SEWDarkM

A number of observed phenomena in high energy physics and cosmology lack their resolution within the Standard Model of particle physics. These puzzles include neutrino oscillations, baryon asymmetry of the Universe, existence of Dark Matter and inflation. We discuss the suggestion, based on the νMSM (an extension of the Standard Model by three light singlet fermions) that all these problems can be solved by new physics which exists only below the electroweak scale. We describe the formalism which allows to compute from first principles of quantum field theory and statistical physics the abundance of dark matter in this theory. Predictions of the νMSM are compared with results of different cosmological and astrophysical observations.     

Physically self-consistent basis for modern cosmology

Cosmoparticle physics appeared as a natural result of internal development of cosmology seeking physical grounds for inflation, baryosynthesis, and nonbaryonic dark matter and of particle physics going outside the Standard Model of particle interactions. Its aim is to study the foundations of particle physics and cosmology and their fundamental relationship in the combination of respective indirect cosmological, astrophysical, and physical effects. The ideas on new particles and fields predicted by particle theory and on their cosmological impact are discussed, as well as the methods of cosmoparticle physics to probe these ideas, are considered with special analysis of physical mechanisms for inflation, baryosynthesis, and nonbaryonic dark matter. These mechanisms are shown to reflect the main principle of modern cosmology, putting, instead of formal parameters of cosmological models, physical processes governing the evolution of the big-bang universe. Their realization on the basis of particle theory induces additional model-dependent predictions, accessible to various methods of nonaccelerator particle physics. Probes for such predictions, with the use of astrophysical data, are the aim of cosmoarcheology studying astrophysical effects of new physics. The possibility of finding quantitatively definite relationships between cosmological and laboratory effects on the basis of cosmoparticle approach, as well as of obtaining a unique solution to the problem of physical candidates for inflation, mechanisms of baryogenesis, and multicomponent dark matter, is exemplified in terms of gauge model with broken family symmetry, underlying horizontal unification and possessing quantitatively definite physical grounds for inflation, baryosynthesis, and effectively multicomponent dark-matter scenarios.     

Some mathematical aspects of the scaling limit of critical two-dimensional systems

It has been observed long ago that many systems from statistical physics behave randomly on macroscopic level at their critical temperature. In two dimensions, these phenomena have been classified by theoretical physicists thanks to conformal field theory, that led to the derivation of the exact value of various critical exponents that describe their behavior near the critical temperature. In the last couple of years, combining ideas of complex analysis and probability theory, mathematicians have constructed and studied a family of random fractals (called ‘Schramm-Loewner evolutions’ or SLE) that describe the only possible conformally invariant limits of the interfaces for these models. This gives a concrete construction of these random systems, puts various predictions on a rigorous footing, and leads to further understanding of their behavior. The goal of this paper is to survey some of these recent mathematical developments, and to describe a couple of basic underlying ideas. We will also briefly describe some very recent and ongoing developments relating SLE, Brownian loop soups and conformal field theory.     

量子物理学百年回顾

简述了量子物理学诞生的背景。它的诞生,打开了人们认识微观物质世界运动规律的大门。物质属性及其微观结构问题,只有在量子物理的基础上才在原则上得以解决．量子力学提供了所有现代科学的基础支柱。在过去一百年中,量子物理不仅对于说明众多自然现象取得了无与伦比的成功,它还引发了大量的技术应用。由于量子物理学的基本概念与人们日常生活经验如此不同,诞生伊始至今,对于量子力学原理的诠释存在持续不断的争论。量子理论以前所未有的深度改变了人们的世界观。     

What the inflaton might tell us about RHIC/LHC

Topical phenomena in high-energy physics related to collision experiments of heavy nuclei (“Little Bang”) and early universe cosmology (“Big Bang”) involve far-from-equilibrium dynamics described by quantum field theory. One example concerns the role of plasma instabilities for the process of thermalization in heavy-ion collisions. The reheating of the early universe after inflation may exhibit rather similar phenomena following a tachyonic or parametric resonance instability. Certain universal aspects associated to nonthermal fixed points even quantitatively agree, and considering these phenomena from a common perspective can be fruitful.     

Developments in inflationary cosmology

This talk presents some recent work that has been done in inflationary cosmology. First a brief review is given of the inflation scenario and its basic models. After that, one of the main problems in developing inflationary models has been the requirement of a very flat inflation potential. In solving this problem, supersymmetry has played a major role, and the reasons will be discussed and a specific example of the SUSY hybrid model will be examined. Some problems introduced by SUSY such as the η and gravitino problems will then be discussed. Then in a different direction, the quintessential inflation model will be examined as a proposal where a single scalar field plays the role of both the inflaton at early time and the dark energy field later. The final topic covered is developments in understanding dissipation and particle production processes during the inflationary phase.      

