206531826
Topological Phase Transition and Texture Inversion in a Tunable Topological Insulator
Two types of bulk insulator are realized in the same family of compounds through chemical doping. The recently discovered three-dimensional or bulk topological insulators are expected to exhibit exotic quantum phenomena. It is believed that a trivial insulator can be twisted into a topological state by modulating the spin-orbit interaction or the crystal lattice, driving the system through a topological quantum phase transition. By directly measuring the topological quantum numbers and invariants, we report the observation of a phase transition in a tunable spin-orbit system, BiTl(S1–δSeδ)2, in which the topological state formation is visualized. In the topological state, vortex-like polarization states are observed to exhibit three-dimensional vectorial textures, which collectively feature a chirality transition as the spin momentum–locked electrons on the surface go through the zero carrier density point. Such phase transition and texture inversion can be the physical basis for observing fractional charge (±e/2) and other fractional topological phenomena.
55602833
A new platform for topological quantum phenomena : Topological Insulator states in thermoelectric Heusler-related ternary compounds
Topological insulators (TI) realize a novel state of quantum matter that are distinguished by topological invariants of bulk band structure rather than spontaneously broken symmetries. A number of exotic quantum phenomena have been predicted to exist in multiply-connected geometries which require an enormous amount of materials flexibility. We have extended our previous search for TI materials from binary (Bi2X3 series) to the thermoelectric ternary compounds. We discover that the distorted LuPtSb is the first ternary compound harboring a 3D topological insulator state. We also show that the half-Heusler LuPtSb-type series is a natural platform that hosts a range of candidate compounds, alloys and artificial heterostructures (quantum-wells). We also discovered several different paradigms of trivial and non-trivial topological ordering in this class, including a metallic nontrivial topological state in YAuPb. Some of these materials are grown (results will be reported separately).
119225338
Strings on bubbling geometries
We study gauge theory operators which take the form of a product of a trace with a Schur polynomial, and their string theory duals. These states represent strings excited on bubbling AdS geometries which are dual to the Schur polynomials. These geometries generically take the form of multiple annuli in the phase space plane. We study the coherent state wavefunction of the lattice, which labels the trace part of the operator, for a general Young tableau and their dual description on the droplet plane with a general concentric ring pattern. In addition we identify a density matrix over the coherent states on all the geometries within a fixed constraint. This density matrix may be used to calculate the entropy of a given ensemble of operators. We finally recover the BMN string spectrum along the geodesic near any circle from the ansatz of the coherent state wave-function.
118812509
BPS geometry, AdS/CFT, and string theory
We first study BPS geometries dual to half-BPS states of field theories with 32 supercharges. These field theories are N = 4 SYM on R×S3, M2 brane theory and M5 brane theory. The dynamics of the half-BPS states in N = 4 SYM is reduced to a matrix quantum mechanics, and they are characterized by droplets on the two dimensional phase space. The geometries dual to these states are specified by boundary conditions on a two-plane, which are identified as the phase space. The phase space gives unified description of half-BPS perturbative and non-perturbative excitations aboveAdS5×S. The half-BPS geometries in the M theory case are described by a Toda equation with similar but more complicated boundary conditions on a two-plane. We then study BPS geometries dual to the vacua of field theories with 16 supercharges. The first class of theory has a bosonic U(1) × SO(4) × SO(4) symmetry, they include the mass deformed M2 brane theory, D4 or M5 brane theory on S3, and intersecting NS5 brane theory. Their vacua are characterized by droplets on a cylinder or torus. The second class of theory has a SU(2|4) symmetry, they include the 0+1d plane-wave matrix model, 2+1d super Yang-Mills theory on R×S2, N = 4 Super Yang-Mills on R×S/Zk, and NS5 brane theory on R× S5. The vacua of these theories are described by electrostatic configurations with many disks under external potential. The region between disks describe NS5 brane geometries. Finally we study instanton solutions and superpotentials for the vacua of the plane-wave matrix model and 2+1d super Yang-Mills theory and discuss the emergence of the vacuum geometries.
119207380
GAMMA-RAY BURST POLARIZATION VIA COMPTON SCATTERING PROCESS
Synchrotron radiation and Compton scattering are widely accepted as the most likely emission mechanisms of some astrophysical phenomena, such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and active galactic nuclei. The measurement of the polarization of photons provides a useful tool to distinguish different emission mechanisms and structures of the emission region. Based on the differential cross section of a polarized photon scattered by an unpolarized electron of any initial momentum, we derive an analytical formula of polarization for beamed photons scattered by isotropic electrons with a power-law distribution. Numerical calculations are carried out in four special cases: electrons at rest, Thomson limit, head-on collision, and monochromatic electrons. It is found that the maximum polarization can be as high as 100% for low energy photons, if the electrons are at rest. Although polarization is highly suppressed due to the isotropic electrons, a maximum value of similar to 10%-20% can still be achieved. The Compton scattering process can be used to explain the polarization of GRB 041219A and GRB 100826A.
38766511
BESIII luminosity readout design based on embedded system
Zero-Degree Detector (ZDD) is a new Detector of Beijing Electron Spectrometer III (BESIII) for both double gamma event detection and luminosity monitoring to substitute the old luminosity monitor. A new luminosity readout is described in this paper which is designed in double width AMC/MTCA form factor with a large Xilinx Virtex5 FPGA in addition to normal electronic signal formation. A FPGA embedded PowerPC is used for data reading, accumulation and data transmission over a gigabit Ethernet. The setting of parameters like the discriminator threshold in Front End electronics is done via a special serial link under control of firmware in the same FPGA. This readout system has been put in operation since fall of 2012.
119482794
The Supergravity dual of the BMN matrix model
We propose type IIA supergravity solutions dual to the 1/2 BPS vacua of the BMN matrix model. These dual solutions are analyzed using the Polchinski-Strassler method and have brane configurations of concentric shells of D2 branes (or NS5 branes) with various radii and D0 charge. These branes can be viewed as polarized from N D0 branes by a transverse R-R magnetic 6-form flux and an NS-NS 3-form flux. In the region far from branes, the solutions reduce to perturbation around the near horizon geometry of N D0 branes, by turning on these R-R and NS-NS fluxes, which are dual to the deformation of the BFSS matrix model by adding mass terms and the Myers term. The solutions with these additional fluxes preserve 16 supersymmetries. We also briefly discuss these fluxes in the possible supergravity duals of M(atrix) theories on less supersymmetric plane-waves.