5,728 research outputs found
Chaos in the Random Field Ising Model
The sensitivity of the random field Ising model to small random perturbations
of the quenched disorder is studied via exact ground states obtained with a
maximum-flow algorithm. In one and two space dimensions we find a mild form of
chaos, meaning that the overlap of the old, unperturbed ground state and the
new one is smaller than one, but extensive. In three dimensions the
rearrangements are marginal (concentrated in the well defined domain walls).
Implications for finite temperature variations and experiments are discussed.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX, 6 eps-figures include
Helical motion and the origin of QPO in blazar-type sources
Recent observations and analysis of blazar sources provide strong evidence
for (i) the presence of significant periodicities in their lightcurves and (ii)
the occurrence of helical trajectories in their radio jets. In scenarios, where
the periodicity is caused by differential Doppler boosting effects along a
helical jet path, both of these facts may be naturally tied together. Here we
discuss four possible driving mechanisms for the occurrence of helical
trajectories: orbital motion in a binary system, Newtonian-driven jet
precession, internal jet rotation and motion along a global helical magnetic
field. We point out that for non-ballistic helical motion the observed period
may appear strongly shortened due to classical travel time effects. Finally,
the possible relevance of the above mentioned driving mechanisms is discussed
for Mkn~501, OJ 287 and AO 0235+16.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure; presented at the 5th Microquasar Workshop,
Beijing, June 2004. Accepted for publication in the Chinese Journal of
Astronomy and Astrophysic
Non-thermal Processes in Black-Hole-Jet Magnetospheres
The environs of supermassive black holes are among the universe's most
extreme phenomena. Understanding the physical processes occurring in the
vicinity of black holes may provide the key to answer a number of fundamental
astrophysical questions including the detectability of strong gravity effects,
the formation and propagation of relativistic jets, the origin of the highest
energy gamma-rays and cosmic-rays, and the nature and evolution of the central
engine in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). As a step towards this direction, this
paper reviews some of the progress achieved in the field based on observations
in the very high energy domain. It particularly focuses on non-thermal particle
acceleration and emission processes that may occur in the rotating
magnetospheres originating from accreting, supermassive black hole systems.
Topics covered include direct electric field acceleration in the black hole's
magnetosphere, ultra-high energy cosmic ray production, Blandford-Znajek
mechanism, centrifugal acceleration and magnetic reconnection, along with the
relevant efficiency constraints imposed by interactions with matter, radiation
and fields. By way of application, a detailed discussion of well-known sources
(Sgr A*; Cen A; M87; NGC1399) is presented.Comment: invited review for International Journal of Modern Physics D, 49
pages, 15 figures; minor typos corrected to match published versio
Temperature Chaos in Two-Dimensional Ising Spin Glasses with Binary Couplings: a Further Case for Universality
We study temperature chaos in a two-dimensional Ising spin glass with random
quenched bimodal couplings, by an exact computation of the partition functions
on large systems. We study two temperature correlators from the total free
energy and from the domain wall free energy: in the second case we detect a
chaotic behavior. We determine and discuss the chaos exponent and the fractal
dimension of the domain walls.Comment: 5 pages, 6 postscript figures; added reference
Using network-flow techniques to solve an optimization problem from surface-physics
The solid-on-solid model provides a commonly used framework for the
description of surfaces. In the last years it has been extended in order to
investigate the effect of defects in the bulk on the roughness of the surface.
The determination of the ground state of this model leads to a combinatorial
problem, which is reduced to an uncapacitated, convex minimum-circulation
problem. We will show that the successive shortest path algorithm solves the
problem in polynomial time.Comment: 8 Pages LaTeX, using Elsevier preprint style (macros included
Random antiferromagnetic quantum spin chains: Exact results from scaling of rare regions
We study XY and dimerized XX spin-1/2 chains with random exchange couplings
by analytical and numerical methods and scaling considerations. We extend
previous investigations to dynamical properties, to surface quantities and
operator profiles, and give a detailed analysis of the Griffiths phase. We
present a phenomenological scaling theory of average quantities based on the
scaling properties of rare regions, in which the distribution of the couplings
follows a surviving random walk character. Using this theory we have obtained
the complete set of critical decay exponents of the random XY and XX models,
both in the volume and at the surface. The scaling results are confronted with
numerical calculations based on a mapping to free fermions, which then lead to
an exact correspondence with directed walks. The numerically calculated
critical operator profiles on large finite systems (L<=512) are found to follow
conformal predictions with the decay exponents of the phenomenological scaling
theory. Dynamical correlations in the critical state are in average
logarithmically slow and their distribution show multi-scaling character. In
the Griffiths phase, which is an extended part of the off-critical region
average autocorrelations have a power-law form with a non-universal decay
exponent, which is analytically calculated. We note on extensions of our work
to the random antiferromagnetic XXZ chain and to higher dimensions.Comment: 19 pages RevTeX, eps-figures include
On entanglement evolution across defects in critical chains
We consider a local quench where two free-fermion half-chains are coupled via
a defect. We show that the logarithmic increase of the entanglement entropy is
governed by the same effective central charge which appears in the ground-state
properties and which is known exactly. For unequal initial filling of the
half-chains, we determine the linear increase of the entanglement entropy.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, minor changes, reference adde
Computational Complexity of Determining the Barriers to Interface Motion in Random Systems
The low-temperature driven or thermally activated motion of several condensed
matter systems is often modeled by the dynamics of interfaces (co-dimension-1
elastic manifolds) subject to a random potential. Two characteristic
quantitative features of the energy landscape of such a many-degree-of-freedom
system are the ground-state energy and the magnitude of the energy barriers
between given configurations. While the numerical determination of the former
can be accomplished in time polynomial in the system size, it is shown here
that the problem of determining the latter quantity is NP-complete. Exact
computation of barriers is therefore (almost certainly) much more difficult
than determining the exact ground states of interfaces.Comment: 8 pages, figures included, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Dynamic Scaling in Diluted Systems Phase Transitions: Deactivation trough Thermal Dilution
Activated scaling is confirmed to hold in transverse field induced phase
transitions of randomly diluted Ising systems. Quantum Monte Carlo calculations
have been made not just at the percolation threshold but well bellow and above
it including the Griffiths-McCoy phase. A novel deactivation phenomena in the
Griffiths-McCoy phase is observed using a thermal (in contrast to random)
dilution of the system.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, RevTe
Sites for Gamma-ray Astronomy in Argentina
We have searched for possible sites in Argentina for the installation of
large air Cherenkov telescope arrays and water Cherenkov systems. At present
seven candidates are identified at altitudes from 2500 to 4500 m. The highest
sites are located at the Northwest of the country, in La Puna. Sites at 2500
and 3100 m are located in the West at El Leoncito Observatory, with excellent
infrastructure. A description of these candidate sites is presented with
emphasis on infrastructure and climatology.Comment: Submitted to Proceedings of "4th Heidelberg International Symposium
on High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy 2008
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