No-go theorem for critical phenomena in large-N(c) QCD

We derive some rigorous results on the chiral phase transition in QCD and QCD-like theories with a large number of colors, N(c), based on the QCD inequalities and the large-N(c) orbifold equivalence. We show that critical phenomena and associated soft modes are forbidden in flavor-symmetric QCD at finite temperature T and finite but not so large quark chemical potential μ for any nonzero quark mass. In particular, the critical point in QCD at a finite baryon chemical potential μ(B)=N(c)μ is ruled out, if the coordinate (T, μ) is outside the pion condensed phase in the corresponding phase diagram of QCD at a finite isospin chemical potential μ(I)=2μ.     

't Hooft loop in SU(2) Yang-Mills theory

We study the behavior of the spatial and temporal 't Hooft loop at zero and finite temperature in the 4D SU(2) Yang-Mills theory, using a new numerical method. In the deconfined phase T > T(c), the spatial 't Hooft loop exhibits a dual string tension, which vanishes at T(c) with a 3D Ising-like critical exponent.     

Renormalization and resummation in the O(N) model

In the O(N) model for the large N expansion one needs resummation which makes the renormalization of the model difficult. In the paper it is discussed, how can one perform a consistent perturbation theory at zero as well as at finite temperature with the help of momentum dependent renormalization schemes.     

Ba(1-x)K(x)Mn2As2: an antiferromagnetic local-moment metal

The compound BaMn2As2 with the tetragonal ThCr2Si2 structure is a local-moment antiferromagnetic insulator with a Néel temperature T(N)=625 K and a large ordered moment μ=3.9μ(B)/Mn. We demonstrate that this compound can be driven metallic by partial substitution of Ba by K while retaining the same crystal and antiferromagnetic structures together with nearly the same high T(N) and large μ. Ba(1-x)K(x)Mn2As2 is thus the first metallic ThCr2Si2-type MAs-based system containing local 3d transition metal M magnetic moments, with consequences for the ongoing debate about the local-moment versus itinerant pictures of the FeAs-based superconductors and parent compounds. The Ba(1-x)K(x)Mn2As2 class of compounds also forms a bridge between the layered iron pnictides and cuprates and may be useful to test theories of high T(c) superconductivity.     

Specific-heat measurements of the gap structure of the organic superconductors kappa-(ET)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br and kappa-(ET)2Cu(NCS)2

We present high resolution heat capacity measurements of the organic superconductors kappa-(ET)(2)Cu[N(CN)(2)]Br and kappa-(ET)(2)Cu(NCS)(2) in fields up to 14 T. We use the high field data to determine the normal state specific heat and hence extract the behavior of the electronic specific heat C(el) in the superconducting state in zero and finite fields. We find that in both materials for T/T(c) less or similar 0.3, C(el)(H=0) approximately T2 indicating d-wave superconductivity. The data are well described by a strong coupling d-wave model from our base temperature (T/T(c) approximately 0.1) right up to T(c). Our data help to resolve the controversy regarding the order parameter symmetry in these materials.     

Competing phases in the high field phase diagram of (TMTSF)(2)ClO(4)

A model is presented for the high field phase diagram of (TMTSF)(2)ClO(4), taking into account the anion ordering, which splits the Fermi surface into two bands. For strong enough field, the largest metal spin density wave critical temperature corresponds to the N=0 phase, which originates from two intraband nesting processes. At lower temperature, the competition between these processes puts at disadvantage the N=0 phase vs the N=1 phase, which is due to interband nesting. A first order transition then takes place from the N=0 to N=1 phase. We ascribe to this effect the experimentally observed phase diagrams.     

Unusual Nernst effect suggesting time-reversal violation in the striped cuprate superconductor La(2-x)Ba(x)CuO4

The striped cuprate La(2-x)Ba(x)CuO(4) (x=1/8) undergoes several transitions below the charge-ordering temperature T(co)=54 K. From Nernst experiments, we find that, below T(co), there exists a large, anomalous Nernst signal e(N,even)(H,T) that is symmetric in field H, and remains finite as H→0. The time-reversal violating signal suggests that, below T(co), vortices of one sign are spontaneously created to relieve interlayer phase frustration.     

Mott transition and transport crossovers in the organic compound kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Cl

We have performed in-plane transport measurements on the two-dimensional organic salt kappa-(BEDT-TTF)(2)Cu[N(CN)(2)]Cl. A variable (gas) pressure technique allows for a detailed study of the changes in conductivity through the insulator-to-metal transition. We identify four different transport regimes as a function of pressure and temperature (corresponding to insulating, semiconducting, "bad metal," and strongly correlated Fermi-liquid behaviors). Marked hysteresis is found in the transition region, which displays complex physics that we attribute to strong spatial inhomogeneities. Away from the critical region, good agreement is found with a dynamical mean-field calculation of transport properties using the numerical renormalization group technique.     

