Scalar-Particle Self-Energy Amplitudes and Confinement in Minkowski Space

We analyze the analytic structure of the Covariant Spectator Theory (CST) contribution to the self-energy amplitude for a scalar particle in a ${\phi^2\chi}$ theory. To this end we derive dispersion relations in 1+1 and in 3+1 dimensional Minkowski space. The divergent loop integrals in 3+1 dimensions are regularized using dimensional regularization. We find that the CST dispersion relations exhibit, in addition to the usual right-hand branch cut, also a left-hand cut. The origin of this “spectator” left-hand cut can be understood in the context of scattering for a scalar ${\phi^2\chi^2}$ -type theory. If the interaction kernel contains a linear confining component, its contribution to the self-energy vanishes exactly.     

The photon-ion merged-beams experiment PIPE at PETRA III—The first five years

The Photon-Ion Spectrometer at PETRA III—in short, PIPE—is a permanently installed user facility at the "Variable Polarization XUV Beamline" P04 of the synchrotron light source PETRA III operated by DESY in Hamburg, Germany. The careful design of the PIPE ion-optics in combination with the record-high photon flux at P04 has lead to a breakthrough in experimental studies of photon interactions with ionized small quantum systems. This short review provides an overview over the published scientific results from photon-ion merged-beams experiments at PIPE that were obtained since the start of P04 operations in 2013. The topics covered comprise photoionization of ions of astrophysical relevance, quantitative studies of multi-electron processes upon inner-shell photoexcitation and photoionization of negative and positive atomic ions, precision spectroscopy of photoionization resonances, photoionization and photofragmentation of molecular ions, and of endohedral fullerene ions.     

Shellwise Mackay transformation in iron nanoclusters

Structure and magnetism of iron clusters with up to 641 atoms have been investigated by means of density functional theory calculations including full geometric optimizations. Body-centered cubic (bcc) isomers are found to be lowest in energy when the clusters contain more than about 100 atoms. In addition, another stable conformation has been identified for magic-number clusters, which lies well within the range of thermal energies as compared to the bcc isomers. Its structure is characterized by a close-packed particle core and an icosahedral surface, while intermediate shells are partially transformed along the Mackay path between icosahedral and cuboctahedral geometry. The gradual transformation results in a favorable bcc environment for the subsurface atoms. For Fe55, the shellwise Mackay-transformed morphology is a promising candidate for the ground state.     

中微子的螺旋度反转

庆祝著名物理学家Maurice Goldhaber百岁生日的文章,该文的作者是Maurice Goldhaber本人(前美国布鲁克海文国家实验室主任)和他的儿子Alfred Scharff Goldhaber(美国纽约大学石溪分校杨振宁理论物理研究所教授).在文章中,Goldhaber父子阐明了粒子的螺旋度和手征性     

The temperature dependence of rotational tunneling

In the last few years tunneling transitions have been observed for the highly symmetric groups CH₄, CD₄, NH ₄ ⁺ , and CH₃ rotating in various environments. Typically the tunneling lines shift to lower energies with increasing temperatures. In this paper the shift of the tunneling energy is calculated in a microscopic approach to the problem. The coupling of the rotating groups to the lattice modes is studied in two stages. First the rotating group is coupled to a single oscillator, then to the modes of a Debye crystal. The first calculation leads to a set of discrete tunneling lines with an energy that diminishes as the oscillator is excited into higher levels. The second approach yields a single tunneling line shifted down-wards with increasing phonon population. The shift is proportional toT ⁴. The calculation explains the energy shift of the tunneling lines with reasonable values for the coupling parameters. In some cases also a broadening has been observed which does not follow from our calculations.     

A possible origin of room temperature ferromagnetism in Indium-Tin oxide thin film: Surface spin polarization and ferromagnetism

Room temperature ferromagnetism in both transition-metals doped and undoped semiconductor thin films and nanostructures challenges our understanding of the magnetism in solids. In this report, we performed the magnetic measurement and Andreev reflection spectroscopy study on undoped Indium-Tin oxide (ITO) thin films and bulk samples. The magnetic measurement results of thin films show that the total magnetization/cm² is thickness independent. Prominent ferromagnetism signal was also discovered in bulk samples. Spin polarized electron transports were probed on ITO thin film/superconductor interface and bulk samples surface/superconductor interface. Based on the magnetic measurement results and spin polarization measurement data, we propose that the ferromagnetism in this material originates from the surface spin polarization and this surface polarization may also explain the room temperature ferromagnetism discovered in other undoped oxide semiconductor thin films and nanostructures.     

Eigenvalue problem for arbitrary linear combinations of a boson annihilation and creation operator

The eigenvalue problem for arbitrary linear combinations kα + μα^? of a boson annihilation operator α and a boson creation operator α^? is solved. It is shown that these operators possess nondegenerate eigenstates to arbitrary complex eigenvalues. The expansion of these eigenstates into the basic set of number states | n >, (n = 0, 1, 2, …), is found. The eigenstates are normalizable and are therefore states of a Hilbert space for | ζ | < 1 with ζ ? μ/k and represent in this case squeezed coherent states of minimal uncertainty product. They can be considered as states of a rigged Hilbert space for | ζ | ? 1. A completeness relation for these states is derived that generalizes the completeness relation for the coherent states | α 〉. Furthermore, it is shown that there exists a dual orthogonality in the entire set of these states and a connected dual completeness of the eigenstates on widely arbitrary paths over the complex plane of eigenvalues. This duality goes over into a selfduality of the eigenstates of the hermitian operators kα + k* α^? to real eigenvalues. The usually as nonexistent considered eigenstates of the boson creation operator α^? are obtained by a limiting procedure. They belong to the most singular case among the considered general class of eigenstates with ζ ? μ/k as a parameter.     

Solute-diffusion-controlled dislocation creep in pure aluminium containing 0.026 at.% Fe

Pure aluminium containing about 200?at.ppm Fe in solution is shown to creep about 10⁶ times slower at 200°C than the same aluminium containing a negligible amount of iron in solution. The high creep resistance of the Al–200?at.ppm?Fe alloy is attributed to the presence of subgrain boundaries containing iron solute atoms. It is proposed that the opposing stress fields from subgrain boundaries and from the piled-up dislocations during creep are cyclically relaxed, by iron solute diffusion, to allow climb of the lead dislocation in the pile-up. The mechanism is a form of mechanical ratcheting. The model is applied to Al–Fe alloys and correctly predicts that the creep rate is controlled by the rate of iron solute diffusion and by a temperature dependence equal to the activation energy for iron diffusion, namely Q _c?=?221?kJ?mol^?1. Basic creep studies on solid-solution alloying with solute atoms that diffuse slowly in the lattice of aluminium (e.g. manganese, chromium, titanium and vanadium) appear worthy of study as a way of enhancing creep strength and of understanding creep mechanisms involving solute-atom-containing subgrain boundaries.     

First order phase transitions in the canonical and the microcanonical ensemble

In the canonical ensemble any singularity of a thermodynamic function at a temperatureT _c is smeared over a temperature range of orderT _T /N. Therefore it is rather difficult to distinguish between a discontinuous and a continuous phase transition on the basis of numerical data obtained for finite systems in the canonical ensemble. It is demonstrated for four model systems that this problem cannot be circumvented by considering higher cumulants of the energy distribution or cumulant ratios. On the other hand, the distinction between first and a second order phase transition is rather direct if based on the microcanonical density of states which is readily obtainable in the dynamical ensemble.