Harvard University Department of Physics

Harvard University Department of Physics

Faculty Publications added in October, 2009

Query Results from the Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The following are Harvard Physics faculty members' publications, added to the ADS database last month. Please note that some publications which appeared in print last month may not be included in the database (and therefore may not appear on this list) until the following month.

Title: What Should We Expect Students to Learn?
Authors: Finkelstein, Noah; Mazur, Eric; Lasry, Nathaniel
Publication: The Physics Teacher, Volume 47, Issue 8, pp. 484-484 (2009). (PhTea Homepage)
Publication Date: 11/2009
Origin: AIP
Keywords: physics education, educational technology, societies, problem solving, teaching
PACS Keywords: Research in physics education, Science and society
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2009: American Institute of Physics
DOI: 10.1119/1.3246459
Bibliographic Code: 2009PhTea..47..484F

Abstract

A rejoinder to Sobel's comment on "Are most people too dumb for physics?" We read Michael Sobel's response with much interest and appreciate his enthusiasm and commitment to physics education. Yet, we continue to find that our goals and methods differ markedly. Foremost, because we do not agree that physics is a "different category" of hard which is accessible to a select few (i.e., "a certain sort of very bright student"'), we cannot agree that ordinary, nonscience students must be taught a different kind of physics. We object to the idea of two "types"' of physics-one for the layperson and one for the specialist. Physics must have relevance for everyone.


Title: Precision cutting and patterning of graphene with helium ions
Authors: Bell, D. C.; Lemme, M. C.; Stern, L. A.; Williams, J. R.; Marcus, C. M.
Publication: Nanotechnology, Volume 20, Issue 45, pp. 455301 (2009).
Publication Date: 11/2009
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/20/45/455301
Bibliographic Code: 2009Nanot..20S5301B

Abstract

We report nanoscale patterning of graphene using a helium ion microscope configured for lithography. Helium ion lithography is a direct-write lithography process, comparable to conventional focused ion beam patterning, with no resist or other material contacting the sample surface. In the present application, graphene samples on Si/SiO2 substrates are cut using helium ions, with computer controlled alignment, patterning, and exposure. Once suitable beam doses are determined, sharp edge profiles and clean etching are obtained, with little evident damage or doping to the sample. This technique provides fast lithography compatible with graphene, with ~15 nm feature sizes.


Title: Repetitive Readout of a Single Electronic Spin via Quantum Logic with Nuclear Spin Ancillae
Authors: Jiang, L.; Hodges, J. S.; Maze, J. R.; Maurer, P.; Taylor, J. M.; Cory, D. G.; Hemmer, P. R.; Walsworth, R. L.; Yacoby, A.; Zibrov, A. S.; Lukin, M. D.
Publication: Science, Volume 326, Issue 5950, pp. 267- (2009).
Publication Date: 10/2009
Category: PHYSICS
Origin: SCIENCE
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2009: Science
DOI: 10.1126/science.1176496
Bibliographic Code: 2009Sci...326..267J

Abstract

Robust measurement of single quantum bits plays a key role in the realization of quantum computation and communication as well as in quantum metrology and sensing. We have implemented a method for the improved readout of single electronic spin qubits in solid-state systems. The method makes use of quantum logic operations on a system consisting of a single electronic spin and several proximal nuclear spin ancillae in order to repetitively readout the state of the electronic spin. Using coherent manipulation of a single nitrogen vacancy center in room-temperature diamond, full quantum control of an electronic-nuclear system consisting of up to three spins was achieved. We took advantage of a single nuclear-spin memory in order to obtain a 10-fold enhancement in the signal amplitude of the electronic spin readout. We also present a two-level, concatenated procedure to improve the readout by use of a pair of nuclear spin ancillae, an important step toward the realization of robust quantum information processors using electronic- and nuclear-spin qubits. Our technique can be used to improve the sensitivity and speed of spin-based nanoscale diamond magnetometers.


Title: Are Most People Too Dumb for Physics?
Authors: Lasry, Nathaniel; Finkelstein, Noah; Mazur, Eric
Publication: The Physics Teacher, Volume 47, Issue 7, pp. 418-422 (2009). (PhTea Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: AIP
Keywords: physics education, educational courses, educational technology, socio-economic effects, problem solving, mathematics
PACS Keywords: Science and society, Course design and evaluation, Research in physics education
DOI: 10.1119/1.3225498
Bibliographic Code: 2009PhTea..47..418L

Abstract

Not Available


Title: Evidence for the ηb(1S) Meson in Radiative Υ(2S) Decay
Authors: Aubert, B.; Bona, M.; Karyotakis, Y.;... Morii, M.;... and 482 coauthors.
Publication: Physical Review Letters, vol. 103, Issue 16, id. 161801 (PhRvL Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: APS
PACS Keywords: Decays of J/psi, Upsilon, and other quarkonia, Mesons with S=C=B=0, mass>2.5 GeV, Bottom quarks
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2009: The American Physical Society
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.161801
Bibliographic Code: 2009PhRvL.103p1801A

