Probability Thermodynamics and Probability Quantum Field

In this paper, we introduce probability thermodynamics and probability quantum fields. By probability we mean that there is an unknown operator, physical or nonphysical, whose eigenvalues obey a certain statistical distribution. Eigenvalue spectra define spectral functions. Various thermodynamic quantities in thermodynamics and effective actions in quantum field theory are all spectral functions. In the scheme, eigenvalues obey a probability distribution, so a probability distribution determines a family of spectral functions in thermodynamics and in quantum field theory. This leads to probability thermodynamics and probability quantum fields determined by a probability distribution. There are two types of spectra: lower bounded spectra, corresponding to the probability distribution with nonnegative random variables, and the lower unbounded spectra, corresponding to probability distributions with negative random variables. For lower unbounded spectra, we use the generalized definition of spectral functions. In some cases, we encounter divergences. We remove the divergence by a renormalization procedure. Moreover, in virtue of spectral theory in physics, we generalize some concepts in probability theory. For example, the moment generating function in probability theory does not always exist. We redefine the moment generating function as the generalized heat kernel, which makes the concept definable when the definition in probability theory fails. As examples, we construct examples corresponding to some probability distributions. Thermodynamic quantities, vacuum amplitudes, one-loop effective actions, and vacuum energies for various probability distributions are presented

Reconciling the Quasar Microlensing Disc Size Problem with a Wind Model of Active Galactic Nucleus

Many analyses have concluded that the accretion disc sizes measured from the microlensing variability of quasars are larger than the expectations from the standard thin disc theory by a factor of $\sim4$. We propose a simply model by invoking a strong wind from the disc to flatten its radial temperature profile, which can then reconcile the size discrepancy problem. This wind model has been successfully applied to several microlensed quasars with a wind strength $s\lesssim1.3$ by only considering the inward decreasing of the mass accretion rate (where $s$ is defined through $\dot{M}(R)\propto({R}/{R_{0}})^{s}$ ). After further incorporating the angular momentum transferred by the wind, our model can resolve the disc size problem with an even lower wind parameter. The corrected disc sizes under the wind model are correlated with black hole masses with a slope in agreement with our modified thin disc model.Comment: 8 pages, MNRAS in pres

Synthesis of Three-Dimensional Nanocarbon Hybrids by Chemical Vapor Deposition

Carbon nanomaterials such as graphene, carbon nanotube (CNT), and carbon nanofiber (CNF) have received tremendous attentions in the past two decades due to their extraordinary mechanical strength and thermal and electrical properties. Recently, it indicates that three-dimensional (3D) nanocarbon hybrids overcome the weakness of individual low-dimensional nanocarbon materials and exhibit unique properties among carbon nanomaterials. Efforts have thus been made to acquire synergistic integration of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) carbon nanomaterials. Meanwhile, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a widespread and effective method of fabricating three-dimensional nanocarbon hybrids compared with other synthetic methods. In this case, a number of 3D nanocarbon hybrids are synthesized by using different precursors at diverse temperature, and the nanocarbon hybrids are expected to be a promising choice for various application areas in the future

Microbial communities and arsenic biogeochemistry at the outflow of an alkaline sulfide-rich hot spring.

Alkaline sulfide-rich hot springs provide a unique environment for microbial community and arsenic (As) biogeochemistry. In this study, a representative alkaline sulfide-rich hot spring, Zimeiquan in the Tengchong geothermal area, was chosen to study arsenic geochemistry and microbial community using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Over 0.26 million 16S rRNA sequence reads were obtained from 5-paired parallel water and sediment samples along the hot spring's outflow channel. High ratios of As(V)/AsSum (total combined arsenate and arsenite concentrations) (0.59-0.78), coupled with high sulfide (up to 5.87 mg/L), were present in the hot spring's pools, which suggested As(III) oxidation occurred. Along the outflow channel, AsSum increased from 5.45 to 13.86 μmol/L, and the combined sulfide and sulfate concentrations increased from 292.02 to 364.28 μmol/L. These increases were primarily attributed to thioarsenic transformation. Temperature, sulfide, As and dissolved oxygen significantly shaped the microbial communities between not only the pools and downstream samples, but also water and sediment samples. Results implied that the upstream Thermocrinis was responsible for the transformation of thioarsenic to As(III) and the downstream Thermus contributed to derived As(III) oxidation. This study improves our understanding of microbially-mediated As transformation in alkaline sulfide-rich hot springs