Electrostatic field effects on three-dimensional topological insulators

Three-dimensional topological insulators are a new class of quantum matter which has interesting connections to nearly all main branches of condensed matter physics. In this article, we briefly review the advances in the field effect control of chemical potential in three-dimensional topological insulators. It is essential to the observation of many exotic quantum phenomena predicted to emerge from the topological insulators and their hybrid structures with other materials. We also describe various methods for probing the surface state transport. Some challenges in experimental study of electron transport in topological insulators will also be briefly discussed.     

Lattice symmetry breaking in cuprate superconductors: stripes,nematics, and superconductivity

This article gives an overview of both theoretical and experimental developments concerning states with lattice symmetry breaking in the cuprate high-temperature superconductors. Recent experiments have provided evidence for states with broken rotation as well as translation symmetry, and will be discussed in terms of nematic and stripe physics. Of particular importance here are results obtained using the techniques of neutron and X-ray scattering and scanning tunnelling spectroscopy. Ideas on the origin of lattice-symmetry-broken states will be reviewed, and effective models accounting for various experimentally observed phenomena will be summarized. These include both weak-coupling and strong-coupling approaches, with a discussion of their distinctions and connections. The collected experimental data indicate that the tendency toward uni-directional stripe-like ordering is common to underdoped cuprates, but becomes weaker with increasing number of adjacent CuO₂ layers.     

A categorical framework for quantum theory

Underlying any physical theory is a layer of conceptual frames. They connect the mathematical structures used in theoretical models with the phenomena, but they also constitute our fundamental assumptions about reality. Many of the discrepancies between quantum physics and classical physics (including Maxwell's electrodynamics and relativity) can be traced back to these categorical foundations. We argue that classical physics corresponds to the factual aspects of reality and requires a categorical framework which consists of four interdependent components: boolean logic, the linear‐sequential notion of time, the principle of sufficient reason, and the dichotomy between observer and observed. None of these can be dropped without affecting the others. However, quantum theory also addresses the “status nascendi” of facts, i.e., their coming into being. Therefore, quantum physics requires a different conceptual framework which will be elaborated in this article. It is shown that many of its components are already present in the standard formalisms of quantum physics, but in most cases they are highlighted not so much from a conceptual perspective but more from their mathematical structures. The categorical frame underlying quantum physics includes a profoundly different notion of time which encompasses a crucial role for the present. The article introduces the concept of a categorical apparatus (a framework of interdependent categories), explores the appropriate apparatus for classical and quantum theory, and elaborates in particular on the category of non‐sequential time and an extended present which seems to be relevant for a quantum theory of (space)‐time.     

On “Decisions and Revisions Which a Minute Will Reverse”: Consciousness,The Unconscious and Mathematical Modeling of Thinking

This article considers a partly philosophical question: What are the ontological and epistemological reasons for using quantum-like models or theories (models and theories based on the mathematical formalism of quantum theory) vs. classical-like ones (based on the mathematics of classical physics), in considering human thinking and decision making? This question is only partly philosophical because it also concerns the scientific understanding of the phenomena considered by the theories that use mathematical models of either type, just as in physics itself, where this question also arises as a physical question. This is because this question is in effect: What are the physical reasons for using, even if not requiring, these types of theories in considering quantum phenomena, which these theories predict fully in accord with the experiment? This is clearly also a physical, rather than only philosophical, question and so is, accordingly, the question of whether one needs classical-like or quantum-like theories or both (just as in physics we use both classical and quantum theories) in considering human thinking in psychology and related fields, such as decision science. It comes as no surprise that many of these reasons are parallel to those that are responsible for the use of QM and QFT in the case of quantum phenomena. Still, the corresponding situations should be understood and justified in terms of the phenomena considered, phenomena defined by human thinking, because there are important differences between these phenomena and quantum phenomena, which this article aims to address. In order to do so, this article will first consider quantum phenomena and quantum theory, before turning to human thinking and decision making, in addressing which it will also discuss two recent quantum-like approaches to human thinking, that by M. G. D’Ariano and F. Faggin and that by A. Khrennikov. Both approaches are ontological in the sense of offering representations, different in character in each approach, of human thinking by the formalism of quantum theory. Whether such a representation, as opposed to only predicting the outcomes of relevant experiments, is possible either in quantum theory or in quantum-like theories of human thinking is one of the questions addressed in this article. The philosophical position adopted in it is that it may not be possible to make this assumption, which, however, is not the same as saying that it is impossible. I designate this view as the reality-without-realism, RWR, view and in considering strictly mental processes as the ideality-without-idealism, IWI, view, in the second case in part following, but also moving beyond, I. Kant’s philosophy.     

Power-law inflation with exponential potentials

We investigate some power-law solutions in inflationary cosmology, both by analytic and numerical means, considering first a simple model of a scalar field with an exponential field coupled to gravity. As has been pointed out recently by Yokoyama and Maeda, in power-law inflation viscous forces caused by couplings of the inflation to other particles can be important. We use numerical simulation to examine the effects of this viscosity on the inflation, for both a simple exponential potential and a more realistic potential motivated by particle physics. In general, the viscosity enhances the exponent of the power-law inflation, increasing the efficiency of inflation in power-law models, and we outline a specific inflationary model featuring viscosity.     