Abstract

We have performed a search for the ηb(1S) meson in the radiative decay of the Υ(2S) resonance using a sample of 91.6×106 Υ(2S) events recorded with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II B factory at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. We observe a peak in the photon energy spectrum at Eγ=609.3-4.5+4.6(stat)±1.9(syst)MeV, corresponding to an ηb(1S) mass of 9394.2-4.9+4.8(stat)±2.0(syst)MeV/c2. The branching fraction for the decay Υ(2S)→γηb(1S) is determined to be [3.9±1.1(stat)-0.9+1.1(syst)]×10-4. We find the ratio of branching fractions B[Υ(2S)→γηb(1S)]/B[Υ(3S)→γηb(1S)]=0.82±0.24(stat)-0.19+0.20(syst).


Title: Rapid Single-Shot Measurement of a Singlet-Triplet Qubit
Authors: Barthel, C.; Reilly, D. J.; Marcus, C. M.; Hanson, M. P.; Gossard, A. C.
Publication: Physical Review Letters, vol. 103, Issue 16, id. 160503 (PhRvL Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: APS
PACS Keywords: Quantum computation, Quantum dots
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2009: The American Physical Society
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.160503
Bibliographic Code: 2009PhRvL.103p0503B

Abstract

We report repeated single-shot measurements of the two-electron spin state in a GaAs double quantum dot. The readout allows measurement with a fidelity above 90% with a ˜7μs cycle time. Hyperfine-induced precession between singlet and triplet states of the two-electron system are directly observed, as nuclear Overhauser fields are quasistatic on the time scale of the measurement cycle. Repeated measurements on millisecond to second time scales reveal the evolution of the nuclear environment.


Title: Precision Measurement of the X(3872) Mass in J/ψπ+π- Decays
Authors: Aaltonen, T.; Adelman, J.; Akimoto, T.; ... Franklin, M.; ... Guimaraes da Costa, J....; and 598 coauthors.
Publication: Physical Review Letters, vol. 103, Issue 15, id. 152001 (PhRvL Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: APS
PACS Keywords: Mesons with S=C=B=0, mass>2.5 GeV, Glueball and nonstandard multi-quark/gluon states, Decays of J/psi, Upsilon, and other quarkonia
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2009: The American Physical Society
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.152001
Bibliographic Code: 2009PhRvL.103o2001A

Abstract

We present an analysis of the mass of the X(3872) reconstructed via its decay to J/ψπ+π- using 2.4fb-1 of integrated luminosity from p&pmacr; collisions at s=1.96TeV, collected with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. The possible existence of two nearby mass states is investigated. Within the limits of our experimental resolution the data are consistent with a single state, and having no evidence for two states we set upper limits on the mass difference between two hypothetical states for different assumed ratios of contributions to the observed peak. For equal contributions, the 95% confidence level upper limit on the mass difference is 3.6MeV/c2. Under the single-state model the X(3872) mass is measured to be 3871.61±0.16(stat)±0.19(syst)MeV/c2, which is the most precise determination to date.


Title: Observation of the Ωb- baryon and measurement of the properties of the Ξb- and Ωb- baryons
Authors: Aaltonen, T.; Adelman, J.; Akimoto, T.; ... Franklin, M.; ... Guimaraes da Costa, J....; and 597 coauthors.
Publication: Physical Review D, vol. 80, Issue 7, id. 072003 (PhRvD Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: APS
PACS Keywords: Hadronic decays, Baryon production, Bottom baryons
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2009: The American Physical Society
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.80.072003
Bibliographic Code: 2009PhRvD..80g2003A

Abstract

We report the observation of the bottom, doubly-strange baryon Ωb- through the decay chain Ωb-→J/ψΩ-, where J/ψ→μ+μ-, Ω-→ΛK-, and Λ→pπ-, using 4.2fb-1 of data from p&pmacr; collisions at s=1.96TeV, and recorded with the Collider Detector at Fermilab. A signal is observed whose probability of arising from a background fluctuation is 4.0×10-8, or 5.5 Gaussian standard deviations. The Ωb- mass is measured to be 6054.4±6.8(stat)±0.9(syst)MeV/c2. The lifetime of the Ωb- baryon is measured to be 1.13-0.40+0.53(stat)±0.02(syst)ps. In addition, for the Ξb- baryon we measure a mass of 5790.9±2.6(stat)±0.8(syst)MeV/c2 and a lifetime of 1.56-0.25+0.27(stat)±0.02(syst)ps. Under the assumption that the Ξb- and Ωb- are produced with similar kinematic distributions to the Λb0 baryon, we find (σ(Ξb-)B(Ξb-→J/ψΞ-))/(σ(Λb0)B(Λb0→J/ψΛ))=0.167-0.025+0.037(stat)±0.012(syst) and (σ(Ωb-)B(Ωb-→J/ψΩ-))/(σ(Λb0)B(Λb0→J/ψΛ))=0.045-0.012+0.017(stat)±0.004(syst) for baryons produced with transverse momentum in the range of 6–20GeV/c.


