Turbulence and turbulent pattern formation in a minimal model for active fluids

Active matter systems display a fascinating range of dynamical states, including stationary patterns and turbulent phases. While the former can be tackled with methods from the field of pattern formation, the spatio-temporal disorder of the active turbulence phase calls for a statistical description. Borrowing techniques from turbulence theory, we here establish a quantitative description of correlation functions and spectra of a minimal continuum model for active turbulence. Further exploring the parameter space, we also report on a surprising type of turbulence-driven pattern formation far beyond linear onset: the emergence of a dynamic hexagonal vortex lattice state after an extended turbulent transient, which can only be explained taking into account turbulent energy transfer across scales.Comment: Supplemental videos available at https://youtu.be/gbf6cRho03w https://youtu.be/n0qUUhAUJFQ https://youtu.be/LGmamkM012

Gravitational Correction to Running of Gauge Couplings

We calculate the contribution of graviton exchange to the running of gauge couplings at lowest non-trivial order in perturbation theory. Including this contribution in a theory that features coupling constant unification does not upset this unification, but rather shifts the unification scale. When extrapolated formally, the gravitational correction renders all gauge couplings asymptotically free.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; v2: Clarified awkward sentences and notations. Corrected typos. Added references and discussion thereof in introduction. Minor copy editting changes to agree with version to be published in Physical Review Letter

Higher-Dimensional QCD without the Strong CP Problem

QCD in a five-dimensional sliced bulk with chiral extra-quarks on the boundaries is generically free from the strong CP problem. Accidental axial symmetry is naturally present except for suppressed breaking interactions, which plays a role of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry to make the strong CP phase sufficiently small.Comment: 7 pages, late

Gravity: A New Holographic Perspective

A general paradigm for describing classical (and semiclassical) gravity is presented. This approach brings to the centre-stage a holographic relationship between the bulk and surface terms in a general class of action functionals and provides a deeper insight into several aspects of classical gravity which have no explanation in the conventional approach. After highlighting a series of unresolved issues in the conventional approach to gravity, I show that (i) principle of equivalence, (ii) general covariance and (iii)a reasonable condition on the variation of the action functional, suggest a generic Lagrangian for semiclassical gravity of the form $L=Q_a^{bcd}R^a_{bcd}$ with $\nabla_b Q_a^{bcd}=0$. The expansion of $Q_a^{bcd}$ in terms of the derivatives of the metric tensor determines the structure of the theory uniquely. The zeroth order term gives the Einstein-Hilbert action and the first order correction is given by the Gauss-Bonnet action. Any such Lagrangian can be decomposed into a surface and bulk terms which are related holographically. The equations of motion can be obtained purely from a surface term in the gravity sector. Hence the field equations are invariant under the transformation $T_{ab} \to T_{ab} + \lambda g_{ab}$ and gravity does not respond to the changes in the bulk vacuum energy density. The cosmological constant arises as an integration constant in this approach. The implications are discussed.Comment: Plenary talk at the International Conference on Einstein's Legacy in the New Millennium, December 15 - 22, 2005, Puri, India; to appear in the Proceedings to be published in IJMPD; 16 pages; no figure

The Unbearable Beingness of Light, Dressing and Undressing Photons in Black Hole Spacetimes

Gravitational tidal forces acting on the virtual e+ e- cloud surrounding a photon endow spacetime with a non-trivial refractive index. This has remarkable properties unique to gravitational theories including superluminal low-frequency propagation, in apparent violation of causality, and amplification of the renormalized photon field, in apparent violation of unitarity. Using the geometry of null congruences and the Penrose limit, we illustrate these phenomena and their resolution by tracing the history of a photon as it falls into the near-singularity region of a black hole.Comment: 8 pages, Essay awarded third prize in the Gravity Research Foundation essay competition 201

Introduction to {\it Quantum Matter}

This paper records my opening remarks at Nobel Symposium 148, on Graphene and Quantum Matter, at Saltsj\"obaden, Sweden, in June 2010. After some broad comments on the quantum theory of matter as a frontier of physics, and some slightly more particular comments about re-quantization, I report on the universal geometry that arises in a refined discussion of quantum-mechanical level crossing.Comment: 12 pages, 1 table; Opening talk at at Nobel Symposium 148, on Graphene and Quantum Matter, at Saltsj\"obaden, Sweden, in June 2010, to be published in the Proceeedings (Physica Scripta). v. 2: Some garbling in equation 1 correcte

Quantum Numbers of Textured Hall Effect Quasiparticles

We propose a class of variational wave functions with slow variation in spin and charge density and simple vortex structure at infinity, which properly generalize both the Laughlin quasiparticles and baby Skyrmions. We argue that the spin of the corresponding quasiparticle has a fractional part related in a universal fashion to the properties of the bulk state, and propose a direct experimental test of this claim. We show that certain spin-singlet quantum Hall states can be understood as arising from primary polarized states by Skyrmion condensation.Comment: 13 pages, no figures, Phyzz

Theory for the single-point velocity statistics of fully developed turbulence

We investigate the single-point velocity probability density function (PDF) in three-dimensional fully developed homogeneous isotropic turbulence within the framework of PDF equations focussing on deviations from Gaussianity. A joint analytical and numerical analysis shows that these deviations may be quantified studying correlations of dynamical quantities like pressure gradient, external forcing and energy dissipation with the velocity. A stationary solution for the PDF equation in terms of these quantities is presented, and the theory is validated with the help of direct numerical simulations indicating sub-Gaussian tails of the PDF.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, corrected typo in eq. (4

Schr\"{o}dinger Fields on the Plane with non-Abelian Chern-Simons Interactions

Physical content of the nonrelativistic quantum field theory with non-Abelian Chern-Simons interactions is clarified with the help of the equivalent first- quantized description which we derive in any physical gauge.Comment: 12 pages, LaTex, SNUTP 94-1

Comments on ``Lattice Formulation of the Standard Model'' by Creutz. et. al

The main construction of the paper in the title [hep-lat/9612017] is summarized using more standard particle physics language. Also, a flaw is pointed out and several objections to the more general thoughts expressed by Creutz et. al. are raised.Comment: 5 pages, plain Te