Whence the odd-even staggering in nuclear binding?

We explore the systematics of odd-even mass staggering with a view to identifying the physical mechanisms responsible. The BCS pairing and mean-field contributions have A - and number parity dependences which can help disentangle the different contributions. This motivates the two-term parametrization c ₁ + c ₂/A as a theoretically based alternative to the inverse-power form traditionally used to fit odd-even mass differences. Assuming that the A -dependence of the BCS pairing is weak, we find that mean-field contributions are dominant below mass number A ∼ 40 while BCS pairing dominates in heavier nuclei.     

Do gravitational waves carry energy‐momentum and angular momentum?

We show that gravitational waves which possess a non‐vanishing Riemann tensor R_iklm ≠ 0 always carry energy‐momentum and angular momentum. Our proof uses canonical superenergy and supermomentum tensors for the gravitational field.     

Is Minkowski Space-Time Compatible with Quantum Mechanics?

In quantum relativistic Hamiltonian dynamics, the time evolution of interacting particles is described by the Hamiltonian with an interaction-dependent term (potential energy). Boost operators are responsible for (Lorentz) transformations of observables between different moving inertial frames of reference. Relativistic invariance requires that interaction-dependent terms (potential boosts) are present also in the boost operators and therefore Lorentz transformations depend on the interaction acting in the system. This fact is ignored in special relativity, which postulates the universality of Lorentz transformations and their independence of interactions. Taking into account potential boosts in Lorentz transformations allows us to resolve the no-interaction paradox formulated by Currie, Jordan, and Sudarshan [Rev. Mod. Phys. 35, 350 (1963)] and to predict a number of potentially observable effects contradicting special relativity. In particular, we demonstrate that the longitudinal electric field (Coulomb potential) of a moving charge propagates instantaneously. We show that this effect as well as superluminal spreading of localized particle states is in full agreement with causality in all inertial frames of reference. Formulas relating time and position of events in interacting systems reduce to the usual Lorentz transformations only in the classical limit (0) and for weak interactions. Therefore, the concept of Minkowski space-time is just an approximation which should be avoided in rigorous theoretical constructions.     

Field dependence of magnetic entropy change: Whence comes an intercept?

The magnetic field-induced entropy change in a ferromagnet undergoing a second-order phase transition at the Curie point is maximum near that point. The maximum magnetic entropy change, (-ΔS)_max, is demonstrated to contain, besides the usual term in H^2/3, a small negative term independent of H. Spatial inhomogeneity of real ferromagnetic materials is shown to be the origin of the off-set term, whose magnitude proves proportional to the width of the distribution of local Curie points.     

The conservation of energy–momentum and the mass for the graviton

In this work we give special attention to the bimetric theory of gravitation with massive gravitons proposed by Visser in 1998. In his theory, a prior background metric is necessary to take in account the massive term. Although in the great part of the astrophysical studies the Minkowski metric is the best choice to the background metric, it is not possible to consider this metric in cosmology. In order to keep the Minkowski metric as background in this case, we suggest an interpretation of the energy–momentum conservation in Visser’s theory, which is in accordance with the equivalence principle and recovers naturally the special relativity in the absence of gravitational sources. Although we do not present a general proof of our hypothesis we show its validity in the simple case of a plane and dust-dominated universe, in which the “massive term” appears like an extra contribution for the energy density.     

To what extent do position and momentum commute?

The degree of commutativity of spectral projections of position and momentum is studied. It is shown that these observables possess pairs of commutative, and totally noncommutative spectral projections.     

Can we extract lambda-lambda interaction from two-particle momentum correlation?

We analyze the invariant mass spectrum of Λ-Λ in ¹²C(K⁻, K⁺ ΛΛ) reaction at P_K⁻ = 1.65 GeV/c by using a combined framework of IntraNuclear Cascade (INC) model and the correlation function technique. The observed enhancement at low-invariant masses can be well reproduced with attractive Λ-Λ interactions with the scattering length either in the range a = −6 −4 fm (no bound state) or a = 7 12 fm (with bound state). We also discuss Λ-Λ correlation functions in central relativistic heavy-ion collisions as a possible way to eliminate this discrete ambiguity.     

Electromagnetic form factors of Λ_c in the space-like momentum region

We studied the electromagnetic form factors(EMFFs) of Λ_c and the contributions of the quark and diquark currents to the EMFFs of Λ_c in the space-like region in the Bethe–Salpeter equation approach with instantaneous approximation. In this picture, baryon Λ_c can be regarded as a two-body c(ud) system. We found that for different values of parameters the contribution of quark and diquark currents to the EMFFs of Λ_c is very different,while their total contribution to the EMFFs of Λ_c is similar. The EMFFs of Λ_c are similar to those of other baryons(proton, Ξ~-, and Σ~+) with a peak at ω = 1, where ω = v′·v is the velocity transfer between the initial state(with velocity v) and the final state(with velocity v′) of Λ_c.     

