Application of large deviation theory to the mean-field $\boldsymbol{\varphi}^\mathsf{4}$-model

A large deviation technique is used to calculate the microcanonical entropy function s(v,m) of the mean-field ϕ⁴-model as a function of the potential energy v and the magnetization m. As in the canonical ensemble, a continuous phase transition is found. An analytical expression is obtained for the critical energy v_c(J) as a function of the coupling parameter J.     

Hyperfine induced {\sf 1 s}{\sf 2 s}\ ^{\sf 1}S_{\sf 0} \rightarrow {\sf 1 s}^{\sf 2}\ ^{\sf 1}S0 M1 transition of He-like ions

Hyperfine induced $1s2s\ ^1$ S $_0 \rightarrow 1s^2\ ^1$ S₀ M1 transition probabilities of He-like ions have been calculated from relativistic configuration interaction wavefunctions including the frequency independent Breit interaction and QED effects. Present results for ¹⁵¹Eu and ¹⁵⁵Gd are in good agreement with previous calculations [L.N. Labzowsky et al., Phys. Rev. A 63, 054105 (2001)]. Electronic data are given in terms of a general scaling law in Z that, given isotopic nuclear spin and magnetic moment, allows hyperfine induced decay rates to be estimated for any isotope. The results should be helpful for future experimental investigations on QED and parity non-conservation effects.     

Modified effective-range theory for low energy ${\sf e}$-N2 scattering

We analyze the low-energy e-N₂ collisions within the framework of the modified-effective range theory (MERT) for the long-range potentials, developed by O’Malley et al. [J. Math. Phys. 2, 491 (1961)]. In comparison to the traditional MERT we do not expand the total cross-section in the series of the incident momentum ?k, but instead we apply the exact analytical solutions of the Schrödinger equation for the long-range polarization potential, as proposed in the original formulation of O’Malley et al. This extends the applicability of MERT up to few eV regime, as we confirm using some simplified model potential of the electron-molecule interaction. The parameters of the effective-range expansion (i.e. the scattering length and the effective range) are determined from experimental, integral elastic cross-sections in the 0.1–1.0 eV energy range by fitting procedure. Surprisingly, our treatment predicts a shape resonance that appears slightly higher than experimentally well known resonance in the total cross-section. Agreement with the experimentally observed shape-resonance can be improved by assuming the position of the resonance in a given partial wave. Influence of the quadrupole potential on resonances is also discussed: we show that it can be disregarded for N₂. In conclusion, the modified-effective range formalism treating the long-range part of the potential in an exact way, reproduces well both the very low-energy behavior of the integral cross-section as well as the presence of resonances in the few eV range.     

Reduced fidelity, entanglement and quantum phase transition in the one-dimensional bond-alternating S = 1 Heisenberg chain

By using the method of density-matrix renormalization group, the reduced fidelity and entanglement in the one-dimensional bond-alternating S = 1 Heisenberg chain are investigated. The results demonstrate that the quantum phase transition from the Haldane phase to the dimer phase can be characterized by the reduced fidelity and the first derivation of the entanglement entropy. Through the finite-size scaling, the critical point and the critical exponent of the correlation length are obtained accurately.     

Improved search for $B_{s}^{0} - \overline{B}_{s}^{0}$ oscillations

An improved search for B _s ⁰ oscillations is performed in the ALEPH data sample collected during the first phase of LEP, and reprocessed in 1998. Three analyses based on complementary event selections are presented. First, decays of B _s ⁰ mesons into hadronic flavour eigenstates are fully reconstructed. This selection yields a small sample of candidates with excellent decay length and momentum resolution and hi gh average B _s ⁰ purity. Semileptonic decays with a reconstructed D _s ^- meson provide a second sample with larger statistics, high average B _s ⁰ purity, but a poorer momentum and decay length resolution due to the partial decay reconstruction. Finally, semileptonic b-hadron decays are inclusively selected and yield the data sample with the highest sensitivity to B _s ⁰ oscillations, as the much higher statistics compensate for the low average B _s ⁰ purity and poorer time resolution. A lower limit is set atps^-1 at 95% C.L., significantly lower than the expected limit of 15.2 ps^-1. Received: 21 February 2003 / Published online: 11 June 2003     

Quantum Phase Transitions,Entanglement Spectrum,and Schmidt Gap in Bond-Alternative S=1 Antiferromagnetic Chain

Bipartite entanglement, entanglement spectrum, and Schmidt gap in S=1 bond-alternative antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain are investigated by the infinite time-evolving block decimation （iTEBD） method. The quantum phase transition （QPT） from the singlet-dimer phase to the Haldane phase can be detected by the singular behavior of bipartite entanglement, the sudden change of the entanglement spectrum, and the completely vanishing of the Schmidt gap. The critical point is determined to be around rc ~- 0.587, and the second-order character of the QPT is verified. Doubly degenerate entanglement spectra of both even and odd bonds are observed in the Haldane phase, by which one can distinguish the Haldane phase from the singlet-dimer phase easily. Nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic correlations and next-nearest-neighbor ferromagnetic correlations are found in the whole parameter region. At the critical massless point, although exponentially decaying antiferromagnetie correlation is observed, it approaches to a constant value finally. Therefore, long-range correlations exist and the correlation length becomes divergent at the critical point.     

