Quantum ice: a quantum Monte Carlo study

Ice states, in which frustrated interactions lead to a macroscopic ground-state degeneracy, occur in water ice, in problems of frustrated charge order on the pyrochlore lattice, and in the family of rare-earth magnets collectively known as spin ice. Of particular interest at the moment are "quantum spin-ice" materials, where large quantum fluctuations may permit tunnelling between a macroscopic number of different classical ground states. Here we use zero-temperature quantum Monte Carlo simulations to show how such tunnelling can lift the degeneracy of a spin or charge ice, stabilizing a unique "quantum-ice" ground state-a quantum liquid with excitations described by the Maxwell action of (3+1)-dimensional quantum electrodynamics. We further identify a competing ordered squiggle state, and show how both squiggle and quantum-ice states might be distinguished in neutron scattering experiments on a spin-ice material.     

A limit on the lepton-family number violating process π → μe

A FNAL E799 Collaboration has carried out a search for the lepton-family number violating decay π⁰ → μ^±e using π⁰'s produced from K_L → π⁰π⁰π⁰ decays in flight. No events were observed. Assuming that lepton-family number violation is charge independent, the 90% confidence level upper limit on

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was determined to be 8.6 × 10⁻⁹.     

Direct decays of heavy quarkonia

The branching ratios are evaluated of the ψ (3770) and (4S) decays into ππ, , ωπ⁰, ωη, ωη ′, π, η, η′, , . They arise due to the transition through the real intermediate states and , respectively. It is shown that some branching ratios exceed the three-gluon one by an order of magnitude. The rates of the decays ,

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and are evaluated also. τ-C and B factories coul be good tools for studying all decays mentioned.     

Tilting the brane, or some cosmological consequences of the brane Universe

We discuss theories in which the standard-model particles are localized on a brane embedded in space–time with large compact extra dimensions, whereas gravity propagates in the bulk. In addition to the ground state corresponding to a straight infinite brane, such theories admit a (one parameter) family of stable configurations corresponding to branes wrapping with certain periodicity around the extra dimension(s) when one moves along a noncompact coordinate (tilted walls). In the effective four-dimensional field-theory picture, such walls are interpreted as one of the (stable) solutions with the constant gradient energy, discussed earlier [1 and 2]. In the cosmological context their energy “redshifts” by the Hubble expansion and dissipates slower than the one in matter or radiation. The tilted wall eventually starts to dominate the Universe. The upper bound on the energy density coincides with the present critical energy density. Thus, this mechanism can become significant any time in the future. The solutions we discuss are characterized by a tiny spontaneous breaking of both the Lorentz and rotational invariances. Small calculable Lorentz noninvariant terms in the standard model Lagrangian are induced. Thus, the tilted walls provide a framework for the spontaneous breaking of the Lorentz invariance.     

Low-temperature heat transport of spin-gapped quantum magnets

This article reviews low-temperature heat transport studies of spin-gapped quantum magnets in the last few decades. Quantum magnets with small spins and low dimensionality exhibit a variety of novel phenomena. Among them, some systems are characteristic of having quantum-mechanism spin gap in their magnetic excitation spectra, including spin-Peierls systems, S=1 Haldane chains, S= 1/2 spin ladders, and spin dimmers. In some particular spin-gapped systems, the XY-type antiferromagnetic state induced by magnetic field that closes the spin gap can be described as a magnon Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC). Heat transport is effective in probing the magnetic excitations and magnetic phase transitions, and has been extensively studied for the spin-gapped systems. A large and ballistic spin thermal conductivity was observed in the two-leg Heisenberg S=1/2 ladder compounds. The characteristic of magnetic thermal transport of the Haldane chain systems is quite controversial on both the theoretical and experimental results. For the spin-Peierls system, the spin excitations can also act as heat carriers. In spin-dimer compounds, the magnetic excitations mainly play a role of scattering phonons. The magnetic excitations in the magnon BEC systems displayed dual roles, carrying heat or scattering phonons, in different materials.     

