X-ray reflection collimator adapted to focus X-radiation directly on a detector Patent

X ray collimating structure for focusing radiation directly onto detecto

A non-perturbative mechanism for elementary particle mass generation

Taking inspiration from lattice QCD data, we argue that a finite non-perturbative contribution to the quark mass is generated as a consequence of the dynamical phenomenon of spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking, in turn triggered by the explicitly breaking of chiral symmetry induced by the critical Wilson term in the action. In pure lattice QCD this mass term cannot be separated from the unavoidably associated linearly divergent contribution. However, if QCD is enlarged to a theory where also a scalar field is present, coupled to an SU(2) doublet of fermions via a Yukawa and a Wilson-like term, then in the phase where the scalar field takes a non-vanishing expectation value, a dynamically generated and "naturally" light fermion mass (numerically unrelated to the expectation value of the scalar field) is conjectured to emerge at a critical value of the Yukawa coupling where the symmetry of the model is maximally enhanced. Masses dynamically generated in this way display a natural hierarchy according to which the stronger is the strongest of the interactions the fermion is subjected to the larger is its mass.Comment: Added more information in Fig 1. Added Fig. 10. Added an extra Appendix. Restructured a few sentences according to referee suggestions. Corrected a few misprints. All results unchanged. Now 50 pages and 10 Figure

Adaptive meshless refinement schemes for RBF-PUM collocation

In this paper we present an adaptive discretization technique for solving elliptic partial differential equations via a collocation radial basis function partition of unity method. In particular, we propose a new adaptive scheme based on the construction of an error indicator and a refinement algorithm, which used together turn out to be ad-hoc strategies within this framework. The performance of the adaptive meshless refinement scheme is assessed by numerical tests

Chirally improving Wilson fermions II. Four-quark operators

In this paper we discuss how the peculiar properties of twisted lattice QCD at maximal twist can be employed to set up a consistent computational scheme in which, despite the explicit breaking of chiral symmetry induced by the presence of the Wilson and mass terms in the action, it is possible to completely bypass the problem of wrong chirality and parity mixings in the computation of the CP-conserving matrix elements of the $\Delta S=1,2$ effective weak Hamiltonian and at the same time have a positive determinant for non-degenerate quarks as well as full O($a$) improvement in on-shell quantities with no need of improving the lattice action and the operators.Comment: Replaced with published version in JHEP style: 43 pages, no figures. Added few references and discussion on "critical mass and O(a) improvement" as well as on "tests and numerical issues" in the Conclusions (sect. 6

Electron-phonon coupling in metallic carbon nanotubes: Dispersionless electron propagation despite dissipation

A recent study [Rosati, Dolcini, and Rossi, Appl. Phys. Lett. 106, 243101 (2015)] has predicted that, while in semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) an electronic wave packet experiences the typical spatial diffusion of conventional materials, in metallic SWNTs its shape remains essentially unaltered up to micron distances at room temperature, even in the presence of the electron-phonon coupling. Here, by utilizing a Lindblad-based density-matrix approach enabling us to account for both dissipation and decoherence effects, we test such prediction by analyzing various aspects that were so far unexplored. In particular, accounting for initial nonequilibrium excitations, characterized by an excess energy $E_0$, and including both intra- and interband phonon scattering, we show that for realistically high values of $E_0$ the electronic diffusion is extremely small and nearly independent of its energetic distribution, in spite of a significant energy-dissipation and decoherence dynamics. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the effect is robust with respect to the variation of the chemical potential. Our results thus suggest that metallic SWNTs are a promising platform to realise quantum channels for the non-dispersive transmission of electronic wave packets.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure

Characterisation of the fused silica surface quality with a β-source

A method to characterise the quality of a fused silica surface using a β-source is presented. Two fused silica bars (5×10×400mm3) were fabricated for the Cherenkov detector for proton Flux Measurement installed at vacuum chamber of the Super Proton Synchrotron at CERN. The resolution of such device is defined by the collection efficiency of the Cherenkov light, which is produced by relativistic charged particles in the fused silica. Thus, the surface quality of the radiator should be as good as possible to avoid light losses. The method is based on the scanning of the radiator surface with a90Sr radioactive source and measurements of the Cherenkov light rate, detected by a PMT attached to the quartz bars. The data have been compared with a Monte-Carlo simulation, providing an estimation of the radiator's probability of the total internal reflection and inefficient area at the edges of the bars

Efficient computation of partition of unity interpolants through a block-based searching technique

In this paper we propose a new efficient interpolation tool, extremely suitable for large scattered data sets. The partition of unity method is used and performed by blending Radial Basis Functions (RBFs) as local approximants and using locally supported weight functions. In particular we present a new space-partitioning data structure based on a partition of the underlying generic domain in blocks. This approach allows us to examine only a reduced number of blocks in the search process of the nearest neighbour points, leading to an optimized searching routine. Complexity analysis and numerical experiments in two- and three-dimensional interpolation support our findings. Some applications to geometric modelling are also considered. Moreover, the associated software package written in \textsc{Matlab} is here discussed and made available to the scientific community

Coherent phenomena in semiconductors

A review of coherent phenomena in photoexcited semiconductors is presented. In particular, two classes of phenomena are considered: On the one hand the role played by optically-induced phase coherence in the ultrafast spectroscopy of semiconductors; On the other hand the Coulomb-induced effects on the coherent optical response of low-dimensional structures. All the phenomena discussed in the paper are analyzed in terms of a theoretical framework based on the density-matrix formalism. Due to its generality, this quantum-kinetic approach allows a realistic description of coherent as well as incoherent, i.e. phase-breaking, processes, thus providing quantitative information on the coupled ---coherent vs. incoherent--- carrier dynamics in photoexcited semiconductors. The primary goal of the paper is to discuss the concept of quantum-mechanical phase coherence as well as its relevance and implications on semiconductor physics and technology. In particular, we will discuss the dominant role played by optically induced phase coherence on the process of carrier photogeneration and relaxation in bulk systems. We will then review typical field-induced coherent phenomena in semiconductor superlattices such as Bloch oscillations and Wannier-Stark localization. Finally, we will discuss the dominant role played by Coulomb correlation on the linear and non-linear optical spectra of realistic quantum-wire structures.Comment: Topical review in Semiconductor Science and Technology (in press) (Some of the figures are not available in electronic form