Physics Commons^™

Inhomogeneous Nucleation In A Quark-Hadron Pphase Transition, P. Shukla, A. K. Mohanty, S. K. Gupta, Marcelo Gleiser

Dartmouth Scholarship

The effect of subcritical hadron bubbles on a first-order quark-hadron phase transition is studied. These subcritical hadron bubbles are created due to thermal fluctuations, and can introduce a finite amount of phase mixing (quark phase mixed with hadron phase) even at and above the critical temperature. For reasonable choices of surface tension and correlation length, as obtained from the lattice QCD calculations, we show that the amount of phase mixing at the critical temperature remains below the percolation threshold. Thus, as the system cools below the critical temperature, the transition proceeds through the nucleation of critical-size hadron bubbles from a …

Resonant Enhancement Of Relativistic Electron Fluxes During Geomagnetically Active Periods, I Roth, M Temerin, M K. Hudson

Dartmouth Scholarship

The strong increase in the ̄ux of relativistic electrons during the recovery phase of magnetic storms and during other active periods is investigated with the help of Hamiltonian formalism and simulations of test electrons which interact with whistler waves. The intensity of the whistler waves is enhanced signi®cantly due to injection of 10±100 keV electrons during the substorm. Electrons which drift in the gradient and curvature of the magnetic ®eld generate the rising tones of VLF whistler chorus. The seed population of relativ- istic electrons which bounce along the inhomogeneous magnetic ®eld, interacts resonantly with the whistler waves. Whistler wave …

A First Principles Warm Inflation Model That Solves The Cosmological Horizon And Flatness Problems, Arjun Berera, Marcelo Gleiser, Rudnei O. Ramos

Dartmouth Scholarship

A quantum field theory warm inflation model is presented that solves the horizon and flatness problems. The model obtains, from the elementary dynamics of particle physics, cosmological scale factor trajectories that begin in a radiation dominated regime, enter an inflationary regime, and then smoothly exit back into a radiation dominated regime, with non-negligible radiation throughout the evolution.

Strong Dissipative Behavior In Quantum Field Theory, Arjun Berera, Marcelo Gleiser, Rudnei O. Ramos

Dartmouth Scholarship

We study the conditions under which an overdamped regime can be attained in the dynamic evolution of a quantum field configuration. Using a real-time formulation of finite temperature field theory, we compute the effective evolution equation of a scalar field configuration, quadratically interacting with a given set of other scalar fields. We then show that, in the overdamped regime, the dissipative kernel in the field equation of motion is closely related to the shear viscosity coefficient, as computed in scalar field theory at finite temperature. The effective dynamics is equivalent to a time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau description of the approach to equilibrium …

Matching Numerical Simulations To Continuum Field Theories: A Lattice Renormalization Study, J Borrill, M. Gleiser

Dartmouth Scholarship

The study of nonlinear phenomena in systems with many degrees of freedom often relies on complex numerical simulations. In trying to model realistic situations, these systems may be coupled to an external environment which drives their dynamics. For nonlinear field theories coupled to thermal (or quantum) baths, discrete lattice formulations must be dealt with extreme care if the results of the simulations are to be interpreted in the continuum limit. Using techniques from renormalization theory, a self-consistent method is presented to match lattice results to continuum models. As an application, symmetry restoration in ϕ4 models is investigated.

Lower And Upper Bounds On Internal-Wave Frequencies In Stratified Rotating Fluids, Benoit Cushman-Roisin

Dartmouth Scholarship

According to classical theories, the frequencies of internal-gravity waves in stratified rotating fluids must lie between the Brunt-Väisälä frequency (a measure of the vertical density stratification) and the Coriolis frequency (equal to twice the rotation rate about the vertical axis). It is shown here that, in the case of the Earth's rotation where the pole-to-pole axis of rotation is almost everywhere not parallel to the local vertical, the range of realizable frequencies is broader. New formulas are derived for the lower and upper bounds of the frequencies.

Oscillons: Resonant Configurations During Bubble Collapse, E J. Copeland, M Gleiser, H R. Müller

Dartmouth Scholarship

Oscillons are localized, non-singular, time-dependent, spherically-symmetric solutions of nonlinear scalar field theories which, although unstable, are extremely long-lived. We show that they naturally appear during the collapse of subcritical bubbles in models with symmetric and asymmetric double-well potentials. By a combination of analytical and numerical work we explain several of their properties, including the conditions for their existence, their longevity, and their final demise. We discuss several contexts in which we expect oscillons to be relevant. In particular, their nucleation during cosmological phase transitions may have wide-rangingconsequences.

