In medium T-matrix for nuclear matter with three-body forces - binding energy and single particle properties

We present spectral calculations of nuclear matter properties including three-body forces. Within the in-medium T-matrix approach, implemented with the CD-Bonn and Nijmegen potentials plus the three-nucleon Urbana interaction, we compute the energy per particle in symmetric and neutron matter. The three-body forces are included via an effective density dependent two-body force in the in-medium T-matrix equations. After fine tuning the parameters of the three-body force to reproduce the phenomenological saturation point in symmetric nuclear matter, we calculate the incompressibility and the energy per particle in neutron matter. We find a soft equation of state in symmetric nuclear matter but a relatively large value of the symmetry energy. We study the the influence of the three-body forces on the single-particle properties. For symmetric matter the spectral function is broadened at all momenta and all densities, while an opposite effect is found for the case of neutrons only. Noticeable modification of the spectral functions are realized only for densities above the saturation density. The modifications of the self-energy and the effective mass are not very large and appear to be strongly suppressed above the Fermi momentum.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figure

Effect of Hund's exchange on the spectral function of a triply orbital degenerate correlated metal

We present an approach based on the dynamical mean field theory which is able to give the excitation spectrum of a triply degenerate Hubbard model with a Hund's exchange invariant under spin rotation. The lattice problem can be mapped onto a local Anderson model containing 64 local eigenstates. This local problem is solved by a generalized non-crossing approximation. The influence of Hund's coupling J is examined in detail for metallic states close to the metal insulator transition. The band-filling is shown to play a crucial role concerning the effect of J on the low energy dynamics.Comment: Phys. Rev. B (In Press

Dephasing in matter-wave interferometry

We review different attempts to show the decoherence process in double-slit-like experiments both for charged particles (electrons) and neutral particles with permanent dipole moments. Interference is studied when electrons or atomic systems are coupled to classical or quantum electromagnetic fields. The interaction between the particles and time-dependent fields induces a time-varying Aharonov phase. Averaging over the phase generates a suppression of fringe visibility in the interference pattern. We show that, for suitable experimental conditions, the loss of contrast for dipoles can be almost as large as the corresponding one for coherent electrons and therefore, be observed. We analyze different trajectories in order to show the dependence of the decoherence factor with the velocity of the particles.Comment: 9 pages, 1 eps-figure. To appear in J. Phys. A: Math. Ge

How to get from imaginary to real chemical potential

Using the exactly solvable Gross-Neveu model as theoretical laboratory, we analyse in detail the relationship between a relativistic quantum field theory at real and imaginary chemical potential. We find that one can retrieve the full information about the phase diagram of the theory from an imaginary chemical potential calculation. The prerequisite is to evaluate and analytically continue the effective potential for the chiral order parameter, rather than thermodynamic observables or phase boundaries. In the case of an inhomogeneous phase, one needs to compute the full effective action, a functional of the space-dependent order parameter, at imaginary chemical potential.Comment: revtex, 9 pages, 10 figures; v2: add more references, modify concluding sectio

Automorphic Lie algebras and modular forms

We introduce and study certain hyperbolic versions of automorphic Lie algebras related to the modular group. Let $\Gamma$ be a finite index subgroup of $\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$ with an action on a complex simple Lie algebra $\mathfrak g$, which can be extended to $\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$. We show that the Lie algebra of the corresponding $\mathfrak{g}$-valued modular forms is isomorphic to the extension of $\mathfrak{g}$ over the usual modular forms. This establishes a modular analogue of a well-known result by Kac on twisted loop algebras. The case of principal congruence subgroups $\Gamma(N), \, N\leq 6$ are considered in more details in relation to the classical results of Klein and Fricke and the celebrated Markov Diophantine equation. We finish with a brief discussion of the extensions and representations of these Lie algebras.Comment: A revised and substantially extended versio

Mapping the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter

We employ a conformal mapping to explore the thermodynamics of strongly interacting matter at finite values of the baryon chemical potential $\mu$. This method allows us to identify the singularity corresponding to the critical point of a second-order phase transition at finite $\mu$, given information only at $\mu=0$. The scheme is potentially useful for computing thermodynamic properties of strongly interacting hot and dense matter in lattice gauge theory. The technique is illustrated by an application to a chiral effective model.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; published versio

An experiment on wind energy

We discuss an experiment on wind energy performed with home-made apparatus. The experiment reproduces a laboratory windmill, which can pump water from a lower level to a higher one. By measuring the gain of the gravitational potential energy of the pumped water, one can determine the power extracted from the wind. The activity was carried out with high-school students, in the framework of the Italian National Plan for Scientific Degrees-Physics. The proposed experiment allows teachers to discuss renewable energy sources with students whose knowledge of physics is limited to mechanics. It gives students the possibility to gain experience with energy and to increase their awareness of this renewable energy source

Derivative expansion of the electromagnetic Casimir energy for two thin mirrors

We extend our previous work on a derivative expansion for the Casimir energy, to the case of the electromagnetic field coupled to two thin, imperfect mirrors. The latter are described by means of vacuum polarization tensors localized on the mirrors. We apply the results so obtained to compute the first correction to the proximity force approximation to the static Casimir effect.Comment: Version to appear in Phys. Rev.