An alternative approach to quantum phenomena

This paper outlines the qualitative foundations of a quasiclassical theory in which particles are pictured as spatially extended periodic excitations of a universal background field, interacting with each other via nonlinearity in the equations of motion for that field, and undergoing collapse to a much smaller volume if and when they are detected. The theory is based as far as possible directly on experiment, rather than on the existing quantum mechanical formalism, and it offers simple physical interpretations of such concepts as mass, 4-momentum, interaction, potentials, and quantization; it may lead directly to the standard equations of quantum theory, such as the multiparticle Schrödinger equation, without going through the conventional process of quantizing a classical theory. The theory also provides an alternative framework in which to discuss wave-particle duality and the quantum measurement problem; in particular, it is suggested that the unpredictability of quantum phenomena may arise from deterministic chaos in the behavior of the background field.     

Acoustic susceptibility of an insulating spin-glass

High frequency acoustic measurements have been performed at temperatures around the freezing pointT _c in a cobalt insulating spin-glass. Assuming a Waller coupling mechanism between the spins and the acoustic wave, the data are interpreted in the framework of a dynamical model which takes into account the modulation of the reaction field. As a result, at the freezing temperature the characteristic relaxation time has no anomaly while the relevant susceptibility presents a maximum. The peculiar frequency dependence (as ^1/2) atT _c of the complex elastic constant is experimentally put in evidence.Associated with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (UA 789)     

Polarized light and X-ray precession study of the ferroelastic domains of YBa2Cu3O7-δ

The ferroelastic domains of the orthorhombic phase of YBa₂Cu₃O_7- have been observed in polarized light on ceramics and single crystals. By combining polarized light microscopy with the X-ray precession technique, the correlation of the orientation of the orthorhombica- andb-axes with that of thea-b-plane bireflectance, reflection dichroism, transmission dichroism (at a thickness of about 1m), reflection tints generated with compensators and upon uncrossing of polars, as well as the orientation of etch pits has been realized on ferroelastic single domains, bi-domains and more complicated domain patterns. Four ferroelastic orthorhombic domain states have been identified, at variance with former group theoretical considerations, predicting only two states. Ensembles of lamellar domains beyond optical resolution generate strong bireflectance with principal axes rotated by 45° relative to the truea, b-directions.     

Γ andX bandgap hydrostatic deformation potentials for epitaxial In0.52Al0.48As on InP(001)

The pressure dependence of the direct and indirect bandgap of epitaxial In_0.52Al_0.48As on InP(001) substrate has been measured using photoluminescence up to 92 kbar hydrostatic pressure. The bandgap changes from Γ toX at an applied pressure of ∼ 43 kbar. Hydrostatic deformation potentials for both the Γ andX bandgaps are deduced, after correcting for the elastic constant (bulk modulus) mismatch between the epilayer and the substrate. For the epilayer we obtain and+(2.81±0.15)eV for the Γ andX bandgaps respectively. From the pressure dependence of the normalized Γ-bandgap photoluminescence intensity a Γ-X lifetime ratio, (τ_Γ/τ _X ), of 4.1×10⁻³ is deduced.     

Proton-proton correlations at small relative momentum in neon-nucleus collisions at E/A=400 and 800 MeV

Proton-proton small angle correlations have been measured in neon-nucleus collisions, using the 4 pi detector Diogene, at 400 and 800 MeV per nucleon incident energies. Values of the size of the emitting region are obtained by comparison with the Koonin formula, taking into account the biases of the apparatus. The dependence of the density on target mass and incident energy is also analysed.     

