1,238 research outputs found
Holographic Lovelock Gravities and Black Holes
We study holographic implications of Lovelock gravities in AdS spacetimes.
For a generic Lovelock gravity in arbitrary spacetime dimensions we formulate
the existence condition for asymptotically AdS black holes. We consider small
fluctuations around these black holes and determine the constraint on Lovelock
parameters by demanding causality of the boundary theory. For the case of cubic
Lovelock gravity in seven spacetime dimensions we compute the holographic Weyl
anomaly and determine the three point functions of the stress energy tensor in
the boundary CFT. Remarkably, these correlators happen to satisfy the same
relation as the one imposed by supersymmetry. We then compute the energy flux;
requiring it to be positive is shown to be completely equivalent to requiring
causality of the finite temperature CFT dual to the black hole. These
constraints are not stringent enough to place any positive lower bound on the
value of viscosity. Finally, we conjecture an expression for the energy flux
valid for any Lovelock theory in arbitrary dimensions.Comment: 31 pages, 1 figure, harvmac, references added, calculation of
viscosity/entropy ratio include
Black holes and black branes in Lifshitz spacetimes
We construct analytic solutions describing black holes and black branes in
asymptotically Lifshitz spacetimes with arbitrary dynamical exponent z and for
arbitrary number of dimensions. The model considered consists of Einstein
gravity with negative cosmological constant, a scalar, and N U(1) gauge fields
with dilatonic-like couplings. We study the phase diagrams and thermodynamic
instabilities of the solution, and find qualitative differences between the
cases with 12.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures; v2 references added, minor comments adde
Lifshitz black holes in string theory
We provide the first black hole solutions with Lifshitz asymptotics found in
string theory. These are expected to be dual to models enjoying anisotropic
scale invariance with dynamical exponent z=2 at finite temperature. We employ a
consistent truncation of type IIB supergravity to four dimensions with an
arbitrary 5-dimensional Einstein manifold times a circle as internal geometry.
New interesting features are found that significantly differ from previous
results in phenomenological models. In particular, small black holes are shown
to be thermodynamically unstable, analogously to the usual AdS-Schwarzschild
black holes, and extremality is never reached. This signals a possible
Hawking-Page like phase transition at low temperatures.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures. v2 references adde
Atomic-scale combination of germanium-zinc nanofibers for structural and electrochemical evolution
Alloys are recently receiving considerable attention in the community of rechargeable batteries as possible alternatives to carbonaceous negative electrodes; however, challenges remain for the practical utilization of these materials. Herein, we report the synthesis of germanium-zinc alloy nanofibers through electrospinning and a subsequent calcination step. Evidenced by in situ transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy characterizations, this one-dimensional design possesses unique structures. Both germanium and zinc atoms are homogenously distributed allowing for outstanding electronic conductivity and high available capacity for lithium storage. The as-prepared materials present high rate capability (capacity of similar to 50% at 20 C compared to that at 0.2 C-rate) and cycle retention (73% at 3.0 C-rate) with a retaining capacity of 546 mAh g(-1) even after 1000 cycles. When assembled in a full cell, high energy density can be maintained during 400 cycles, which indicates that the current material has the potential to be used in a large-scale energy storage system
Zero Sound in Strange Metallic Holography
One way to model the strange metal phase of certain materials is via a
holographic description in terms of probe D-branes in a Lifshitz spacetime,
characterised by a dynamical exponent z. The background geometry is dual to a
strongly-interacting quantum critical theory while the probe D-branes are dual
to a finite density of charge carriers that can exhibit the characteristic
properties of strange metals. We compute holographically the low-frequency and
low-momentum form of the charge density and current retarded Green's functions
in these systems for massless charge carriers. The results reveal a
quasi-particle excitation when z<2, which in analogy with Landau Fermi liquids
we call zero sound. The real part of the dispersion relation depends on
momentum k linearly, while the imaginary part goes as k^2/z. When z is greater
than or equal to 2 the zero sound is not a well-defined quasi-particle. We also
compute the frequency-dependent conductivity in arbitrary spacetime dimensions.