Title: Search for the Higgs boson produced in association with Z→ℓ+- using the matrix element method at CDF II
Authors: Aaltonen, T.; Adelman, J.; Akimoto, T.; ... Franklin, M.; ... Guimaraes da Costa, J....; and 596 coauthors.
Publication: Physical Review D, vol. 80, Issue 7, id. 071101 (PhRvD Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: APS
PACS Keywords: Standard-model Higgs bosons, Decays of Z bosons, Inclusive production with identified leptons, photons, or other nonhadronic particles, Z bosons
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2009: The American Physical Society
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.80.071101
Bibliographic Code: 2009PhRvD..80g1101A

Abstract

We present a search for associated production of the standard model Higgs boson and a Z boson where the Z boson decays to two leptons and the Higgs decays to a pair of b quarks in p&pmacr; collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron. We use event probabilities based on standard model matrix elements to construct a likelihood function of the Higgs content of the data sample. In a CDF data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.7fb-1 we see no evidence of a Higgs boson with a mass between 100GeV/c2 and 150GeV/c2. We set 95% confidence level upper limits on the cross section for ZH production as a function of the Higgs boson mass mH; the limit is 8.2 times the standard model prediction at mH=115GeV/c2.


Title: Exact solution for bulk-edge coupling in the non-Abelian ν=5/2 quantum Hall interferometer
Authors: Rosenow, Bernd; Halperin, Bertrand I.; Simon, Steven H.; Stern, Ady
Publication: Physical Review B, vol. 80, Issue 15, id. 155305 (PhRvB Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: APS
PACS Keywords: Theory and modeling, Tunneling
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2009: The American Physical Society
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.80.155305
Bibliographic Code: 2009PhRvB..80o5305R

Abstract

It has been predicted that the phase sensitive part of the current through a non-Abelian ν=5/2 quantum Hall Fabry-Perot interferometer will depend on the number of localized charged e/4 quasiparticles (QPs) inside the interferometer cell. In the limit where all QPs are far from the edge, the leading contribution to the interference current is predicted to be absent if the number of enclosed QPs is odd and present otherwise, as a consequence of the non-Abelian QP statistics. The situation is more complicated, however, if a localized QP is close enough to the boundary so that it can exchange a Majorana fermion with the edge via a tunneling process. Here, we derive an exact solution for the dependence of the interference current on the coupling strength for this tunneling process, and confirm a previous prediction that for sufficiently strong coupling, the localized QP is effectively incorporated in the edge and no longer affects the interference pattern. We confirm that the dimensionless coupling strength can be tuned by the source-drain voltage, and we find that not only does the magnitude of the even-odd effect change with the strength of bulk-edge coupling, but in addition, there is a universal shift in the interference phase as a function of coupling strength. Some implications for experiments are discussed at the end.


Title: Electromagnetically induced transparency with noisy lasers
Authors: Xiao, Yanhong; Wang, Tun; Baryakhtar, Maria; van Camp, Mackenzie; Crescimanno, Michael; Hohensee, Michael; Jiang, Liang; Phillips, David F.; Lukin, Mikhail D.; Yelin, Susanne F.; Walsworth, Ronald L.
Publication: Physical Review A, vol. 80, Issue 4, id. 041805 (PhRvA Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: APS
PACS Keywords: Effects of atomic coherence on propagation, absorption, and amplification of light; electromagnetically induced transparency and absorption, Line shapes, widths, and shifts, Optical transient phenomena: quantum beats, photon echo, free-induction decay, dephasings and revivals, optical nutation, and self-induced transparency
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2009: The American Physical Society
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.80.041805
Bibliographic Code: 2009PhRvA..80d1805X

Abstract

We demonstrate and characterize two coherent phenomena that can mitigate the effects of laser phase noise for electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT): a laser-power-broadening-resistant resonance in the transmitted intensity cross correlation between EIT optical fields, and a resonant suppression of the conversion of laser phase noise to intensity noise when one-photon noise dominates over two-photon-detuning noise. Our experimental observations are in good agreement with both an intuitive physical picture and numerical calculations. The results have wide-ranging applications to spectroscopy, atomic clocks, and magnetometers.


