Positronium lifetime in polymers

A model describing the relationship between the ortho--positronium lifetime and the volume of a void, located in a synthetic zeolite, is analyzed. Our idea, which allows us to take into account the effects of temperature, comprises the introduction of a non--hermitian term in the Hamiltonian, which accounts for the annihilation of the ortho--positronium. The predictions of the present model are also confronted against an already known experimental result.Comment: Accepted in Journal of Chemical Physic

Evidence for contact delocalization in atomic scale friction

We analyze an advanced two-spring model with an ultra-low effective tip mass to predict nontrivial and physically rich 'fine structure' in the atomic stick-slip motion in Friction Force Microscopy (FFM) experiments. We demonstrate that this fine structure is present in recent, puzzling experiments. This shows that the tip apex can be completely or partially delocalized, thus shedding new light on what is measured in FFM and, possibly, what can happen with the asperities that establish the contact between macroscopic sliding bodies.Comment: 4 pages text and 3 figure

Design of the flutter suppression system for DAST ARW-IR

The design of the flutter suppression system for a remotely-piloted research vehicle is described. The modeling of the aeroelastic system, the methodology used to synthesized the control law, the analytical results used to evaluate the control law performance, and ground testing of the flutter suppression system onboard the aircraft are discussed. The major emphasis is on the use of optimal control techniques employed during the synthesis of the control law

String Thermodynamics in D-Brane Backgrounds

We discuss the thermal properties of string gases propagating in various D-brane backgrounds in the weak-coupling limit, and at temperatures close to the Hagedorn temperature. We determine, in the canonical ensemble, whether the Hagedorn temperature is limiting or non-limiting. This depends on the dimensionality of the D-brane, and the size of the compact dimensions. We find that in many cases the non-limiting behaviour manifest in the canonical ensemble is modified to a limiting behaviour in the microcanonical ensemble and show that, when there are different systems in thermal contact, the energy flows into open strings on the `limiting' D-branes of largest dimensionality. Such energy densities may eventually exceed the D-brane intrinsic tension. We discuss possible implications of this for the survival of Dp-branes with large values of p in an early cosmological Hagedorn regime. We also discuss the general phase diagram of the interacting theory, as implied by the holographic and black-hole/string correspondence principles.Comment: 50 pages, LaTeX, 4 eps figures. Added discussion of random walk picture. Corrected technical error in the treatment of ND strings (notice some formulas are rewritten). Conclusions unchange

Some Thermodynamical Aspects of String Theory

Thermodynamical aspects of string theory are reviewed and discussed.Comment: 22 Pages plain latex; based on contributions to Golfand Memorial Volume and Englertfest by E.Rabinovic

Time delay of light signals in an energy-dependent spacetime metric

In this note we review the problem of time delay of photons propagating in a spacetime with a metric that explicitly depends on the energy of the particles (Gravity-Rainbow approach). We show that corrections due to this approach -- which is closely related to DSR proposal -- produce for small redshifts ($z<<1$) smaller time delays than in the generic Lorentz Invariance Violating case.Comment: 5 pages. This version contains two new references with respect to the published versio

Solitonic supersymmetry restoration

Q-balls are a possible feature of any model with a conserved, global U(1) symmetry and no massless, charged scalars. It is shown that for a broad class of models of metastable supersymmetry breaking they are extremely influential on the vacuum lifetime and make seemingly viable vacua catastrophically short lived. A net charge asymmetry is not required as there is often a significant range of parameter space where statistical fluctuations alone are sufficient. This effect is examined for two supersymmetry breaking scenarios. It is found that models of minimal gauge mediation (which necessarily have a messenger number U(1)) undergo a rapid, supersymmetry restoring phase transition unless the messenger mass is greater than 10^8 GeV. Similarly the ISS model, in the context of direct mediation, quickly decays unless the perturbative superpotential coupling is greater than the Standard Model gauge couplings.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, minor comments added, accepted for publication in JHE

Naturally small Dirac neutrino masses in supergravity

We show that Dirac neutrino masses of the right size can arise from the Kahler potential of supergravity. They are proportional to the supersymmetry and the electroweak breaking scales. We find that they have the experimentally observed value provided that the ultraviolet cut-off of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) is between the Grand Unification (GUT) scale and the heterotic string scale. If lepton number is not conserved, then relatively suppressed Majorana masses can also be present, resulting in pseudo-Dirac neutrino masses.Comment: 6 pages, Revtex 4, published versio

Microphysical controls on the stratocumulus topped boundary-layer structure during VOCALS-REx

Simulations at a range of resolutions are compared to observations from the South-East Pacific taken during VOCALS-REx. It is found that increased horizontal and vertical resolution make only small improvements to the bulk properties of the simulated cloud and drizzle, but the highest resolution simulation is able to realistically represent mesoscale features in the cloud field. We focus on the highest resolution simulation and demonstrate that a poor representation of the cloud microphysics results in excessive drizzle production. This promotes persistent drizzle induced decoupling of the boundary layer, giving a poor representation of the observed diurnal cycle of stratocumulus. Two simple changes to the microphysics scheme are implemented: a modified autoconversion parametrization and a new representation of the rain drop size distribution. This results in a more realistic simulation of boundary-layer diurnal decoupling, and improvements to the cloud liquid water path and surface drizzle rate

Coulomb's law corrections from a gauge-kinetic mixing

We study the static quantum potential for a gauge theory which includes the mixing between the familiar photon $U(1)_{QED}$ and a second massive gauge field living in the so-called hidden-sector $U(1)_h$. Our discussion is carried out using the gauge-invariant but path-dependent variables formalism, which is alternative to the Wilson loop approach. Our results show that the static potential is a Yukawa correction to the usual static Coulomb potential. Interestingly, when this calculation is done inside a superconducting box, the Coulombic piece disappears leading to a screening phase.Comment: 4 page