20,086 research outputs found
An SU(5)Z_{13} Grand Unification Model
We propose an SU(5) grand unified model with an invisible axion and the
unification of the three coupling constants which is in agreement with the
values, at , of , , and . A discrete,
anomalous, symmetry implies that the Peccei-Quinn symmetry is an
automatic symmetry of the classical Lagrangian protecting, at the same time,
the invisible axion against possible semi-classical gravity effects. Although
the unification scale is of the order of the Peccei-Quinn scale the proton is
stabilized by the fact that in this model the standard model fields form the
SU(5) multiplets completed by new exotic fields and, also, because it is
protected by the symmetry.Comment: 14 pages, more typos correcte
Methane hydrate: shifting the coexistence temperature to higher temperatures with an external electric field
In the present work, we used molecular dynamic simulations of the equilibrium NPT ensemble to examine the effect of an external electric field on the three-phase coexistence temperature of methane gas, liquid water and methane hydrate. For these simulations, we used the TIP4P/Ice rigid water model and a single-site model for methane. The simulations were implemented at two pressures, 400 and 250bar, over temperatures ranging from 285 to 320K and from 280 to 315K, respectively. The application of an external electric field in the range of 0.1-0.9caused the effect of the thermal vibrations of the water molecules to become attenuated. This resulted in a shift of the three-phase coexistence temperature to higher temperatures. Electric fields below this range did not cause a difference in the coexistence temperature, and electric fields above this range enhanced the thermal effect. The shift had a magnitude of 22.5K on average.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
Effects of periodic potentials on the critical velocity of superfluid Fermi gases in the BCS-BEC crossover
We study the effects of an external periodic potential on the critical
velocity of a superfluid Fermi gas in the crossover between the
Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) phase and Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC). We
numerically solve the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations to model a
three-dimensional (3D) gas of ultracold atoms in the superfluid phase flowing
through a 1D optical lattice. We find that when the recoil energy is comparable
to the Fermi energy, the presence of the periodic potential reduces the effect
of pair-breaking excitations. This behavior is a consequence of the peculiar
band structure of the quasiparticle energy spectrum in the lattice. When the
lattice height is much larger than the Fermi energy, the periodic potential
makes pairs of atoms to be strongly bound even in the BCS regime and
pair-breaking excitations are further suppressed. We have also found that when
the recoil energy is comparable to or larger than the Fermi energy, the
critical velocity due to long-wavelength phonon excitations shows a
non-monotonic behavior along the BCS-BEC crossover.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, added an appendix on the dynamical instabilit
Linking food web functioning and habitat diversity for an ecosystem based management: A Mediterranean lagoon case-study
We propose a modelling approach relating the functioning of a transitional ecosystem with the spatial extension of its habitats. A test case is presented for the lagoon of Venice, discussing the results in the context of the application of current EU directives. The effects on food web functioning due to changes related to manageable and unmanageable drivers were investigated. The modelling procedure involved the use of steady-state food web models and network analysis, respectively applied to estimate the fluxes of energy associated with trophic interactions, and to compute indices of food web functioning. On the long term (hundred years) temporal scale, the model indicated that the expected loss of salt marshes will produce further changes at the system level, with a lagoon showing a decrease in the energy processing efficiency. On the short term scale, simulation results indicated that fishery management accompanied by seagrass restoration measures would produce a slight transition towards a more healthy system, with higher energy cycling, and maintaining a good balance between processing efficiency and resilience. Scenarios presented suggest that the effectiveness of short term management strategies can be better evaluated when contextualized in the long term trends of evolution of a system. We also remark the need for further studying the relationship between habitat diversity and indicators of food web functioning
Cavity optomechanical coupling assisted by an atomic gas
We theoretically study a cavity filled with atoms, which provides the
optical-mechanical interaction between the modified cavity photonic field and a
movable mirror at one end. We show that the cavity field ``dresses'' these
atoms, producing two types of polaritons, effectively enhancing the radiation
pressure of the cavity field upon the end mirror, as well as establishing an
additional squeezing mode of the end mirror. This squeezing produces an
adiabatic entanglement, which is absent in usual vacuum cavities, between the
oscillating mirror and the rest of the system. We analyze the entanglement and
quantify it using the Loschmidt echo and fidelity.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Generation and control of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger entanglement in superconducting circuits
Going beyond the entanglement of microscopic objects (such as photons, spins,
and ions), here we propose an efficient approach to produce and control the
quantum entanglement of three macroscopic coupled superconducting qubits. By
conditionally rotating, one by one, selected Josephson charge qubits, we show
that their Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) entangled states can be
deterministically generated. The existence of GHZ correlations between these
qubits could be experimentally demonstrated by effective single-qubit
operations followed by high-fidelity single-shot readouts. The possibility of
using the prepared GHZ correlations to test the macroscopic conflict between
the noncommutativity of quantum mechanics and the commutativity of classical
physics is also discussed.Comment: 4 Pages with 1 figure. to appear in Physical Review Letter
Supersymmetry Breaking from a Calabi-Yau Singularity
We conjecture a geometric criterion for determining whether supersymmetry is
spontaneously broken in certain string backgrounds. These backgrounds contain
wrapped branes at Calabi-Yau singularites with obstructions to deformation of
the complex structure. We motivate our conjecture with a particular example:
the quiver gauge theory corresponding to a cone over the first del
Pezzo surface, . This setup can be analyzed using ordinary supersymmetric
field theory methods, where we find that gaugino condensation drives a
deformation of the chiral ring which has no solutions. We expect this breaking
to be a general feature of any theory of branes at a singularity with a smaller
number of possible deformations than independent anomaly-free fractional
branes.Comment: 32 pages, 6 figures, latex, v2: minor changes, refs adde
Crystal-to-crystal transition of ultrasoft colloids under shear
Ultrasoft colloids typically do not spontaneously crystallize, but rather
vitrify, at high concentrations. Combining in-situ rheo-SANS experiments and
numerical simulations we show that shear facilitates crystallization of
colloidal star polymers in the vicinity of their glass transition. With
increasing shear rate well beyond rheological yielding, a transition is found
from an initial bcc-dominated structure to an fcc-dominated one. This
crystal-to-crystal transition is not accompanied by intermediate melting but
occurs via a sudden reorganization of the crystal structure. Our results
provide a new avenue to tailor colloidal crystallization and crystal-to-crystal
transition at molecular level by coupling softness and shear
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