Title: The refined topological vertex
Authors: Iqbal, Amer; Kozçaz, Can; Vafa, Cumrun
Publication: Journal of High Energy Physics, Issue 10, pp. 069 (2009).
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2009/10/069
Bibliographic Code: 2009JHEP...10..069I

Abstract

We define a refined topological vertex which depends in addition on a parameter, which physically corresponds to extending the self-dual graviphoton field strength to a more general configuration. Using this refined topological vertex we compute, using geometric engineering, a two-parameter (equivariant) instanton expansion of gauge theories which reproduce the results of Nekrasov. The refined vertex is also expected to be related to Khovanov knot invariants.


Title: The footprint of F-theory at the LHC
Authors: Heckman, Jonathan J.; Kane, Gordon L.; Shao, Jing; Vafa, Cumrun
Publication: Journal of High Energy Physics, Issue 10, pp. 039 (2009).
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2009/10/039
Bibliographic Code: 2009JHEP...10..039H

Abstract

Recent work has shown that compactifications of F-theory provide a potentially attractive phenomenological scenario. The low energy characteristics of F-theory GUTs consist of a deformation away from a minimal gauge mediation scenario with a high messenger scale. The soft scalar masses of the theory are all shifted by a stringy effect which survives to low energies. This effect can range from 0 GeV up to ~ 500 GeV. In this paper we study potential collider signatures of F-theory GUTs, focussing in particular on ways to distinguish this class of models from other theories with an MSSM spectrum. To accomplish this, we have adapted the general footprint method developed recently for distinguishing broad classes of string vacua to the specific case of F-theory GUTs. We show that with only 5 fb‑1 of simulated LHC data, it is possible to distinguish many mSUGRA models and low messenger scale gauge mediation models from F-theory GUTs. Moreover, we find that at 5 fb‑1, the stringy deformation away from minimal gauge mediation produces observable consequences which can also be detected to a level of order ~ ±80 GeV. In this way, it is possible to distinguish between models with a large and small stringy deformation. At 50 fb‑1, this improves to ~ ±10 GeV.


Title: Wrapped M2/M5 duality
Authors: Guica, Monica; Strominger, Andrew
Affiliation: Jefferson Physical Laboratory, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. document.write(mkemail("mmguica","","lpthe","jussieu","fr"));mmguica@lpthe.jussieu.fr
Publication: Journal of High Energy Physics, Issue 10, pp. 036 (2009).
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1126-6708/2009/10/036
Bibliographic Code: 2009JHEP...10..036G

Abstract

A microscopic accounting of the entropy of a generic 5D supersymmetric rotating black hole, arising from wrapped M2-branes in Calabi-Yau compactified M-theory, is an outstanding unsolved problem. In this paper we consider an expansion around the zero-entropy, zero-temperature, maximally rotating ground state for which the angular momentum JL and graviphoton charge Q are related by JL2 = Q3. At JL = 0 the near horizon geometry is AdS2 × S3. As JL2 → Q3 it becomes a singular quotient of AdS3 × S2: more precisely, a quotient of the near horizon geometry of an M5 wrapped on a 4-cycle whose self-intersection is the 2-cycle associated to the wrapped-M2 black hole. The singularity of the AdS3 quotient is identified as the usual one associated to the zero-temperature limit, suggesting that the (0,4) wrapped-M5 CFT is dual near maximality to the wrapped-M2 black hole. As evidence for this, the microscopic (0,4) CFT entropy and the macroscopic rotating black hole entropy are found to agree to leading order away from maximality.


Title: A study of quasi-elastic muon neutrino and antineutrino scattering in the NOMAD experiment
Authors: Lyubushkin, V.; Popov, B.; Kim, J. J.;..., Feldman, G. J.; ; and 149 coauthors
Publication: The European Physical Journal C, Volume 63, Issue 3, pp.355-381 (EPJC Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: SPRINGER
Keywords: 13.15.+g, 25.30.Pt
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2009: Springer-Verlag / Società Italiana di Fisica
DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-009-1113-0
Bibliographic Code: 2009EPJC...63..355L

Abstract

We have studied the muon neutrino and antineutrino quasi-elastic (QEL) scattering reactions ( ν μ n→ μ ‑ p and bar{ν }_{μ}ptoμ+n ) using a set of experimental data collected by the NOMAD Collaboration. We have performed measurements of the cross-section of these processes on a nuclear target (mainly carbon) normalizing it to the total ν μ ( bar{ν}_{μ} ) charged-current cross section. The results for the flux-averaged QEL cross sections in the (anti)neutrino energy interval 3–100 GeV are < σ_{qel}rangle_{ν_{μ}}=(0.92±0.02(stat)±0.06(syst))×10^{-38} cm2 and <σ_{qel}rangle_{bar{ν}_{μ}}=(0.81±0.05(stat)±0.09(syst))×10^{-38} cm2 for neutrino and antineutrino, respectively. The axial mass parameter M A was extracted from the measured quasi-elastic neutrino cross section. The corresponding result is M A =1.05±0.02(stat)±0.06(syst) GeV. It is consistent with the axial mass values recalculated from the antineutrino cross section and extracted from the pure Q 2 shape analysis of the high purity sample of ν μ quasi-elastic 2-track events, but has smaller systematic error and should be quoted as the main result of this work. Our measured M A is found to be in good agreement with the world average value obtained in previous deuterium filled bubble chamber experiments. The NOMAD measurement of M A is lower than those recently published by K2K and MiniBooNE Collaborations. However, within the large errors quoted by these experiments on M A , these results are compatible with the more precise NOMAD value.


