3,885 research outputs found
Variable - temperature scanning optical and force microscope
The implementation of a scanning microscope capable of working in confocal,
atomic force and apertureless near field configurations is presented. The
microscope is designed to operate in the temperature range 4 - 300 K, using
conventional helium flow cryostats. In AFM mode, the distance between the
sample and an etched tungsten tip is controlled by a self - sensing
piezoelectric tuning fork. The vertical position of both the AFM head and
microscope objective can be accurately controlled using piezoelectric coarse
approach motors. The scanning is performed using a compact XYZ stage, while the
AFM and optical head are kept fixed, allowing scanning probe and optical
measurements to be acquired simultaneously and in concert. The free optical
axis of the microscope enables both reflection and transmission experiments to
be performed.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, submitted to the journal "Review of Scientific
Instruments
Towards a controlled study of the QCD critical point
The phase diagram of QCD, as a function of temperature T and quark chemical
potential mu, may contain a critical point (mu_E,T_E) whose non-perturbative
nature makes it a natural object of lattice studies. However, the sign problem
prevents the application of standard Monte Carlo techniques at non-zero baryon
density. We have been pursuing an approach free of the sign problem, where the
chemical potential is taken as imaginary and the results are Taylor-expanded in
mu/T about mu=0, then analytically continued to real mu.
Within this approach we have determined the sensitivity of the critical
chemical potential mu_E to the quark mass, d(\mu_E)^2/dm_q|_{\mu_E=0}. Our
study indicates that the critical point moves to {\em smaller} chemical
potential as the quark mass {\em increases}. This finding, contrary to common
wisdom, implies that the deconfinement crossover, which takes place in QCD at
mu=0 when the temperature is raised, will remain a crossover in the mu-region
where our Taylor expansion can be trusted. If this result, obtained on a coarse
lattice, is confirmed by simulations on finer lattices now in progress, then we
predict that no {\em chiral} critical point will be found for mu_B \lesssim 500
MeV, unless the phase diagram contains additional transitions.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, proceedings of Quark Matter 2008, Jaipur (India),
Feb. 2008, to appear in J. Phys.
Four-dimensional lattice results on the MSSM electroweak phase transition
We present the results of our large scale 4-dimensional (4d) lattice
simulations for the MSSM electroweak phase transition (EWPT). We carried out
infinite volume and continuum limit extrapolations and found a transition whose
strength agrees well with perturbation theory. We determined the properties of
the bubble wall that are important for a successful baryogenesis.Comment: 5 pages, 3figures. Talk presented at Johns Hopkins Workshop on
Nonperturbative Quantum Field Theory Methods and their Applications (19-21
August 2000.
EoS of finite density QCD with Wilson fermions by Multi-Parameter Reweighting and Taylor expansion
The equation of state (EoS), quark number density and susceptibility at
nonzero quark chemical potential are studied in lattice QCD simulations
with a clover-improved Wilson fermion of 2-flavors and RG-improved gauge
action. To access nonzero , we employ two methods : a multi-parameter
reweighting (MPR) in and and Taylor expansion in . The use
of a reduction formula for the Wilson fermion determinant enables to study the
reweighting factor in MPR explicitly and heigher-order coefficients in Taylor
expansion free from errors of noise method, although calculations are limited
to small lattice size. As a consequence, we can study the reliability of the
thermodynamical quantities through the consistency of the two methods, each of
which has different origin of the application limit.
The thermodynamical quantities are obtained from simulations on a lattice with an intermediate quark mass(. The MPR
and Taylor expansion are consistent for the EoS and number density up to
and for the number susceptibility up to . This
implies within a given statistics that the overlap problem for the MPR and
truncation error for the Taylor expansion method are negligible in these
regions.
In order to make MPR methods work, the fluctuation of the reweighting factor
should be small. We derive the equation of the reweighting line where the
fluctuation is small, and show that the equation of the reweighting line is
consistent with the fluctuation minimum condition.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures. Accepted to JHEP. Discussions are added.