Fluorescence imaging assisted by surface modes on dielectric multilayers

The scaling behavior of criticality for spin-1 XXZ chains with uniaxial single-ion-type anisotropy is investigated by employing the infinite matrix product state representation with the infinite time evolving block decimation method. At criticality, the accuracy of the ground state of a system is limited by the truncation dimension χ of the local Hilbert space. We present four evidences for the scaling of the entanglement entropy, the largest eigenvalue of the Schmidt decomposition, the correlation length, and the connection between the actual correlation length ξ and the energy. The result shows that the finite scalings are governed by the central charge of the critical system. Also, it demonstrates that the infinite time evolving block decimation algorithm by the infinite matrix product state representation can be a quite accurate method to simulate the critical properties at criticality.     

Entanglement entropy fluctuations in quantum Ising chains

The behavior of Ising chains with the spin-spin interaction value λ in a transverse magnetic field of constant intensity (h = 1) is considered. For a chain of infinite length, exact analytical formulas are obtained for the second central moment (dispersion) of the entropy operator Ŝ = -lnρ with reduced density matrix ρ, which corresponds to a semi-infinite part of the model chain occurring in the ground state. In the vicinity of a critical point λ_c = 1, the entanglement entropy fluctuation ΔS (defined as the square root of dispersion) diverges as ΔS ∼ [ln(1/|1 − λ|)]^1/2. For the known behavior of the entanglement entropy S, this divergence results in that the relative fluctuation δS = ΔS/S vanishes at the critical point, that is, a state with almost nonfluctuating entanglement is attained.     

Structural and electronic properties of Ren (${\sf n} \leq$ 8) clusters by density-functional theory

The structures, stabilities and electronic properties of small-sized Re_n (n ≤ 8) clusters have been systematically investigated by density-functional theory. The lowest-energy structures of Re_n clusters favor 3-dimensional configuration. The results of second-order difference of energies indicate that Re₄ and Re₆ possess relatively higher stability in structure. Importantly, our theoretical results of electron affinity are in agreement with experimental values, which can be responsible for the reliability of the structures.     

A new method to study phase transition in 3D Heisenberg model

It is shown that partial entropy, which is the classical analog of von Neumann entropy in quantum theory, is an effective tool to study the thermodynamic phase transitions in the physical systems. This method captures the intrinsic characters of critical fluctuations and does not need the pre-assumed order parameter. As an example, the finite temperature phase transition in the quantum three-dimensional spin-1/2 Heisenberg model is studied, where the stochastic series expansion quantum Monte Carlo method with operator-loop update is used. It is found that close to the critical temperature, the derivative of partial entropy displays a maximum value and shows finite size scaling behaviors, from which the critical temperature and critical exponents are determined.     

Electric field induced phase transition in first order ferroelectrics with large zero point energy

An electric field induced phase transition in first order ferroelectrics with very large zero point energy is studied on the framework of the effective field approach. It is well known that when the zero point energy of a system is relatively large, the ferroelectric behaviour is depressed and no phase transition can be observed. The critical value Ω_cf of zero point energy for whom the phase transition disappears turns out to be dependant on the order of transition. For zero point energies larger than this critical value, a phase transition may be induced applying an external electric field. This temperature dependence of the induced polarization shows a discontinuous step when the applied electric field is weak, but becoming a continuous one at a strong applied electric field. Another critical value of zero point energy Ω_cp>Ω_cf is deduced for which no phase transition at all can be attained.     

Quantum phase transition in the one-dimensional quantum Heisenberg XYZ model with Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction

We investigated the quantum phase transition occurred in one-dimensional quantum Heisenberg XYZ model with Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction via the infinite matrix product state representation with the infinite time evolving block decimation method. Entanglement entropy and local order parameter in and near the transition point are given. Scaling relation plays crucial roles on identifying a quantum system with a physically different phase. The scaling relation of the entanglement entropy, local order parameter and finite correlation length with the truncation dimension are also obtained. All the interesting results give a theoretical justification for the high accuracy of infinite time evolved block decimation algorithm which works in the thermodynamical limit.     

