708 research outputs found
Field on Poincare group and quantum description of orientable objects
We propose an approach to the quantum-mechanical description of relativistic
orientable objects. It generalizes Wigner's ideas concerning the treatment of
nonrelativistic orientable objects (in particular, a nonrelativistic rotator)
with the help of two reference frames (space-fixed and body-fixed). A technical
realization of this generalization (for instance, in 3+1 dimensions) amounts to
introducing wave functions that depend on elements of the Poincare group . A
complete set of transformations that test the symmetries of an orientable
object and of the embedding space belongs to the group . All
such transformations can be studied by considering a generalized regular
representation of in the space of scalar functions on the group, ,
that depend on the Minkowski space points as well as on the
orientation variables given by the elements of a matrix .
In particular, the field is a generating function of usual spin-tensor
multicomponent fields. In the theory under consideration, there are four
different types of spinors, and an orientable object is characterized by ten
quantum numbers. We study the corresponding relativistic wave equations and
their symmetry properties.Comment: 46 page
Crossover and scaling in a nearly antiferromagnetic Fermi liquid in two dimensions
We consider two-dimensional Fermi liquids in the vicinity of a quantum
transition to a phase with commensurate, antiferromagnetic long-range order.
Depending upon the Fermi surface topology, mean-field spin-density-wave theory
predicts two different types of such transitions, with mean-field dynamic
critical exponents (when the Fermi surface does not cross the magnetic
zone boundary, type ) and (when the Fermi surface crosses the magnetic
zone boundary, type ). The type system only displays behavior at
all energies and its scaling properties are similar (though not identical) to
those of an insulating Heisenberg antiferromagnet. Under suitable conditions
precisely stated in this paper, the type system displays a crossover from
relaxational behavior at low energies to type behavior at high energies. A
scaling hypothesis is proposed to describe this crossover: we postulate a
universal scaling function which determines the entire, temperature-,
wavevector-, and frequency-dependent, dynamic, staggered spin susceptibility in
terms of 4 measurable, , parameters (determining the distance, energy, and
order parameter scales, plus one crossover parameter). The scaling function
contains the full scaling behavior in all regimes for both type and
systems. The crossover behavior of the uniform susceptibility and the specific
heat is somewhat more complicated and is also discussed. Explicit computation
of the crossover functions is carried out in a large expansion on a
mean-field model. Some new results for the critical properties on the ordered
side of the transition are also obtained in a spin-density wave formalism. The
possible relevance of our results to the doped cuprate compounds is briefly
discussed.Comment: 20 pages, REVTeX, 6 figures (uuencoded compressed PostScript file for
figures is appended
Surveying Standard Model Flux Vacua on
We consider the SU(2)LxSU(2)R Standard Model brane embedding in an
orientifold of T6/Z2xZ2. Within defined limits, we construct all such Standard
Model brane embeddings and determine the relative number of flux vacua for each
construction. Supersymmetry preserving brane recombination in the hidden sector
enables us to identify many solutions with high flux. We discuss in detail the
phenomenology of one model which is likely to dominate the counting of vacua.
While Kahler moduli stabilization remains to be fully understood, we define the
criteria necessary for generic constructions to have fixed moduli.Comment: 30 pages, LaTeX, v2: added reference
in NonCommutative Standard Model
We study the top quark decay to b quark and W boson in the NonCommutative
Standard Model (NCSM). The lowest contribution to the decay comes from the
terms quadratic in the matrix describing the noncommutative (NC) effects while
the linear term is seen to identically vanish because of symmetry. The NC
effects are found to be significant only for low values of the NC
characteristic scale.Comment: 11 page Latex file containing 2 eps figures (redrawn). More
discussion included. To appear in PR
Mucin 5B promoter polymorphism is associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis but not with development of lung fibrosis in systemic sclerosis or sarcoidosis
BACKGROUND: A polymorphism (rs35705950) 3 kb upstream of MUC5B, the gene encoding Mucin 5 subtype B, has been shown to be associated with familial and sporadic idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We set out to verify whether this variant is also a risk factor for fibrotic lung disease in other settings and to confirm the published findings in a UK Caucasian IPF population. METHODS: Caucasian UK healthy controls (n=416) and patients with IPF (n=110), sarcoidosis (n=180) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) (n=440) were genotyped to test for association. The SSc and sarcoidosis cohorts were subdivided according to the presence or absence of fibrotic lung disease. To assess correlation with disease progression, time to decline in forced vital capacity and/or lung carbon monoxide transfer factor was used in the IPF and SSc groups, while a persistent decline at 4 years since baseline was evaluated in patients with sarcoidosis. RESULTS: A significant association of the MUC5B promoter single nucleotide polymorphism with IPF (p=2.04 x 10(-17); OR 4.90, 95% CI 3.42 to 7.03) was confirmed in this UK population. The MUC5B variant was not a risk factor for lung fibrosis in patients with SSc or sarcoidosis and did not predict more rapidly progressive lung disease in any of the groups. Rather, a trend for a longer time to decline in forced vital capacity was observed in patients with IPF. CONCLUSIONS: We confirm the MUC5B variant association with IPF. We did not observe an association with lung fibrosis in the context of SSc or sarcoidosis, potentially highlighting fundamental differences in genetic susceptibility, although the limited subgroup numbers do not allow a definitive exclusion of an association
Measurement of the partial widths of the Z into up- and down-type quarks
Using the entire OPAL LEP1 on-peak Z hadronic decay sample, Z -> qbarq gamma
decays were selected by tagging hadronic final states with isolated photon
candidates in the electromagnetic calorimeter. Combining the measured rates of
Z -> qbarq gamma decays with the total rate of hadronic Z decays permits the
simultaneous determination of the widths of the Z into up- and down-type
quarks. The values obtained, with total errors, were Gamma u = 300 ^{+19}_{-18}
MeV and Gamma d = 381 ^{+12}_{-12} MeV. The results are in good agreement with
the Standard Model expectation.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to Phys. Letts.
Search for R-Parity Violating Decays of Scalar Fermions at LEP
A search for pair-produced scalar fermions under the assumption that R-parity
is not conserved has been performed using data collected with the OPAL detector
at LEP. The data samples analysed correspond to an integrated luminosity of
about 610 pb-1 collected at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) 189-209 GeV. An
important consequence of R-parity violation is that the lightest supersymmetric
particle is expected to be unstable. Searches of R-parity violating decays of
charged sleptons, sneutrinos and squarks have been performed under the
assumptions that the lightest supersymmetric particle decays promptly and that
only one of the R-parity violating couplings is dominant for each of the decay
modes considered. Such processes would yield final states consisting of
leptons, jets, or both with or without missing energy. No significant
single-like excess of events has been observed with respect to the Standard
Model expectations. Limits on the production cross- section of scalar fermions
in R-parity violating scenarios are obtained. Constraints on the supersymmetric
particle masses are also presented in an R-parity violating framework analogous
to the Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.Comment: 51 pages, 24 figures, Submitted to Eur. Phys. J.
Measurement of the Strong Coupling alpha s from Four-Jet Observables in e+e- Annihilation
Data from e+e- annihilation into hadrons at centre-of-mass energies between
91 GeV and 209 GeV collected with the OPAL detector at LEP, are used to study
the four-jet rate as a function of the Durham algorithm resolution parameter
ycut. The four-jet rate is compared to next-to-leading order calculations that
include the resummation of large logarithms. The strong coupling measured from
the four-jet rate is alphas(Mz0)=
0.1182+-0.0003(stat.)+-0.0015(exp.)+-0.0011(had.)+-0.0012(scale)+-0.0013(mass)
in agreement with the world average. Next-to-leading order fits to the
D-parameter and thrust minor event-shape observables are also performed for the
first time. We find consistent results, but with significantly larger
theoretical uncertainties.Comment: 25 pages, 15 figures, Submitted to Euro. Phys. J.
Measurement of the Hadronic Photon Structure Function F_2^gamma at LEP2
The hadronic structure function of the photon F_2^gamma is measured as a
function of Bjorken x and of the factorisation scale Q^2 using data taken by
the OPAL detector at LEP. Previous OPAL measurements of the x dependence of
F_2^gamma are extended to an average Q^2 of 767 GeV^2. The Q^2 evolution of
F_2^gamma is studied for average Q^2 between 11.9 and 1051 GeV^2. As predicted
by QCD, the data show positive scaling violations in F_2^gamma. Several
parameterisations of F_2^gamma are in agreement with the measurements whereas
the quark-parton model prediction fails to describe the data.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of Photon 2001,
Ascona, Switzerlan
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