Thermodynamical quantities of lattice full QCD from an efficient method

I extend to QCD an efficient method for lattice gauge theory with dynamical fermions. Once the eigenvalues of the Dirac operator and the density of states of pure gluonic configurations at a set of plaquette energies (proportional to the gauge action) are computed, thermodynamical quantities deriving from the partition function can be obtained for arbitrary flavor number, quark masses and wide range of coupling constants, without additional computational cost. Results for the chiral condensate and gauge action are presented on the $10^4$ lattice at flavor number $N_f=0$, 1, 2, 3, 4 and many quark masses and coupling constants. New results in the chiral limit for the gauge action and its correlation with the chiral condensate, which are useful for analyzing the QCD chiral phase structure, are also provided.Comment: Latex, 11 figures, version accepted for publicatio

Bound States and Critical Behavior of the Yukawa Potential

We investigate the bound states of the Yukawa potential $V(r)=-\lambda \exp(-\alpha r)/ r$, using different algorithms: solving the Schr\"odinger equation numerically and our Monte Carlo Hamiltonian approach. There is a critical $\alpha=\alpha_C$, above which no bound state exists. We study the relation between $\alpha_C$ and $\lambda$ for various angular momentum quantum number $l$, and find in atomic units, $\alpha_{C}(l)= \lambda [A_{1} \exp(-l/ B_{1})+ A_{2} \exp(-l/ B_{2})]$, with $A_1=1.020(18)$, $B_1=0.443(14)$, $A_2=0.170(17)$, and $B_2=2.490(180)$.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables. Version to appear in Sciences in China

Improved lattice QCD with quarks: the 2 dimensional case

QCD in two dimensions is investigated using the improved fermionic lattice Hamiltonian proposed by Luo, Chen, Xu, and Jiang. We show that the improved theory leads to a significant reduction of the finite lattice spacing errors. The quark condensate and the mass of lightest quark and anti-quark bound state in the strong coupling phase (different from t'Hooft phase) are computed. We find agreement between our results and the analytical ones in the continuum.Comment: LaTeX file (including text + 10 figures

A review of net zero energy buildings in hot and humid climates: Experience learned from 34 case study buildings

Sustainable development in the building sector requires the integration of energy efficiency and renewable energy utilization in buildings. In recent years, the concept of net zero energy buildings (NZEBs) has become a potential plausible solution to improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption in buildings. To achieve an NZEB goal, building systems and design strategies must be integrated and optimized based on local climatic conditions. This paper provides a comprehensive review of NZEBs and their current development in hot and humid regions. Through investigating 34 NZEB cases around the world, this study summarized NZEB key design strategies, technology choices and energy performance. The study found that passive design and technologies such as daylighting and natural ventilation are often adopted for NZEBs in hot and humid climates, together with other energy efficient and renewable energy technologies. Most NZEB cases demonstrated site annual energy consumption intensity less than 100 kW-hours (kWh) per square meter of floor space, and some buildings even achieved “net-positive energy” (that is, they generate more energy locally than they consume). However, the analysis also shows that not all NZEBs are energy efficient buildings, and buildings with ample renewable energy adoption can still achieve NZEB status even with high energy use intensity. This paper provides in-depth case-study-driven analysis to evaluate NZEB energy performance and summarize best practices for high performance NZEBs. This review provides critical technical information as well as policy recommendations for net zero energy building development in hot and humid climates

Nanoindentation Of Si Nanostructures: Buckling And Friction At Nanoscales

A nanoindentation system was employed to characterize mechanical properties of silicon nanolines (SiNLs), which were fabricated by an anisotropic wet etching (AWE) process. The SiNLs had the linewidth ranging from 24 nm to 90 nm, having smooth and vertical sidewalls and the aspect ratio (height/linewidth) from 7 to 18. During indentation, a buckling instability was observed at a critical load, followed by a displacement burst without a load increase, then a full recovery of displacement upon unloading. This phenomenon was explained by two bucking modes. It was also found that the difference in friction at the contact between the indenter and SiNLs directly affected buckling response of these nanolines. The friction coefficient was estimated to be in a range of 0.02 to 0.05. For experiments with large indentation displacements, irrecoverable indentation displacements were observed due to fracture of Si nanolines, with the strain to failure estimated to be from 3.8% to 9.7%. These observations indicated that the buckling behavior of SiNLs depended on the combined effects of load, line geometry, and the friction at contact. This study demonstrated a valuable approach to fabrication of well-defined Si nanoline structures and the application of the nanoindentation method for investigation of their mechanical properties at the nanoscale.Microelectronics Research Cente

Optical properties of MgCNi3MgCNi_3 in the normal state

We present the optical reflectance and conductivity spectra for non-oxide antiperovskite superconductor $MgCNi_{3}$ at different temperatures. The reflectance drops gradually over a large energy scale up to 33,000 cm$^{-1}$, with the presence of several wiggles. The reflectance has slight temperature dependence at low frequency but becomes temperature independent at high frequency. The optical conductivity shows a Drude response at low frequencies and four broad absorption features in the frequency range from 600 $cm^{-1}$ to 33,000 $cm^{-1}$. We illustrate that those features can be well understood from the intra- and interband transitions between different components of Ni 3d bands which are hybridized with C 2p bands. There is a good agreement between our experimental data and the first-principle band structure calculations.Comment: 4 pages, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Hamiltonian lattice QCD at finite chemical potential

At sufficiently high temperature and density, quantum chromodynamics (QCD) is expected to undergo a phase transition from the confined phase to the quark-gluon plasma phase. In the Lagrangian lattice formulation the Monte Carlo method works well for QCD at finite temperature, however, it breaks down at finite chemical potential. We develop a Hamiltonian approach to lattice QCD at finite chemical potential and solve it in the case of free quarks and in the strong coupling limit. At zero temperature, we calculate the vacuum energy, chiral condensate, quark number density and its susceptibility, as well as mass of the pseudoscalar, vector mesons and nucleon. We find that the chiral phase transition is of first order, and the critical chemical potential is $\mu_C =m_{dyn}^{(0)}$ (dynamical quark mass at $\mu=0$). This is consistent with $\mu_C \approx M_N^{(0)}/3$ (where $M_N^{(0)}$ is the nucleon mass at $\mu=0$).Comment: Final version appeared in Phys. Rev.