Set the controls for the heart of the Sun

In this paper we describe experiments conducted with high-power lasers that are attempting to replicate, for a very short time and in miniature, conditions found in the Sun. Experiments to date have reached conditions in the outer part of the Sun. To reach the Sun's centre requires compression of material to very much greater than solid density and heating to over ten million degrees. To achieve this, a new class of experiments and a new generation of high-power lasers are required.     

On the predictability of the positions of the convergence zones in the ocean

The disagreement between the experimental and calculated positions of the first convergence zone are known from many publications. The most probable cause for such a disagreement, namely, the incorrect specification of the input data for the calculations, is considered. The lack of simultaneity between the hydrological surveys of the region and the acoustic experiments is emphasized. The experimental data obtained by the author in five ocean regions are presented. These data characterize the diurnal variability of the distance from the source to the nearest boundary of the convergence zone. The relations proposed by different researchers for calculating the sound speed from the temperature, salinity, and hydrostatic pressure are analyzed. It is shown that these relations lead to a substantial difference in the estimated depth dependence of the hydrostatic gradient of the sound speed. The position of the first convergence zone is calculated for the propagation conditions determined by vertical temperature and salinity profiles with the subsequent recalculation of these profiles into sound speed profiles by using eight different formulas known from the literature. It is shown that different formulas lead to different values of the distance to the first zone; this difference is substantially greater than that between the calculations and experiment. The necessity of improving the recalculation relations in view of the experimental data on sound propagation in natural oceanic waveguides, including the data on the actual positions of the convergence zones, is emphasized.     

Hyperfine interactions: the past, the present and the future

Five major hyperfine interaction techniques, detected by nuclear radiation, originated in the short time span between 1950 and 1965. The coincidence with the demographic expansion, especially in Europe, of university education led to the creation of many new research laboratories applying these promising techniques in solid state physics, chemistry and biology. Since the turn of century many of the early pioneers are going into retirement, leading to a decline in activities in Europe, compensated in some degree by an increase in activities outside Europe. The organisation of the 2007 HI/NQI-conference was impeccable and took place in a superb setting. Thanks to all those involved in its organization.     

Determination of the exact solutions to the inhomogeneous burgers equation with the use of the darboux transformation

A method of determining the exact solutions to the Burgers equation on the basis of the Darboux transformation is described. It is shown that a single application of the Darboux transformation to the homogeneous Burgers equation transforms the latter into the inhomogeneous equation describing acoustic wave propagation against transonic flow in the de Laval nozzle. In this case, the contraction ratio of the nozzle is fixed and determined by the viscosity coefficient of the medium. Based on the exact solution of the homogeneous Burgers equation, for the aforementioned problem of the flow in the nozzle, all the possible regular steady-state solutions are presented and the evolution of nonstationary solutions is investigated. The algorithm of a multiple Darboux transformation, which allows an increase in the strength of inhomogeneity, i.e., in the contraction ratio of the nozzle, is determined. This approach leads to a discrete set of possible contraction ratios at which exact solutions can be obtained. The Crum’s theorem is used to derive a formula that allows determination of the exact solutions to the inhomogeneous Burgers equation from the solutions to the homogeneous heat transfer equation. It is noted that, in fact, the proposed algorithm of the multiple Darboux transformation makes it possible to decrease the viscosity coefficient of the medium in a discrete way.     

On the Local Detectability of the Passage Through the Schwarzschild Horizon

Using the property of the simplest invariant built from the covariant derivatives of the curvature tensor to change sign on the Schwarzschild horizon, and the relativistic quadratic geodesic deviation equation to express the invariant in terms of locally measurable quantities, viz., separation, relative velocity and acceleration of test particles, a scheme is presented which can, in principle, be used by an imaginary observer to detect by local measurements the passage through the event horizon in the Schwarzschild spacetime.     

On the reversibility of the Meissner effect and the angular momentum puzzle

It is generally believed that the laws of thermodynamics govern superconductivity as an equilibrium state of matter, and hence that the normal-superconductor transition in a magnetic field is reversible under ideal conditions. Because eddy currents are generated during the transition as the magnetic flux changes, the transition has to proceed infinitely slowly to generate no entropy. Experiments showed that to a high degree of accuracy no entropy was generated in these transitions. However, in this paper we point out that for the length of times over which these experiments extended, a much higher degree of irreversibility due to decay of eddy currents should have been detected than was actually observed. We also point out that within the conventional theory of superconductivity no explanation exists for why no Joule heat is generated in the superconductor to normal transition when the supercurrent stops. In addition we point out that within the conventional theory of superconductivity no mechanism exists for the transfer of momentum between the supercurrent and the body as a whole, which is necessary to ensure that the transition in the presence of a magnetic field respects momentum conservation. We propose a solution to all these questions based on the alternative theory of hole superconductivity. The theory proposes that in the normal-superconductor transition there is a flow and backflow of charge in direction perpendicular to the phase boundary when the phase boundary moves. We show that this flow and backflow explains the absence of Joule heat generated by Faraday eddy currents, the absence of Joule heat generated in the process of the supercurrent stopping, and the reversible transfer of momentum between the supercurrent and the body, provided the current carriers in the normal state are holes.     