The Cataclysmic Variable Hx Pegasi = Pg 2337 + 123: Caught On The Rise To Maximum, F. A. Ringwald

Dartmouth Scholarship

A radial velocity study of the Hα emission line of the cataclysmic variable HX Peg = PG 2337 + 123 shows that its orbital period is 0.2008 ± 0.0005 d (4.82 h). Magnitudes from Harvard College Observatory archive plates suggest that it is either a dwarf nova or a VY Scl star. The quiescent spectrum shows KIλλ 7665, 7699 Å in absorption, consistent with the presence of an unusual subdwarf-K mass-losing star.

At the beginning of the second night of the run, O Iλ 7773 Å was in absorption. Near midnight, the continuum rose rapidly into maximum, …

Mass Spectrum And Correlation Functions Of Non-Abelian Quantum Magnetic Monopoles, E. C. Marino, Rudnei O. Ramos

Dartmouth Scholarship

The method of quantization of magnetic monopoles based on the order-disorder duality existing between the monopole operator and the Lagrangian fields is applied to the description of the quantum magnetic monopoles of't Hooft and Polyakov in the SO(3) Georgi-Glashow model. The commutator of the monopole operator with the magnetic charge is computed explicitly, indicating that indeed the quantum monopole carries 4πg units of magnetic charge. An explicit expression for the asymptotic behavior of the monopole correlation function is derived. From this, the mass of the quantum monopole is obtained. The tree-level result for the quantum monopole mass is shown to …

Microphysical Approach To Nonequilibrium Dynamics Of Quantum Fields, Marcelo Gleiser, Rudnei O. Ramos

Dartmouth Scholarship

We examine the nonequilibrium dynamics of a self-interacting λφ4 scalar field theory. Using a real time formulation of finite temperature field theory we derive, up to two loops and O(λ2), the effective equation of motion describing the approach to equilibrium. We present a detailed analysis of the approxi- mations used in order to obtain a Langevin-like equation of motion, in which the noise and dissipation terms associated with quantum fluctuations obey a fluctuation-dissipation relation. We show that, in general, the noise is colored (time-dependent) and multiplicative (couples nonlinearly to the field), even though it is still Gaussian distributed. The noise …

Pseudostable Bubbles, Marcelo Gleiser

Dartmouth Scholarship

The evolution of spherically symmetric unstable scalar field configura- tions (“bubbles”) is examined for both symmetric (SDWP) and asymmet- ric (ADWP) double-well potentials. Bubbles with initial static energiesE0 ∼< Ecrit, where Ecrit is some critical value, shrink in a time scale deter- mined by their linear dimension, or “radius”. Bubbles with E0 ∼> Ecrit evolve into time-dependent, localized configurations which are very long-lived com- pared to characteristic time-scales in the models examined. The stability of these configurations is investigated and possible applications are briefly discussed.

Metastability In Two Dimensions And The Effective Potential, Mark Alford, Marcelo Gleiser

Dartmouth Scholarship

We study analytically and numerically the decay of a metastable phase in (2+1)-dimensional classical scalar field theory coupled to a heat bath, which is equivalent to two-dimensional Euclidean quantum field theory at zero temperature. By a numerical simulation we obtain the nucleation barrier as a function of the parameters of the potential, and compare it to the theoretical prediction from the bounce (critical bubble) calculation. We find the nucleation barrier to be accurately predicted by theory using the bounce configuration obtained from the tree-level (“classical”) effective action. Within the range of parameters probed, we found that using the bounce derived …

Distinguishing A Charged Higgs Signal From A Heavy Wr Signal, David I. Kaiser

Dartmouth Scholarship

It is shown that non-Standard Model bosons should obey an observable asymmetry in their decays to taus. This asymmetry enables a distinction to be made between charged Higgsboson signalsand heavy right-handed Wboson signals,by reconstructing the orientation of the z with respect to the beam axis.

Selective Decay And Coherent Vortices In Two-Dimensional Incompressible Turbulence, William H. Matthaeus, W. Troy Stribling, Daniel Martinez, Sean Oughton, David Montgomery

Dartmouth Scholarship

Numerical solution of two-dimensional incompressible hydrodynamics shows that states of a near-minimal ratio of enstrophy to energy can be attained in times short compared with the flow decay time, confirming the simplest turbulent selective decay conjecture, and suggesting that coherent vortex structures do not terminate nonlinear processes. After all possible vortex mergers occur, the vorticity attains a particlelike character, suggested by the late-time similarity of the streamlines to Ewald potential contours.