A Note on Asymptotic Freedom at High Temperatures

This short note considers, within the external field approach outlined in hep-ph/0202026, the role of the lowest lying gluon Landau mode in QCD in the high temperature limit. Its influence on a temperature- and field-dependent running coupling constant is examined. The thermal imaginary part of the mode is temperature-independent in our approach and exactly cancels the well-known zero temperature imaginary part, thus rendering the Savvidy vacuum stable. Combining the real part of the mode with the contributions from the higher lying Landau modes and the vacuum contribution, a field-independent coupling alpha_s(T) is obtained. It can be interpreted as the ordinary zero temperature running coupling constant with average thermal momenta \approx 2pi T for gluons and \approx pi T for quarks.Comment: 4 pages; minor changes, version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Generalized Robba rings

We prove that any projective coadmissible module over the locally analytic distribution algebra of a compact $p$-adic Lie group is finitely generated. In particular, the category of coadmissible modules does not have enough projectives. In the Appendix a "generalized Robba ring" for uniform pro-$p$ groups is constructed which naturally contains the locally analytic distribution algebra as a subring. The construction uses the theory of generalized microlocalization of quasi-abelian normed algebras that is also developed there. We equip this generalized Robba ring with a self-dual locally convex topology extending the topology on the distribution algebra. This is used to show some results on coadmissible modules.Comment: with an appendix by Peter Schneider; revised; new titl

X-ray Lighthouses of the High-Redshift Universe. II. Further Snapshot Observations of the Most Luminous z>4 Quasars with Chandra

We report on Chandra observations of a sample of 11 optically luminous (Mb<-28.5) quasars at z=3.96-4.55 selected from the Palomar Digital Sky Survey and the Automatic Plate Measuring Facility Survey. These are among the most luminous z>4 quasars known and hence represent ideal witnesses of the end of the "dark age ''. Nine quasars are detected by Chandra, with ~2-57 counts in the observed 0.5-8 keV band. These detections increase the number of X-ray detected AGN at z>4 to ~90; overall, Chandra has detected ~85% of the high-redshift quasars observed with snapshot (few kilosecond) observations. PSS 1506+5220, one of the two X-ray undetected quasars, displays a number of notable features in its rest-frame ultraviolet spectrum, the most prominent being broad, deep SiIV and CIV absorption lines. The average optical-to-X-ray spectral index for the present sample (=-1.88+/-0.05) is steeper than that typically found for z>4 quasars but consistent with the expected value from the known dependence of this spectral index on quasar luminosity. We present joint X-ray spectral fitting for a sample of 48 radio-quiet quasars in the redshift range 3.99-6.28 for which Chandra observations are available. The X-ray spectrum (~870 counts) is well parameterized by a power law with Gamma=1.93+0.10/-0.09 in the rest-frame ~2-40 keV band, and a tight upper limit of N_H~5x10^21 cm^-2 is obtained on any average intrinsic X-ray absorption. There is no indication of any significant evolution in the X-ray properties of quasars between redshifts zero and six, suggesting that the physical processes of accretion onto massive black holes have not changed over the bulk of cosmic time.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A

Quasideuteron configurations in 46V and 58Cu

The data on low spin states in the odd-odd nuclei 46V and 58Cu investigated with the 46Ti(p,ngamma)46V, 32S(16O,pn)46V and 58Ni(p,ngamma)58Cu reactions at the FN-TANDEM accelerator in Cologne are reported. The states containing large quasideuteron components are identified from the strong isovector M1 transitions, from shell model calculations and from experimental data for low-lying states.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, proceedings of the "Nuclear Structure 2000" conference, East Lansing, Michigan, USA, August 15-19, 2000; to appear in Nucl. Phys.

Feasibility study of a 110 watt per kilogram lightweight solar array system

An investigation of the feasibility of a solar array panel subsystem which will produce 10,000 watts of electrical output at 1 A.U. with an overall beginning-of-life power-to-weight ratio of at least 110 watt/kg is reported. A description of the current baseline configuration which meets these requirements is presented. A parametric analysis of the single boom, two blanket planar solar array system was performed to arrive at the optimum system aspect ratio. A novel concept for the stiffening of a lightweight solar array by canting the solar cell blankets at a small angle to take advantage of the inherent in-plane stiffness to increase the symmetric out-of-plane frequency is introduced along with a preliminary analysis of the stiffening effect. A comparison of welded and soldered solar cell interconnections leads to the conclusion that welding is required on this ultralightweight solar array. The use of a boron/aluminum composite material in a BI-STEM type deployable boom is investigated as a possible advancement in the state-of-the-art

Finite-size and pressure effects in YBa_2Cu_4O_8 probed by magnetic field penetration depth measurements

We explore the combined pressure and finite-size effects on the in-plane penetration depth \lambda_{ab} in YBa_2Cu_4O_8. Even though this cuprate is stoichiometric the finite-size scaling analysis of \lambda_{ab}^{-2}(T) uncovers the granular nature and reveals domains with nanoscale size L_{c} along the c-axis. L_{c} ranges from 33.2 Angstrom to 28.9 Angstrom at pressures from 0.5 to 11.5 kbar. These observations raise serious doubts on the existence of a phase coherent macroscopic superconducting state in cuprate superconductors.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

The Heavy Quark Form Factors at Two Loops

We compute the two-loop QCD corrections to the heavy quark form factors in case of the vector, axial-vector, scalar and pseudo-scalar currents up to second order in the dimensional parameter $\epsilon = (4-D)/2$. These terms are required in the renormalization of the higher order corrections to these form factors.Comment: 131 pages, 3 figure

Heavy quark form factors at two loops in perturbative QCD

We present the results for heavy quark form factors at two-loop order in perturbative QCD for different currents, namely vector, axial-vector, scalar and pseudo-scalar currents, up to second order in the dimensional regularization parameter. We outline the necessary computational details, ultraviolet renormalization and corresponding universal infrared structure.Comment: 13 pages Latex, Proceedings of XLI International Conference of Theoretical Physics "Matter to the Deepest", Podlesice, Poland, September 3-8, 2017 and RADCOR 2017, St.~Gilgen Austria, Sept 24-29, 201

Low-Spin Spectroscopy of 50Mn

The data on low spin states in the odd-odd nucleus 50Mn investigated with the 50Cr(p,ngamma)50Mn fusion evaporation reaction at the FN-TANDEM accelerator in Cologne are reported. Shell model and collective rotational model interpretations of the data are given.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, to be published in the proceedings of the "Bologna 2000 - Structure of the Nucleus at the Dawn of the Century" Conference, (Bologna, Italy, May 29 - June 3, 2000