17007344
Representatives of the Thom class of a vector bundle
Abstract After a review of several methods designed to produce equivariant cohomology classes, we apply one introduced by Berline et al. (1992) to get a family of representatives of the universal Thom class of a vector bundle. Surprisingly, this family does not contain the representative given by Mathai and Quillen (1986). However, it contains the particularly simple and symmetric representative of Harvey and Lawson (1993).
119148126
Scasimir Operator, Scentre and Representations of Uq(osp(1|2))
A bosonic operator of Uq(osp(1|2)) that anticommutes with the fermionic generators appears to be useful to describe the relations in the centre of Uq(osp(1|2)) for q a root of unity (in the unrestricted specialisation). As in the classical case, it also simplifies the classification of finite dimensional irreducible representations.
5911478
Phase transition with the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless singularity in the Ising model on a growing network.
We consider the ferromagnetic Ising model on a highly inhomogeneous network created by a growth process. We find that the phase transition in this system is characterized by the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless singularity, although critical fluctuations are absent and the mean-field description is exact. Below this infinite order transition, the magnetization behaves as exp((-const/square root of(Tc-T)). We show that the critical point separates the phase with the power-law distribution of the linear response to a local field and the phase where this distribution rapidly decreases. We suggest that this phase transition occurs in a wide range of cooperative models with a strong infinite-range inhomogeneity.
115160247
Another derivation of the geometrical KPZ relations
We give a physicist's derivation of the geometrical (in the spirit of Duplantier–Sheffield) KPZ relations, via heat kernel methods. It gives a covariant way to define neighborhoods of fractals in 2D quantum gravity, and shows that these relations are in the realm of conformal field theory.
173517385
A Short Introduction to Critical Interfaces in 2D
These notes are meant as a gentle introduction to the concepts of Loewner chains, local growth, Stochastic Loewner Evolutions (SLE) and their relationships to Conformal Field Theories (CFT). These concepts have played an important role in physics and mathematics during the recent years. The first section describes two discrete examples, the exploration process and loop-erased random walks. It can be read almost without any prerequisites. The aim is to show that even for curves defined purely in geometrical terms, it is useful to have a statistical mechanics viewpoint where the measure on curves is derived from a measure on local degrees of freedom of some model. A third model, diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) is also introduced. The second section introduces Loewner chains and their relevance for the description of growth processes. A prerequisite is a minimal knowledge of complex analysis. The third section contains the derivation of the relevance of SLE in the description of interfaces when two properties, conformal invariance and the domain Markov property, are assumed/proved. The prerequisites are some knowledge of complex analysis and probability theory. The last section outlines the relation with Conformal Field Theory. This relation is via martingales and singular vectors. Again, the reader is assumed to have some basic knowledge of complex analysis and probability theory, and some familiarity with CFT. The discussion is informal. There is little or no claim at originality. We try to give some intuition based on explicit examples.
15486552
Comments on the links between SU(3) modular invariants, simple factors in the Jacobian of Fermat curves, and rational triangular billiards
We examine the proposal made recently that the su(3) modular invariant partition functions could be related to the geometry of the complex Fermat curves. Although a number of coincidences and similarities emerge between them and certain algebraic curves related to triangular billiards, their meaning remains obscure. In an attempt to go beyond the su(3) case, we show that any rational conformal field theory determines canonically a Riemann surface. Comment: 56 pages, 4 eps figures, LaTeX, uses epsf
119283621
Results from 730 kg days of the CRESST-II Dark Matter search
The CRESST-II cryogenic Dark Matter search, aiming at detection of WIMPs via elastic scattering off nuclei in CaWO4 crystals, completed 730 kg days of data taking in 2011. We present the data collected with eight detector modules, each with a two-channel readout; one for a phonon signal and the other for coincidently produced scintillation light. The former provides a precise measure of the energy deposited by an interaction, and the ratio of scintillation light to deposited energy can be used to discriminate different types of interacting particles and thus to distinguish possible signal events from the dominant backgrounds.Sixty-seven events are found in the acceptance region where a WIMP signal in the form of low energy nuclear recoils would be expected. We estimate background contributions to this observation from four sources: (1) “leakage” from the e/γ-band (2) “leakage” from the α-particle band (3) neutrons and (4) 206Pb recoils from 210Po decay. Using a maximum likelihood analysis, we find, at a statistical significance of more than 4σ, that these sources alone are not sufficient to explain the data. The addition of a signal due to scattering of relatively light WIMPs could account for this discrepancy, and we determine the associated WIMP parameters.
209431040
Dark Matter Search with CRESST-II
R. Strauss, G. Angloher, M. Bauer, I. Bavykina, A. Bento, C. Bucci, C. Ciemniak, G. Deuter, F. von Feilitzsch, D. Hauff, C. Isaila, J. Jochum, M. Kiefer, M. Kimmerle, J.-C. Lanfranchi, F. Petricca, S. Pfister, W. Potzel, F. Pröbst , F. Reindl , S. Roth, K. Rottler, C. Sailer, K. Schäffner, J. Schmaler, S. Scholl, W. Seidel, M. von Sivers, L. Stodolsky , C. Strandhagen, A. Tanzke, I. Usherov, S. Wawoczny, M. Willers, A. Zöller Physik-Department E15, Technische Universität München, D-85747 Garching, Germany Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, D-80805 München, Germany Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, INFN, I-67010 Assergi, Italy Departamento de Fisica, Universidade de Coimbra, P3004 516 Coimbra, Portugal
15107359
Electron and gamma background in CRESST detectors
Abstract The CRESST experiment monitors 300 g CaWO 4 crystals as targets for particle interactions in an ultra low background environment. In this paper, we analyze the background spectra that are recorded by three detectors over many weeks of data taking. Understanding these spectra is mandatory if one wants to further reduce the background level, and allows us to cross-check the calibration of the detectors. We identify a variety of sources, such as intrinsic contaminations due to primordial radioisotopes and cosmogenic activation of the target material. In particular, we detect a 3.6 keV X-ray line from the decay of 41 Ca with an activity of ( 26 ± 4 ) μ Bq , corresponding to a ratio 41 Ca / 40 Ca = ( 2.2 ± 0.3 ) × 10 - 16 .
133716710
New applications of silicon micromachining
The use of photolithography and anisotropic etching of silicon wafers to make strong, thin membranes has created a large family of miniature sensing devices such as pressure transducers and accelerometers. This report describes several entirely new devices in which silicon membranes are used for their strength and for their transparency to certain kinds of radiation. Two applications are described: a rugged alpha detector and a fluid sample cell for small-angle x-ray scattering. 8 refs., 12 figs., 2 tabs.
122869103
Evidence for Solar-Wind Charge-Exchange X-Ray Emission from the Earth’s Magnetosheath