Dynamical breakdown of Abelian gauge chiral symmetry by strong Yukawa interactions

We consider a model with anomaly-free Abelian gauge axial-vector symmetry, which is intended to mimic the standard electroweak gauge chiral SU(2)_L x U(1)_Y theory. Within this model we demonstrate: (1) Strong Yukawa interactions between massless fermion fields and a massive scalar field carrying the axial charge generate dynamically the fermion and boson proper self-energies, which are ultraviolet-finite and chirally noninvariant. (2) Solutions of the underlying Schwinger-Dyson equations found numerically exhibit a huge amplification of the fermion mass ratios as a response to mild changes of the ratios of the Yukawa couplings. (3) The `would-be' Nambu-Goldstone boson is a composite of both the fermion and scalar fields, and it gives rise to the mass of the axial-vector gauge boson. (4) Spontaneous breakdown of the gauge symmetry further manifests by mass splitting of the complex scalar and by new symmetry-breaking vertices, generated at one loop. In particular, we work out in detail the cubic vertex of the Abelian gauge boson.Comment: 11 pages, REVTeX4, 10 eps figures; additional remarks and references added; version published in Phys. Rev.

Towards a case-based learning approach to support software architecture education

Software architecture education remains challenging for instructors, students, and software industry professionals. Several initiatives have been proposed to mitigate the inherent challenges, including games, supporting tools, collaborative courses, and hands-on projects. Case-based learning has been introduced in software architecture, and its benefits are recognized. However, choosing the right cases that cover the stated learning objectives and developing learning activities to achieve high-order learning are also challenging. The main goal of this paper is to present a case-based learning approach that guides the development of learning objectives, the finding and selection of real-world software architecture cases, and the design of instructional activities. We applied our approach in software architecture related courses during the past few years. The results show that it can leverage the ways to adequately explore cases for educational purposes while also motivating instructors and students to the software architecture education

Searching for Radio Pulsars in 3EG Sources at Urumqi Observatory

Since mid-2005, a pulsar searching system has been operating at 18 cm on the 25-m radio telescope of Urumqi Observatory. Test observations on known pulsars show that the system can perform the intended task. The prospect of using this system to observe 3EG sources and other target searching tasks is discussed.Comment: a training project about MSc thesi

Double photo-ionization of He near a polarizable surface

We calculate the differential cross-section of the direct double photo-ionization of He physisorbed on a polarizable surface. By including the influence of the surface potential in the correlated two-electron final state wavefunction, we show that the differential cross-section carries detailed information on the electronic correlations at the surface. In particular, photo-emission along opposite directions, which is prohibited in the free space, is allowed if the surface potential is long-ranged.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. B - Rapid Comm. - 4 pages, 2 PostScript figures embedde

How Robust are the Estimated Effects of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions against COVID-19?

To what extent are effectiveness estimates of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against COVID-19 influenced by the assumptions our models make? To answer this question, we investigate 2 state-of-the-art NPI effectiveness models and propose 6 variants that make different structural assumptions. In particular, we investigate how well NPI effectiveness estimates generalise to unseen countries, and their sensitivity to unobserved factors. Models which account for noise in disease transmission compare favourably. We further evaluate how robust estimates are to different choices of epidemiological parameters and data. Focusing on models that assume transmission noise, we find that previously published results are robust across these choices and across different models. Finally, we mathematically ground the interpretation of NPI effectiveness estimates when certain common assumptions do not hold

Dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking due to strong Yukawa interactions

We present a new mechanism for electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB) based on a strong Yukawa dynamics. We consider an SU(2)_L x U(1)_Y gauge invariant model endowed with the usual Standard model fermion multiplets and with two massive scalar doublets. We show that, unlike in the Standard model, EWSB is possible even with vanishing vacuum expectation values of the scalars. Such EWSB is achieved dynamically by means of the (presumably strong) Yukawa couplings and manifests itself by the emergence of fermion and gauge boson masses and scalar mass-splittings, which are expressed in a closed form in terms of the fermion and scalar proper self-energies. The `would-be' Nambu--Goldstone bosons are shown to be composites of both the fermions and the scalars. We demonstrate that the simplest version of the model is compatible with basic experimental constraints.Comment: 6 pages, REVTeX4, 3 eps figures; discussion of compatibility with EW precision data added; version published in J. Phys.