Generation and application of the twisted beam with orbital angular momentum

The twisted Laguerre-Gaussian beam was generated by transforming of Hermite-Gaussian beams through an optical system consisting of three rotated cylindrical lenses. The intensity distribution and phase structure of the twisted hollow beam were theoretically analyzed by using Collins diffraction integral. By utilizing the method of mode decomposition, the theory of transformation was analyzed. In the experiment, micro particles were trapped and rotated by this twisted beam.     

Collisional depolarization of rotational angular momentum: what are the observables and how can they be measured?

The destruction and transfer of polarization of the rotational angular momentum of small molecules in an isotropic collisional environment is reviewed. Several recent independent treatments are drawn together, including unpublished details from the authors' own work, of the formal kinetics in terms of moments of the density matrix. The final results are shown to be equivalent and directly amenable to comparison with results of exact quantum scattering calculations. In passing, some differences in nomenclature are noted and a self-consistent version is presented that might usefully be adopted. The existing experimental approaches are surveyed, within the common theme of laser-based creation of the initial rotational anisotropy of relatively low rank, K, combined with a spectroscopic probe, also sensitive to restricted K. Those formally defined quantities that may be measured are identified, either individually or in some combination, with each method. In particular, an attempt is made to distinguish between measurements of individual tensor moments of the density matrix, or ‘bulk polarizations’, and alignment moments, which are normalized to the population. Some cases are noted where experimental procedures have compromised the results, or where the analysis has been similarly approximate or carried out on a less rigorous empirical basis.     

Minkowski’s tensor or Abraham’s tensor?

It is proved that the question in the article title has an unambiguous answer, i.e., Abraham’s tensor.     

From Euclidean to Minkowski space with the Cauchy–Riemann equations

We present an elementary method to obtain Green’s functions in non-perturbative quantum field theory in Minkowski space from Green’s functions calculated in Euclidean space. Since in non-perturbative field theory the analytical structure of amplitudes often is unknown, especially in the presence of confined fields, dispersive representations suffer from systematic uncertainties. Therefore, we suggest to use the Cauchy–Riemann equations, which perform the analytical continuation without assuming global information on the function in the entire complex plane, but only in the region through which the equations are solved. We use as example the quark propagator in Landau gauge quantum chromodynamics, which is known from lattice and Dyson–Schwinger studies in Euclidean space. The drawback of the method is the instability of the Cauchy–Riemann equations against high-frequency noise,which makes it difficult to achieve good accuracy. We also point out a few curious details related to the Wick rotation.     

Present Status of the Bethe–Salpeter Approach in Minkowski Space

Recently developed methods allowing to find the solutions of the Bethe–Salpeter equations in Minkowski space, both for the bound and scattering states, are reviewed. For the bound states, one obtains the bound state mass and the corresponding BS amplitude. For the scattering states, the phase shifts (complex above the meson creation threshold) and the half-off-shell BS amplitude are found. Using these solutions, the elastic and transition electromagnetic form factors are calculated.     

Experimental and calculated momentum densities for the complete valence orbitals of the antimicrobial agent diacetyl

The first electronic structural study of the complete valence shell binding energy spectra of the antimicrobial agent diacetyl, encompassing both the outer and inner valence regions, is reported. The binding energy spectra as well as the individual orbital momentum profiles have been measured by using a high resolution （e, 2e） electron momentum spectrometer （EMS） at an impact energy of 1200eV plus the binding energy, and using symmetric noncoplanar kinematics. The experimental orbital electron momentum profiles are compared with self-consistent field （SCF） theoretical profiles calculated using the Hartree-Fock approximation and Density Functional theory predictions in the target Kohn-Sham approximation which includes some treatment of correlation via the exchange and correlation potentials with a range of basis sets. The pole strengths of the main ionization peaks from the inner valence orbitals are estimated.     

Energy–momentum tensor form factors of the nucleon in nuclear matter

The nucleon form factors of the energy–momentum tensor are studied in nuclear medium in the framework of the in-medium modified Skyrme model. We obtain a negative D  -term, in agreement with results from other approaches, and find that medium effects make the value of _d1$d_1$ more negative.     

Implementation of the Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov method for solving the first-order ice sheet momentum balance

We have implemented the Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov (JFNK) method for solving the first-order ice sheet momentum equation in order to improve the numerical performance of the Glimmer-Community Ice Sheet Model (Glimmer-CISM), the land ice component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM). Our JFNK implementation is based on significant re-use of existing code. For example, our physics-based preconditioner uses the original Picard linear solver in Glimmer-CISM. For several test cases spanning a range of geometries and boundary conditions, our JFNK implementation is 1.8–3.6 times more efficient than the standard Picard solver in Glimmer-CISM. Importantly, this computational gain of JFNK over the Picard solver increases when refining the grid. Global convergence of the JFNK solver has been significantly improved by rescaling the equation for the basal boundary condition and through the use of an inexact Newton method. While a diverse set of test cases show that our JFNK implementation is usually robust, for some problems it may fail to converge with increasing resolution (as does the Picard solver). Globalization through parameter continuation did not remedy this problem and future work to improve robustness will explore a combination of Picard and JFNK and the use of homotopy methods.