Disorder effects on transport near AFM quantum phase transitions

We discuss three different scenarios recently proposed to account for the non-Fermi liquid behavior near antiferromagnetic (AFM) quantum critical points in heavy-Fermion systems: (i) scattering of Fermi liquid quasiparticles by strong spin fluctuations near the spin-density-wave instability, (ii) the breakdown of the Kondo effect due to the competition with the RKKY interaction, and (iii) the formation of magnetic regions due to rare configurations of the disorder. Here we focus on the first scenario and show that it explains in some detail the anomalous temperature dependence of the resistivity observed, e.g. in CePd₂Si₂, CeNi₂Ge₂ or CeIn₃. The interplay of strongly anisotropic scattering due to critical spin-fluctuations and weak isotropic impurity scattering leads to a regime with a resistivity

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for sufficiently large T and small ρ₀.     

Update on pion weak decay constants in nuclear matter

The QCD sum rule calculation of the in-medium pion decay constants using pseudoscalar–axial-vector correlation function,

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is revisited. In particular, we argue that the dimension 5 condensate, , which is crucial for splitting the time (f_t) and space (f_s) components of the decay constant, is not necessarily restricted to be positive. Its positive value is found to yield a tachyonic pion mass. Using the in-medium pion mass as an input, we fix the dimension 5 condensate to be around −0.025 GeV²−0.019 GeV². The role of the N and Δ intermediate states in the correlation function is also investigated. The N intermediate state is found not to contribute to the sum rules. For the Δ intermediate state, we either treat it as a part of the continuum or propose a way to subtract explicitly from the sum rules. With (and without) explicit Δ subtraction while allowing the in-medium pion mass to vary within 139 MeVm_π^*159 MeV, we obtain f_s/f_π=0.370.78 and f_t/f_π=0.630.79.     

Coherent noise, scale invariance and intermittency in large systems

We introduce a new class of models in which a large number of “agents” organize under the influence of an externally imposed coherent noise. The model shows reorganization events whose size distribution closely follows a power law over many decades, even in the case where the agents do not interact with each other. In addition, the system displays “aftershock” events in which large disturbances are followed by a string of others at times which are distributed according to a t⁻¹ law. We also find that the lifetimes of the agents in the system possess a power-law distribution. We explain all these results using an approximate analytic treatment of the dynamics and discuss a number of variations on the basic model relevant to the study of particular physical systems.     

The first eigenvalue of the Dirac operator on Kähler manifolds

If M^2m is a closed Kähler spin manifold of positive scalar curvature R, then each eigenvalue λ of type r (r {1, …, [(m + 1)/2]}) of the Dirac operator D satisfies the inequality λ² ≥ rR₀/4r − 2, where R₀ is the minimum of R on M^2m. Hence, if the complex dimension m is odd (even) we have the estimation

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for the first eigenvalue of D. In the paper is also considered the limiting case of the given inequalities. In the limiting case with m = 2r − 1 the manifold M^2m must be Einstein. The manifolds S², S² × S², S² × T², P³( ), F( ), P³( ) × T² and F( ³) × T², where F( ³) denotes the flag manifold and T² the 2-dimensional flat torus, are examples for which the first eigenvalue of the Dirac operator realizes the limiting case of the corresponding inequality. In general, if M^2m is an example of odd complex dimension m, then M^2m × T² is an example of even complex dimension m + 1. The limiting case is characterized by the fact that here appear eigenspinors of D² which are Kählerian twistor-spinors.     

The ground state of the two-leg Hubbard ladder a density-matrix renormalization group study

We present density-matrix renormalization group results for the ground state properties of two-leg Hubbard ladders. The half-filled Hubbard ladder is an insulating spin-gapped system, exhibiting a crossover from a spin liquid to a band insulator as a function of the interchain hopping matrix element. When the system is doped, there is a parameter range in which the spin gap remains. In this phase, the doped holes from singlet pairs and the pair field and the “4k_F” density correlations associated with pair-density fluctuations decay as power laws, while the “2k_F” charge density wave correlations decay exponentially. We discuss the behavior of the exponents of the pairing and density correlations within this spin-gapped phase. Additional one-band Luttinger liquid phases which occur in the large interband hopping regime are also discussed.     