Title: Supernovae 2009kb-2009kj
Authors: Young, D.; Valenti, S.; Rest, A.; Narayan, G.; Huber, M.; Gezari, S.; Rodney, S.; Trundle, C.; Smith, K.; Smartt, S.; Price, P.; Stubbs, C.; Tonry, J.; Riess, A.; Wood-Vasey, W. M.; Botticella, M. T.; Pastorello, A.; Kotak, R.; Fraser, M.; Hunter, D.; Maguire, K.; Foley, R.
Publication: Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams, 1988, 1 (2009). Edited by Green, D. W. E.
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: CBAT
Objects: 2009kb-2009kj
Bibliographic Code: 2009CBET.1988....1Y

Abstract

D. Young and S. Valenti, Queen's University, Belfast (QUB); A. Rest and G. Narayan, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA); M. Huber and S. Gezari, Johns Hopkins University (JHU); S. Rodney, Institute for Astronomy (IfA), University of Hawaii; C. Trundle, K. Smith, and S. Smartt, QUB; P. Price, IfA; C. Stubbs, CfA; J. Tonry, IfA; A. Riess, JHU; W. M. Wood-Vasey, University of Pittsburgh; M. T. Botticella, A. Pastorello, R. Kotak, M. Fraser, D. Hunter, and K. Maguire, QUB; and R. Foley, CfA, on behalf of the PS1 Science Consortium, report the discovery of nine supernovae via the Pan-STARRS Telescope #1 (PS1) sky survey. Images from PS1 Medium-Deep-Fields 7 and 8 were processed and differenced by the PS1 Image Processing Pipeline, and detections were filtered with prototype modules of the Transient Science Server at CfA and QUB.


Title: Discovery and Classification of Pan-STARRS Transient PS10909010
Authors: Huber, M.; Narayan, G.; Berger, E.; Rest, A.; Foley, R.; Wood-Vasey, M.; Riess, A.; Stubbs, C.; Kirshner, R.; Tonry, J.; Price, P.
Publication: The Astronomer's Telegram, #2229
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ATEL
Keywords: Optical, Novae, Supernovae, Transients
Bibliographic Code: 2009ATel.2229....1H

Abstract

Processing of Pan-STARRS medium-deep field #1 (MD01) data has led to the discovery of an optical transient, designated PS10909010, at coordinates RA = 02:28:28.368, DEC = -04:04:44.08 (J2000) with an apparent brightness of r~21.5 mag on 2009 September 21 UT. A spectrum of the source obtained with the GMOS spectrograph on the Gemini-North 8-m telescope (PI: Berger) on 2009 October 2 UT reveals that the object is a type Ia supernova at z=0.27 about 3 to 8 days after maximum light.


Title: Coherent population trapping resonances with linearly polarized light for all-optical miniature atomic clocks
Authors: Zibrov, Sergei A.; Novikova, Irina; Phillips, David F.; Walsworth, Ronald L.; Zibrov, Alexander S.; Velichansky, Vladimir L.; Taichenachev, Alexey V.; Yudin, Valery I.
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.4703
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Physics - Atomic Physics, Physics - Optics
Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.4703Z

Abstract

We present a joint theoretical and experimental characterization of the coherent population trapping (CPT) resonance excited on the D1 line of 87Rb atoms by bichromatic linearly polarized laser light. We observe high-contrast transmission resonances (up to 25%), which makes this excitation scheme promising for miniature all-optical atomic clock applications. We also demonstrate cancellation of the first-order light shift by proper choice of the frequencies and relative intensities of the two laser field components. Our theoretical predictions are in good agreement with the experimental results.


Title: The Fermi Haze: A Gamma-Ray Counterpart to the Microwave Haze
Authors: Dobler, Gregory; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.; Cholis, Ilias; Slatyer, Tracy R.; Weiner, Neal
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.4583
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures; submitted to ApJ
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.4583D

Abstract

The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope reveals a diffuse inverse Compton signal in the inner Galaxy with the same spatial morphology as the microwave haze observed by WMAP, confirming the synchrotron origin of the microwaves. Using spatial templates, we regress out pi0 gammas, as well as ICS and bremsstrahlung components associated with known soft-synchrotron counterparts. We find a significant gamma-ray excess towards the Galactic center with a spectrum that is significantly harder than other sky components and is most consistent with ICS from a hard population of electrons. The morphology and spectrum are consistent with it being the ICS counterpart to the electrons which generate the microwave haze seen at WMAP frequencies. In addition to confirming that the microwave haze is indeed synchrotron, the distinct spatial morphology and very hard spectrum of the ICS are evidence that the electrons responsible for the microwave and gamma-ray haze originate from a harder source than supernova shocks. We describe the full sky Fermi maps used in this analysis and make them available for download.


