On domain walls in a Ginzburg-Landau non-linear S^2-sigma model

The domain wall solutions of a Ginzburg-Landau non-linear $S^2$-sigma hybrid model are unveiled. There are three types of basic topological walls and two types of degenerate families of composite - one topological, the other non-topological- walls. The domain wall solutions are identified as the finite action trajectories (in infinite time) of a related mechanical system that is Hamilton-Jacobi separable in sphero-conical coordinates. The physical and mathematical features of these domain walls are thoroughly discussed.Comment: 26 pages, 18 figure

Deformed defects for scalar fields with polynomial interactions

In this paper we use the deformation procedure introduced in former work on deformed defects to investigate several new models for real scalar field. We introduce an interesting deformation function, from which we obtain two distinct families of models, labeled by the parameters that identify the deformation function. We investigate these models, which identify a broad class of polynomial interactions. We find exact solutions describing global defects, and we study the corresponding stability very carefully.Comment: 8 pages, 5 eps figures, to appear in PR

Asymmetric kink scattering in a two-component scalar field theory model

Producción CientíficaIn this paper the kink scattering in a two-component scalar field theory model in (1+1)-Minkowskian space-time is addressed. The potential term U(fi_1; fi_2) is given by a polynomial of fourth degree in the first field component and of sixth degree in the second one. The novel characteristic of this model is that the kink variety describes two different types of extended particles. These particles are characterized by its topological charge but also by a new feature determined by a discrete charge L = 0,1,-1. For this reason, the kink scattering involves a very rich variety of processes, which comprises kink annihilation, reflection, charge exchange, transmutation, etc. It has been found that not only the final velocity of the scattered kinks, but also the final nature of the emerging lumps after the collision are very sensitive on the initial velocities. Asymmetric scattering processes arise when Type I and Type II particles are obliged to collide. In this case, ten different final scenarios are possible. Symmetric scattering events are also discussed.In this paper the kink scattering in a two-component scalar field theory model in (1+1)-Minkowskian space-time is addressed. The potential term U(ϕ1, ϕ2) is given by a polynomial of fourth degree in the first field component and of sixth degree in the second one. The novel characteristic of this model is that the kink variety describes two different types of extended particles. These particles are characterized by its topological charge but also by a new feature determined by a discrete charge . For this reason, the kink scattering involves a very rich variety of processes, which comprises kink annihilation, reflection, charge exchange, transmutation, etc. It has been found that not only the final velocity of the scattered kinks, but also the final nature of the emerging lumps after the collision are very sensitive on the initial velocities. Asymmetric scattering processes arise when Type I and Type II particles are obliged to collide. In this case, ten different final scenarios are possible. Symmetric scattering events are also discussed.Ministerio de Economía, Ciencia y Competitividad (grant MTM2014-57129-C2-1-P)Junta de Castilla y Leon (grant VA057U16

First-grade Latino English language learners' performance on story problems in spanish versus english

To explore whether teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) with an emphasis on English story problem is appropriate, we compared the performance of a group of Latino first graders when working in Spanish and in English on two equivalent sets of story problems. The students’ performance was slightly higher in English than in Spanish, but lower than monolingual students from other studies. ELLs’ success in English indicated that the children’s knowledge of conversational English was sufficient to comprehend story problems, leading us to conclude that teaching through story problems is a viable approach with ELLs

Quantum fluctuations around low-dimensional topological defects

In these Lectures a method is described to analyze the effect of quantum fluctuations on topological defect backgrounds up to the one-loop level. The method is based on the spectral heat kernel/zeta function regularization procedure, and it is first applied to various types of kinks arising in several deformed linear and non-linear sigma models with different numbers of scalar fields. In the second part, the same conceptual framework is constructed for the topological solitons of the planar semilocal Abelian Higgs model, built from a doublet of complex scalar fields and one U(1) gauge field.Comment: 63 pages, 14 figures, expanded version of two lectures given by J.M.G. in 5th International School on Field Theory and Gravitation, Cuiaba, Brazi

The Kink variety in systems of two coupled scalar fields in two space-time dimensions

In this paper we describe the moduli space of kinks in a class of systems of two coupled real scalar fields in (1+1) Minkowskian space-time. The main feature of the class is the spontaneous breaking of a discrete symmetry of (real) Ginzburg-Landau type that guarantees the existence of kink topological defects.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.

The Flow Constraint Influence on the Properties of Nuclear Matter Critical Endpoint

We propose a novel family of equations of state for symmetric nuclear matter based on the induced surface tension concept for the hard-core repulsion. It is shown that having only four adjustable parameters the suggested equations of state can, simultaneously, reproduce not only the main properties of the nuclear matter ground state, but the proton flow constraint up its maximal particle number densities. Varying the model parameters we carefully examine the range of values of incompressibility constant of normal nuclear matter and its critical temperature which are consistent with the proton flow constraint. This analysis allows us to show that the physically most justified value of nuclear matter critical temperature is 15.5-18 MeV, the incompressibility constant is 270-315 MeV and the hard-core radius of nucleons is less than 0.4 fm.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

N=2 Supersymmetric Kinks and real algebraic curves

The kinks of the (1+1)-dimensional Wess-Zumino model with polynomic superpotential are investigated and shown to be related to real algebraic curves.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX, epsfig, 4 figures include

A time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation for molecular core-hole dynamics

X-ray spectroscopy is an important tool for the investigation of matter. X rays primarily interact with inner-shell electrons creating core (inner-shell) holes that will decay on the time scale of attoseconds to few femtoseconds through electron relaxations involving the emission of a photon or an electron. The advent of femtosecond x-ray pulses expands x-ray spectroscopy to the time domain and will eventually allow the control of core-hole population on timescales comparable to core-vacancy lifetimes. For both cases, a theoretical approach that accounts for the x-ray interaction while the electron relaxations occur is required. Here we describe a time-dependent framework, based on solving the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation, that is suitable for describing the induced electron and nuclear dynamics

Face engagement during infancy predicts later face recognition ability in younger siblings of children with autism

Face recognition difficulties are frequently documented in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It has been hypothesized that these difficulties result from a reduced interest in faces early in life, leading to decreased cortical specialization and atypical development of the neural circuitry for face processing. However, a recent study by our lab demonstrated that infants at increased familial risk for ASD, irrespective of their diagnostic status at 3 years, exhibit a clear orienting response to faces. The present study was conducted as a follow-up on the same cohort to investigate how measures of early engagement with faces relate to face-processing abilities later in life. We also investigated whether face recognition difficulties are specifically related to an ASD diagnosis, or whether they are present at a higher rate in all those at familial risk. At 3 years we found a reduced ability to recognize unfamiliar faces in the high-risk group that was not specific to those children who received an ASD diagnosis, consistent with face recognition difficulties being an endophenotype of the disorder. Furthermore, we found that longer looking at faces at 7 months was associated with poorer performance on the face recognition task at 3 years in the high- risk group. These findings suggest that longer looking at faces in infants at risk for ASD might reflect early face-processing difficulties and predicts difficulties with recognizing faces later in life