Superheavy elements and an upper limit to the electric field strength

An upper limit to the electric field strength, such as that of the nonlinear electrodynamics of Born and Infeld, leads to dramatic differences in the energy eigenvalues and wave functions of atomic electrons bound to superheavy nuclei. For example, the 1s1/2 energy level joins the lower continuum at Z=215 instead of Z=174, the value obtained when Maxwell's equations are used to determine the electric field

Obstetrics and gynaecology

A review of publications relating to significant advances in the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynaecology over the past four years will be discussed: topics reviewed will have an important impact on reducing maternal/fetal morbidity and mortality and should improve on woman's health care.peer-reviewe

Vacuum Structure and Dark Energy

We consider that the universe is trapped in an excited vacuum state and the resulting excitation energy provides the observed dark energy. We explore the conditions under which this situation can arise from physics already known. Considering the example of how macroscopic QED fields alter the vacuum structure, we find that the energy scale 1 meV --- 1 eV is particularly interesting. We discuss how dark energy of this form is accessible to laboratory experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures; recognized for Honorable Mention in 2010 Gravity Research Foundation Awards for Essays on Gravitation, in press with Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Better Higgs-CP Tests Through Information Geometry

Measuring the CP symmetry in the Higgs sector is one of the key tasks of the LHC and a crucial ingredient for precision studies, for example in the language of effective Lagrangians. We systematically analyze which LHC signatures offer dedicated CP measurements in the Higgs-gauge sector, and discuss the nature of the information they provide. Based on the Fisher information measure, we compare the maximal reach for CP-violating effects in weak boson fusion, associated ZH production, and Higgs decays into four leptons. We find a subtle balance between more theory-independent approaches and more powerful analysis channels, indicating that rigorous evidence for CP violation in the Higgs-gauge sector will likely require a multi-step process.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figure

Centrality Dependence of Bulk Fireball Properties at RHIC

We explore the centrality dependence of properties of the dense hadronic matter created in \sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV Au--Au collisions at RHIC. Using the statistical hadronization model we fit particle yields known for 11 centrality bins. We present the resulting model parameters, rapidity yields of physical quantities and the physical properties of bulk matter at hadronization as function of centrality. We discuss the production of strangeness and entropy.Comment: 7 pages including 5 figures, 1 table: more information provided: figure 1 in lieu of work in progress defines phi-data, table for statistical parameters for all models as function of centrality, additional references and reference update, section captions, PRC `nearly to be published'.... look out for further updates, referees run amoc

Strong vs. Weak Coupling Duality and Coupling Dependence of the Kondo Temperature in the Two-Channel Kondo Model

We perform numerical renormalization group (NRG) as well as analytical calculations for the two-channel Kondo model to obtain the dependence of the Kondo temperature $T_K$ on the dimensionless (bare) spin exchange coupling $g$ over the complete parameter range from $g\ll 1$ to $g\gg 1$. We show that there exists a duality between the regimes of small and large coupling. It is unique for the two-channel model and enables a mapping between the strong and the weak coupling cases via the identification $g\leftrightarrow 3/(2g)$, implying an exponential dependence of $T_K$ on $1/g$ and $g$, respectively, in the two regimes. This agrees quantitatively with our NRG calculations where we extract $T_K(g)$ over the complete parameter range and obtain a non-monotonous $T_K(g)$ dependence, strongly peaked at the 2CK fixed point coupling $g^*$. These results may be relevant for resolving the long-standing puzzle within the 2CK interpretation of certain random defect systems, why no broad distribution of $T_K$ is observed in those systems.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures; PRB published version, shortened, nomenclature clarifie