Title: Anomalous Expansion of Attractively Interacting Fermionic Atoms in an Optical Lattice
Authors: Hackermuller, Lucia; Schneider, Ulrich; Moreno-Cardoner, Maria; Kitagawa, Takuya; Will, Sebastian; Best, Thorsten; Demler, Eugene; Altman, Ehud; Bloch, Immanuel; Paredes, Belen
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.3598
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases, Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons
Comment: 6 pages (plus appendix), 6 figures
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.3598H

Abstract

Strong correlations can dramatically modify the thermodynamics of a quantum many-particle system. Especially intriguing behaviour can appear when the system adiabatically enters a strongly correlated regime, for the interplay between entropy and strong interactions can lead to counterintuitive effects. A well known example is the so-called Pomeranchuk effect, occurring when liquid 3He is adiabatically compressed towards its crystalline phase. Here, we report on a novel anomalous, isentropic effect in a spin mixture of attractively interacting fermionic atoms in an optical lattice. As we adiabatically increase the attraction between the atoms we observe that the gas, instead of contracting, anomalously expands. This expansion results from the combination of two effects induced by pair formation in a lattice potential: the suppression of quantum fluctuations as the attraction increases, which leads to a dominant role of entropy, and the progressive loss of the spin degree of freedom, which forces the gas to excite additional orbital degrees of freedom and expand to outer regions of the trap in order to maintain the entropy. The unexpected thermodynamics we observe reveal fundamentally distinctive features of pairing in the fermionic Hubbard model.


Title: Novel Methods to Create Multielectron Bubbles in Superfluid Helium
Authors: Fang, J.; Dementyev, Anatoly. E.; Tempere, J.; Silvera, Isaac F.
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.3224
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Condensed Matter - Other Condensed Matter, Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons
Comment: 19 pages; 7 figures
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.3224F

Abstract

An equilibrium multielectron bubble in liquid helium is a fascinating object with a spherical two-dimensional electron gas on its surface. We describe two ways of creating them. MEBs have been observed in the dome of a cylindrical cell with an unexpectedly short lifetime; we show analytically why these MEBs can discharge by tunneling. Using a novel method, MEBs have been extracted from a vapor sheath around a hot filament in superfluid helium by applying electric fields up to 15 kV/cm, and photographed with high-speed video. Charges as high as 1.6x10-9 C (~1010 electrons) have been measured. The latter method provides a means of capture in an electromagnetic trap to allow the study of the extensive exciting properties of these elusive objects.


Title: BPS Wall Crossing and Topological Strings
Authors: Cecotti, Sergio; Vafa, Cumrun
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.2615
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: High Energy Physics - Theory, Mathematics - Algebraic Geometry
Comment: 18 pages
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.2615C

Abstract

By embedding N=2 gauge theories in string theory and utilizing string dualities we map the counting of BPS states with arbitrary electric and magnetic charges to computations of an A-model topological string on an associated geometry constructed from the data of the SW curve. We show how the conjecture of Kontsevich and Soibelman regarding wall crossing, as well as a more refined version which captures the spin content of BPS states, is a natural consequence. Chern-Simons theory realized on A-branes and a twistorial construction play key roles.


Title: Matter Wave Scattering from Ultracold Atoms in an Optical Lattice
Authors: Sanders, Scott N.; Mintert, Florian; Heller, Eric J.
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.1873
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases
Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.1873S

Abstract

We study matter wave scattering from an ultracold, many body atomic system trapped in an optical lattice. We determine the angular cross section that a matter wave probe sees and show that it is strongly affected by the many body phase, superfluid or Mott insulator, of the target lattice. We determine these cross sections analytically in the first Born approximation, and we examine the variation at intermediate points in the phase transition by numerically diagonalizing the Bose Hubbard Hamiltonian for a small lattice. We show that matter wave scattering offers a convenient method for non-destructively probing the quantum many body phase transition of atoms in an optical lattice.