Vision of a fully laser-driven ${\sf n\gamma}{-}{\sf m\gamma}$ collider

The use is suggested of a laser-accelerated dense electron sheet with an energy of (E=[(g)\tilde] mc²E=\tilde{\gamma} mc^2) as a relativistic mirror to reflect coherently a second laser with photon energy ħω, generating by the Doppler boost high-energy γ photons with $ \hbar \omega ' = 4\tilde \gamma ^2 \hbar \omega $ \hbar \omega ' = 4\tilde \gamma ^2 \hbar \omega and short duration [A. Einstein, Annalen der Physik 17, 891 (1905); D. Habs et al., Appl. Phys. B 93, 349 (2008)]. Two of these counter-propagating γ beams are focused by the parabolically shaped electron sheets into the interaction region with small, close to diffraction-limited, spot size. Comparing the new nγ-mγ collider with former proposed γγ collider schemes we achieve the conversion of many photon-pairs in a small space-time volume to matter-antimatter particles, while in the other discussed setups only two isolated, much more high-energetic photons will be converted, reaching in the new approach much higher energy densities and temperatures. With a γ-field strength somewhat below the Schwinger limit we can reach this complete conversion of the γ bunch energy into e⁺e^- or quark-antiquark q[`(q)]q\bar{q}-plasmas. For a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) [A. Einstein, Physikalisch-mathematische Klasse (Berlin) 22, 261 (1924); A. Einstein, Physikalisch-mathematische Klasse (Berlin) 22, 3 (1925); A. Griffin, D.W. Snoke, S. Stringari, Bose-Einstein Condensation (Cambridge University Press, 1995)] final state or for the Cooper pair ground state at higher densities [A.J. Leggett, Quantum Liquids, Oxford Graduate Texts (Oxford University Press, 2006)] the strong induced transition into this coherent state is of special interest for single-cycle γ pulses. Due to annihilation these cold coherent states are very short-lived. For γ beams with photon energies of 1–10 keV the rather cold e<sup>+</sup>e<sup>-</sup>-plasma or e<sup>+</sup>e<sup>-</sup>-BEC expands to a cold dense aggregate of positronium (Ps) atoms, where the production of Ps molecules is discussed. For photon energies of 1–10 MeV we discuss the production of a cold induced π<sup>0</sup>-BEC followed by the formation of molecules. For the direct population of higher q[`(q)]q\bar{q} densities we can study condensates of color-neutral mesons with enhanced population. For a γγ collider with several-cycle laser pulses the following cycles heat up the fermion-antifermion f[`(f)]f\bar{f} system to a certain temperature. Thus we can reach high energy densities and temperatures of an e⁺e^-γ plasma, where the production of hadrons in general or the quark-gluon phase transition can be observed. Within the long-term goal of very high photon energies of about 1 GeV in the nγ-mγ-collider, even the electro-weak phase transition or SUSY phase transition could be reached.     

Quantum entanglement and quantum phase transitions in frustrated Majumdar-Ghosh model

By using the density matrix renormalization group technique, the quantum phase transitions in the frustrated Majumdar-Ghosh model are investigated. The behaviors of the conventional order parameter and the quantum entanglement entropy are analyzed in detail. The order parameter is found to peak at J₂∼0.58, but not at the Majumdar-Ghosh point (J₂=0.5). Although, the quantum entanglements calculated with different subsystems display dissimilarly, the extremes of their first derivatives approach to the same critical point. By finite size scaling, this quantum critical point J^C₂ converges to around 0.301 in the thermodynamic limit, which is consistent with those predicted previously by some authors (Tonegawa and Harada, 1987 [6]; Kuboki and Fukuyama, 1987 [7]; Chitra et al., 1995 [9]). Across the J^C₂, the system undergoes a quantum phase transition from a gapless spin-fluid phase to a gapped dimerized phase.     

Anatomy of $B^{0}_{s,d} \to J/\psi f_{0}(980)$

The \(B^{0}_{s}\to J/\psi f_{0}(980)\) decay offers an interesting experimental alternative to the well-known \(B^{0}_{s}\to J/\psi \phi\) channel for the search of CP-violating New-Physics contributions to \(B^{0}_{s}\)–\(\bar{B}^{0}_{s}\) mixing. As the hadronic structure of the f ₀(980) has not yet been settled, we take a critical look at the implications for the relevant observables and address recent experimental data. It turns out that the effective lifetime of \(B^{0}_{s}\to J/\psi f_{0}(980)\) and its mixing-induced CP asymmetry S are quite robust with respect to hadronic effects and thereby allow us to search for a large CP-violating \(B^{0}_{s}\)–\(\bar{B}^{0}_{s}\) mixing phase ? _s , which is tiny in the Standard Model. However, should small CP violation, i.e. in the range ?0.1?S?0, be found in \(B^{0}_{s}\to J/\psi f_{0}(980)\), it will be crucial to constrain hadronic corrections in order to distinguish possible New-Physics effects from the Standard Model. We point out that \(B^{0}_{d}\to J/\psi f_{0}(980)\), which has not yet been measured, is a key channel in this respect and discuss the physics potential of this decay.     

