Is cosmology compatible with sterile neutrinos?

By combining data from cosmic microwave background experiments (including the recent WMAP third year results), large scale structure, and Lyman-alpha forest observations, we constrain the hypothesis of a fourth, sterile, massive neutrino. For the 3 massless+1 massive neutrino case, we bound the mass of the sterile neutrino to ms<0.26 eV (0.44 eV) at 95% (99.9%) C.L., which excludes at high significance the sterile neutrino hypothesis as an explanation of the LSND anomaly. We generalize the analysis to account for active neutrino masses and the possibility that the sterile abundance is not thermal. In the latter case, the contraints in the plane are nontrivial. For a mass of >1 or <0.05 eV, the cosmological energy density in sterile neutrinos is always constrained to be omeganu<0.003 at 95% C.L., but for a mass of approximately 0.25 eV, omeganu can be as large as 0.01.     

Is there a "most perfect fluid" consistent with quantum field theory?

It was recently conjectured that the ratio of the shear viscosity to entropy density eta/s for any fluid always exceeds [formula: see text]. A theoretical counterexample to this bound can be constructed from a nonrelativistic gas by increasing the number of species in the fluid while keeping the dynamics essentially independent of the species type. The question of whether the underlying structure of relativistic quantum field theory generically inhibits the realization of such a system and thereby preserves the possibility of a universal bound is considered here. Using rather conservative assumptions, it is shown here that a metastable gas of heavy mesons in a particular controlled regime of QCD provides a realization of the counterexample and is consistent with a well-defined underlying relativistic quantum field theory. Thus, quantum field theory appears to impose no lower bound on eta/s, at least for metastable fluids.     

Gödel axiom mappings in special relativity and quantum-electromagnetic theory

Exponential mappings into an imaginary space or number field for the axioms of a theory, which are in the form of propositional constants and variables, make possible: (a) an understanding of the meaning and differences between the Lorentz transformation constants, such that their product is still equal to one, but the axioms at each end of the transformations are logically inverse and separately consistent; (b) an interpretation of the psi function phase factor which is part of the axiomE=hf; (c) the unification of the quantum-mechanical psi function and the electromagnetic wave function. Thus, those statements whose mechanisms are unknown (the axioms of the theory) are to be assigned the axiom propositional number symbol and are to be associated with the complex probability eⁱ, which is a uniform factor of the energy equations expressing the physical state. Such probabilistic axiom functions can be associated with both the special theory of relativity and the quantum-electromagnetic theory.     

Is quantum computing with solid state devices possible?

Experiments with a few qubits, the basic elements of a quantum computer, using the methods of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have demonstrated that quantum computing is possible. A useful quantum computer would need to use many qubits, while it appears that NMR with molecules is limited to about ten qubits. The easiest way to assemble a large number of qubits would be to use the existing solid state technology. However, the accuracy with which large numbers of solid state devices can be fabricated does not match the high-precision methods that have made quantum computing with magnetic resonance possible. Quantum computing with solid state devices must expect to encounter a new set of problems posed by differences between nominally identical devices. The difficulties are illustrated with examples of proposed qubits. Specific questions that must be addressed in attempts to use solid state devices for quantum computing are suggested. Received: 25 July 2002 / Accepted: 31 July 2002 / Published online: 4 December 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +1-914/945-2141, E-mail: rkeyes@us.ibm.com     

A deformed relativity with the quantum ℏ

Quantum relativity as a generalized, or rather deformed, version of Einstein relativity may offer a new framework to think about the structure of space–time at the true microscopic/quantum level. The approach typically gives some picture of a noncommutative (quantum) space–time. We propose a formulation with two deformations implemented on the Poincaré symmetry, using the independent Planck mass and Planck length as the invariant constraints. Together, they give the quantum ?  . The scheme leads to SO(2,4)$\mathit{SO}(2,4)$ as the relativity symmetry. We present a linear realization on a classical six-geometry beyond the familiar setting of space–time. Two extra coordinates to be considered as neither space nor time are needed. The last deformation step implementing the Planck length invariant constraines the six-geometry, as an extension of 4D space–time, giving it the structure of a AdS hypersurface. The resulted quantum world hence does not admit coordinate translation symmetries, which terminates further extension to an unstable symmetry. The quantum world is shown to be parallel to the “conformal universe”, but not scale invariant.     