How unitarity imposes a steep small-x rise of spin structure function gLT=g1+g2 and breaking of DIS sum rules

We derive a unitarity relationship between the spin structure function g_LT(x,Q²)=g₁(x,Q²)+g₂(x,Q²), the LT interference diffractive structure function and the spin-flip coupling of the pomeron to nucleons. Our diffractive mechanism gives rise to a dramatic small-x rise

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, where δ_g is an exponent of small-x rise of the unpolarized gluon density in the proton at a moderate hard scale for light flavour contribution and large hard scale for heavy flavour contribution. It invalidates the Burkhardt–Cottingham sum rule. The found small-x rise of diffraction driven g_LT(x,Q²) is steeper than given by the Wandzura–Wilczek relation under conventional assumptions on small-x behaviour of g₁(x,Q²).     

Influence of interface structures on Sn thin film growth on Si(1 1 1) surface

Using coaxial impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy, we have investigated Sn thin film growth on Si(1 1 1)√3×√3-Sn and hydrogen-terminated Si(1 1 1) surfaces at room temperature. Sn formed crystalline film with β-Sn structure on Si(1 1 1)√3×√3-Sn surface, but on the hydrogen-terminated Si(1 1 1) surface, the epitaxial growth of Sn thin film was disrupted, and Sn grew as a polycrystalline film. The growth orientational relationship of the Sn film grown on Si(1 1 1)√3×√3-Sn surface was found to be

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. In the works, we found that interface structure plays a decisive role for the growth mode, crystallinity, and growth orientation of the growth of thin film.     

Generalized holonomy of supergravities with 8 real supercharges

We show that the generalized holonomy groups of ungauged supergravity theories with 8 real supercharges must be contained in

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, where is the generalized structure group. Here n=4ν is the number of preserved supersymmetries, so the allowed values are limited to n=0,4,8. In particular, solutions of ungauged supergravities in four, five and six dimensions are examined and found to explicitly follow this pattern. We also argue that the G-structure has to be a subgroup of this generalized holonomy group, which may provide a possible classification for supergravity vacua with respect to the number of supercharges.     

Completeness of “good” Bethe ansatz solutions of a quantum-group-invariant Heisenberg model

The sl_q(2) quantum-group-invariant Heisenberg model with open boundary conditions is investigated by means of the Bethe ansatz. As is well known, quantum groups for q equal to a root of unity possess a finite number of “good” representations with non-zero q-dimension and “bad” ones with vanishing q-dimension. Correspondingly, the state space of an invariant Heisenberg chain decomposes into “good” and “bad” states. A “good” state may be described by a path of only “good” representations. It is shown that the “good” states are given by all “good” Bethe ansatz solutions with roots restricted to the first periodicity strip, i.e. only positive-parity strings (in the language of Takahashi) are allowed. Applying Bethe's string-counting technique completeness of the “good” Bethe states is proven, i.e. the same number of states is found as the number of all restricted paths on the sl_q(2) Bratteli diagram. It is the first time that a “completeness” proof for an anisotropic quantum-invariant reduced Heisenberg model is performed.     

Thermodynamical and Green function many-body Wick theorems

The thermodynamical and Green function many-body reduction theorems of Wick type are proved for the arbitrary mixtures of the fermion, boson and spin systems. “Many-body” means that the operators used are the products of the arbitrary number of one-body standard basis operators [of the fermion or (and) spin types] with different site (wave vector) indices, but having the same “time” (in the interaction representation). The method of proving is based on: 1) the first-order differential equation of Schwinger type for: 1a) -product of operators; 1b) its average value; 2) KMS boundary conditions for this average. It is shown that the fermion, boson and spin systems can be unified in the many-body formulation (bosonification of the fermion systems). It is impossible in the one-body approach. Both of the many-body versions of the Wick theorem have the recurrent feature: nth order moment diagrams for the free energy or Green functions can be expressed by the (n −1)th order ones. This property corresponds to the automatic realization of: (i) summations over Bose-Einstein or (and) Fermi-Dirac frequencies; (ii) elimination of Bose-Einstein or (and) Fermi-Dirac distributions. The procedures (i) and (ii), being the results of using the Green function one-body reduction theorem, have constituted the significant difficulty up to now in the treatment of quantum systems.     