On the numerical solution of the biharmonic equation in the plane

The biharmonic equation arises in a variety of problems in applied mathematics, most notably in plane elasticity and in viscous incompressible flow. Integral equation methods are natural candidates for the numerical solution of such problems, since they discritize the boundary alone, are easy to apply in the case of free or moving boundaries, and achieve superalgebraic convergence rates on sufficiently smooth domains, regardless of shape. In this paper, we follow the work of Mayo and Greenbaum and make use of the Sherman-Lauricella integral equation which is a Fredholm equation with bounded kernel. We describe a fast algorithm for the evaluation of the integral operators appearing in that equation. When combined with a conjugate gradient like algorithm, we are able to solve the discretized integral equation in an amount of time proportional to N, where N is the number of nodes in the discretization of the boundary.     

Effect of the ion background on the spectral and amplitude characteristics of the output signal from the oscillator with the turbulent electron beam

The effect of the residual gas pressure on the spectral and amplitude characteristics of the output signal from the oscillator with the turbulent electron beam is examined. It is shown that ions resulting from gas ionization in the drift region promote formation of denser and more compact space charge bunches. Denser bunches increase the output signal power and aid in appearance of higher-order components in the spectrum, thus extending the working range to a higher-frequency region. When the device operates in the regime of noiselike signal generation, ions contribute to a decrease in the irregularity of the output power spectrum to about 0.3 dB in the working frequency range up to two octaves.     

On the gyromagnetic ratio in the Kaluza-Klein theories and the Schuster-Blackett law

Pauli's five-dimensional Dirac equation in projective space, which results in an anomalous magnetic moment term in four dimensions, is related to the Schuster-Blackett law of the magnetic field of rotating bodies and to the recent results on the gyromagnetic ratio in Kaluza-Klein theories.     

On the NLO QCD corrections to the production of the heaviest neutral Higgs scalar in the MSSM

We present a calculation of the two-loop top–stop–gluino contributions to Higgs production via gluon fusion in the MSSM. By means of an asymptotic expansion in the heavy particle masses, we obtain explicit and compact analytic formulas that are valid when the Higgs and the top quark are lighter than stops and gluino, without assuming a specific hierarchy between the Higgs mass and the top mass. Being applicable to the heaviest Higgs scalar in a significant region of the MSSM parameter space, our results complement earlier ones obtained with a Taylor expansion in the Higgs mass, and can be easily implemented in computer codes to provide an efficient and accurate determination of the Higgs production cross section.     

On the problem of the consistency of the high-temperature precipitation model with the classical nucleation theory

The adequacy of the model of high-temperature precipitation in dislocation-free silicon single crystals to the classical theory of nucleation and growth of second-phase particles in solids has been considered. It has been shown that the introduction and consideration of thermal conditions of crystal growth in the initial equations of the classical nucleation theory make it possible to explain the precipitation processes occurring in the high-temperature range and thus extend the theoretical basis of the application of the classical nucleation theory. According to the model of high-temperature precipitation, the smallest critical radius of oxygen and carbon precipitates is observed in the vicinity of the crystallization front. Cooling of the crystal is accompanied by the growth and coalescence of precipitates. During heat treatments, the nucleation of precipitates starts at low temperatures, whereas the growth and coalescence of precipitates occur with an increase in the temperature. It has been assumed that the high-temperature precipitation of impurities can determine the overall kinetics of defect formation in other dislocation-free single crystals of semiconductors and metals.     

Application of the method of collective coordinates the the quantisation of the two-dimensional higgs model

A comprehensive analysis of the application of the method of collective coordinates to the two dimensional Higgs model is given. First the instanton solution is derived, and the geometry of configuration space, and the construction of Schrodinger wave functionals are discussed. It is then explicitly verified that the Goldstone mode is the projection of the vacuum state onto the generator of the broken symmetry. The elimination of this Goldstone mode by means of the unitary gauge condition is demonstrated to the the crucial point in the construction of a consistent perturbation procedure. The parameter of the broken symmetry group is then used as the collective coordinate for field configurations around a minimum of the interaction. Throughout, the discussion is sufficiently detailed in order to facilitate the application of the method to other fields.     

Taming the pion cloud of the nucleon

We present a light-front determination of the pionic contribution to the nucleon self-energy, Σ(π), to second order in pion-baryon coupling constants that allows the pion-nucleon vertex function to be treated in a model-independent manner constrained by experiment. The pion mass μ dependence of Σ(π) is consistent with chiral perturbation theory results for small values of μ and is also linearly dependent on μ for larger values, in accord with the results of lattice QCD calculations. The derivative of Σ(π) with respect to μ(2) yields the dominant contribution to the pion content, which is consistent with the d[over ˉ]-u[over ˉ] difference observed experimentally in the violation of the Gottfried sum rule.     

On the connection between the solutions to the Dirac and Weyl equations and the corresponding electromagnetic four-potentials

In this work we study in detail the connection between the solutions to the Dirac and Weyl equations and the associated electromagnetic four-potentials.First,it is proven that all solutions to the Weyl equation are degenerate,in the sense that they correspond to an infinite number of electromagnetic four-potentials.As far as the solutions to the Dirac equation are concerned,it is shown that they can be classified into two classes.The elements of the first class correspond to one and only one four-potential,and are called non-degenerate Dirac solutions.On the other hand,the elements of the second class correspond to an infinite number of four-potentials,and are called degenerate Dirac solutions.Further,it is proven that at least two of these fourpotentials are gauge-inequivalent,corresponding to different electromagnetic fields.In order to illustrate this particularly important result we have studied the degenerate solutions to the forcefree Dirac equation and shown that they correspond to massless particles.We have also provided explicit examples regarding solutions to the force-free Weyl equation and the Weyl equation for a constant magnetic field.In all cases we have calculated the infinite number of different electromagnetic fields corresponding to these solutions.Finally,we have discussed potential applications of our results in cosmology,materials science and nanoelectronics.     

Constraining the topology of the universe

The first year data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe are used to place stringent constraints on the topology of the Universe. We search for pairs of circles on the sky with similar temperature patterns along each circle. We restrict the search to back-to-back circle pairs, and to nearly back-to-back circle pairs, as this covers the majority of the topologies that one might hope to detect in a nearly flat universe. We do not find any matched circles with radius greater than 25 degrees. For a wide class of models, the nondetection rules out the possibility that we live in a universe with topology scale smaller than 24 Gpc.     

球形Dirac方程的空间格点求解及假态问题

本文在空间格点上利用虚时间步长方法求解了球形Dirac方程, 着重研究了出现的假态问题. 利用三点数值导数公式离散方程中一阶导数项, 可以证明对于量子数为 κ 和 -κ的单粒子能级能量是完全相同的, 其中一个为物理解, 另一个为假态. 通过在径向Dirac方程中引入Wilson 项, 可以解决假态问题, 得到全部物理解. 文章以 Woods-Saxon 势为例, 考虑 Wilson 项后, 得到与打靶法一致的结果.     

Extracting the wavefunction of the LSP at the LHC

We consider associated production of squarks and gluinos with the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), or states nearly degenerate in mass with it. Though sub-dominant to pair production of color SU(3)-charged superpartners, these processes are directly sensitive to the wavefunction composition of the lightest neutralinos. Exploiting event-shape variables - including some introduced here for the first time - we are able to identify the composition of the LSP by selecting events involving a single high-pT jet recoiling against missing transverse energy. We illustrate the proposed technique on a set of benchmark cases and propose methods for applying these results in more realistic experimental environments.     

关于"太阳在银河系中所受引力与到银心距离r的关系"的讨论

讨论了银道面内的引力场强分布和太阳在银河系中所受引力与到银心距离r的关系，指出引力场强g并不是与r的平方成反比，这是由于银河系的大小和形状不能忽略造成的．强调了万有引力定律的适用条件．     

On the rotational dynamics of the rattleback

The rattleback is a very popular science toy shown to students all over the world to demonstrate the nontriviality of rotational motion. When spun on a horizontal table, this boat-shaped object behaves in a peculiar way. Although the object appears symmetric, the dynamics of its motion seem very asymmetric. When spun in the preferred direction, it spins smoothly, whereas in the other direction it starts to oscillate wildly. The oscillation soon dies out and the rattleback starts to spin in the preferred way. We will construct and go through an analytical model capable of explaining this behaviour in a simple and intelligible way. Although we aim at a semi-pedagogical treatise, we will study the details only when they are necessary to understand the calculation. After presenting the calculations we will discuss the physical validity of our assumptions and take a look at more sophisticated models requiring numerical analysis. We will then improve our model by assuming a simple friction force.