Divisors on Rational Normal Scrolls

Let $A$ be the homogeneous coordinate ring of a rational normal scroll. The ring $A$ is equal to the quotient of a polynomial ring $S$ by the ideal generated by the two by two minors of a scroll matrix $\psi$ with two rows and $\ell$ catalecticant blocks. The class group of $A$ is cyclic, and is infinite provided $\ell$ is at least two. One generator of the class group is $[J]$, where $J$ is the ideal of $A$ generated by the entries of the first column of $\psi$. The positive powers of $J$ are well-understood, in the sense that the $n^{\text{th}}$ ordinary power, the $n^{th}$ symmetric power, and the $n^{th}$ symbolic power all coincide and therefore all three $n^{th}$ powers are resolved by a generalized Eagon-Northcott complex. The inverse of $[J]$ in the class group of $A$ is $[K]$, where $K$ is the ideal generated by the entries of the first row of $\psi$. We study the positive powers of $[K]$. We obtain a minimal generating set and a Groebner basis for the preimage in $S$ of the symbolic power $K^{(n)}$. We describe a filtration of $K^{(n)}$ in which all of the factors are Cohen-Macaulay $S$-modules resolved by generalized Eagon-Northcott complexes. We use this filtration to describe the modules in a finely graded resolution of $K^{(n)}$ by free $S$-modules. We calculate the regularity of the graded $S$-module $K^{(n)}$ and we show that the symbolic Rees ring of $K$ is Noetherian.Comment: 32 page

Phase Boundary of the Boson Mott Insulator in a Rotating Optical Lattice

We consider the Bose-Hubbard model in a two dimensional rotating optical lattice and investigate the consequences of the effective magnetic field created by rotation. Using a Gutzwiller type variational wavefunction, we find an analytical expression for the Mott insulator(MI)-Superfluid(SF) transition boundary in terms of the maximum eigenvalue of the Hofstadter butterfly. The dependence of phase boundary on the effective magnetic field is complex, reflecting the self-similar properties of the single particle energy spectrum. Finally, we argue that fractional quantum Hall phases exist close to the MI-SF transition boundaries, including MI states with particle densities greater than one.Comment: 5 pages,3 figures. High resolution figures available upon reques

A study of singularities on rational curves via syzygies

Consider a rational projective curve C of degree d over an algebraically closed field k. There are n homogeneous forms g_1,...,g_n of degree d in B=k[x,y] which parameterize C in a birational, base point free, manner. We study the singularities of C by studying a Hilbert-Burch matrix phi for the row vector [g_1,...,g_n]. In the "General Lemma" we use the generalized row ideals of phi to identify the singular points on C, their multiplicities, the number of branches at each singular point, and the multiplicity of each branch. Let p be a singular point on the parameterized planar curve C which corresponds to a generalized zero of phi. In the "Triple Lemma" we give a matrix phi' whose maximal minors parameterize the closure, in projective 2-space, of the blow-up at p of C in a neighborhood of p. We apply the General Lemma to phi' in order to learn about the singularities of C in the first neighborhood of p. If C has even degree d=2c and the multiplicity of C at p is equal to c, then we apply the Triple Lemma again to learn about the singularities of C in the second neighborhood of p. Consider rational plane curves C of even degree d=2c. We classify curves according to the configuration of multiplicity c singularities on or infinitely near C. There are 7 possible configurations of such singularities. We classify the Hilbert-Burch matrix which corresponds to each configuration. The study of multiplicity c singularities on, or infinitely near, a fixed rational plane curve C of degree 2c is equivalent to the study of the scheme of generalized zeros of the fixed balanced Hilbert-Burch matrix phi for a parameterization of C.Comment: Typos corrected and minor changes made. To appear in the Memoirs of the AM

Spin drag in an ultracold Fermi gas on the verge of a ferromagnetic instability

Recent experiments [Jo et al., Science 325, 1521 (2009)] have presented evidence of ferromagnetic correlations in a two-component ultracold Fermi gas with strong repulsive interactions. Motivated by these experiments we consider spin drag, i.e., frictional drag due to scattering of particles with opposite spin, in such systems. We show that when the ferromagnetic state is approached from the normal side, the spin drag relaxation rate is strongly enhanced near the critical point. We also determine the temperature dependence of the spin diffusion constant. In a trapped gas the spin drag relaxation rate determines the damping of the spin dipole mode, which therefore provides a precursor signal of the ferromagnetic phase transition that may be used to experimentally determine the proximity to the ferromagnetic phase.Comment: 4 pages, 3 fig

P-band in a rotating optical lattice

We investigate the effects of rotation on the excited bands of a tight binding lattice, focusing particulary on the first excited (p-) band. Both the on-site energies and the hopping between lattice sites are modified by the effective magnetic field created by rotation, causing a non-trivial splitting and magnetic fine structure of the p-band. We show that Peierls substitution can be modified to describe p-band under rotation, and use this method to derive an effective Hamiltonian. We compare the spectrum of the effective Hamiltonian with a first principles calculation of the magnetic band structure and find excellent agreement, confirming the validity of our approach. We also discuss the on-site interaction terms for bosons and argue that many-particle phenomena in a rotating p-band can be investigated starting from this effective Hamiltonian.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, new discussion of effective Hamiltonian, references adde