Effect of electron doping on the magnetic correlations in the bilayered brownmillerite compound Ca(2.5-x)La(x)Sr(0.5)GaMn2O8: a neutron diffraction study

The effect of electron doping on the magnetic properties of the brownmillerite type bilayered compounds has been investigated by neutron powder diffraction in La substituted Ca(2.5-x)La(x)Sr(0.5)GaMn(2)O(8) compounds (x = 0.05 and 0.1), in comparison with the undoped compound (x = 0). In all compounds, a long-range three-dimensional collinear antiferromagnetic (AFM) structure is found below the Néel temperature T(N) of the respective compound, whereas, well above T(N), three-dimensional short-range magnetic ordering is observed. In the intermediate temperature range just above T(N), a strong effect of electron doping (La substitution) on the magnetic correlations has been observed. Here, a short-range AFM correlation with a possible dimensionality of three has been found for substituted compounds (x = 0.05 and 0.1) as compared to the reported two-dimensional long-range AFM ordering in the parent compound. With increasing electron doping, a decrease in T(N) is also observed. The short-range magnetic correlations set in over a large temperature range above T(N). A magnetic phase diagram in the x-T plane is proposed from these results.     

Phase Structures of U(l) and SU(2) Lattice Gauge Models at Finite Temperature

With the variational-cumulant expansion (VCE) method, the phase structures of the U(1) and SU(2) lattice gauge models at finite temperature are studied. The order parameter Polyakov line with N_T = 2 is calculated to the fourth order. For the U(1) and SU(2) lattice gauge models in D = 3 + 1 and D = 2 + 1 at finite temperature, the results show the existence of the second order phase transition.     

Statistics of the gravitational force in various dimensions of space: from Gaussian to Lévy laws

We discuss the distribution of the gravitational force created by a Poissonian distribution of field sources (stars, galaxies,...) in different dimensions of space d. In d = 3, when the particle number N →+∞, it is given by a Lévy law called the Holtsmark distribution. It presents an algebraic tail for large fluctuations due to the contribution of the nearest neighbor. In d = 2, for large but finite values of N, it is given by a marginal Gaussian distribution intermediate between Gaussian and Lévy laws. It presents a Gaussian core and an algebraic tail. In d = 1, it is exactly given by the Bernouilli distribution (for any particle number N) which becomes Gaussian for N ≫ 1. Therefore, the dimension d = 2 is critical regarding the statistics of the gravitational force. We generalize these results for inhomogeneous systems with arbitrary power-law density profile and arbitrary power-law force in a d-dimensional universe.     

Two-dimensional radiative equilibrium: A semi-infinite medium subjected to a finite strip of radiation

Exact numerical results are presented for the emissive power and radiative flux at the boundary of a two-dimensional, absorbing-emitting, semi-infinite medium bounded by (1) a strip of collimated radiation and (2) a constant temperature black strip. The method of super-position is used to obtain the finite strip solutions in terms of cosine varying solutions. The infinite integrals arising in the solutions are converted to an alternating series of finite integrals. The Euler transformation is then applied to speed up convergence. Error bounds are determined whereby the two-dimensional finite strip analysis can be approximated by the simpler one-dimensional solution.     

Symmetry Breaking in Finite Volume-a Study in the O(N) Model

Spontaneous symmetry breaking plays a crucial role in quantum field theories and it occurs only for systems with infinite degrees of freedom. For a system in a large but finite volume, although the symmetry is not broken spontaneously, an adiabatic approximation can be applied to study the would-be broken symmetry. Lattice O(N) model is studied within the Hamiltonian approach. It is shown that the low-lying spectrum of the system can be explained using an adiabatic, or Born-Oppenheimer approximation, which turns out to become 1 an expansion in the inverse power of volume. In the infinite volume limit, the symmetry is broken while in the finite volume the slow rotation of the zero-momentum mode restores the symmetry and gives rise to the rotator spectrum, which has been observed in real Monte Carlo simulations.     

Direct evidence for a dynamical ground state in the highly frustrated Tb(2)Sn(2)O(7) pyrochlore

mSR experiments have been performed on a powder sample of the "ordered spin ice" Tb(2)Sn(2)O(7) pyrochlore. At base temperature (T=35 mK), the muon relaxation is found to be of dynamical nature, which demonstrates that strong fluctuations persist below the ferromagnetic transition (T(C)=0.87 K). Hints of long-range ordering appear as oscillations of the muon polarization when an external field is applied and also as a hysteretic behavior below T(C). We propose that dynamics results from fluctuations of clusters of correlated spins with the ordered spin ice structure.     

