Decoupling of heavy quarks in HQET

Decoupling of c-quark loops in b-quark HQET is considered. The decoupling coefficients for the HQET heavy-quark field and the heavy-light quark current are calculated with the three-loop accuracy. The last result can be used to improve the accuracy of extracting f_B from HQET lattice simulations (without c-quark loops). The decoupling coefficient for the flavour-nonsinglet QCD current with n antisymmetrized gamma-matrices is also obtained at three loops; the result for the tensor current (n=2) is new.Comment: JHEP3 documentclass; the results in a computer-readable form can be found at http://www-ttp.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de/Progdata/ttp06/ttp06-25/ V2: a few typos corrected, a few minor text improvements, a few references added; V3: several typos in formulas fixe

Spin interfaces in the Ashkin-Teller model and SLE

We investigate the scaling properties of the spin interfaces in the Ashkin-Teller model. These interfaces are a very simple instance of lattice curves coexisting with a fluctuating degree of freedom, which renders the analytical determination of their exponents very difficult. One of our main findings is the construction of boundary conditions which ensure that the interface still satisfies the Markov property in this case. Then, using a novel technique based on the transfer matrix, we compute numerically the left-passage probability, and our results confirm that the spin interface is described by an SLE in the scaling limit. Moreover, at a particular point of the critical line, we describe a mapping of Ashkin-Teller model onto an integrable 19-vertex model, which, in turn, relates to an integrable dilute Brauer model.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Form factors of descendant operators: Free field construction and reflection relations

The free field representation for form factors in the sinh-Gordon model and the sine-Gordon model in the breather sector is modified to describe the form factors of descendant operators, which are obtained from the exponential ones, \e^{\i\alpha\phi}, by means of the action of the Heisenberg algebra associated to the field $\phi(x)$. As a check of the validity of the construction we count the numbers of operators defined by the form factors at each level in each chiral sector. Another check is related to the so called reflection relations, which identify in the breather sector the descendants of the exponential fields \e^{\i\alpha\phi} and \e^{\i(2\alpha_0-\alpha)\phi} for generic values of $\alpha$. We prove the operators defined by the obtained families of form factors to satisfy such reflection relations. A generalization of the construction for form factors to the kink sector is also proposed.Comment: 29 pages; v2: minor corrections, some references added; v3: minor corrections; v4,v5: misprints corrected; v6: minor mistake correcte

Bimaximal Neutrino Mixing with Discrete Flavour Symmetries

In view of the fact that the data on neutrino mixing are still compatible with a situation where Bimaximal mixing is valid in first approximation and it is then corrected by terms of order of the Cabibbo angle, we present examples where these properties are naturally realized. The models are supersymmetric in 4-dimensions and based on the discrete non-Abelian flavour symmetry S4.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure; contribution prepared for DISCRETE'10 - Symposium on Prospects in the Physics of Discrete Symmetrie

Secondary electron emission yield in the limit of low electron energy

Secondary electron emission (SEE) from solids plays an important role in many areas of science and technology.1 In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the experimental and theoretical studies of SEE. A recent study proposed that the reflectivity of very low energy electrons from solid surface approaches unity in the limit of zero electron energy2,3,4, If this was indeed the case, this effect would have profound implications on the formation of electron clouds in particle accelerators,2-4 plasma measurements with electrostatic Langmuir probes, and operation of Hall plasma thrusters for spacecraft propulsion5,6. It appears that, the proposed high electron reflectivity at low electron energies contradicts to numerous previous experimental studies of the secondary electron emission7. The goal of this note is to discuss possible causes of these contradictions.Comment: 3 pages, contribution to the Joint INFN-CERN-EuCARD-AccNet Workshop on Electron-Cloud Effects: ECLOUD'12; 5-9 Jun 2012, La Biodola, Isola d'Elba, Ital

Sterile neutrinos: direct mixing effects versus induced mass matrix of active neutrinos

Mixing of active neutrinos with sterile ones generate ``induced'' contributions to the mass matrix of active neutrinos $\sim m_S \sin^2\theta_{aS}$, where $m_S$ is the Majorana mass of the sterile neutrino and $\theta_{aS}$ is the active-sterile mixing angle. We study possible effects of the induced matrix which can modify substantially the implications of neutrino oscillation results. We have identified the regions of $m_S$ and $\sin^2\theta_{aS}$ where the induced matrix (i) provides the dominant structures, (ii) gives the sub-dominant effects and (iii) where its effects can be neglected. The induced matrix can be responsible for peculiar properties of the lepton mixing and neutrino mass spectrum, in particular, it can generate the tri-bimaximal mixing. We update and discuss bounds on the induced masses from laboratory measurements, astrophysics and cosmology. We find that substantial impact of the induced matrix is possible if $m_S \sim 0.1-1$ eV and $\sin^2\theta_{aS} \sim 10^{-3} - 10^{-2}$ or $m_S \geq 200$ MeV and $\sin^2\theta_{aS} \leq 10^{-9}$. The bounds can be relaxed in cosmological scenarios with low reheating temperature, if sterile neutrinos decay sufficiently fast, or their masses change with time.Comment: Figures updated, version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Raising and lowering operators, factorization and differential/difference operators of hypergeometric type

Starting from Rodrigues formula we present a general construction of raising and lowering operators for orthogonal polynomials of continuous and discrete variable on uniform lattice. In order to have these operators mutually adjoint we introduce orthonormal functions with respect to the scalar product of unit weight. Using the Infeld-Hull factorization method, we generate from the raising and lowering operators the second order self-adjoint differential/difference operator of hypergeometric type.Comment: LaTeX, 24 pages, iopart style (late submission

Raising and lowering operators and their factorization for generalized orthogonal polynomials of hypergeometric type on homogeneous and non-homogeneous lattice

We complete the construction of raising and lowering operators, given in a previous work, for the orthogonal polynomials of hypergeometric type on non-homogeneous lattice, and extend these operators to the generalized orthogonal polynomials, namely, those difference of orthogonal polynomials that satisfy a similar difference equation of hypergeometric type.Comment: LaTeX, 19 pages, (late submission to arXiv.org