The Biedenharn Approach to Relativistic Coulomb-type Problems

The approach developped by Biedeharn in the sixties for the relativistic Coulomb problem is reviewed and applied to various physical problems.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

Brane-Induced Gravity's Shocks

We construct exact gravitational field solutions for a relativistic particle localized on a tensional brane in brane-induced gravity. They are a generalization of gravitational shock waves in 4D de Sitter space. We provide the metrics for both the normal branch and the self-inflating branch DGP braneworlds, and compare them to the 4D Einstein gravity solution and to the case when gravity resides only in the 5D bulk, without any brane-localized curvature terms. At short distances the wave profile looks the same as in four dimensions. The corrections appear only far from the source, where they differ from the long distance corrections in 4D de Sitter space. We also discover a new non-perturbative channel for energy emission into the bulk from the self-inflating branch, when gravity is modified at the de Sitter radius.Comment: 4 pages, revtex4; v4: a sign error corrected; the correction tantamount to swapping normal and self-inflating branch solutions; the only significant change is that the spectacular new instability is on the self-inflating branch in the limit of vanishing brane tension; more details available in hep-th/050203

Electronic structure and optical properties of quantum confined lead-salt nanowires

In the framework of four-band envelope-function formalism, developed earlier for spherical semiconductor nanocrystals, we study the electronic structure and optical properties of quantum-confined lead-salt (PbSe and PbS) nanowires (NWs) with a strong coupling between the conduction and the valence bands. We derive spatial quantization equations, and calculate numerically energy levels of spatially quantized states of a transverse electron motion in the plane perpendicular to the NW axis, and electronic subbands developed due to a free longitudinal motion along the NW axis. Using explicit expressions for eigenfunctions of the electronic states, we also derive analytical expressions for matrix elements of optical transitions and study selection rules for interband absorption. Next we study a two-particle problem with a conventional long-range Coulomb interaction and an interparticle coupling via medium polarization. The obtained results show that due to a large magnitude of the high-frequency dielectric permittivity of PbSe material, and hence, a high dielectric NW/vacuum contrast, the effective coupling via medium polarization significantly exceeds the effective direct Coulomb coupling at all interparticle separations along the NW axis. Furthermore, the strong coupling via medium polarization results in a bound state of the longitudinal motion of the lowest-energy electron-hole pair (a longitudinal exciton), while fast transverse motions of charge carriers remain independent of each other.Comment: Some misprints and mistakes are correcte

Non-Volkov solutions for a charge in a plane wave

We focus our attention, once again, on the Klein--Gordon and Dirac equations with a plane-wave field. We recall that for the first time a set of solutions of these equations was found by Volkov. The Volkov solutions are widely used in calculations of quantum effects with electrons and other elementary particles in laser beams. We demonstrate that one can construct sets of solutions which differ from the Volkov solutions and which may be useful in physical applications. For this purpose, we show that the transversal charge motion in a plane wave can be mapped by a special transformation to transversal free particle motion. This allows us to find new sets of solutions where the transversal motion is characterized by quantum numbers different from Volkov's (in the Volkov solutions this motion is characterized by the transversal momentum). In particular, we construct solutions with semiclassical transversal charge motion (transversal squeezed coherent states). In addition, we demonstrate how the plane-wave field can be eliminated from the transversal charge motion in a more complicated case of the so-called combined electromagnetic field (a combination of a plane-wave field and constant colinear electric and magnetic fields). Thus, we find new sets of solutions of the Klein--Gordon and Dirac equations with the combined electromagnetic field.Comment: LaTex file, 14 page

The Fate of the Initial State Fluctuations in Heavy Ion Collisions. III The Second Act of Hydrodynamics

Hydrodynamical description of the "Little Bang" in heavy ion collisions is surprisingly successful, mostly due to the very small viscosity of the Quark-Gluon plasma. In this paper we systematically study the propagation of small perturbations, also treated hydrodynamically. We start with a number of known techniques allowing for analytic calculation of the propagation of small perturbations on top of the expanding fireball. The simplest approximation is the "geometric acoustics", which substitutes the wave equation by mechanical equations for the propagating "phonons". Next we turn to the case in which variables can be separated, in which case one can obtain not only the eikonal phases but also amplitudes of the perturbation. Finally, we focus on the so called Gubser flow, a particular conformal analytic solution for the fireball expansion, on top of which one can derive closed equations for small perturbations. Perfect hydrodynamics allows all variables to be separated and all equations to be solved in terms of known special functions. We can thus collect the analytical expression for all the harmonics and reconstruct the complete Green function of the problem. In the viscous case the equations still allow for variable separation, but one of the equations has to be solved numerically. We still can collect all the harmonics and show real-time perturbation evolution, observing viscosity-induced changes in the spectra and the correlation functions of secondaries. We end up by comparing the calculated angular shape of the correlation function to the STAR experimental data, and find, for sufficiently large viscosity, a surprisingly good agreement.Comment: The paper was changed after PRC referee report. It was resubmitted in this for

Phase transitions in one dimension and less

Phase transitions can occur in one-dimensional classical statistical mechanics at non-zero temperature when the number of components N of the spin is infinite. We show how to solve such magnets in one dimension for any N, and how the phase transition develops at N = infinity. We discuss SU(N) and Sp(N) magnets, where the transition is second-order. In the new high-temperature phase, the correlation length is zero. We also show that for the SU(N) magnet on exactly three sites with periodic boundary conditions, the transition becomes first order.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figur

Excitonic gap, phase transition, and quantum Hall effect in graphene

We suggest that physics underlying the recently observed removal of sublattice and spin degeneracies in graphene in a strong magnetic field describes a phase transition connected with the generation of an excitonic gap. The experimental form of the Hall conductivity is reproduced and the main characteristics of the dynamics are described. Predictions of the behavior of the gap as a function of temperature and a gate voltage are made.Comment: Revtex4, 10 pages, 4 figures, text essentially extended, one figure and references added; v3: to match PRB versio

Electromagnetic field near cosmic string

The retarded Green function of the electromagnetic field in spacetime of a straight thin cosmic string is found. It splits into a geodesic part (corresponding to the propagation along null rays) and to the field scattered on the string. With help of the Green function the electric and magnetic fields of simple sources are constructed. It is shown that these sources are influenced by the cosmic string through a self-interaction with their field. The distant field of static sources is studied and it is found that it has a different multipole structure than in Minkowski spacetime. On the other hand, the string suppresses the electric and magnetic field of distant sources--the field is expelled from regions near the string.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures (low-resolution figures; for the version with high-resolution figures see http://utf.mff.cuni.cz/~krtous/papers/), v2: two references added, typos correcte

Decoherence in QED at finite temperature

We consider a wave packet of a charged particle passing through a cavity filled with photons at temperature T and investigate its localization and interference properties. It is shown that the wave packet becomes localized and the interference disappears with an exponential speed after a sufficiently long path through the cavity.Comment: Latex, 10 page

Lattice Boltzmann method with self-consistent thermo-hydrodynamic equilibria

Lattice kinetic equations incorporating the effects of external/internal force fields via a shift of the local fields in the local equilibria, are placed within the framework of continuum kinetic theory. The mathematical treatment reveals that, in order to be consistent with the correct thermo-hydrodynamical description, temperature must also be shifted, besides momentum. New perspectives for the formulation of thermo-hydrodynamic lattice kinetic models of non-ideal fluids are then envisaged. It is also shown that on the lattice, the definition of the macroscopic temperature requires the inclusion of new terms directly related to discrete effects. The theoretical treatment is tested against a controlled case with a non ideal equation of state.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur