Spontaneous breaking of scale invariance in a supersymmetric model

The phase structure of a large N, O(N) supersymmetric model in three dimensions is studied. Of special interest is the spontaneous breaking of scale invariance which occurs at a fixed value of the coupling constant, λ₀=λ_c=4π. In this phase the bosons and fermions acquire a mass while a Goldstone boson (dilaton) and Goldstone fermion (“dilatino”) are dynamically generated as massless bound states. The absence of renormalization of the dimensionless coupling constant λ₀ leaves these Goldstone particles massless.     

Supersymmetric contributions to direct CP violation in K→ππγ decays

We analyze the supersymmetric contributions to direct–CP–violating observables in K→ππγ decays induced by gluino–mediated magnetic–penguin operators. We find that ε′_+−γ and the differential width asymmetry of K^±→π^±π⁰γ decays could be substantially enhanced with respect to their Standard Model values, especially in the scenario where ε′/ε is dominated by supersymmetric contributions. These observables could therefore provide a useful tool to search for New Physics effects in |ΔS|=1 transitions, complementary to ε′/ε and rare decays.     

Effective supersymmetric theory and muon anomalous magnetic moment with R parity violation

The effective supersymmetric theory (ESUSY) with R parity conservation cannot give a large anomalous magnetic moment of μ. It is pointed out that the flavor conservation and a large (g−2)_μ within the experimental limits are achievable in the ESUSY with R parity violating couplings involving the third generation superparticles.     

CP violation in multi-Higgs supersymmetric models

We consider supersymmetric extensions of the standard model with two pairs of Higgs doublets. We study the possibility of spontaneous CP violation in these scenarios and present a model where the origin of CP violation is soft, with all the complex phases in the Lagrangian derived from complex masses and vacuum expectation values (VEVs) of the Higgs fields. The main ingredient of the model is an approximate global symmetry, which determines the order of magnitude of Yukawa couplings and scalar VEVs. We assume that the terms violating this symmetry are suppressed by powers of the small parameter ε_PQ = O(m_b/m_t). The tree-level flavor-changing interactions are small due to a combination of this global symmetry and a flavor symmetry, but they can be the dominant source of CP violation. All CP-violating effects occur at order ε_PQ² as the result of exchange of almost decoupled extra Higgs bosons and/or through the usual mechanisms with an almost real CKM matrix. On dimensional grounds, the model gives ε_K ≈ ε_PQ² and predicts for the neutron electric dipole moment (and possibly also for ε_K¹) a suppression of order ε_PQ² with respect to the values obtained in standard and minimal supersymmetric scenarios. The predicted CP asymmetries in B decays are generically too small to be seen in the near future. The mass of the lightest neutral scalar, the strong CP problem, and possible contributions to the Z decay into b quarks (the R_b puzzle) are also briefly addressed in the framework of this model.     

Fluctuations in a supersymmetric inflationary universe

It has been demonstrated that fluctuations in the new inflationary universe may be almost scale-invariant, but are unfortunately too large. We show that supersymmetric inflationary models allow the fluctuations to be smaller. In a toy supersymmetric model, the perturbations are O(10⁻⁴) is the Yukawa interactions are O(10⁻⁶μ/m_p) where μ is the magnitude of the Higgs vacuum expectation value driving the inflation. It is therefore easier to have small fluctuations if inflation occurs close to the Planck epoch.     

Precision flavour physics and supersymmetry

We review the salient features of a comparative study of the profile of the CKM unitarity triangle, and the resulting CP-violating phases , β and γ in B decays, in the standard model and in several variants of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), reported recently by us. These theories are characterized by a single phase in the quark flavour mixing matrix and give rise to well-defined contributions in the flavour-changing-neutral-current transitions in K and B decays. We analyse the supersymmetric contributions to the mass differences in the B_d⁰– and B_s⁰– systems, ΔM_d and ΔM_s, respectively, and to the CP-violating quantity || in K decays. Our analysis shows that the predicted ranges of β in the standard model and in MSSM models are very similar. However, precise measurements at B-factories and hadron machines may be able to distinguish these theories in terms of the other two CP-violating phases and γ.     

Low-energy expansion of meson form factors

We calculate the corrections to various low-energy theorems concerning the behaviour of the pseudoscalar meson form factors near t=0. In particular we discuss (i) the Ademollo-Gatto theorem, (ii) Sirlin's relation between the K_l3 form factor ƒ₊^Kπ(t) and the electromagnetic form factors, (iii) the Callan-Treiman relation, and (iv) the Dashen-Weinstein relation, which connects the slope λ₀ of ƒ₀^Kπ(t) with the ratio F_K/F_π. Furthermore, we point out a remarkable isospin breaking effect which is clearly visible in the experimental rates of the decays K⁺→π⁰e⁺ν, K⁰→π⁻e⁺ν.     