Title: Pi-phases in balanced fermionic superfluids on spin-dependent optical lattices
Authors: Zapata, I.; Wunsch, B.; Zinner, N. T.; Demler, E.
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.1803
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases, Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics, Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons
Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.1803Z

Abstract

We study a balanced two-component system of ultracold fermions in one dimension with attractive interactions and subject to a spin-dependent optical lattice potential of opposite sign for the two components. The ground-state develops a non-trivial superconducting order parameter as the depth of the lattice is increased. The real-space gap parameter changes sign and is analogous to the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchnnikov states discussed in the context of superconductors in magnetic fields. We discuss how to observe these $\pi$-phases using the rapid-ramp technique. In addition we discuss laser setups that can produce the required lattices needed for these novel phases to appear.


Title: Development of FTK architecture: a fast hardware track trigger for the ATLAS detector
Authors: Annovi, A.; Beretta, M.; Bossini, E.; Boveia, A.; Brubaker, E.; Canelli, F.; Cavasinni, V.; Crescioli, F.; DeBerg, H.; Dell'Orso, M.; Dunford, M.; Franklin, M.; Giannetti, P.; Kapliy, A.; Kim, Y. K.; Kimura, N.; Laurelli, P.; McCarn, A.; Melachrinos, C.; Mills, C.; Neubauer, M.; Proudfoot, J.; Piendibene, M.; Punzi, G.; Sarri, F.; Sartori, L.; Shochet, M.; Tripiccione, L.; Tuggle, J.; Vivarelli, I.; Volpi, G.; Yorita, K.; Zhang, J.
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.1126
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors, High Energy Physics - Experiment
Comment: To be published in the proceedings of DPF-2009, Detroit, MI, July 2009, eConf C090726
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.1126A

Abstract

The Fast Tracker (FTK) is a proposed upgrade to the ATLAS trigger system that will operate at full Level-1 output rates and provide high quality tracks reconstructed over the entire detector by the start of processing in Level-2. FTK solves the combinatorial challenge inherent to tracking by exploiting the massive parallelism of Associative Memories (AM) that can compare inner detector hits to millions of pre-calculated patterns simultaneously. The tracking problem within matched patterns is further simplified by using pre-computed linearized fitting constants and leveraging fast DSP's in modern commercial FPGA's. Overall, FTK is able to compute the helix parameters for all tracks in an event and apply quality cuts in approximately one millisecond. By employing a pipelined architecture, FTK is able to continuously operate at Level-1 rates without deadtime. The system design is defined and studied using ATLAS full simulation. Reconstruction quality is evaluated for single muon events with zero pileup, as well as WH events at the LHC design luminosity. FTK results are compared with the tracking capability of an offline algorithm.


Title: Heterogeneity and Disorder: Contributions of Rolf Landauer
Authors: Halperin, Bertrand I.; Bergman, David J.
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.0993
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Condensed Matter - Materials Science, Condensed Matter - Disordered Systems and Neural Networks, Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics, Physics - History of Physics
Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures; presented on the occasion when Rolf Landauer was awarded, posthumously, the inaugural ETOPIM Medal at the ETOPIM 8 Conference, which took place during 7--12 June, 2009 in Rethymnon, Crete
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.0993H

Abstract

Rolf Landauer made important contributions to many branches of science. Within the broad area of transport in disordered media, he wrote seminal papers on electrical conduction in macroscopically inhomogeneous materials, as well as fundamental analyses of electron transport in quantum mechanical systems with disorder on the atomic scale. We review here some of these contributions. We also briefly describe some main events in his personal and scientific life.


Title: A statistical test of emission from unresolved point sources
Authors: Slatyer, Tracy R.; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.0482
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Astrophysics - Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.0482S

Abstract

We describe a simple test of the spatial uniformity of an ensemble of discrete events. Given an estimate for the point source luminosity function and an instrumental point spread function (PSF), a robust upper bound on the fractional point source contribution to a diffuse signal can be found. We verify with Monte Carlo tests that the statistic is superior to the two-point correlation function for this purpose, and derive analytic estimates of the statistic's mean and variance as a function of the point source contribution. As a case study, we apply this statistic to recent gamma-ray data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT), and demonstrate that at energies above 10 GeV, the contribution of unresolved point sources to the diffuse emission is small in the region relevant for study of the WMAP Haze.


Title: Yukawa Couplings in F-theory and Non-Commutative Geometry
Authors: Cecotti, Sergio; Cheng, Miranda C. N.; Heckman, Jonathan J.; Vafa, Cumrun
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.0477
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: High Energy Physics - Theory, High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Comment: 78 pages
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.0477C

Abstract

We consider Yukawa couplings generated by a configuration of intersecting seven-branes in F-theory. In configurations with a single interaction point and no fluxes turned on, the Yukawa matrices have rank one. This is no longer true when the three-form H-flux is turned on, which is generically the case for F-theory compactifications on Calabi-Yau fourfolds. In the presence of H-fluxes, the Yukawa coupling is computed using a non-commutative deformation of holomorphic Chern-Simons theory (and its reduction to seven-branes) and subsequently the rank of the Yukawa matrix changes. Such fluxes give rise to a hierarchical structure in the Yukawa matrix in F-theory GUTs of the type which has recently been proposed as a resolution of the flavor hierarchy problem.


