1,074 research outputs found
Free Fermionic Heterotic Model Building and Root Systems
We consider an alternative derivation of the GSO Projection in the free
fermionic construction of the weakly coupled heterotic string in terms of root
systems, as well as the interpretation of the GSO Projection in this picture.
We then present an algorithm to systematically and efficiently generate input
sets (i.e. basis vectors) in order to study Landscape statistics with minimal
computational cost. For example, the improvement at order 6 is approximately
10^{-13} over a traditional brute force approach, and improvement increases
with order. We then consider an example of statistics on a relatively simple
class of models.Comment: Standard Latex, 12 page
Coarse-grained simulation of amphiphilic self-assembly
We present a computer simulation study of amphiphilic self assembly performed using a computationally efficient single-site model based on Gay-Berne and Lennard-Jones particles. Molecular dynamics simulations of these systems show that free self-assembly of micellar, bilayer and inverse micelle arrangements can be readily achieved for a single model parameterisation. This self-assembly is predominantly driven by the anisotropy of the amphiphile-solvent interaction, amphiphile-amphiphile interactions being found to be of secondary importance. While amphiphile concentration is the main determinant of phase stability, molecular parameters such as headgroup size and interaction strength also have measurable affects on system properties. </p
Phenomenology of A Three-Family Standard-like String Model
We discuss the phenomenology of a three-family supersymmetric Standard-like
Model derived from the orientifold construction, in which the ordinary chiral
states are localized at the intersection of branes at angles. In addition to
the Standard Model group, there are two additional U(1)' symmetries, one of
which has family non-universal and therefore flavor changing couplings, and a
quasi-hidden non-abelian sector which becomes strongly coupled above the
electroweak scale. The perturbative spectrum contains a fourth family of exotic
(SU(2)- singlet) quarks and leptons, in which, however, the left-chiral states
have unphysical electric charges. It is argued that these decouple from the low
energy spectrum due to hidden sector charge confinement, and that anomaly
matching requires the physical left-chiral states to be composites. The model
has multiple Higgs doublets and additional exotic states. The moduli-dependent
predictions for the gauge couplings are discussed. The strong coupling agrees
with experiment for reasonable moduli, but the electroweak couplings are too
small.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figure
Minimal Standard Heterotic String Models
Three generation heterotic-string vacua in the free fermionic formulation
gave rise to models with solely the MSSM states in the observable Standard
Model charged sector. The relation of these models to Z_2 x Z_2 orbifold
compactifications dictates that they produce three pairs of untwisted Higgs
multiplets. The reduction to one pair relies on the analysis of supersymmetric
flat directions, that give superheavy mass to the dispensable Higgs states. We
explore the removal of the extra Higgs representations by using the free
fermion boundary conditions and hence directly at the string level, rather than
in the effective low energy field theory. We present a general mechanism that
achieves this reduction by using asymmetric boundary conditions between the
left- and right-moving internal fermions. We incorporate this mechanism in
explicit string models containing three twisted generations and a single
untwisted Higgs doublet pair. We further demonstrate that an additional effect
of the asymmetric boundary conditions is to substantially reduce the
supersymmetric moduli space.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX; added reference
Nematic-Isotropic Transition with Quenched Disorder
Nematic elastomers do not show the discontinuous, first-order, phase
transition that the Landau-De Gennes mean field theory predicts for a
quadrupolar ordering in 3D. We attribute this behavior to the presence of
network crosslinks, which act as sources of quenched orientational disorder. We
show that the addition of weak random anisotropy results in a singular
renormalization of the Landau-De Gennes expression, adding an energy term
proportional to the inverse quartic power of order parameter Q. This reduces
the first-order discontinuity in Q. For sufficiently high disorder strength the
jump disappears altogether and the phase transition becomes continuous, in some
ways resembling the supercritical transitions in external field.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, to be published on PR
Left-Right Symmetric Heterotic-String Derived Models
Recently it was demonstrated that free fermionic heterotic-strings can
produce models with solely the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model states in
the low energy spectrum. This unprecedented result provides further strong
evidence for the possibility that the true string vacuum shares some of the
properties of the free fermionic models. Past free fermionic models have
focused on several possible unbroken observable SO(10) subgroups at the string
scale, which include the flipped SU(5) (FSU5), the Pati-Salam (PS) string
models, and the string Standard-like Models (SLM). We extend this study to
include the case in which the SO(10) symmetry is broken to the Left-Right
Symmetric (LRS) gauge group, SO(10) -> SU(3)_C X U(1)_{B-L} X SU(2)_L X
SU(2)_R. We present several models of this type and discuss their
phenomenological features. The most striking new outcome of the LRS string
models, in contrast to the case of the FSU5, the PS, and the SLM string models,
is that they can produce effective field theories that are free of Abelian
anomalies. We discuss the distinction between the two types of free fermionic
models which result in the presence, or absence, of an anomalous U(1). As a
counter example we also present a LRS model that does contain an anomalous
U(1). Additionally, we discuss how in string models the Standard Model spectrum
may arise from the three \mbf 16 representations of SO(10), while the
weak-hypercharge does not have the canonical SO(10) embedding.Comment: 39 pages. Standard Latex. Version to appear in PR
Physics Implications of Flat Directions in Free Fermionic Superstring Models II: Renormalization Group Analysis
We continue the investigation of the physics implications of a class of flat
directions for a prototype quasi-realistic free fermionic string model (CHL5),
building upon the results of the previous paper in which the complete mass
spectrum and effective trilinear couplings of the observable sector were
calculated to all orders in the superpotential. We introduce soft supersymmetry
breaking mass parameters into the model, and investigate the gauge symmetry
breaking patterns and the renormalization group analysis for two representative
flat directions, which leave an additional as well as the SM gauge
group unbroken at the string scale. We study symmetry breaking patterns that
lead to a phenomenologically acceptable hierarchy, and for electroweak and intermediate
scale symmetry breaking, respectively, and the associated mass
spectra after electroweak symmetry breaking. The fermion mass spectrum exhibits
unrealistic features, including massless exotic fermions, but has an
interesting -quark hierarchy and associated CKM matrix in one case. There
are (some) non-canonical effective terms, which lead to a non-minimal
Higgs sector with more than two Higgs doublets involved in the symmetry
breaking, and a rich structure of Higgs particles, charginos, and neutralinos,
some of which, however, are massless or ultralight. In the electroweak scale
cases the scale of supersymmetry breaking is set by the mass, with the
sparticle masses in the several TeV range.Comment: 38 pages, 5 figures, LaTex. Minor correction
The ins and outs of participation in a weather information system
In this paper our aim is to show even though access to technology, information or data holds the potential for improved participation, participation is wired into a larger network of actors, artefacts and information practices. We draw on a case study of a weather information system developed and implemented by a non-profit organisation to both describe the configuration of participation, but also critically assess inclusion and exclusion. We present a set of four questions - a basic, practical toolkit - by which we together with the organisation made sense of and evaluated participation in the system
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