Figures for Taylor coefficients (Fig. 7) are modifie
Modeling the dynamics of a tracer particle in an elastic active gel
The internal dynamics of active gels, both in artificial (in-vitro) model
systems and inside the cytoskeleton of living cells, has been extensively
studied by experiments of recent years. These dynamics are probed using tracer
particles embedded in the network of biopolymers together with molecular
motors, and distinct non-thermal behavior is observed. We present a theoretical
model of the dynamics of a trapped active particle, which allows us to quantify
the deviations from equilibrium behavior, using both analytic and numerical
calculations. We map the different regimes of dynamics in this system, and
highlight the different manifestations of activity: breakdown of the virial
theorem and equipartition, different elasticity-dependent "effective
temperatures" and distinct non-Gaussian distributions. Our results shed light
on puzzling observations in active gel experiments, and provide physical
interpretation of existing observations, as well as predictions for future
studies.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Electroweak Phase Transition in the MSSM: 4-Dimensional Lattice Simulations
Recent lattice results have shown that there is no Standard Model (SM)
electroweak phase transition (EWPT) for Higgs boson masses above \approx 72
GeV, which is below the present experimental limit. According to perturbation
theory and 3-dimensional (3d) lattice simulations there could be an EWPT in the
Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) that is strong enough for
baryogenesis up to m_h \approx 105 GeV. In this letter we present the results
of our large scale 4-dimensional (4d) lattice simulations for the MSSM EWPT. We
carried out infinite volume and continuum limits and found a transition whose
strength agrees well with perturbation theory, allowing MSSM electroweak
baryogenesis at least up to m_h = 103 \pm 4 GeV. We determined the properties
of the bubble wall that are important for a successful baryogenesis.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures included; lightest Higgs mass bound relaxed
(abstract, fig. 3 changed), version to appear in Phys. Rev. Letter
Technicolor and Beyond: Unification in Theory Space
The salient features of models of dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking are
reviewed. The ideal walking idea is introduced according to which one should
carefully take into account the effects of the extended technicolor dynamics on
the technicolor dynamics itself. The effects amount at the enhancement of the
anomalous dimension of the mass of the techniquarks allowing to decouple the
Flavor Changing Neutral Currents problem from the one of the generation of the
top mass. Precision data constraints are reviewed focussing on the latest
crucial observation that the S-parameter can be computed exactly near the upper
end of the conformal window (Conformal S-parameter) with relevant consequences
on the selection of nature's next strong force. We will then introduce the
Minimal Walking Technicolor (MWT) models. In the second part of this review we
consider the interesting possibility to marry supersymmetry and technicolor.
The reason is to provide a unification of different extensions of the standard
model. For example, this means that one can recover, according to the
parameters and spectrum of the theory distinct extensions of the standard
model, from supersymmetry to technicolor and unparticle physiscs. A surprising
result is that a minimal (in terms of the smallest number of fields)
supersymmetrization of the MWT model leads to the maximal supersymmetry in four
dimensions, i.e. N=4 SYM.Comment: Extended version of the PASCOS10 proceedings for the Plenary Tal
The QCD phase diagram at nonzero quark density
We determine the phase diagram of QCD on the \mu-T plane for small to
moderate chemical potentials. Two transition lines are defined with two
quantities, the chiral condensate and the strange quark number susceptibility.
The calculations are carried out on N_t =6,8 and 10 lattices generated with a
Symanzik improved gauge and stout-link improved 2+1 flavor staggered fermion
action using physical quark masses. After carrying out the continuum
extrapolation we find that both quantities result in a similar curvature of the
transition line. Furthermore, our results indicate that in leading order the
width of the transition region remains essentially the same as the chemical
potential is increased.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
320-Channel Dual Phase Lock-in Optical Spectrometer
The development of a multiple-channel lock-in optical spectrometer (LIOS) is
presented, which enables parallel phase-sensitive detection at the output of an
optical spectrometer. The light intensity from a spectrally broad source is
modulated at the reference frequency, and focused into a high-resolution
imaging spectrometer. The height at which the light enters the spectrometer is
controlled by an acousto-optic deflector, and the height information is
preserved at the output focal plane. A two-dimensional InGaAs focal plane array
collects light that has been dispersed in wavelength along the horizontal
direction, and in time along the vertical direction. The data is demodulated
using a high performance computer-based digital signal processor. This parallel
approach greatly enhances (by more than 100x) the speed at which spectrally
resolved lock-in data can be acquired. The noise performance of a working
system optimized for the 1300 nm wavelength range is analyzed using a laser
diode light source. Time-resolved absorption traces are obtained for InAs
quantum dots embedded in a GaAs matrix, and for dispersed films of PbSe
nanocrystals.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures, submitted to the journal "Review of Scientific
Instruments
Activity driven fluctuations in living cells
We propose a model for the dynamics of a probe embedded in a living cell,
where both thermal fluctuations and nonequilibrium activity coexist. The model
is based on a confining harmonic potential describing the elastic cytoskeletal
matrix, which undergoes random active hops as a result of the nonequilibrium
rearrangements within the cell. We describe the probe's statistics and we bring
forth quantities affected by the nonequilibrium activity. We find an excellent
agreement between the predictions of our model and experimental results for
tracers inside living cells. Finally, we exploit our model to arrive at
quantitative predictions for the parameters characterizing nonequilibrium
activity, such as the typical time scale of the activity and the amplitude of
the active fluctuations.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
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