1,887 research outputs found
Holographic Superconductors from Gauged Supergravity
We consider minimal setups arising from different truncations of N=8
five-dimensional SO(6) gauged supergravity to study phase transitions involving
spontaneous breaking of any of the U(1) symmetries in U(1)xU(1)xU(1)in SO(6).
These truncations only keep the three relevant vector fields, four complex
scalar fields carrying U(1) charges, plus two neutral scalar fields required by
consistency. By considering thermal ensembles with different fixed U(1) charge
densities and solving the complete equations including the full back-reaction,
in some cases we find instabilities towards the formation of hairy black holes,
which lead to second order transitions, resulting from a thermodynamical
competition between different sectors. We argue that these should be the
dominant thermodynamical instabilities in the full ten-dimensional type IIB
theory. In other cases we find unstable branches of hairy black holes that
extend to temperatures above a critical temperature (`retrograde
condensation'). The results can be used as a first step to understand new
aspects of the phase diagram of large N, N=4 SU(N) super Yang-Mills theory with
fixed charge densities.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figures. v3: typo corrected in eq. (2.18
Disentangling Dark Matter Dynamics with Directional Detection
Inelastic dark matter reconciles the DAMA anomaly with other null direct
detection experiments and points to a non-minimal structure in the dark matter
sector. In addition to the dominant inelastic interaction, dark matter
scattering may have a subdominant elastic component. If these elastic
interactions are suppressed at low momentum transfer, they will have similar
nuclear recoil spectra to inelastic scattering events. While upcoming direct
detection experiments will see strong signals from such models, they may not be
able to unambiguously determine the presence of the subdominant elastic
scattering from the recoil spectra alone. We show that directional detection
experiments can separate elastic and inelastic scattering events and discover
the underlying dynamics of dark matter models.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, references and figures update
Compton scattering sequence reconstruction algorithm for the liquid xenon gamma-ray imaging telescope (LXeGRIT)
The Liquid Xenon Gamma-Ray Imaging Telescope (LXeGRIT) is a balloon born
experiment sensitive to \g -rays in the energy band of 0.2-20 MeV. The main
detector is a time projection chamber filled with high purity liquid xenon
(LXeTPC), in which the three-dimensional location and energy deposit of
individual \g -ray interactions are accurately measured in one homogeneous
volume. To determine the \g -ray initial direction (Compton imaging), as well
as to reject background, the correct sequence of interactions has to be
determined. Here we report the development and optimization of an algorithm to
reconstruct the Compton scattering sequence and show its performance on Monte
Carlo events and LXeGRIT data.Comment: To appear in: Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics II,
2000; Proc. SPIE, vol. 4141; R.B. James & R.C. Schirato, ed
Models of Holographic superconductivity
We construct general models for holographic superconductivity parametrized by
three couplings which are functions of a real scalar field and show that under
general assumptions they describe superconducting phase transitions. While some
features are universal and model independent, important aspects of the quantum
critical behavior strongly depend on the choice of couplings, such as the order
of the phase transition and critical exponents of second-order phase
transitions. In particular, we study a one-parameter model where the phase
transition changes from second to first order above some critical value of the
parameter and a model with tunable critical exponents.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure
How environmental sustainability labels affect food choices: Assessing consumer preferences in southern Italy
This paper assesses consumer preferences and willingness to pay for three different environmental sustainability
labels (EU Organic Farming, Rainforest Alliance, ‘Per il Clima-Legambiente’) and information cues about the
origin displayed on a processed food product, namely tomato puree. Using a choice experiment and conditional
logit models, the results show that: i) preferences for the environmental sustainability labelled product increase
when consumers have proper knowledge about the meaning of the labels; ii) the information cue about the
product’s domestic origin is important for all consumers, regardless of their education, unlike environmental
sustainability labels that are more appreciated by well-educated consumers; iii) consumers’ willingness to pay is
higher for labels with greater market penetration, regardless of certification by private or public organisations.
