendência. Método: metodologia de natureza qualitativa, utilizando a fenomenologia. Os participantes foram dez doentes do foro oncológico seguidos na consulta da dor e como instrumento de colheita de dados utilizámos a entrevista parcialmente estruturada. Resultados: a partir do agrupamento das unidades de significação, emergiram os temas centrais sendo um dos temas: a transcendência na experiência da pessoa com dor crónica do foro oncológico e, a partir do agrupamento das unidades de significação para este tema central, foram identificados os subtemas: esperança e força interior e, fé. Conclusão: a esperança é percecionada como uma força interior que conduz ao pensamento positivo. A fé, ao estabelecer uma crença com o transcendente ou o divino é concebida como conforto, como uma fonte de apoio e possibilidade de partilha

Spin-glass phase transition and behavior of nonlinear susceptibility in the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model with random fields

The behavior of the nonlinear susceptibility $\chi_3$ and its relation to the spin-glass transition temperature $T_f$, in the presence of random fields, are investigated. To accomplish this task, the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model is studied through the replica formalism, within a one-step replica-symmetry-breaking procedure. In addition, the dependence of the Almeida-Thouless eigenvalue $\lambda_{\rm AT}$ (replicon) on the random fields is analyzed. Particularly, in absence of random fields, the temperature $T_f$ can be traced by a divergence in the spin-glass susceptibility $\chi_{\rm SG}$, which presents a term inversely proportional to the replicon $\lambda_{\rm AT}$. As a result of a relation between $\chi_{\rm SG}$ and $\chi_3$, the latter also presents a divergence at $T_f$, which comes as a direct consequence of $\lambda_{\rm AT}=0$ at $T_f$. However, our results show that, in the presence of random fields, $\chi_3$ presents a rounded maximum at a temperature $T^{*}$, which does not coincide with the spin-glass transition temperature $T_f$ (i.e., $T^* > T_f$ for a given applied random field). Thus, the maximum value of $\chi_3$ at $T^*$ reflects the effects of the random fields in the paramagnetic phase, instead of the non-trivial ergodicity breaking associated with the spin-glass phase transition. It is also shown that $\chi_3$ still maintains a dependence on the replicon $\lambda_{\rm AT}$, although in a more complicated way, as compared with the case without random fields. These results are discussed in view of recent observations in the LiHo$_x$Y$_{1-x}$F$_4$ compound.Comment: accepted for publication in PR

Reaction cross-section predictions for nucleon induced reactions

A microscopic calculation of the optical potential for nucleon-nucleus scattering has been performed by explicitly coupling the elastic channel to all the particle-hole (p-h) excitation states in the target and to all relevant pickup channels. These p-h states may be regarded as doorway states through which the flux flows to more complicated configurations, and to long-lived compound nucleus resonances. We calculated the reaction cross sections for the nucleon induced reactions on the targets $^{40,48}$Ca, $^{58}$Ni, $^{90}$Zr and $^{144}$Sm using the QRPA description of target excitations, coupling to all inelastic open channels, and coupling to all transfer channels corresponding to the formation of a deuteron. The results of such calculations were compared to predictions of a well-established optical potential and with experimental data, reaching very good agreement. The inclusion of couplings to pickup channels were an important contribution to the absorption. For the first time, calculations of excitations account for all of the observed reaction cross-sections, at least for incident energies above 10 MeV.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. Submitted to INPC 2010 Conference Proceeding