The special theory of relativity as applied to the Born–Oppenheimer–Huang approach

In two recent publications (Int. J. Quant. Chem. 114, 1645 (2014) and Mole. Phys. 114, 227 (2016)) it was shown that the Born–Hwang (BH) treatment of a molecular system perturbed by an external field yields a set of decoupled vectorial wave equations, just like in electro-magnetism. This finding led us to declare on the existence of a new type of Fields, which were termed Molecular Fields. The fact that such fields exist implies that at the vicinity of conical intersections exist a mechanism that transforms a passing-by electric beam into a field which differs from the original electric field. This situation is reminiscent of what is encountered in astronomy where Black Holes formed by massive stars may affect the nature of a near-by beam of light. Thus, if the non-adiabatic-coupling-terms (NACT) with their singular points may affect the nature of such a beam (see the above two publications), then it would be interesting to know to what extend NACTs (and consequently also the BH equation) will be affected by the special theory of relativity as introduced by Dirac. Indeed, while applying the Dirac approach we derived the relativistic affected NACTs as well as the corresponding BH equation.     

Very special relativity in curved space–times

The generalization of Cohen and Glashow's very special relativity to curved space–times is considered. Gauging the SIM(2)$\mathit{SIM}(2)$ symmetry does not, in general, provide the coupling to the gravitational background. However, locally SIM(2)$\mathit{SIM}(2)$ invariant Lagrangians can always be constructed. For space–times with SIM(2)$\mathit{SIM}(2)$ holonomy, they describe chiral fermions propagating freely as massive particles.     

The deformation of Poincar subgroups concerning very special relativity

We investigate here various kinds of semi-product subgroups of Poincar group in the scheme of Cohen-Glashow’s very special relativity along the deformation approach by Gibbons-Gomis-Pope.For each proper Poincar subgroup which is a semi-product of proper lorentz group with the spacetime translation group T(4),we investigate all possible deformations and obtain all the possible natural representations inherited from the 5-d representation of Poincar′e group.We find from the obtained natural representation that rotation operation may have additional accompanied scale transformation when the original Lorentz subgroup is deformed and the boost operation gets the additional accompanied scale transformation in all the deformation cases.The additional accompanied scale transformation has a strong constrain on the possible invariant metric function of the corresponding geometry and the field theories in the spacetime with the corresponding geometry.     

Reply to “nonequivalence of ether theories and special relativity. comment on recent interpretation of Lorentz' Ether theory”

The role played by coordinates in the formulation of an absolute spacetime theory is assessed. It is shown that recent criticism on previous work of ours is wrong.     

“Haunted” measurements in quantum theory

Sometimes it is possible in quantum theory for a system to interact with another system in such a way that the information contained in the wave function becomes very scrambled and apparently incoherent. We produce an example which is exactly calculable, in which a macroscopic change is induced in the environment, and all phase information for the system is apparently lost, so that a measurement has seemingly been made. But actually, although the wave function has been badly scrambled, all the original information is still present. We call this situation one of latent order.Subsequently, the system interacts again with the environment, wiping out the macroscopic change, and the wave function once again becomes manifestly coherent. Thus the apparent measurement has been undone, and leaves no aftereffect. Thus, our measurement has disappeared without a trace. We call such a measurement a haunted measurement, and we believe that until the measurement process is rigorously understood, the concept of measurement is ambiguous. It is just not good enough to say that an amplification stage occurs somewhere in the process.We also point out the connection between the haunted measurement and delayed-choice experiments and discuss a haunted version of the Schrödinger's Cat experiment and of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen experiment.     

Mathematical quantum Yang–Mills theory revisited

A mathematically rigorous relativistic quantum Yang–Mills theory with an arbitrary semisimple compact gauge Lie group is set up in the Hamiltonian canonical formalism. The theory is nonperturbative, without cut-offs, and agrees with the causality and stability principles. This paper presents a fully revised, simplified, and corrected version of the corresponding material in the previous papers Dynin ([11] and [12]). The principal result is established anew: due to the quartic self-interaction term in the Yang–Mills Lagrangian along with the semisimplicity of the gauge group, the quantum Yang–Mills energy spectrum has a positive mass gap. Furthermore, the quantum Yang–Mills Hamiltonian has a countable orthogonal eigenbasis in a Fock space, so that the quantum Yang–Mills spectrum is point and countable. In addition, a fine structure of the spectrum is elucidated.