Large-N reduction in QCD-like theories with massive adjoint fermions

Large-N QCD with heavy adjoint fermions emulates pure Yang-Mills theory at long distances. We study this theory on a four- and three-torus, and analytically argue the existence of a large-small volume equivalence. For any finite mass, center symmetry unbroken phase exists at sufficiently small volume and this phase can be used to study the large-volume limit through the Eguchi-Kawai equivalence. A finite temperature version of volume independence implies that thermodynamics on R^3 x S^1 can be studied via a unitary matrix quantum mechanics on S^1, by varying the temperature. To confirm this non-perturbatively, we numerically study both zero- and one-dimensional theories by using Monte-Carlo simulation. Order of finite-N corrections turns out to be 1/N. We introduce various twisted versions of the reduced QCD which systematically suppress finite-N corrections. Using a twisted model, we observe the confinement/deconfinement transition on a 1^3 x 2-lattice. The result agrees with large volume simulations of Yang-Mills theory. We also comment that the twisted model can serve as a non-perturbative formulation of the non-commutative Yang-Mills theory.Comment: 34 pages, 12 figures, version accepted for publication in PR

Measurements of the top quark mass at the Tevatron

The mass of the top quark (m{sub top}) is a fundamental parameter of the standard model (SM). Currently, its most precise measurements are performed by the CDF and D0 collaborations at the Fermilab Tevatron p{bar p} collider at a centre-of-mass energy of {radical}s = 1.96 TeV. We review the most recent of those measurements, performed on data samples of up to 8.7 fb{sup -1} of integrated luminosity. The Tevatron combination using up to 5.8 fb{sup -1} of data results in a preliminary world average top quark mass of m{sub top} = 173.2 {+-} 0.9 GeV. This corresponds to a relative precision of about 0.54%. We conclude with an outlook of anticipated precision the final measurement of m{sub top} at the Tevatron

Primordial non-Gaussianity and Dark Energy constraints from Cluster Surveys

Galaxy cluster surveys will be a powerful probe of dark energy. At the same time, cluster abundance is sensitive to any non-Gaussianity of the primordial density field. It is therefore possible that non-Gaussian initial conditions might be misinterpreted as a sign of dark energy or at least degrade the expected constraints on dark energy parameters. To address this issue, we perform a likelihood analysis of an ideal cluster survey similar in size and depth to the upcoming South Pole Telescope/Dark Energy Survey (SPT-DES). We analyze a model in which the strength of the non-Gaussianity is parameterized by the constant fNL; this model has been used extensively to derive Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy constraints on non-Gaussianity, allowing us to make contact with those works. We find that the constraining power of the cluster survey on dark energy observables is not significantly diminished by non-Gaussianity provided that cluster redshift information is included in the analysis. We also find that even an ideal cluster survey is unlikely to improve significantly current and future CMB constraints on non-Gaussianity. However, when all systematics are under control, it could constitute a valuable cross check to CMB observations.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Corrected a minor discrepancy between our earlier definition of fNL and CMB constraints. References adde

Multiflavor QCD* on R_3 * S_1: Studying Transition From Abelian to Non-Abelian Confinement

The center-stabilized multiflavor QCD* theories formulated on R{sub 3} x S{sub 1} exhibit both Abelian and non-Abelian confinement as a function of the S{sub 1} radius, similar to the Seiberg-Witten theory as a function of the mass deformation parameter. For sufficiently small number of flavors and small r(S{sub 1}), we show occurrence of a mass gap in gauge fluctuations, and linear confinement. This is a regime of confinement without continuous chiral symmetry breaking ({chi}SB). Unlike one-flavor theories where there is no phase transition in r(S{sub 1}), the multiflavor theories possess a single phase transition associated with breaking of the continuous {chi}S. We conjecture that the scale of the {chi}SB is parametrically tied up with the scale of Abelian to non-Abelian confinement transition

Near-field coupling and SERS effects of palladium nanoparticle dimers

The linear optical properties and the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect of spherical palladium nanoparticle dimers are analyzed theoretically using generalized Mie theory. The calculation results demonstrate that the near-field coupling effect greatly influences the absorption, scattering and extinction spectra of nanoparticle dimers. The surface plasmon resonance wavelength red-shifts dramatically as the separation between nanoparticles decreases. Because of the near-field coupling between nanoparticles and the size effect, the maximum SERS enhancement factor at the' hot spot' between palladium nanoparticle dimers is as high as 10(7)-10(8), while the averaged SERS enhancement factor over the entire nanoparticle surface is in the range of 10(5)-10(6). The deviation between the position of the peak in the extinction spectrum and the wavelength for maximum surface-averaged enhancement for the Pd nanoparticle dimers indicates that localized surface plasmon resonance has different influences on the far and near fields. These theoretical results may help to reveal the relationship between the far and near fields, as well as understand the mechanism of electromagnetic enhancement in the surface-enhanced scattering of transition metals.National Natural Science Foundation of China [20703032]; National Basic Research Program of China [2009CB930703]; Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China [E0710028

Spin Hall effect in the kagome lattice with Rashba spin-orbit interaction

We study the spin Hall effect in the kagom\'{e} lattice with Rashba spin-orbit coupling. The conserved spin Hall conductance $\sigma_{xy}^{s}$ (see text) and its two components, i.e., the conventional term $\sigma_{xy}^{s0}$ and the spin-torque-dipole term $\sigma_{xy}^{s\tau}$, are numerically calculated, which show a series of plateaus as a function of the electron Fermi energy $\epsilon_{F}$. A consistent two-band analysis, as well as a Berry-phase interpretation, is also given. We show that these plateaus are a consequence of the various Fermi-surface topologies when tuning $\epsilon_{F}$. In particular, we predict that compared to the case with the Fermi surface encircling the $\mathbf{\Gamma}$ point in the Brillouin zone, the amplitude of the spin Hall conductance with the Fermi surface encircling the $\mathbf{K}$ points is twice enhanced, which makes it highly meaningful in the future to systematically carry out studies of the $\mathbf{K}$-valley spintronics.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. Phys. Rev. B (in press

On Yang--Mills Theories with Chiral Matter at Strong Coupling

Strong coupling dynamics of Yang-Mills theories with chiral fermion content remained largely elusive despite much effort over the years. In this work, we propose a dynamical framework in which we can address non-perturbative properties of chiral, non-supersymmetric gauge theories, in particular, chiral quiver theories on S{sub 1} x R{sub 3}. Double-trace deformations are used to stabilize the center-symmetric vacuum. This allows one to smoothly connect smaller(S{sub 1}) to larger(S{sub 1}) physics (R{sub 4} is the limiting case) where the double-trace deformations are switched off. In particular, occurrence of the mass gap in the gauge sector and linear confinement due to bions are analytically demonstrated. We find the pattern of the chiral symmetry realization which depends on the structure of the ring operators, a novel class of topological excitations. The deformed chiral theory, unlike the undeformed one, satisfies volume independence down to arbitrarily small volumes (a working Eguchi-Kawai reduction) in the large N limit. This equivalence, may open new perspectives on strong coupling chiral gauge theories on R{sub 4}