Magnetic behaviour of some Mn.III2.VI4 compounds and their alloys

Measurement of the magnetic susceptibility χ as a function of temperature were made on polycrystalline samples from the alloy systems Cd_1−zMn_zGa₂Se₄, Zn_1−zMn_zGa₂Se₄ and Cd_1−zMn_zIn₂Te₄ which had been subjected to various heat treatments. The 1/χ versus T curves indicated that for the Zn---Se alloys, for all values of z, samples slowly cooled to room temperature were antiferromagnetic showing ideal Curie-Weiss behaviour, but for samples quenched from 700°C the behaviour was a mixture of antiferromagnetic and spin-glass. For the Cd---Se alloys, samples from the range (0.6 < z < 1.0) showed very similar behaviour, but in the range (0 < z < 0.6) even the very slowly cooled samples showed a mixture of antiferromagnetic and spin-glass behaviour. For the Cd---Te alloys, all samples, however heat-treated, showed spin-glass form. Values of the Curie-Weiss constant Ф were determined from all of the 1/χ versus T curves, and by comparison with the T(z) phase diagrams for the different alloy systems, the values of Ф were correlated with the ordering of the Mn atoms on the cation lattice. It is shown that the experimental values of Ф can give a very convenient way of determining the type of ordering and the degree of order in such alloys.     

Family symmetry, gravity, and the strong CP problem

We show how in a class of models Peccei-Quinn symmetry can be realized as an automatic consequence of a gauged U(1) family symmetry. These models provide a solution to the strong CP problem either via a massless u-quark or via the DFSZ invisible axion. The local family symmetry protects against potentially large corrections to induced by quantum gravitational effects. In a supersymmetric extension, the “μ-problem” is shown to have a natural solution in the context of gravitationally induced operators. We also present a plausible mechanism which can explain the integ-generational mass hierarchy in such a context.     

Critical analysis of a precritical phenomenon in connection with pion condensation

The (e,e′) form factor and (p,p′) cross section of the 1⁺(ΔT=1; 15.1 MeV) state in ¹²C are calculated within the framework of the RPA. The effects of the many-particle many-hole configurations are also included. The results show that the precritical phenomenon is not necessary in order to reproduce the large momentum behaviour.     

Towards supersymmetric cosmology in M-theory

We present a new solution in the heterotic M-theory in which the metric depends on (cosmic) time. The solution preserves N=1 supersymmetry in 4 dimensions in the leading order of the κ^2/3 expansion. It is the first example of the time-dependent supersymmetric solution in M-theory on . It describes expanding 4-dimensional space–time with shrinking orientifold interval and static Calabi–Yau internal space.     

Antibunching and sub-poissonian photon statistics in the Jaynes-Cummings model

Sub-poissonian photon statistics and antibunching by the definition based on the positive derivative of g⁽²⁾ (t, t+τ) as a function of the delay time τ at τ=0 are treated in a single-mode single-two-level-atom model. It is shown, in particular, that sub-poissonian behaviour may be accompanied by bunching or antibunching and photon-antibunching may be accompanied by sub-poissonian or super-poissonian field statistics. It is also shown that the photon-antibunching persists with increasing mean photon number of an initial chaotic state while the sub-Poisson behaviour disappears.     

Scaling properties of eden clusters in three and four dimensions

We study the scaling properties of noise reduced Eden clusters in three and four dimensions for variant B in the strip geometry. We find that the width W for large times behaves as a(s)g(L/s^d−1), where L is the width of the strip, s the noise reduction parameter, d the dimension of space, and a(s) a decreasing function of s, g is a scaling function with the property g(u)→1/2 as u→0 and g(u)u^x as u→∞, where χ is the roughness exponent. This scaling result leads to a new way of determining χ. In 3 dimensions, our numerical values for χ support a recent conjecture by Kim and Kosterlitz: χ = 2/(d + 2), and contradict all the former analytical conjectures. In 4 dimensions, we cannot distinguish between the conjectures of Kim and Kosterlitz and the conjecture of Wolf and Kertész, because large crossovers and finite size effects make the measurement of the exponents difficult.     

Patterns of lepton-flavour violation motivated by decoupling and sneutrino inflation

We present predictions for flavour-violating charged-lepton decays induced by the seesaw mechanism implemented within the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model (CMSSM) with universal input soft supersymmetry breaking terms. We assume that one heavy singlet neutrino almost decouples from the seesaw mechanism, as suggested by the pattern of light neutrino masses and mixing angles. This is suggested independently by sneutrino inflation with a low reheating temperature, T_RH10⁷ GeV, so as to avoid overproducing gravitinos. This requirement further fixes the mass of the weakly-coupled sneutrino, whose decays may lead to leptogenesis. We find that BR(μ→eγ)10⁻¹³ but BR(τ→μγ)10⁻⁹ in the bulk of the acceptable parameter space, apart from a few isolated points. The ratio BR(μ→eγ)/BR(τ→eγ) depends on only one complex parameter, and is particularly interesting to compare with experiment.     

