Neutrino Gravitational Redshift and the Electron Fraction Above Nascent Neutron Stars

Neutrinos emitted from near the surface of the hot proto-neutron star produced by a supernova explosion may be subject to significant gravitational redshift at late times. Electron antineutrinos decouple deeper in the gravitational potential well of the neutron star than do the electron neutrinos, so that the electron antineutrinos experience a larger redshift effect than do the electron neutrinos. We show how this differential redshift can increase the electron fraction Ye in the neutrino-heated ejecta from the neutron star. Any r-process nucleosynthesis originating in the neutrino-heated ejecta would require a low Ye, implying that the differential redshift effect cannot be too large. In turn, this effect may allow nucleosynthesis to probe the nuclear equation of state parameters which set the neutron star radius and surface density scale height at times of order tpb = 10 to 25 s after core bounce.Comment: 4 pages, uses espcrc2.sty, contribution to Festschrift for G. E. Brown on the occasion of his 70th birthda

Transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution/fragmentation functions at an electron-ion collider

We present a summary of a recent workshop held at Duke University on Partonic Transverse Momentum in Hadrons: Quark Spin-Orbit Correlations and Quark-Gluon Interactions. The transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs), parton-to-hadron fragmentation functions, and multi-parton correlation functions, were discussed extensively at the Duke workshop. In this paper, we summarize first the theoretical issues concerning the study of partonic structure of hadrons at a future electron-ion collider (EIC) with emphasis on the TMDs. We then present simulation results on experimental studies of TMDs through measurements of single-spin asymmetries (SSA) from semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) processes with an EIC, and discuss the requirement of the detector for SIDIS measurements. The dynamics of parton correlations in the nucleon is further explored via a study of SSA in D (D production at large transverse momenta with the aim of accessing the unexplored tri-gluon correlation functions. The workshop participants identified the SSA measurements in SIDIS as a golden program to study TMDs in both the sea and valence quark regions and to study the role of gluons, with the Sivers asymmetry measurements as examples. Such measurements will lead to major advancement in our understanding of TMDs in the valence quark region, and more importantly also allow for the investigation of TMDs in the unexplored sea quark region along with a study of their evolution

Bose-Einstein Condensation with Entangled Order Parameter

We propose a practically accessible non-mean-field ground state of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC), which occurs in an interspecies two-particle entangled state, and is thus described by an entangled order parameter. A suitably defined entanglement entropy is used as the characterization of the non-mean-field nature, and is found to persist in a wide parameter regime. The interspecies entanglement leads to novel interference terms in the dynamical equations governing the single particle orbital wavefunctions. Experimental feasibility and several methods of probe are discussed. We urge the study of multi-channel scattering between different species of atoms.Comment: V1: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted by Phys. Rev. Lett.; V2: A couple of very minor typos corrected, publishe

Relative Entropy: Free Energy Associated with Equilibrium Fluctuations and Nonequilibrium Deviations

Using a one-dimensional macromolecule in aqueous solution as an illustration, we demonstrate that the relative entropy from information theory, $\sum_k p_k\ln(p_k/p_k^*)$, has a natural role in the energetics of equilibrium and nonequilibrium conformational fluctuations of the single molecule. It is identified as the free energy difference associated with a fluctuating density in equilibrium, and is associated with the distribution deviate from the equilibrium in nonequilibrium relaxation. This result can be generalized to any other isothermal macromolecular systems using the mathematical theories of large deviations and Markov processes, and at the same time provides the well-known mathematical results with an interesting physical interpretations.Comment: 5 page

Minimal field requirement in precessional magnetization switching

We investigate the minimal field strength in precessional magnetization switching using the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation in under-critically damped systems. It is shown that precessional switching occurs when localized trajectories in phase space become unlocalized upon application of field pulses. By studying the evolution of the phase space, we obtain the analytical expression of the critical switching field in the limit of small damping for a magnetic object with biaxial anisotropy. We also calculate the switching times for the zero damping situation. We show that applying field along the medium axis is good for both small field and fast switching times.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

Effects of density-dependent quark mass on phase diagram of three-flavor quark matter

Considering the density dependence of quark mass, we investigate the phase transition between the (unpaired) strange quark matter and the color-flavor-locked matter, which are supposed to be two candidates for the ground state of strongly interacting matter. We find that if the current mass of strange quark $m_s$ is small, the strange quark matter remains stable unless the baryon density is very high. If $m_s$ is large, the phase transition from the strange quark matter to the color-flavor-locked matter in particular to its gapless phase is found to be different from the results predicted by previous works. A complicated phase diagram of three-flavor quark matter is presented, in which the color-flavor-locked phase region is suppressed for moderate densities.Comment: 4 figure

Simple Picture for Neutrino Flavor Transformation in Supernovae

We can understand many recently-discovered features of flavor evolution in dense, self-coupled supernova neutrino and antineutrino systems with a simple, physical scheme consisting of two quasi-static solutions. One solution closely resembles the conventional, adiabatic single neutrino Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) mechanism, in that neutrinos and antineutrinos remain in mass eigenstates as they evolve in flavor space. The other solution is analogous to the regular precession of a gyroscopic pendulum in flavor space, and has been discussed extensively in recent works. Results of recent numerical studies are best explained with combinations of these solutions in the following general scenario: (1) Near the neutrino sphere, the MSW-like many-body solution obtains. (2) Depending on neutrino vacuum mixing parameters, luminosities, energy spectra, and the matter density profile, collective flavor transformation in the nutation mode develops and drives neutrinos away from the MSW-like evolution and toward regular precession. (3) Neutrino and antineutrino flavors roughly evolve according to the regular precession solution until neutrino densities are low. In the late stage of the precession solution, a stepwise swapping develops in the energy spectra of $\nu_e$ and $\nu_\mu/\nu_\tau$. We also discuss some subtle points regards adiabaticity in flavor transformation in dense neutrino systems.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure, retex4 format. Split fig.1 into two figures. Minor corrections. Version accepted by PR

Collective Neutrino Oscillations

We review the rich phenomena associated with neutrino flavor transformation in the presence of neutrino self-coupling. Our exposition centers on three collective neutrino oscillation scenarios: a simple bipolar neutrino system that initially consists of mono-energetic electron neutrinos and antineutrinos; a homogeneous and isotropic neutrino gas with multiple neutrino/antineutrino species and continuous energy spectra; and a generic neutrino gas in an anisotropic environment. We use each of these scenarios to illustrate key facets of collective neutrino oscillations. We discuss the implications of collective neutrino flavor oscillations for core collapse supernova physics and for the prospects of obtaining fundamental neutrino properties, e.g., the neutrino mass hierarchy and $\theta_{13}$ from a future observed supernova neutrino signal.Comment: Submitted to Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Scienc