Findings suggest that the adoption of environmental sustainability labels by food producers should be combined
with effective information policies aimed at increasing consumer awareness
Design and Performance of the XENON10 Dark Matter Experiment
XENON10 is the first two-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC) developed
within the XENON dark matter search program. The TPC, with an active liquid
xenon (LXe) mass of about 14 kg, was installed at the Gran Sasso underground
laboratory (LNGS) in Italy, and operated for more than one year, with excellent
stability and performance. Results from a dark matter search with XENON10 have
been published elsewhere. In this paper, we summarize the design and
performance of the detector and its subsystems, based on calibration data using
sources of gamma-rays and neutrons as well as background and Monte Carlo
simulations data. The results on the detector's energy threshold, energy and
position resolution, and overall efficiency show a performance that exceeds
design specifications, in view of the very low energy threshold achieved (<10
keVr) and the excellent energy resolution achieved by combining the ionization
and scintillation signals, detected simultaneously
Constraints on Scalar Phantoms
We update the constraints on the minimal model of dark matter, where a stable
real scalar field is added to the standard model Lagrangian with a
renormalizable coupling to the Higgs field. Once we fix the dark matter
abundance, there are only two relevant model parameters, the mass of the scalar
field and that of the Higgs boson. The recent data from the CDMS II experiment
have excluded a parameter region where the scalar field is light such as less
than about 50 GeV. In a large parameter region, the consistency of the model
can be tested by the combination of future direct detection experiments and the
LHC experiments.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur
Gator: a low-background counting facility at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory
A low-background germanium spectrometer has been installed and is being
operated in an ultra-low background shield (the Gator facility) at the Gran
Sasso underground laboratory in Italy (LNGS). With an integrated rate of ~0.16
events/min in the energy range between 100-2700 keV, the background is
comparable to those of the world's most sensitive germanium detectors. After a
detailed description of the facility, its background sources as well as the
calibration and efficiency measurements are introduced. Two independent
analysis methods are described and compared using examples from selected sample
measurements. The Gator facility is used to screen materials for XENON, GERDA,
and in the context of next-generation astroparticle physics facilities such as
DARWIN.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, published versio
The MEGA Advanced Compton Telescope Project
The goal of the Medium Energy Gamma-ray Astronomy (MEGA) telescope is to
improve sensitivity at medium gamma-ray energies (0.4-50 MeV) by at least an
order of magnitude over that of COMPTEL. This will be achieved with a new
compact design that allows for a very wide field of view, permitting a
sensitive all-sky survey and the monitoring of transient and variable sources.
The key science objectives for MEGA include the investigation of cosmic
high-energy particle accelerators, studies of nucleosynthesis sites using
gamma-ray lines, and determination of the large-scale structure of galactic and
cosmic diffuse background emission. MEGA records and images gamma-ray events by
completely tracking both Compton and pair creation interactions in a tracker of
double-sided silicon strip detectors and a calorimeter of CsI crystals able to
resolve in three dimensions. We present initial laboratory calibration results
from a small prototype MEGA telescope.Comment: 7 pages LaTeX, 5 figures, to appear in New Astronomy Reviews
(Proceedings of the Ringberg Workshop "Astronomy with Radioactivities III"
Monitoring Epiphytic Lichen Biodiversity to Detect Environmental Quality and Air Pollution: the Case Study of Roccamonfina Park (Campania Region - Italy)
In this study, lichen distribution was examined in a district of Campania region to monitor the evolution of air quality at landscape scale. A new methodological approach was tried by overlapping the results of biomonitoring samplings to land cover maps, in order to highlight the relations between air pollution and land use patterns. The main objectives of this work were the following: i) to evaluate air quality on the studied area with the aid of IBL index, and reporting geo-referenced data on a thematic map; ii) to relate lichen distribution and biodiversity to land use spatial patterns; iii) to put the basis for a comparative analysis focussed on changes induced by the present socio-economic
evolution of the plain, from agriculture to industrial and tertiary; iv) to provide a reproducible protocol for monitoring air quality, identifying clusters of lichen species linked to particular land use models and formulating previsions about environmental quality on areas characterized by similar dynamics
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