Bound states of D(2p)–D0 systems supersymmetric p-cycles

We discuss some issues related to D(2p)–D0-branes with background magnetic fluxes, respectively, in a T-dual picture, Dp–Dp-branes at angles. In particular, we describe the nature of the supersymmetric bound states appearing after tachyon condensation. We present a very elementary derivation of the conditions to be satisfied by such general supersymmetric gauge configurations, which are simply related by T-duality to the conditions for supersymmetric p-cycles in .     

The use of QCD in OZI violating radiative decays of vector mesons

The spin parity (J^P) of the hadronic system produced in OZI violating vector decays V → γ + h is analyzed in the lowest order QCD approach. While the predicted rates for 0^± states agree with the data, theoretically unacceptable anomalies occur for even J ≠ 0, P = +1, channels. Experimental consequences are drawn. We argue that the rate for gluon jet emission in V → γ + 2 gluons is substantially smaller than previously stated.     

Influence of Nd substitution on the superconducting properties of ceramics in the 2212 system Bi2−wPbwSr2−xCa1−yNdx+yCu2O8+z

In the system Bi_2−wPb_wSr_2−xCa_1−yNd_x+yCu₂O_8+z different fractions of Nd are substituted on either Sr of Ca sites in order to introduce intrinsic insulating pinning centres. It is shown that a Nd concentration around x or y = 0.2 is likewise favourable with an average Nd---Nd distance in the range of the coherence length in the a, b-plane. However, clear evidence of flux pinning is only present for charge compensation with Pb²⁺. A simultaneous substitution of the Bi-based 2212 superconductor with moderate amounts of Nd³⁺ and Pb²⁺ improves the superconducting properties by strengthening the flux pinning forces.     

Oxygen nonstoichiometry and phase transitions of the neodymium-rich Nd1+xBa2−xCu3Oz solid solution

On the basis of chemical, thermal analysis and Cu K-edge X-ray absorption measurements, oxygen content in the Nd_1+xBa_2−xCu₃O_z solid solution was determined between 1000°C in air and 400°C in oxygen for x=0.05–0.9 compositions. It has been observed that the oxygen nonstoichiometry Δz of the Nd_1+xBa_2−xCu₃O_7+x/2−Δz solid solution decreases 2–2.5 times for a large substitution (Δz≈0.3–0.33 for x=0.9), despite of the acclaimed higher total oxygen content. The difference in nonstoichiometry is explained by a higher average value of the copper oxidation state (ACV), which is vital for the solid solution with large x even at elevated temperatures (ACV≈2–2.05 for x>0.3 at 1000°C, PO₂=0.21 atm). On the contrary, the ACV after complete oxygenation is almost constant (about 2.25–2.3) for the whole series. The x-dependence of the oxygen content is not monotonous and structural phase transitions can be observed at x=0.3 and x=0.6, as confirmed by the X-ray diffraction and the Raman scattering spectroscopy. The first well-known transition is connected with the oxygen disorder due to the Nd substitution for Ba at random Ba-sites. In the present work, it is proved by the apical oxygen mode broadening in Raman spectra. Ordering of the Nd and Ba atoms with a subsequent orthorhombic distortion of the lattice may occur even at 1000°C in air due to the second transformation at x≈0.6. The invariable orthorhombicity of the Nd-rich solid solution with x>0.6 is not caused by the oxygen absorption as in the x=0.05 case. Existence of high- and low-temperature orthorhombic modifications of this solid solution has been observed for the first time. Finally, a tentative 3D (z–x–T) diagram is suggested for the Nd_1+xBa_2−xCu₃O_z solid solution up to 1000°C in air, including the new x=0.6–0.9 region.     

Intergranular properties of YBCO and BSCCO ceramic superconductors at low fields

Isothermal low-field AC susceptibility measurements have been used to analyze the intergranular critical current density J_c(T) on sintered, non-oriented YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ and Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ ceramic samples at zero field. Below the critical temperature, potential variations, J_c(T) ≈ (1−t_j)^m with t_j = T/T_j, have been found, T_j being the onset of grain's coherence, but with different exponents, supporting that different mechanisms limit the intergranular J_c values. Moreover, the effect of texture has been also considered on Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ ceramics grown by the laser floating zone method, which have stronger intergranular junctions. Their high-temperature behaviour is limited by intrinsic effects, while at low temperatures the quality of the junctions is the limiting factor. The temperature dependence of the χ′(h₀) extrapolation at zero filed has also been correlated with the evolution of the intergranular penetration depth, λ_J(T).