Does sex induce a phase transition?

We discovered a dynamic phase transition induced by sexual reproduction. The dynamics is a pure Darwinian rule applied to diploid bit-strings with both fundamental ingredients to drive Darwin's evolution: (1) random mutations and crossings which act in the sense of increasing the entropy (or diversity); and (2) selection which acts in the opposite sense by limiting the entropy explosion. Selection wins this competition if mutations performed at birth are few enough, and thus the wild genotype dominates the steady-state population. By slowly increasing the average number m of mutations, however, the population suddenly undergoes a mutational degradation precisely at a transition point m_c. Above this point, the “bad” alleles (represented by 1-bits) spread over the genetic pool of the population, overcoming the selection pressure. Individuals become selectively alike, and evolution stops. Only below this point, m < m_c, evolutionary life is possible. The finite-size-scaling behaviour of this transition is exhibited for large enough “chromosome” lengths L, through lengthy computer simulations. One important and surprising observation is the L-independence of the transition curves, for large L. They are also independent on the population size. Another is that m_c is near unity, i.e. life cannot be stable with much more than one mutation per diploid genome, independent of the chromosome length, in agreement with reality. One possible consequence is that an eventual evolutionary jump towards larger L enabling the storage of more genetic information would demand an improved DNA copying machinery in order to keep the same total number of mutations per offspring.     

Noncommutative Independence from the Braid Group $${\mathbb{B}_{\infty}}$$

We introduce ‘braidability’ as a new symmetry for infinite sequences of noncommutative random variables related to representations of the braid group \({\mathbb{B}_{\infty}}\) . It provides an extension of exchangeability which is tied to the symmetric group \({\mathbb{S}_{\infty}}\) . Our key result is that braidability implies spreadability and thus conditional independence, according to the noncommutative extended de Finetti theorem [Kös08]. This endows the braid groups \({\mathbb{B}_{n}}\) with a new intrinsic (quantum) probabilistic interpretation. We underline this interpretation by a braided extension of the Hewitt-Savage Zero-One Law. Furthermore we use the concept of product representations of endomorphisms [Goh04] with respect to certain Galois type towers of fixed point algebras to show that braidability produces triangular towers of commuting squares and noncommutative Bernoulli shifts. As a specific case we study the left regular representation of \({\mathbb{B}_{\infty}}\) and the irreducible subfactor with infinite Jones index in the non-hyperfinite I I ₁-factor L \({(\mathbb{B}_{\infty})}\) related to it. Our investigations reveal a new presentation of the braid group \({\mathbb{B}_{\infty}}\) , the ‘square root of free generator presentation’ \({\mathbb{F}^{1/2}_{\infty}}\) . These new generators give rise to braidability while the squares of them yield a free family. Hence our results provide another facet of the strong connection between subfactors and free probability theory [GJS07]; and we speculate about braidability as an extension of (amalgamated) freeness on the combinatorial level.     

Nonlinear transport in {\sf \beta}-Na 0.33V 2O 5

Transport properties of the charge ordering compound β-Na_0.33V₂O₅ are studied in the temperature range from 30 K to 300 K using current driven DC conductivity experiments. It is found that below the metal-insulator transition temperature ( ) this material shows a nonlinear charge density modulation behavior. The observed conductivity is discussed in terms of a classical domain model for charge density modulation transport.     

Experimental evidence for the exotic dibaryon $d^{\ast }_{1}$

We provide strong experimental evidence for the existence of a nonstrange exotic dibaryon with a mass of about 1956 MeV called \(d^{\ast }_{1}\)(1956). This dibaryon is expected to be stable against strong decay and decays predominantly into two nucleons (NN) via the isospin-conserving radiative process \(d^{\ast }_{1} \to NN \gamma \). First, we present the experimental evidence for the \(d^{\ast }_{1}\)(1956) found in the energy spectrum of the coincident photons emitted at ±90⁰ from the reaction p p → p p γ γ at 216 MeV. Then we give an explanation why the WASA/CELSIUS Collaboration did not find signatures of this dibaryon in its proton-proton bremsstrahlung data measured at 310 and 200 MeV. We also present signatures of this dibaryon found in experimental invariant mass spectra of photon pairs from the p p → p p γ γ reaction measured by this collaboration at 1360 and 1200 MeV. These signatures provide very substantial confirmation of the existence of the \(d^{\ast }_{1}\)(1956).