Topological Background Fields as Quantum Degrees of Freedom of Compactified Strings

It is shown that background fields of a topological character usually introduced as such in compactified string theories correspond to quantum degrees of freedom which parametrise the freedom in choosing a representation of the zero mode quantum algebra in the presence of non-trivial topology. One consequence would appear to be that the values of such quantum degrees of freedom, in other words of the associated topological background fields, cannot be determined by the nonperturbative string dynamics.Comment: 1+10 pages, no figure

Gauge Invariant Factorisation and Canonical Quantisation of Topologically Massive Gauge Theories in Any Dimension

Abelian topologically massive gauge theories (TMGT) provide a topological mechanism to generate mass for a bosonic p-tensor field in any spacetime dimension. These theories include the 2+1 dimensional Maxwell-Chern-Simons and 3+1 dimensional Cremmer-Scherk actions as particular cases. Within the Hamiltonian formulation, the embedded topological field theory (TFT) sector related to the topological mass term is not manifest in the original phase space. However through an appropriate canonical transformation, a gauge invariant factorisation of phase space into two orthogonal sectors is feasible. The first of these sectors includes canonically conjugate gauge invariant variables with free massive excitations. The second sector, which decouples from the total Hamiltonian, is equivalent to the phase space description of the associated non dynamical pure TFT. Within canonical quantisation, a likewise factorisation of quantum states thus arises for the full spectrum of TMGT in any dimension. This new factorisation scheme also enables a definition of the usual projection from TMGT onto topological quantum field theories in a most natural and transparent way. None of these results rely on any gauge fixing procedure whatsoever.Comment: 1+25 pages, no figure

Random interactions and spin-glass thermodynamic transition in the hole-doped Haldane system Y2−x_{2-x}Cax_xBaNiO5_5

Magnetization, DC and AC bulk susceptibility of the $S$=1 Haldane chain system doped with electronic holes, Y$_{2-x}$Ca$_x$BaNiO$_5$ (0$\leq$x$\leq$0.20), have been measured and analyzed. The most striking results are (i) a sub-Curie power law behavior of the linear susceptibility, $\chi (T)$$\sim$ $T$$^{-\alpha}$, for temperature lower than the Haldane gap of the undoped compound (x=0) (ii) the existence of a spin-glass thermodynamic transition at $T$$_g$ = 2-3 K. These findings are consistent with (i) random couplings within the chains between the spin degrees of freedom induced by hole doping, (ii) the existence of ferromagnetic bonds that induce magnetic frustration when interchain interactions come into play at low temperature.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Exposure to Maternal Diabetes Is Associated With Early Abnormal Vascular Structure in Offspring

Aim/hypothesis: In utero exposure to maternal diabetes increases the risk of developing hypertension and cardiovascular disorders during adulthood. We have previously shown that this is associated with changes in vascular tone in favor of a vasoconstrictor profile, which is involved in the development of hypertension. This excessive constrictor tone has also a strong impact on vascular structure. Our objective was to study the impact of in utero exposure to maternal diabetes on vascular structure and remodeling induced by chronic changes in hemodynamic parameters. Methods and Results: We used an animal model of rats exposed in utero to maternal hyperglycemia (DMO), which developed hypertension at 6 months of age. At a pre-hypertensive stage (3 months of age), we observed deep structural modifications of the vascular wall without any hemodynamic perturbations. Indeed, in basal conditions, resistance arteries of DMO rats are smaller than those of control mother offspring (CMO) rats; in addition, large arteries like thoracic aorta of DMO rats have an increase of smooth muscle cell attachments to elastic lamellae. In an isolated perfused kidney, we also observed a leftward shift of the flow/pressure relationship, suggesting a rise in renal peripheral vascular resistance in DMO compared to CMO rats. In this context, we studied vascular remodeling in response to reduced blood flow by in vivo mesenteric arteries ligation. In DMO rats, inward remodeling induced by a chronic reduction in blood flow (1 or 3 weeks after ligation) did not occur by contrast to CMO rats in which arterial diameter decreased from 428 ± 17 μm to 331 ± 20 μm (at 125 mmHg, p = 0.001). In these animals, the transglutaminase 2 (TG2) pathway, essential for inward remodeling development in case of flow perturbations, was not activated in low-flow (LF) mesenteric arteries. Finally, in old hypertensive DMO rats (18 months of age), we were not able to detect a pressure-induced remodeling in thoracic aorta. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate for the first time that in utero exposure to maternal diabetes induces deep changes in the vascular structure. Indeed, the early narrowing of the microvasculature and the structural modifications of conductance arteries could be a pre-emptive adaptation to fetal programming of hypertension

Dynamics and transport in random quantum systems governed by strong-randomness fixed points

We present results on the low-frequency dynamical and transport properties of random quantum systems whose low temperature ($T$), low-energy behavior is controlled by strong disorder fixed points. We obtain the momentum and frequency dependent dynamic structure factor in the Random Singlet (RS) phases of both spin-1/2 and spin-1 random antiferromagnetic chains, as well as in the Random Dimer (RD) and Ising Antiferromagnetic (IAF) phases of spin-1/2 random antiferromagnetic chains. We show that the RS phases are unusual `spin metals' with divergent low-frequency spin conductivity at T=0, and we also follow the conductivity through novel `metal-insulator' transitions tuned by the strength of dimerization or Ising anisotropy in the spin-1/2 case, and by the strength of disorder in the spin-1 case. We work out the average spin and energy autocorrelations in the one-dimensional random transverse field Ising model in the vicinity of its quantum critical point. All of the above calculations are valid in the frequency dominated regime \omega \agt T, and rely on previously available renormalization group schemes that describe these systems in terms of the properties of certain strong-disorder fixed point theories. In addition, we obtain some information about the behavior of the dynamic structure factor and dynamical conductivity in the opposite `hydrodynamic' regime $\omega < T$ for the special case of spin-1/2 chains close to the planar limit (the quantum x-y model) by analyzing the corresponding quantities in an equivalent model of spinless fermions with weak repulsive interactions and particle-hole symmetric disorder.Comment: Long version (with many additional results) of Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 84}, 3434 (2000) (available as cond-mat/9904290); two-column format, 33 pages and 8 figure