Title: Optical Cross Correlation Filters: An Economical Approach for Identifying SNe Ia and Estimating their Redshifts
Authors: Scolnic, D. M.; Riess, A. G.; Huber, M. E.; Rest, A.; Stubbs, C.; Tonry, J. L.
Publication: eprint arXiv:0910.0075
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
Comment: Accepted for The Astrophysical Journal. 30 pages, 19 figures
Bibliographic Code: 2009arXiv0910.0075S

Abstract

Large photometric surveys of transient phenomena, such as Pan-STARRS and LSST, will locate thousands to millions of type Ia supernova candidates per year, a rate prohibitive for acquiring spectroscopy to determine each candidate's type and redshift. In response, we have developed an economical approach to identifying SNe Ia and their redshifts using an uncommon type of optical filter which has multiple, discontinuous passbands on a single substrate. Observation of a supernova through a specially designed pair of these `cross-correlation filters' measures the approximate amplitude and phase of the cross-correlation between the spectrum and a SN Ia template, a quantity typically used to determine the redshift and type of a high-redshift SN Ia. Simulating the use of these filters, we obtain a sample of SNe Ia which is ~98% pure with individual redshifts measured to 0.01 precision. The advantages of this approach over standard broadband photometric methods are that it is insensitive to reddening, independent of the color data used for subsequent distance determinations which reduces selection or interpretation bias, and because it makes use of the spectral features its reliability is greater. A great advantage over long-slit spectroscopy comes from increased throughput, enhanced multiplexing and reduced set-up time resulting in a net gain in speed of up to ~30 times. This approach is also insensitive to host galaxy contamination. Prototype filters were built and successfully used on Magellan with LDSS-3 to characterize three SNLS candidates. We discuss how these filters can provide critical information for the upcoming photometric supernova surveys.


Title: A decade of SN 1993J: discovery of radio wavelength effects in the expansion rate
Authors: Marcaide, J. M.; Martí-Vidal, I.; Alberdi, A.; Pérez-Torres, M. A.; Ros, E.; Diamond, P. J.; Guirado, J. C.; Lara, L.; Shapiro, I. I.; Stockdale, C. J.; Weiler, K. W.; Mantovani, F.; Preston, R. A.; Schilizzi, R. T.; Sramek, R. A.; Trigilio, C.; van Dyk, S. D.; Whitney, A. R.
Publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 505, Issue 3, 2009, pp.927-945 (A&A Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: EDP Sciences
Keywords: galaxies: clusters: individual: M 81, radio continuum: stars, supernovae: general, supernovae: individual: SN 1993J, techniques: interferometric
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/200912133
Bibliographic Code: 2009A&A...505..927M

Abstract

We studied the growth of the shell-like radio structure of supernova SN 1993J in M 81 from September 1993 to October 2003 with very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations at the wavelengths of 3.6, 6, and 18 cm. We developed a method to accurately determine the outer radius (R) of any circularly symmetric compact radio structure such as SN 1993J. The source structure of SN 1993J remains circularly symmetric (with deviations from circularity under 2%) over almost 4000 days. We characterize the decelerated expansion of SN 1993J until approximately day 1500 after explosion with an expansion parameter m = 0.845±0.005 (R ∝ tm). However, from that day onwards the expansion differs when observed at 6 and 18 cm. Indeed, at 18 cm, the expansion can be well characterized by the same m as before day 1500, while at 6 cm the expansion appears more decelerated, and is characterized by another expansion parameter, m6 = 0.788±0.015. Therefore, since about day 1500 onwards, the radio source size has been progressively smaller at 6 cm than at 18 cm. These findings differ significantly from those of other authors in the details of the expansion. In our interpretation, the supernova expands with a single expansion parameter, m = 0.845±0.005, and the 6 cm results beyond day 1500 are caused by physical effects, perhaps also coupled to instrumental limitations. Two physical effects may be involved: (a) a changing opacity of the ejecta to the 6 cm radiation; and (b) a radial decrease of the magnetic field in the emitting region. We also found that at 6 cm about 80% of the radio emission from the backside of the shell behind the ejecta is absorbed (our average estimate, since we cannot determine any possible evolution of the opacity), and the width of the radio shell is (31±2)% of the outer radius. The shell width at 18 cm depends on the degree of assumed absorption. For 80% absorption, the width is (33.5±1.7)%, and for 100% absorption, it is (37.8±1.3)%. A comparison of our VLBI results with optical spectral line velocities shows that the deceleration is more pronounced in the radio than in the optical. This difference might be due to a progressive penetration of ejecta instabilities into the shocked circumstellar medium, as also suggested by other authors.




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