Modeling and Computation of CO2 Allowance Derivatives Under Jump-Diffusion Processes

In this paper, we study carbon emission trading whose market is gaining popularity as a policy instrument for global climate change. The mathematical model is presented for pricing options on $CO_2$ emission allowance futures with jump diffusion processes, and a so-called fitted finite volume method is proposed to solve the pricing model for the spatial discretization, in which the Crank-Nicolson is employed for time stepping. In addition, the stability and the convergence of the fully discrete scheme are given, and some numerical results, which are compared with the closed form solution and the Monte Carlo simulation solution, are provided to demonstrate the rates of convergence and the robustness of the numerical method.     

Black hole/string transition for the small Schwarzschild black hole of AdS 5 × S5 and critical unitary matrix models

In this paper we discuss the black hole–string transition of the small Schwarzschild black hole of AdS ₅×S⁵ using the AdS/CFT correspondence at finite temperature. The finite temperature gauge theory effective action, at weak and strong coupling, can be expressed entirely in terms of constant Polyakov lines which are SU(N) matrices. In showing this we have taken into account that there are no Nambu–Goldstone modes associated with the fact that the 10-dimensional black hole solution sits at a point in S⁵. We show that the phase of the gauge theory in which the eigenvalue spectrum has a gap corresponds to supergravity saddle points in the bulk theory. We identify the third order N=∞ phase transition with the black hole–string transition. This singularity can be resolved using a double scaling limit in the transition region where the large N expansion is organized in terms of powers of N^-2/3. The N=∞ transition now becomes a smooth crossover in terms of a renormalized string coupling constant, reflecting the physics of large but finite N. Multiply wound Polyakov lines condense in the crossover region. We also discuss the implications of our results for the resolution of the singularity of the lorenztian section of the small Schwarzschild black hole.     

UL(N) x UR(N)-Invariant Four-Fermion Interactions and Nambu-Goldstone Mechanism at Finite Temperature

In a chiral U_L(N) x U_R(N) fermion model of NJL-form, we prove that, if all the fermions are assumed to have equal masses and equal chemical potentials, then at the finite temperature T below the symmetry restoration temperature T_c, there will be N² massive scalar composite particles and N² massless pseudoscalar composite particles (Nambu-Goldstone bosons). This shows that the Goldstone theorem at finite temperature for spontaneous symmetry breaking U_L(N) x U_R(N) → U_L+R(N) is valid and consistent with the real-time formalism of thermal field theory in this model.     

Zeroing in on SU(3)

We present an improved numerical method for calculating the density of states for lattice field theories. We use it to study the SU(3) pure gauge theory at both zero and finite temperature. We also compute strong and weak coupling expansions for the density of states and find excellent agreement with our data. Using a specially developed algorithm for solving high-order polynomials, we find the zeroes of the partition function. For lattices with L_t = 2, we test the finite-size scaling prediction for the rounding of the transition by following the motion of these zeroes for L_s=6, 8, 10, and 12. We find that the correlation length exponent is 1/v = 3.02 ± 0.05, in excellent agreement with the value d=3 expected for a first-order deconfinement transition.     

Finite Temperature Phase Structure for SU(2) with a Mixed Action

The modified Migdal-Kadanoff (MK) renormalization transformation is applied to SU(2) lattice gauge theory (LGT) with a mixed action at finite temperature. The renormalization trajectory distributions and the phase structures in the whole coupling parameter space are obtained. Using the dependence of transition temperature on the coupling, the scaling behavior is found in the weak coupling region of β≥1.20. Numerical calculation gives the value of critical temperature T_c = 0.682A_mom. It is close to the data from the Monte Carlo simulation.     

Determination of internucleotide (h)J(HN) couplings by the modified 2D J(NN)-correlated [(15)N, (1)H] TROSY

Recent developments in the direct observation of J couplings across hydrogen bonds in proteins and nucleic acids provide additional information for structure and function studies of these molecules by NMR spectroscopy. A J(NN)-correlated [(15)N, (1)H] TROSY experiment proposed by Pervushin et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 14147-14151, 1998) can be applied to measure (h)J(HN) in smaller nucleic acids in an E.COSY manner. However, it cannot be effectively applied to large nucleic acids, such as tRNA(Trp), since one of the peaks corresponding to a fast relaxing component will be too weak to be observed in the spectra of large molecules. In this Communication, we proposed a modified J(NN)-correlated [(15)N, (1)H] TROSY experiment which enables direct measurement of (h)J(HN) in large nucleic acids.