197 research outputs found
Criticality and Bifurcation in the Gravitational Collapse of a Self-Coupled Scalar Field
We examine the gravitational collapse of a non-linear sigma model in
spherical symmetry. There exists a family of continuously self-similar
solutions parameterized by the coupling constant of the theory. These solutions
are calculated together with the critical exponents for black hole formation of
these collapse models. We also find that the sequence of solutions exhibits a
Hopf-type bifurcation as the continuously self-similar solutions become
unstable to perturbations away from self-similarity.Comment: 18 pages; one figure, uuencoded postscript; figure is also available
at http://www.physics.ucsb.edu/people/eric_hirschman
Constraints on diffuse neutrino background from primordial black holes
We calculated the energy spectra and the fluxes of electron neutrino emitted
in the process of evaporation of primordial black holes (PBHs) in the early
universe. It was assumed that PBHs are formed by a blue power-law spectrum of
primordial density fluctuations. We obtained the bounds on the spectral index
of density fluctuations assuming validity of the standard picture of
gravitational collapse and using the available data of several experiments with
atmospheric and solar neutrinos. The comparison of our results with the
previous constraints (which had been obtained using diffuse photon background
data) shows that such bounds are quite sensitive to an assumed form of the
initial PBH mass function.Comment: 18 pages,(with 7 figures
Exact boundary conditions at finite distance for the time-dependent Schrodinger equation
Exact boundary conditions at finite distance for the solutions of the
time-dependent Schrodinger equation are derived. A numerical scheme based on
Crank-Nicholson method is proposed to illustrate its applicability in several
examples.Comment: Latex.tar.gz file, 20 pages, 9 figure
Thermodynamic perturbation theory for dipolar superparamagnets
Thermodynamic perturbation theory is employed to derive analytical
expressions for the equilibrium linear susceptibility and specific heat of
lattices of anisotropic classical spins weakly coupled by the dipole-dipole
interaction. The calculation is carried out to the second order in the coupling
constant over the temperature, while the single-spin anisotropy is treated
exactly. The temperature range of applicability of the results is, for weak
anisotropy (A/kT << 1), similar to that of ordinary high-temperature
expansions, but for moderately and strongly anisotropic spins (A/kT > 1) it can
extend down to the temperatures where the superparamagnetic blocking takes
place (A/kT \sim 25), provided only the interaction strength is weak enough.
Besides, taking exactly the anisotropy into account, the results describe as
particular cases the effects of the interactions on isotropic (A = 0) as well
as strongly anisotropic (A \to \infty) systems (discrete orientation model and
plane rotators).Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure
Supergauge interactions and electroweak baryogenesis
We present a complete treatment of the diffusion processes for supersymmetric
electroweak baryogenesis that characterizes transport dynamics ahead of the
phase transition bubble wall within the symmetric phase. In particular, we
generalize existing approaches to distinguish between chemical potentials of
particles and their superpartners. This allows us to test the assumption of
superequilibrium (equal chemical potentials for particles and sparticles) that
has usually been made in earlier studies. We show that in the Minimal
Supersymmetric Standard Model, superequilibrium is generically maintained --
even in the absence of fast supergauge interactions -- due to the presence of
Yukawa interactions. We provide both analytic arguments as well as illustrative
numerical examples. We also extend the latter to regions where analytical
approximations are not available since down-type Yukawa couplings or supergauge
interactions only incompletely equilibrate. We further comment on cases of
broken superequilibrium wherein a heavy superpartner decouples from the
electroweak plasma, causing a kinematic bottleneck in the chain of
equilibrating reactions. Such situations may be relevant for baryogenesis
within extensions of the MSSM. We also provide a compendium of inputs required
to characterize the symmetric phase transport dynamics.Comment: 49 pages, 9 figure
A jump-growth model for predator-prey dynamics: derivation and application to marine ecosystems
This paper investigates the dynamics of biomass in a marine ecosystem. A
stochastic process is defined in which organisms undergo jumps in body size as
they catch and eat smaller organisms. Using a systematic expansion of the
master equation, we derive a deterministic equation for the macroscopic
dynamics, which we call the deterministic jump-growth equation, and a linear
Fokker-Planck equation for the stochastic fluctuations. The McKendrick--von
Foerster equation, used in previous studies, is shown to be a first-order
approximation, appropriate in equilibrium systems where predators are much
larger than their prey. The model has a power-law steady state consistent with
the approximate constancy of mass density in logarithmic intervals of body mass
often observed in marine ecosystems. The behaviours of the stochastic process,
the deterministic jump-growth equation and the McKendrick--von Foerster
equation are compared using numerical methods. The numerical analysis shows two
classes of attractors: steady states and travelling waves.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures. Final version as published. Only minor change
Ab Initio Calculation of the Lattice Distortions induced by Substitutional Ag- and Cu- Impurities in Alkali Halide Crystals