Off-shell behaviour of theN-N interaction in a six-quark resonating group model of the deuteron

Two different 6-quark resonating group models of the deuteron are investigated to study the off-shell property of theN-N interaction. In the first model the quarks interact by a central one-gluon-exchange potential plus confinement potential. The meson-exchange contribution to then-p potential is simulated by a central GaussianN-N potential. In the second model the quarks interact by one-gluon-and one-pion-exchange potentials (central and noncentral) plus confinement potential. A small additional -exchange potential between neutron and proton binds the deuteron at the correct energy.Several off-shell variants of the two resonating group models are compared with each other by analyzing their elastic electron scattering cross sections. It is found that the standard renormalized version of the resonating group model yields potentials and wave functions that may be considered physical within the limitations of the model. Unitary off-shell transformations, which modify potentials and wave functions in any sizeable way, lead to a disagreement between the charge distribution predicted by the model via analysis of electron scattering and the charge distribution following from the microscopic quark distribution.Both of the 6-quark models support a soft repulsive core of the tripletn-p potential with a core height of around 900 MeV.     

Kaon production in\bar pp interactions at c.m. energies from 200 to 900 GeV

A detailed analysis ofK _s ⁰ production in \(\bar pp\) |<2.5 the average transverse momentum is found to be 0.53±0.07 GeV/c at 200 GeV and 0.62±0.08 GeV/c at 900 GeV, which is an increase with respect to data at c.m. energies below 60 GeV. TheK _s ⁰ production cross sections in inelastic collisions are 29±4 mb at 200 GeV and 63±6 mb at 900 GeV, showing an increase compared to lower energy data. The central kaon density is found to increase as a logarithmic function of energy. At 900 GeV, where statistics are sufficient to allow one to draw conclusions, the average transverse momentum is higher in events with large charged multiplicity than in events with low multiplicity.     

Phase space dependence of the multiplicity distribution in π+ andpp collisions at 250 GeV/c

The charged particle multiplicity distribution has been studied for non-single-diffractive π⁺ p andpp collisions at \(\sqrt s = 22\) GeV, for full phase space as well as for intervals in rapidity, azimuthal angle and transverse momentum. In general, the multiplicity distribution is well described by a negative binomial. From comparison of the distribution for negative or positive particles to that of all charged particles, cascading is favoured as an interpretation over stimulated emission. Interesting consequences follow from a comparison of our results to those at collider energies and toe ⁺ e ^? data at comparable energy. Furthermore, evidence is given that the multiplicity distribution is not exactly of negative binomial type in every (connected or disconnected) phase space region.     

The search for top quarks at hadron colliders: a realistic appraisal

We study means of identifying top quarks of mass in the range 70–120 GeV at the CERN and FNAL \(\bar pp\) colliders. We show that “W+dijet” production presents a serious background to the conventional “isolated electron+dijet” signature of top. We study an improved signature, calculate the expected event rates, and discuss the determination of the mass of the top quark.     

Thermal fluctuations and ac response of weakly pinned charge density waves

The Fukuyama-Lee theory for the ac response () of weakly pinned charge density waves is extended to include thermal fluctuations. The equation of motion for the local phase includes an extrinsic damping and a distinction is made between static and dynamic parameters in it. It is split into static, thermally fluctuating and response contributions to the phase, respectively. The static problem is treated using a result from Feigel'man's theory which provides a revised value for the weak pinning constant. The impurity averaging of the response equation is performed using the simplifying statistical properties of the stochastic pinning force following Bleher's recent work. The main emphasis is on the treatment of the thermal fluctuations via a thermal field _th. The non-linear Langevin equation for _th is linearized and further simplified by an RPA type approximation which eliminates the impurity fluctuations from _th. The resulting equation is solved exactly. It is shown that the correlation function of the thermal field decays initially with a short time constant. This allows to treat the thermal fluctuations on an equal footing with the impurity fluctuations in the self-consistent Born approximation. The main contribution of the thermal fluctuations results in powers of a thermal factor exp(- _th ² /2) to the first and second order self energies of the phason Green's function. Numerical results due to these modifications are given for (,T). It is found that the absorption peak in Re () broadens and shifts to lower frequencies when the temperature is raised. The corresponding treatment for three spatial dimensional is indicated. The thermal factor is evaluated for this case and differences to Maki's result are noted. The questions of analyticity and conductivity sum rule are also dealt with.Dedicated to Professor Helmut Reik on the occasion of his 60th birthday