Relativistic description of nuclear matrix elements in neutrinoless double-β\beta decay

Neutrinoless double-$\beta$ ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay is related to many fundamental concepts in nuclear and particle physics beyond the standard model. Currently there are many experiments searching for this weak process. An accurate knowledge of the nuclear matrix element for the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay is essential for determining the effective neutrino mass once this process is eventually measured. We report the first full relativistic description of the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay matrix element based on a state-of-the-art nuclear structure model. We adopt the full relativistic transition operators which are derived with the charge-changing nucleonic currents composed of the vector coupling, axial-vector coupling, pseudoscalar coupling, and weak-magnetism coupling terms. The wave functions for the initial and final nuclei are determined by the multireference covariant density functional theory (MR-CDFT) based on the point-coupling functional PC-PK1. The low-energy spectra and electric quadrupole transitions in ${}^{150}$Nd and its daughter nucleus ${}^{150}$Sm are well reproduced by the MR-CDFT calculations. The $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay matrix elements for both the $0_1^+\rightarrow 0_1^+$ and $0_1^+\rightarrow 0_2^+$ decays of ${}^{150}$Nd are evaluated. The effects of particle number projection, static and dynamic deformations, and the full relativistic structure of the transition operators on the matrix elements are studied in detail. The resulting $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay matrix element for the $0_1^+\rightarrow 0_1^+$ transition is $5.60$, which gives the most optimistic prediction for the next generation of experiments searching for the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay in ${}^{150}$Nd.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures; table adde

Bounds on quark mass matrices elements due to measured properties of the mixing matrix and present values of the quark masses

We obtain constraints on possible structures of mass matrices in the quark sector by using as experimental restrictions the determined values of the quark masses at the $M_Z$ energy scale, the magnitudes of the quark mixing matrix elements $V_{\rm ud}$, $V_{\rm us}$, $V_{\rm cd}$, and $V_{\rm cs}$, and the Jarlskog invariant $J(V)$. Different cases of specific mass matrices are examined in detail. The quality of the fits for the Fritzsch and Stech type mass matrices is about the same with $\chi^2/{\rm dof}=4.23/3=1.41$ and $\chi^2/{\rm dof}=9.10/4=2.28$, respectively. The fit for a simple generalization (one extra parameter) of the Fritzsch type matrices, in the physical basis, is much better with $\chi^2/{\rm dof}=1.89/4=0.47$. For comparison we also include the results using the quark masses at the 2 GeV energy scale. The fits obtained at this energy scale are similar to that at $M_Z$ energy scale, implying that our results are unaffected by the evolution of the quark masses from 2 to 91 GeV.Comment: Evolution effects include

Invisible Z decay width bounds on active-sterile neutrino mixing in the (3+1) and (3+2) models

In this work we consider the standard model extended with singlet sterile neutrinos with mass in the eV range and mixed with the active neutrinos. The active-sterile neutrino mixing renders new contributions to the invisible Z decay width which, in the case of light sterile neutrinos, depends on the active-sterile mixing matrix elements only. We then use the current experimental value of the invisible Z decay width to obtain bounds on these mixing matrix elements for both (3+1) and (3+2) models.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Towards understanding broad degeneracy in non-strange mesons

The spectroscopic regularities of modern empirical data on the non-strange mesons up to 2.4 GeV can be summarized as a systematic clustering of states near certain values of energy. It is getting evident that some unknown X-symmetry triggers the phenomenon. We review the experimental status of this symmetry and recent theoretical attempts put forward for explanation of broad degeneracy.Comment: Brief review, 16 pages, 1 figur

SPSA-Based Tracking Method for Single-Channel-Receiver Array

A novel tracking method in the phased antenna array with a single-channel receiver for the moving signal source is presented in this paper. And the problems of the direction-of-arrival track and beamforming in the array system are converted to the power maximization of received signal in the free-interference conditions, which is different from the existing algorithms that maximize the signal to interference and noise ratio. The proposed tracking method reaches the global optimum rather than local by injecting the extra noise terms into the gradient estimation. The antenna beam can be steered to coincide with the direction of the moving source fast and accurately by perturbing the output of the phase shifters during motion, due to the high efficiency and easy implementation of the proposed beamforming algorithm based on the simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA). Computer simulations verify that the proposed tracking scheme is robust and effective

Investigating non-Fritzsch like texture specific quark mass matrices

A detailed investigation of all possible textures of Fritzsch-like and non-Fritzsch like, 144 for texture 6 zero and 432 for texture 5 zero mass matrices, have been carried out to ascertain their compatibility with the existing quark mixing data. It seems that all the texture 6 zero possibilities are completely ruled out whereas in the case of texture 5 zero mass matrices the only viable possibility looks to be that of Fritzsch-like.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in IJMP

Braneworlds, Conformal Fields and the Gravitons

We investigate the dynamics of Randall-Sundrum AdS5 braneworlds with 5-dimensional conformal matter fields. In the scenario with a compact fifth dimension the class of conformal fields with weight -4 is associated with exact 5-dimensional warped geometries which are stable under radion field perturbations and describe on the brane the dynamics of inhomogeneous dust, generalized dark radiation and homogeneous polytropic dark energy. We analyse the graviton mode flutuations around this class of background solutions and determine their mass eigenvalues and wavefunctions from a Sturm-Liouville problem. We show that the localization of gravity is not sharp enough for large mass hierarchies to be generated. We also discuss the physical bounds imposed by experiments in particle physics, in astrophysics and in precise measurements of the low energy gravitational interaction.Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages, 2 figures. Based on talk given in the Second International Conference on Quantum Theories and the Renormalization Group in Gravity and Cosmology, CSIC and University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, 11-15 July 2006. Submitted to be published in the Conference Proceedings, J. Phys. A: Math. Ge