An econophysics approach to analyse uncertainty in financial markets: an application to the Portuguese stock market

In recent years there has been a closer interrelationship between several scientific areas trying to obtain a more realistic and rich explanation of the natural and social phenomena. Among these it should be emphasized the increasing interrelationship between physics and financial theory. In this field the analysis of uncertainty, which is crucial in financial analysis, can be made using measures of physics statistics and information theory, namely the Shannon entropy. One advantage of this approach is that the entropy is a more general measure than the variance, since it accounts for higher order moments of a probability distribution function. An empirical application was made using data collected from the Portuguese Stock Market.     

The State of the Theory of Vacuum Arc Cathodes

The physics of vacuum arc cathodes, the advances in their interpretation and the still unsolved problems are summarized. Starting from the experimental experiences the theories of stationary arc spots are described, with their assumptions and variants, their successes and deficiencies. It is shown that an extension of these models by inclusion of non-stationary processes is inevitable. Such processes are suggested and their importance in a theory of the dynamic arc spot is investigated. Finally the role of surfacecontaminations is discussed, and the general applicability of the vacuum arc models to all kinds of arc electrodes is emphasized.     

Process Physics: Inertia, Gravity and the Quantum

Process Physics models reality as self-organising relational or semantic information using a self-referentially limited neural network model. This generalises the traditional non-process syntactical modelling of reality by taking account of the limitations and characteristics of self-referential syntactical information systems, discovered by Gödel and Chaitin, and the analogies with the standard quantum formalism and its limitations. In process physics space and quantum physics are emergent and unified, and time is a distinct non-geometric process. Quantum phenomena are caused by fractal topologicaldefects embedded in and forming a growing three-dimensional fractal process-space. Various features of the emergent physics are briefly discussed including:quantum gravity, quantum field theory, limited causality and the Born quantum measurement metarule, inertia, time-dilation effects, gravity and the equivalence principle, a growing universe with a cosmological constant, black holes and event horizons, and the emergence of classicality.     

A statistical mechanics view of quantum chromodynamics: Lattice gauge theory

Recent developments in lattice gauge theory are discussed from a statistical mechanics viewpoint. The basic physics problems of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) are reviewed for an audience of critical phenomena theorists. The idea of local gauge symmetry and color, the connection between statistical mechanics and field theory, asymptotic freedom and the continuum limit of lattice gauge theories, and the order parameters (confinement and chiral symmetry) of QCD are reviewed. Then recent developments in the field are discussed. These include the proof of confinement in the lattice theory, numerical evidence for confinement in the continuum limit of lattice gauge theory, and perturbative improvement programs for lattice actions. Next, we turn to the new challenges facing the subject. These include the need for a better understanding of the lattice Dirac equation and recent progress in the development of numerical methods for fermions (the pseudofermion stochastic algorithm and the microcanonical, molecular dynamics equation of motion approach). Finally, some of the applications of lattice gauge theory to QCD spectrum calculations and the thermodynamics of. QCD will be discussed and a few remarks concerning future directions of the field will be made.Supported in part by the NSF under grant No. PHY82-01948     

Lattice soliton equation hierarchy and associated properties

As a new subject, soliton theory is shown to be an effective tool for describing and explaining nonlinear phenomena in nonlinear optics, super conductivity, plasma physics, magnetic fluid, etc. Thus, the study of soliton equations has always been one of the most prominent events in the field of nonlinear science during the past few years. Moreover, it is important to seek the lattice soliton equation and study its properties. In this study, firstly, we derive a discrete integrable system by using the Tu model. Then, some properties of the obtained equation hierarchies are discussed.     

Amplitudes for astrophysicists: known knowns

The use of quantum field theory to understand astrophysical phenomena is not new. However, for the most part, the methods used are those that have been developed decades ago. The intervening years have seen some remarkable developments in computational quantum field theoretic tools. In particle physics, this technology has facilitated calculations that, even ten years ago would have seemed laughably difficult. It is remarkable, then, that most of these new techniques have remained firmly within the domain of high energy physics. We would like to change this. As alluded to in the title, this paper is aimed at showcasing the use of modern on-shell methods in the context of astrophysics and cosmology. In this article, we use the old problem of the bending of light by a compact object as an anchor to pedagogically develop these new computational tools. Once developed, we then illustrate their power and utility with an application to the scattering of gravitational waves.     

Scalars, vectors and tensors from metric-affine gravity

The metric-affine gravity provides a useful framework for analyzing gravitational dynamics since it treats metric tensor and affine connection as fundamentally independent variables. In this work, we show that, a metric-affine gravity theory composed of the invariants formed from non-metricity, torsion and curvature tensors can be decomposed into a theory of scalar, vector and tensor fields. These fields are natural candidates for the ones needed by various cosmological and other phenomena. Indeed, we show that the model accommodates TeVeS gravity (relativistic modified gravity theory), vector inflation, and aether-like models. Detailed analyses of these and other phenomena can lead to a standard metric-affine gravity model encoding scalars, vectors and tensors.