Using that as a measure of the charge current spectral function, we find that
the zero sound appears only when the spectral function consists of a single
delta function at zero frequency.Comment: 20 pages, v2 minor corrections, extended discussion in sections 5 and
6, added one footnote and four references, version published in JHE
A de Sitter Hoedown
Rotating black holes in de Sitter space are known to have interesting limits
where the temperatures of the black hole and cosmological horizon are equal. We
give a complete description of the thermal phase structure of all allowed
rotating black hole configurations. Only one configuration, the rotating Nariai
limit, has the black hole and cosmological horizons both in thermal and
rotational equilibrium, in that both the temperatures and angular velocities of
the two horizons coincide. The thermal evolution of the spacetime is shown to
lead to the pure de Sitter spacetime, which is the most entropic configuration.
We then provide a comprehensive study of the wave equation for a massless
scalar in the rotating Nariai geometry. The absorption cross section at the
black hole horizon is computed and a condition is found for when the scattering
becomes superradiant. The boundary-to-boundary correlators at finite
temperature are computed at future infinity. The quasinormal modes are obtained
in explicit form. Finally, we obtain an expression for the expectation value of
the number of particles produced at future infinity starting from a vacuum
state with no incoming particles at past infinity. Some of our results are used
to provide further evidence for a recent holographic proposal between the
rotating Nariai geometry and a two-dimensional conformal field theory.Comment: 35 + 1 pages, 9 figures; v3: typos correcte
Diboson-Jets and the Search for Resonant Zh Production
New particles at the TeV-scale may have sizeable decay rates into boosted
Higgs bosons or other heavy scalars. Here, we investigate the possibility of
identifying such processes when the Higgs/scalar subsequently decays into a
pair of W bosons, constituting a highly distinctive "diboson-jet." These can
appear as a simple dilepton (plus MET) configuration, as a two-prong jet with
an embedded lepton, or as a four-prong jet. We study jet substructure methods
to discriminate these objects from their dominant backgrounds. We then
demonstrate the use of these techniques in the search for a heavy spin-one Z'
boson, such as may arise from strong dynamics or an extended gauge sector,
utilizing the decay chain Z' -> Zh -> Z(WW^(*)). We find that modes with
multiple boosted hadronic Zs and Ws tend to offer the best prospects for the
highest accessible masses. For 100/fb luminosity at the 14 TeV LHC, Z' decays
into a standard 125 GeV Higgs can be observed with 5-sigma significance for
masses of 1.5-2.5 TeV for a range of models. For a 200 GeV Higgs (requiring
nonstandard couplings, such as fermiophobic), the reach may improve to up to
2.5-3.0 TeV.Comment: 23 pages plus appendices, 9 figure
The inflammatory microenvironment in colorectal neoplasia
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
The distinct category of healthcare associated bloodstream infections
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bloodstream infections (BSI) have been traditionally classified as either community acquired (CA) or hospital acquired (HA) in origin. However, a third category of healthcare-associated (HCA) community onset disease has been increasingly recognized. The objective of this study was to compare and contrast characteristics of HCA-BSI with CA-BSI and HA-BSI.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All first episodes of BSI occurring among adults admitted to hospitals in a large health region in Canada during 2000-2007 were identified from regional databases. Cases were classified using a series of validated algorithms into one of HA-BSI, HCA-BSI, or CA-BSI and compared on a number of epidemiologic, microbiologic, and outcome characteristics.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 7,712 patients were included; 2,132 (28%) had HA-BSI, 2,492 (32%) HCA-BSI, and 3,088 (40%) had CA-BSI. Patients with CA-BSI were significantly younger and less likely to have co-morbid medical illnesses than patients with HCA-BSI or HA-BSI (p < 0.001). The proportion of cases in males was higher for HA-BSI (60%; p < 0.001 vs. others) as compared to HCA-BSI or CA-BSI (52% and 54%; p = 0.13). The proportion of cases that had a poly-microbial etiology was significantly lower for CA-BSI (5.5%; p < 0.001) compared to both HA and HCA (8.6 vs. 8.3%). The median length of stay following BSI diagnosis 15 days for HA, 9 days for HCA, and 8 days for CA (p < 0.001). Overall the most common species causing bloodstream infection were <it>Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus</it>, and <it>Streptococcus pneumoniae</it>. The distribution and relative rank of importance of these species varied according to classification of acquisition. Twenty eight day all cause case-fatality rates were 26%, 19%, and 10% for HA-BSI, HCA-BSI, and CA-BSI, respectively (p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Healthcare-associated community onset infections are distinctly different from CA and HA infections based on a number of epidemiologic, microbiologic, and outcome characteristics. This study adds further support for the classification of community onset BSI into separate CA and HCA categories.</p
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