Exotic solutions in string theory

Solutions of classical string theory, correspondent to the world sheets, mapped in Minkowsky space with a fold, are considered. Typical processes for them are creation of strings from vacuum, their recombination and annihilation. These solutions violate positiveness of square of mass and Regge condition. In quantum string theory these solutions correspond to physical states |DDF>+|sp> with non-zero spurious component.Comment: accepted in Il Nuovo Cimento A for publication in 199

Henry F. Johnson, Professor of Law (1981-2008), St. Mary’s University School of Law

As a way to deal with his loss, this eulogy honors Henry Johnson (1942-2008) by focusing on ten good things about him. As a former English teacher, he valued clarity and precision, which reflects another good thing about Henry: the importance of strong organization. His zest for travel enabled him to share voluminous details about countless countries around the world, including where the best restaurants and wineries were. No description would be complete without emphasizing his love for golf, but the most important thing about Henry was the way he cared for his family, friends, and animals

Curve crossing in linear potential grids: the quasidegeneracy approximation

The quasidegeneracy approximation [V. A. Yurovsky, A. Ben-Reuven, P. S. Julienne, and Y. B. Band, J. Phys. B {\bf 32}, 1845 (1999)] is used here to evaluate transition amplitudes for the problem of curve crossing in linear potential grids involving two sets of parallel potentials. The approximation describes phenomena, such as counterintuitive transitions and saturation (incomplete population transfer), not predictable by the assumption of independent crossings. Also, a new kind of oscillations due to quantum interference (different from the well-known St\"uckelberg oscillations) is disclosed, and its nature discussed. The approximation can find applications in many fields of physics, where multistate curve crossing problems occur.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, 8 PostScript figures, uses REVTeX and psfig, submitted to Physical Review

Relativistic Coulomb problem for particles with arbitrary half-integer spin

Using relativistic tensor-bispinorial equations proposed in hep-th/0412213 we solve the Kepler problem for a charged particle with arbitrary half-integer spin interacting with the Coulomb potential.Comment: Misprints are correcte

Resonantly suppressed transmission and anomalously enhanced light absorption in ultrathin metal films

We study light diffraction in the periodically modulated ultrathin metal films both analytically and numerically. Without modulation these films are almost transparent. The periodicity results in the anomalous effects, such as suppression of the transmittance accompanied by a strong enhancement of the absorptivity and specular reflectivity, due to excitation of the surface plasmon polaritons. These phenomena are opposite to the widely known enhanced transparency of periodically modulated optically thick metal films. Our theoretical analysis can be a starting point for the experimental investigation of these intriguing phenomena.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure