Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “MASSLESS PARTICLES”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Vacuum in a Strong Magnetic Field as a Hyperbolic Metamaterial

As demonstrated by Chernodub, vacuum in a strong magnetic field behaves as Abrikosov vortex lattice in a type-II superconductor. We investigate electromagnetic behavior of vacuum in this state and demonstrate that vacuum behaves as a hyperbolic metamaterial. If the magnetic field is constant, low frequency extraordinary photons experience this medium as a (3+1) Minkowski spacetime in which the role of time is played by the spatial z coordinate. Variations of the magnetic field curve this spacetime, and may lead to formation of ''electromagnetic black holes''. Since hyperbolic metamaterials behave as diffractionless ''perfect lenses'', and large enough magnetic fields probably existed in the early Universe, the demonstrated hyperbolic behavior of early vacuum may have imprints in the large scale structure of the present-day Universe.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Galvano-rotational effect induced by electroweak interactions in pulsars

We study electroweakly interacting particles in rotating matter. The existence of the electric current along the axis of the matter rotation is predicted in this system. This new galvano-rotational effect is caused by the parity violating interaction between massless charged particles in the rotating matter. We start with the exact solution of the Dirac equation for a fermion involved in the electroweak interaction in the rotating frame. This equation includes the noninertial effects. Then, using the obtained solution, we derive the induced electric current which turns out to flow along the rotation axis. We study the possibility of the appearance of the galvano-rotational effect in dense matter of compact astrophysical objects. The particular example of neutron and hypothetical quark stars is discussed. It is shown that, using this effect, one can expect the generation of toroidal magnetic fields comparable with poloidal ones in old millisecond pulsars. We also briefly discuss the generation of the magnetic helicity in these stars. Finally we analyze the possibility to apply the galvano-rotational effect for the description of the asymmetric neutrino emission from a neutron star to explain pulsars kicks.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Cosmological Bootstrap: Spinning correlators from symmetries and factorization

We extend the cosmological bootstrap to correlators involving massless spinning particles, focusing on spin-1 and spin-2. In de Sitter space, these correlators are constrained both by symmetries and by locality. In particular, the de Sitter isometries become conformal symmetries on the future boundary of the spacetime, which are reflected in a set of Ward identities that the boundary correlators must satisfy. We solve these Ward identities by acting with weight-shifting operators on scalar seed solutions. Using this weight-shifting approach, we derive three- and four-point correlators of massless spin-1 and spin-2 fields with conformally coupled scalars. Four-point functions arising from tree-level exchange are singular in particular kinematic configurations, and the coefficients of these singularities satisfy certain factorization properties. We show that in many cases these factorization limits fix the structure of the correlators uniquely, without having to solve the conformal Ward identities. The additional constraint of locality for massless spinning particles manifests itself as current conservation on the boundary. We find that the four-point functions only satisfy current conservation if the s, t, and u-channels are related to each other, leading to nontrivial constraints on the couplings between the conserved currents and other operators in the theory. For spin-1 currents this implies charge conservation, while for spin-2 currents we recover the equivalence principle from a purely boundary perspective. For multiple spin-1 fields, we recover the structure of Yang--Mills theory. Finally, we apply our methods to slow-roll inflation and derive a few phenomenologically relevant scalar-tensor three-point functions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2012

Transmission of electron through monolayer graphene laser barrier

The present theoretical model deals with the transmission property of the Dirac fermions in the Floquet sidebands for the laser radiated graphene nanostructure. The laser assisted structure behaves as a tunneling barrier that leads to asymmetric transmission around the normal to the interface and is capable to confine the massless Dirac particles in a monolayer graphene strip. The absence of the Klein tunneling and the presence of a large number of controlling parameters would make the time dependent vector potential barrier superior over the electrostatic and magnetic barriers towards the opto-electronic device fabrication.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2011

Nonclassical effects in a highly nonlinear generalized homogeneous Dicke model

An intensity dependent nonlinear coupling model of N two-level atoms (generalized Dicke model) interacting dispersively with a bimodal cavity field via two-photon transitions is investigated in a scenario where the rotating wave approximation is assumed. The model becomes homogeneous in the sense that the spin transition frequency is the same for all atoms and the coupling constants emerging from the collective interactions of the atomic system with the cavity field depend only on the particular radiation field mode. This allows us to represent the Dicke Hamiltonian entirely in terms of the total angular momentum J. It is assumed that, initially, the atomic system and the field are in a disentangled state where the field modes are in Glauber coherent states and the atomic system is a superposition of states |JM> (Dicke states). The model is numerically tested against simulations of normal squeezing variance of the field, squeezing factors based on the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, along with the statistical properties of the light leading to the possible production of nonclassical effects, such as degree of second-order coherence in the modes, degree of intermode correlation, as well as violation of the Cauchy-Schwartz inequality. Analytical expression of the total density operator matrix elements at t>0 shows the present nonlinear model to be strongly entangled, which is reflected in the time evolution of the linear entropy, where the superposition states are reduced to statistical mixtures. Thus, the present generalized Dicke model does not preserve the modulus of the Bloch vector. The computations, performed in the weak coupling and strong field limits, were conducted via second-order Dyson perturbative expansion of the time evolution operator matrix elements for the totality of the angular momentum states of the atomic system. - Highlights: > The present highly nonlinear generalized Dicke model involves two-photon transitions. > Quantum coherences significantly affect the dynamics of the atomic system. > At t>0 the time-dependent density operator matrix becomes strongly entangled. > Linear entropy shows that the superposition states turn into statistical mixtures. > The present Dicke model does not preserve the modulus of the Bloch vector.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

PDR MODEL MAPPING OF PHYSICAL CONDITIONS VIA SPITZER/IRS SPECTROSCOPY OF H{sub 2}: THEORETICAL SUCCESS TOWARD NGC 2023-SOUTH

We use the Infrared Spectrograph on Spitzer to observe the southern part of the reflection nebula NGC 2023, including the Southern Ridge, which is a photodissociation region (PDR) par excellence excited by HD 37903. Five pure-rotational H{sub 2} emission lines are detected and mapped over and around the Southern Ridge in order to compare with predicted level column densities from theoretical PDR models. We find very good agreement between PDR model predictions and emission line intensities and ratios measured with Spitzer, leading us to conclude that grain photoelectric heating sufficiently warms the gas to produce the observed H{sub 2} line emission via collisional excitation. On the Southern Ridge, we infer a hydrogen nucleus density n{sub H} Almost-Equal-To 2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 5} cm{sup -3} and radiation field strength {chi} Almost-Equal-To 10{sup 4} relative to the local Galactic interstellar radiation field. This high value for {chi} independently predicts a distance toward HD 37903 of 300 pc and is consistent with the most recent Hipparcos results. Over the map we find that both n{sub H} and {chi} vary by a factor of {approx}3. Such two-dimensional variations provide clues about the underlying three-dimensional structure of the Southern Ridge field, which appears to be the tip of a molecular cloud. We also map variations in excitation temperature and the ortho-to-para ratio, the latter attaining values of {approx}1.5-2.0 on the Southern Ridge, and find that PDR modeling can readily reproduce observed ortho-to-para ratios that are <3 for rotational excitation dominated by collisional processes. Last, the stars Sellgren C and G are discovered to be resolved on archival Hubble Space Telescope images into two point sources each, with separations of {approx}<0.''5.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

ORBITAL VARIATION OF THE X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE DOUBLE NEUTRON STAR BINARY J1537+1155

We observed the double neutron star binary (DNSB) containing PSR J1537+1155 (also known as B1534+12) with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. This is one of the two DNSBs detected in X-rays and the only one where a hint of variability with orbital phase was found (in the previous Chandra observation). Our follow-up observation supports the earlier result: the distribution of photon arrival times with orbital phase again shows a deficit around apastron. The significance of the deficit in the combined data set exceeds 99%. Such an orbital light curve suggests that the X-ray emission is seen only when neutron star (NS) B passes through the equatorial pulsar wind of NS A. We describe statistical tests that we used to determine the significance of the deficit, and conclusions that can be drawn from its existence, such as interaction of the pulsar wind with the NS companion. We also provide better constrained spectral model parameters obtained from the joint spectral fits to the data from both observations. A power law successfully fits the data, with best-fit photon index {Gamma} = 3.1 {+-} 0.4 and unabsorbed flux f = (3.2 {+-} 0.8) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -15} erg s{sup -1} cm{sup -2} (0.3-8 keV range).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Particle production by a relativistic semitransparent mirror of finite size and thickness

Production of massless scalar particles by a relativistic semitransparent mirror of finite transverse size and longitudinal thickness in (1+3)D flat spacetime is studied. The derived particle spectrum formula is applied to two specific trajectories. One is the gravitational collapse trajectory invoked in (1+1)D perfectly reflecting moving mirror literature to mimic Hawking radiation, and the other is the plasma mirror trajectory proposed to be realizable in future experiments. It is found that the finiteness of the transverse size leads to diffraction, while the nontrivial thickness amplifies the production rate. We also estimated the particle yield as ~ 3000 in a 20-day data acquisition based on the parameters invoked in the proposed AnaBHEL experiment.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Predictors of Long-Term Toxicity Using Three-Dimensional Conformal External Beam Radiotherapy to Deliver Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation

Purpose: We analyzed variables associated with long-term toxicity using three-dimensional conformal external beam radiation therapy (3D-CRT) to deliver accelerated partial breast irradiation. Methods and Materials: One hundred patients treated with 3D-CRT accelerated partial breast irradiation were evaluated using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 scale. Cosmesis was scored using Harvard criteria. Multiple dosimetric and volumetric parameters were analyzed for their association with worst and last (W/L) toxicity outcomes. Results: Sixty-two patients had a minimum of 36 months of toxicity follow-up (median follow-up, 4.8 years). The W/L incidence of poor-fair cosmesis, any telangiectasia, and grade {>=}2 induration, volume reduction, and pain were 16.4%/11.5%, 24.2%/14.5%, 16.1%/9.7%, 17.7%/12.9%, and 11.3%/3.2%, respectively. Only the incidence of any telangiectasia was found to be predicted by any dosimetric parameter, with the absolute breast volume receiving 5% to 50% of the prescription dose (192.5 cGy-1925 cGy) being significant. No associations with maximum dose, volumes of lumpectomy cavity, breast, modified planning target volume, and PTV, dose homogeneity index, number of fields, and photon energy used were identified with any of the aforementioned toxicities. Non-upper outer quadrant location was associated with grade {>=}2 volume reduction (p = 0.02 W/p = 0.04 L). A small cavity-to-skin distance was associated with a grade {>=}2 induration (p = 0.03 W/p = 0.01 L), a borderline significant association with grade {>=}2 volume reduction (p = 0.06 W/p = 0.06 L) and poor-fair cosmesis (p = 0.08 W/p = 0.09 L), with threshold distances ranging from 5 to 8 mm. Conclusions: No dose--volume relationships associated with long-term toxicity were identified in this large patient cohort with extended follow-up. Cosmetic results were good-to-excellent in 88% of patients at 5 years.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Retroactive Event Determination and Its Relativistic Roots

Quantum theory limits what we are allowed to say about the 'true' state of a quantum system if that system is unobserved. But special relativity relies fundamentally on a universal assumption about what a light particle is doing at ALL times, regardless of being observed (namely, traveling at speed c relative to any inertial observer). This constitutes a fundamental conceptual gap between the theories. In resolving this impasse we show that the state of a light particle (and hence space and time) is not objective or continuous. Time dilation and length contraction become infinite for a photon, so light has no 'experience' of event separation in space or time ({Delta}t' = 0, {Delta}x' = 0). The principle of simultaneity is applied between an inertial observer and a light particle, such that the relative speed of the two systems is c, and gamma = infinite/undefined. Although light experiences no separation between events, the Lorentz transform {Delta}t' = {gamma} ({Delta}t-{Delta}Lv/c{sup 2}) implies that the inertial observer experiences a separation between those same events of exactly {Delta}t = {Delta}L/c, a light-like separation. In other words, although light does not 'register' time or space itself, light will always be measured by an inertial observer at a position and time exactly as if it had travelled at speed c continuously through the intervening medium. This fits nicely within the limitations set by quantum mechanics. This result is connected with previous work on retroactive event determination, suggesting the ubiquitous existence of ''synchronicity''.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Entangled Light Emission From a Diode

Electrically-driven entangled photon generation is demonstrated for the first time using a single semiconductor quantum dot embedded in a light emitting diode structure. The entanglement fidelity is shown to be of sufficient quality for applications such as quantum key distribution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Evolution of perturbations and cosmological constraints in decaying dark matter models with arbitrary decay mass products

Decaying dark matter (DDM) is a candidate which can solve the discrepancies between predictions of the concordance ΛCDM model and observations at small scales such as the number counts of companion galaxies of the Milky Way and the density profile at the center of galaxies. Previous studies are limited to the cases where the decay particles are massless and/or have almost degenerate masses with that of mother particles. Here we expand the DDM models so that one can consider the DDM with arbitrary lifetime and the decay products with arbitrary masses. We calculate the time evolutions of perturbed phase-space distribution functions of decay products for the first time and study effects of DDM on the temperature anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background and the matter power spectrum at present. From a recent observational estimate of σ{sub 8}, we derive constraints on the lifetime of DDM and the mass ratio between the decay products and DDM. We also discuss implications of the DDM model for the discrepancy in the measurements of σ{sub 8} recently claimed by the Planck satellite collaboration.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Search for Differences in Oscillation Parameters for Atmospheric Neutrinos and Antineutrinos at Super-Kamiokande

We present a search for differences in the oscillations of antineutrinos and neutrinos in the Super-Kamiokande-I, -II, and -III atmospheric neutrino sample. Under a two-flavor disappearance model with separate mixing parameters between neutrinos and antineutrinos, we find no evidence for a difference in oscillation parameters. Best-fit antineutrino mixing is found to be at ({Delta}m{sup 2},sin{sup 2}2{theta})= (2.0x10{sup -3} eV{sup 2},1.0) and is consistent with the overall Super-K measurement.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Particle production by a relativistic semitransparent mirror in (1+3)D Minkowski spacetime

Production of massless, scalar particles by a relativistic, semitransparent, plane mirror in (1+3)D Minkowski spacetime based on the Barton-Calogeracos (BC) action is investigated. The corresponding Bogoliubov coefficients are derived for a mirror with arbitrary, relativistic trajectories. We apply our derived formula to two specific trajectories. One is commonly used in the (1+1)D literature to mimic gravitational collapse theoretically, and the other is proposed to be realizable experimentally. In addition, we identify the relation between the particle spectrum and the particle production probability, and we demonstrate the equivalence between our approach and the existing approach in the literature, which is restricted to (1+1)D. In short, our treatment extends the study to (1+3)D spacetime for a relativistic, plane mirror. Finally, we offer a third approach for finding the particle spectrum using the S-matrix formalism.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Low-Dose Radiotherapy in Indolent Lymphoma

Purpose: To assess the response rate, duration of response, and overall survival after low-dose involved-field radiotherapy in patients with recurrent low-grade lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Methods and Materials: Forty-three (24 women, 19 men) consecutive patients with indolent lymphoma or CLL were treated with a total dose of 4 Gy (2 x 2 Gy) using 6- 18-MV photons. The median age was 73 years (range, 39-88). Radiotherapy was given either after (n = 32; 75%) or before (n = 11; 25%) chemotherapy. The median time from diagnosis was 48 months (range, 1-249). The median follow-up period was 20 months (range, 1-56). Results: The overall response rate was 90%. Twelve patients (28%) had a complete response, 15 (35%) had a partial response, 11 (26%) had stable disease, and 5 (11%) had progressive disease. The median overall survival for patients with a positive response (complete response/partial response/stable disease) was 41 months; for patients with progressive disease it was 6 months (p = 0.001). The median time to in-field progression was 21 months (range, 0-24), and the median time to out-field progression was 8 months (range, 0-40). The 3-year in-field control was 92% in patients with complete response (median was not reached). The median time to in-field progression was 9 months (range, 0.5-24) in patients with partial response and 6 months (range, 0.6-6) in those with stable disease (p < 0.05). Younger age, positive response to radiotherapy, and no previous chemotherapy were the best factors influencing the outcome. Conclusions: Low-dose involved-field radiotherapy is an effective treatment in the management of patients with recurrent low-grade lymphoma or CLL.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