An ab initio study of the doping of alkali halide crystals (AX: A = Li, Na,
K, Rb; X = F, Cl, Br, I) by ns2 anions (Ag- and Cu-) is presented. Large active
clusters with 179 ions embedded in the surrounding crystalline lattice are
considered in order to describe properly the lattice relaxation induced by the
introduction of substitutional impurities. In all the cases considered, the
lattice distortions imply the concerted movement of several shells of
neighbors. The shell displacements are smaller for the smaller anion Cu-, as
expected. The study of the family of rock-salt alkali halides (excepting CsF)
allows us to extract trends that might be useful at a predictive level in the
study of other impurity systems. Those trends are presented and discussed in
terms of simple geometric arguments.Comment: LaTeX file. 8 pages, 3 EPS pictures. New version contains
calculations of the energy of formation of the defects with model clusters of
different size
Observing the First Stars and Black Holes
The high sensitivity of JWST will open a new window on the end of the
cosmological dark ages. Small stellar clusters, with a stellar mass of several
10^6 M_sun, and low-mass black holes (BHs), with a mass of several 10^5 M_sun
should be directly detectable out to redshift z=10, and individual supernovae
(SNe) and gamma ray burst (GRB) afterglows are bright enough to be visible
beyond this redshift. Dense primordial gas, in the process of collapsing from
large scales to form protogalaxies, may also be possible to image through
diffuse recombination line emission, possibly even before stars or BHs are
formed. In this article, I discuss the key physical processes that are expected
to have determined the sizes of the first star-clusters and black holes, and
the prospect of studying these objects by direct detections with JWST and with
other instruments. The direct light emitted by the very first stellar clusters
and intermediate-mass black holes at z>10 will likely fall below JWST's
detection threshold. However, JWST could reveal a decline at the faint-end of
the high-redshift luminosity function, and thereby shed light on radiative and
other feedback effects that operate at these early epochs. JWST will also have
the sensitivity to detect individual SNe from beyond z=10. In a dedicated
survey lasting for several weeks, thousands of SNe could be detected at z>6,
with a redshift distribution extending to the formation of the very first stars
at z>15. Using these SNe as tracers may be the only method to map out the
earliest stages of the cosmic star-formation history. Finally, we point out
that studying the earliest objects at high redshift will also offer a new
window on the primordial power spectrum, on 100 times smaller scales than
probed by current large-scale structure data.Comment: Invited contribution to "Astrophysics in the Next Decade: JWST and
Concurrent Facilities", Astrophysics & Space Science Library, Eds. H.
Thronson, A. Tielens, M. Stiavelli, Springer: Dordrecht (2008
The Max-Planck-Institute global ocean/sea ice model with orthogonal curvilinear coordinates
The Hamburg Ocean Primitive Equation model has undergone significant development in recent years. Most notable is the treatment of horizontal discretisation which has undergone transition from a staggered E-grid to an orthogonal curvilinear C-grid. The treatment of subgridscale mixing has been improved by the inclusion of a new formulation of bottom boundary layer (BBL) slope convection, an isopycnal diffusion scheme, and a Gent and McWilliams style eddy-induced mixing parameterisation. The model setup described here has a north pole over Greenland and a south pole on the coast of the Weddell Sea. This gives relatively high resolution in the sinking regions associated with the thermohaline circulation. Results are presented from a 450 year climatologically forced integration. The forcing is a product of the German Ocean Model Intercomparison Project and is derived from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting reanalysis. The main emphasis is on the model's representation of key quantities that are easily associated with the ocean's role in the global climate system. The global and Atlantic northward poleward heat transports have peaks of 1.43 and 0.84 PW, at 18degrees and 21degrees N respectively. The Atlantic meridional overturning streamfunction has a peak of 15.7 Sv in the North Atlantic and an outflow of 11.9 Sv at 30degrees S. Comparison with a simulation excluding BBL shows that the scheme is responsible for up to a 25% increase in North Atlantic heat transport, with significant improvement of the depths of convection in the Greenland, Labrador and Irminger Seas. Despite the improvements, comparison with observations shows the heat transport still to be too weak. Other outstanding problems include an incorrect Gulf Stream pathway, a too strong Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and a too weak renewal of Antarctic Intermediate Water. Nevertheless, the model has been coupled to the atmospheric GCM ECHAM5 and run successfully for over 250 years without any surface flux corrections. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
Spin dynamics in semiconductors
This article reviews the current status of spin dynamics in semiconductors
which has achieved a lot of progress in the past years due to the fast growing
field of semiconductor spintronics. The primary focus is the theoretical and
experimental developments of spin relaxation and dephasing in both spin
precession in time domain and spin diffusion and transport in spacial domain. A
fully microscopic many-body investigation on spin dynamics based on the kinetic
spin Bloch equation approach is reviewed comprehensively.Comment: a review article with 193 pages and 1103 references. To be published
in Physics Reports
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