Effect of neutrino trapping on the three flavor FFLO phase of QCD

We compute the effect of a non-zero lepton chemical potential on the structure of the three flavor Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) phase of QCD at finite temperature. We show that, as in the BCS case, the lepton chemical potential favors two-species color superconductivity and disfavors the three species pairing. We stress that this study could be relevant for the cooling of a proto-neutron star with a FFLO core, if the temperatures are higher than the un-trapping temperature.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, RevTeX4 class. Changed Fig. 2 (see text) and some reference adde

Energy density fluctuations in Early Universe

The primordial nucleosinthesys of the element can be influenced by the transitions of phase that take place after the Big Bang, such as the QCD transition. In order to study the effect of this phase transition, in this work we compute the time evolution of thermodynamical quantities of the early universe, focusing on temperature and energy density fluctuations, by solving the relevant equations of motion using as input the lattice QCD equation of state to describe the strongly interacting matter in the early universe plasma. We also study the effect of a primordial strong magnetic field by means of a phenomenological equation of state. Our results show that small inhomogeneities of strongly interacting matter in the early Universe are moderately damped during the crossover.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Talk given at Sventh European Summer School on Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics, 15-27 September 2013, Santa Tecla (CT) - Ital

Elliptic Flow from Non-equilibrium Initial Condition with a Saturation Scale

A current goal of relativistic heavy ion collisions experiments is the search for a Color Glass Condensate as the limiting state of QCD matter at very high density. In viscous hydrodynamics simulations, a standard Glauber initial condition leads to estimate $4\pi \eta/s \sim 1$, while a Color Glass Condensate modeling leads to at least a factor of 2 larger $\eta/s$. Within a kinetic theory approach based on a relativistic Boltzmann-like transport simulation, we point out that the out-of-equilibrium initial distribution proper of a Color Glass Condensate reduces the efficiency in building-up the elliptic flow. Our main result at RHIC energy is that the available data on $v_2$ are in agreement with a $4\pi \eta/s \sim 1$ also for Color Glass Condensate initial conditions, opening the possibility to describe self-consistently also higher order flow, otherwise significantly underestimated, and to pursue further the search for signatures of the Color Glass Condensate.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. // Title changed, some discussion added, main conclusions unchanged. Version accepted for publication on Phys. Lett.

Critical Endpoint and Inverse Magnetic Catalysis for Finite Temperature and Density Quark Matter in a Magnetic Background

In this article we study chiral symmetry breaking for quark matter in a magnetic background, $\bm B$, at finite temperature and quark chemical potential, $\mu$, making use of the Ginzburg-Landau effective action formalism. As a microscopic model to compute the effective action we use the renormalized quark-meson model. Our main goal is to study the evolution of the critical endpoint, ${\cal CP}$, as a function of the magnetic field strength, and investigate on the realization of inverse magnetic catalysis at finite chemical potential. We find that the phase transition at zero chemical potential is always of the second order; for small and intermediate values of $\bm B$, ${\cal CP}$ moves towards small $\mu$, while for larger $\bm B$ it moves towards moderately larger values of $\mu$. Our results are in agreement with the inverse magnetic catalysis scenario at finite chemical potential and not too large values of the magnetic field, while at larger $\bm B$ direct magnetic catalysis sets in.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Gaiola vs Borbone system: a comparison between 18th Century anti-seismic case studies

This article briefly discusses the seismic-resistant heritage of the 18th century, circumscribed in Lisbon's Baixa Pombalina (post 1755) and case baraccate of Southern Italy (post 1783).A comparison of these anti-seismic systems is discussed through the architectural principles and the mechanical behavior. It is shown that, despite the wide diversity of cases and the different geo-historical conditioning, both systems arise from an intuition of the compound seismic efficiency, the typical pragmatism of the enlightenment period and an interpretation of the classic composition code.Two specific case studies, a private building in Baixa Pombalina (Lisbon) and the Bishop's Palace of Mileto (Calabria region) are compared. We briefly analyze: (i) configuration and structural principles; (ii) characteristics of the materials; and (iii) seismic behavior.A standardized spatial morphology closely linked to traditional construction techniques positively determines the seismic response and it is one of the key common factors in this heritage to be preserved.In both cases, the architectural and structural choices are crucial to the seismic response of the building and must be respected as an identity of a specific technical knowledge. Moreover, this materiality represents a historical continuity of the community's memory that requires transdisciplinary, critical understanding, and preservation.info:eu-repo/semantics/submittedVersio

Chiral magnetic effect in the PNJL model

We study the two-flavor Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model with the Polyakov loop (PNJL model) in the presence of a strong magnetic field and a chiral chemical potential $\mu_5$ which mimics the effect of imbalanced chirality due to QCD instanton and/or sphaleron transitions. Firstly we focus on the properties of chiral symmetry breaking and deconfinement crossover under the strong magnetic field. Then we discuss the role of $\mu_5$ on the phase structure. Finally the chirality charge, electric current, and their susceptibility, which are relevant to the Chiral Magnetic Effect, are computed in the model.Comment: Some reference added. Minor revisions. One figure added. To appear on Phys. Rev.