Inertial Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking and Quantum Scale Invariance

Weyl invariant theories of scalars and gravity can generate all mass scales spontaneously, initiated by a dynamical process of "inertial spontaneous symmetry breaking" that does not involve a potential. This is dictated by the structure of the Weyl current, $K_\mu$, and a cosmological phase during which the universe expands and the Einstein-Hilbert effective action is formed. Maintaining exact Weyl invariance in the renormalised quantum theory is straightforward when renormalisation conditions are referred back to the VEV's of fields in the action of the theory, which implies a conserved Weyl current. We do not require scale invariant regulators. We illustrate the computation of a Weyl invariant Coleman-Weinberg potential

Inflation in a scale invariant universe

A scale-invariant universe can have a period of accelerated expansion at early times: inflation. We use a frame-invariant approach to calculate inflationary observables in a scale invariant theory of gravity involving two scalar fields - the spectral indices, the tensor to scalar ratio, the level of isocurvature modes and non-Gaussianity. We show that scale symmetry leads to an exact cancellation of isocurvature modes and that, in the scale-symmetry broken phase, this theory is well described by a single scalar field theory. We find the predictions of this theory strongly compatible with current observations.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures; v2: minor clarifications added, matches published versio

Encapsulation of a {Cu16} cluster containing four [Cu4O4] cubanes within an isopolyoxometalate {W44} cluster

We report a {Cu16} embedded within a {W44} cluster containing four cubane-like [Cu4O4] units within an isopolyoxotungstate (isoPOT) in a {Na4Cu4[(H2W11O38) (CH3COO)(OH)3]}4·88H2O (1) and a polyanion Cu-linked {W11} chain Na6Cu2[(H2W11O38)(CH3COO)(OH)]·26H2O (2). Electronically, the redox properties show that both compounds 1 and 2 undergo irreversible reductions resulting in the demetalation of the compounds, whilst the magnetic behavior of 1 and 2 shows a weak antiferromagnetic and a stronger ferromagnetic coupling, respectively

PASCAL VOC Challenge “Lifetime Achievement ” Prize 2010

Outstanding Reviewer Award CVPR 201