Automorphic Equivalence within Gapped Phases of Quantum Lattice Systems

Gapped ground states of quantum spin systems have been referred to in the physics literature as being ‘in the same phase’ if there exists a family of Hamiltonians H(s), with finite range interactions depending continuously on \({s\in [0,1]}\), such that for each s, H(s) has a non-vanishing gap above its ground state and with the two initial states being the ground states of H(0) and H(1), respectively. In this work, we give precise conditions under which any two gapped ground states of a given quantum spin system that ’belong to the same phase’ are automorphically equivalent and show that this equivalence can be implemented as a flow generated by an s-dependent interaction which decays faster than any power law (in fact, almost exponentially). The flow is constructed using Hastings’ ‘quasi-adiabatic evolution’ technique, of which we give a proof extended to infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. In addition, we derive a general result about the locality properties of the effect of perturbations of the dynamics for quantum systems with a quasi-local structure and prove that the flow, which we call the spectral flow, connecting the gapped ground states in the same phase, satisfies a Lieb-Robinson bound. As a result, we obtain that, in the thermodynamic limit, the spectral flow converges to a co-cycle of automorphisms of the algebra of quasi-local observables of the infinite spin system. This proves that the ground state phase structure is preserved along the curve of models H(s), 0 ≤ s ≤ 1.     

Gamma-ray transitions in Bi following the decay of Po

The decay of 5.7 h ²⁰⁷Po to levels in ²⁰⁷Bi has been studied using a Ge(Li) detector. Combining the relative gamma-ray intensities with previously established conversion electron intensities, K-conversion coefficients are determined. The multipolarities of 29 transitions are deduced from a comparison with theoretical conversion coefficients, thus establishing the following spins and parities for the excited levels:

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. A comparison with a recent shell-model calculation shows good agreement for all negative parity levels.     

A phenomenological theory of metastable states in disordered Ising magnets

A mechanism of the formation of an exponentially large number of metastable states in magnetic phases of disordered Ising magnets as a result of condensation of fractal delocalized modes near the localization threshold is suggested. The thermodynamic properties of metastable states are studied in the effective-field approximation in the vicinity of transitions in magnets with zero uniform magnetization in the ground state such as dilute antiferromagnets, spin glasses, and dilute ferromagnets with dipole interaction. These properties are shown to determine the parameters of nonequilibrium processes in the glassy phase, namely, the shape of the hysteresis loop, the thermodynamic values in field-cooled and zero-field-cooled regimes, and the thermoremanent and isothermal remanent magnetization values.     

Oxygen self-diffusion in single-crystal MgO: secondary-ion mass spectrometric analysis with comparison of results from gas–solid and solid–solid exchange

Self-diffusion coefficients for ¹⁸O in single-crystal MgO have been determined from a novel specimen comprising an epitaxial layer of high-purity Mg¹⁸O upon a single crystal substrate of normal MgO. Heating the specimen in air produced a gas–solid exchange gradient at the sample surface as ¹⁸O in the epitaxial layer exchanged with ¹⁶O in air. A solid–solid interdiffusion gradient was produced between the substrate crystal and the ¹⁸O-enriched epitaxial layer. SIMS analysis of gas–solid exchange gradients prepared in the temperature range 1000–1650 °C provided diffusion coefficients that could be described as

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. Interdiffusion gradients produced by annealing at 1100 and 1200 °C yielded the self-diffusion coefficients that were comparable to those obtained from gas–solid exchange, indicating that the surface exchange reaction is fast enough. The results are interpreted in terms of a defect model in which oxygen diffusion occurs by an interstitial type of defect as a result of suppression of anion vacancy concentration by large concentrations of extrinsic cation vacancies.     

High field magnetization in Pr(Ni1-xCox)5 single crystals

Magnetization measurements in fields up to 38 T performed at low temperature on single crystals of the hexagonal Pr(Ni_1-xCo_x)₅ compounds for x = 0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 are presented. In PrNi₅ we observe highly original behaviour predicted by the knowledge of the Crystalline Electric Field parameters and arising from the existence of a non-magnetic singlet ground state; namely transitions associated with the field induced “anticrossing” and “crossing” of the two lowest states along the [100] and [120] directions, respectively. The measurements performed on the other compounds have allowed us to study the dependence of this behaviour on Co substitutions.