Nonequilibrium relaxation of Bose-Einstein condensates: Real-time equations of motion and Ward identities
We present a field-theoretical method to obtain consistently the equations of motion for small amplitude condensate perturbations in a homogeneous Bose-condensed gas directly in real time. It is based on a linear response and combines the Schwinger–Keldysh formulation of nonequilibrium quantum field theory with the Nambu–Gor'kov formalism of quasiparticle excitations in the condensed phase and the tadpole method in quantum field theory. This method leads to causal equations of motion that allow us to study the nonequilibrium evolution as an initial value problem. It also allows us to extract directly the Ward identities, which are a consequence of the underlying gauge symmetry and which in equilibrium lead to the Hugenholtz–Pines theorem. An explicit one-loop calculation of the equations of motion beyond the Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov approximation reveals that the nonlocal, absorptive contributions to the self-energies corresponding to the Beliaev and Landau damping processes are necessary to fulfill the Ward identities in or out of equilibrium. It is argued that a consistent implementation at low temperatures must be based on the loop expansion, which is shown to fulfill the Ward identities order by order in perturbation theory.

title: Nonequilibrium relaxation in neutral BCS superconductors: Ginzburg-Landau approach with Landau damping in real time
abstract: We present a field-theoretical method to obtain consistently the equations of motion for small amplitude fluctuations of the order parameter directly in real time for a homogeneous, neutral BCS superconductor. This methodallows to study the nonequilibrium relaxation of the order parameter as an initial value problem. We obtain the Ward identities and the effective actions for small phase the amplitude fluctuations to one-loop order. Focusing on the long wavelength, low-frequency limit near the critical point, we obtain the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau effective action to one-loop order, which is nonlocal as a consequence of Landau damping. The nonequilibrium relaxation of the phase and amplitude fluctuations is studied directly in real time. The long-wavelength phase fluctuation (Bogoliubov-Anderson-Goldstone mode) is overdamped by Landau damping and the relaxation time scale diverges at the critical point, revealing critical slowing down.

title: Dynamical electron mass in a strong magnetic field
abstract: Motivated by recent interest in understanding properties of strongly magnetized matter, we study the dynamical electron mass generated through approximate chiral symmetry breaking in QED in a strong magnetic field. We reliably calculate the dynamical electron mass by numerically solving the nonperturbative Schwinger-Dyson equations in a consistent truncation within the lowest Landau level approximation. It is shown that the generation of dynamical electron mass in a strong magnetic field is significantly enhanced by the perturbative electron mass that explicitly breaks chiral symmetry in the absence of a magnetic field.

title: Fermion Damping in a Fermion-Scalar Plasma
abstract: In this article we study the dynamics of fermions in a fermion-scalar plasma. We begin by obtaining the effective in-medium Dirac equation in real time which is fully renormalized and causal and leads to the initial value problem. For a heavy scalar we find the novel result that the {ital decay} of the scalar into fermion pairs in the medium leads to damping of the fermionic excitations and their in-medium propagation as quasiparticles. That is, the fermions acquire a width due to the decay of the heavier scalar in the medium. We find the damping rate to lowest order in the Yukawa coupling for arbitrary values of scalar and fermion masses, temperature and fermion momentum. An all-order expression for the damping rate in terms of the exact quasiparticle wave functions is established. A kinetic Boltzmann approach to the relaxation of the fermionic distribution function confirms the damping of fermionic excitations as a consequence of the induced decay of heavy scalars in the medium. A linearization of the Boltzmann equation near equilibrium clearly displays the relationship between the damping rate of fermionic mean fields and the fermion interaction rate to lowest order in the Yukawa coupling directly in real time. {copyright}more » {ital 1999} « less

title: REAL-TIME NONEQUILIBRIUM DYNAMICS IN HOT QED PLASMAS
abstract: The quantum kinetics of photons in hot QED plasmas is studied directly in real time by implementing the dynamical renormalization group. In contrast to conventional approach, the dynamical renormalization group method consistently includes off-shell (energy non-conserving) effects and accounts for time-dependent collisional kernel. To lowest order we find that in the relaxation time approximation the semihard photon distribution function relaxes with a power law.

title: Induced Einstein-Kalb-Ramond theory and the black hole.
abstract: A four-dimensional induced Einstein-Kalb-Ramond theory with a conformally coupled Kalb-Ramond term is discussed. It is argued that the Kalb-Ramond field is difficult to interpret as an axion field from a dynamical point of view, and hence tends to be unstable. One can, however, apply Routh's method to extract an effective action for the axion field. It is found that the Kalb-Ramond hair will turn the event horizon into a naked singularity. Such an exact solution is found and analyzed carefully.

title: A new analytical method for testing quantum entanglement in P→VV decay
abstract: As the basic criterion of the validity of quantum mechanics, Bell's inequality has aroused wide theoretical and experimental interest. With the accumulation of an increasing number of events in high-energy physics, it is tempting to test Bell's inequality directly in particle physics. In this paper, we choose the P → VV decay to reveal entanglement between daughter particles. On the basis of quantum mechanics predictions in the literature, we present a statistical method that can fully utilize the data available. A Monte Carlo simulation was carried to study the effects of detector geometry, detector efficiency and momentum resolution.

title: Examining B(M1) staggering as a fingerprint for chiral doublet bands
abstract: The electromagnetic transitions of the doublet bands with different triaxiality parameter gamma are discussed in the particle rotor model with pi Th(11/2) circle times vh(11/2)(-1) configuration. It is found that B(M1) staggering as well as the resulting B(M1)/B(E2) and B(M1)(in)/B(M1)(out) staggering are sensitive to the triaxiality parameter gamma, and they associate strongly with the characters of nuclear chirality for 15 degrees <= gamma <= 30 degrees, i.e., the staggering is weak in the chiral vibration region while strong in the static chirality region. For partner bands with near degenerate energy spectra and similar B(M1) and B(E2) transitions, the strong B(M1) staggering can be used as a fingerprint for the static chirality.

title: THE ABUNDANCE OF H2O AND HDO IN ORION KL FROM HERSCHEL/HIFI*
abstract: Using a broadband, high spectral resolution survey toward the Orion Kleinmann-Low nebula acquired with Herschel/HIFI as part of the Herschel Observations of Extra-Ordinary Sources key program, we derive the abundances of H2O and HDO in the different spatial/velocity components associated with this massive star-forming region: the Hot Core, Compact Ridge, and Plateau. A total of 20 transitions of H2 18O, 14 of H2 17O, 37 of HD16O, 6 of HD18O, and 6 of D2O are used in the analysis, spanning from ground state transitions to over 1200?K in upper-state energy. Low-excitation lines are detected in multiple components, but the highest-excitation lines (Eu > 500?K) are well modeled as emitting from a small (~2'') clump with a high abundance of H2O (? = 6.5 ? 10?4 relative to H2) and a HDO/H2O ratio of 0.003. Using high spatial resolution (1.''5 ? 1.''1) images of two transitions of HDO measured by the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array as part of its science verification phase, we identify this component as located near, but not directly coincident with, known continuum sources in the Hot Core region. Significant HDO/H2O fractionation is also seen in the Compact Ridge and Plateau components. The outflowing gas, observed with both emission and absorption components, has a lower HDO/H2O ratio than the compact components in Orion Kleinmann-Low, which we propose could be due to modification by gas-phase shock chemistry.

title: Plasmoid ejection and secondary current sheet generation from magnetic reconnection in laser-plasma interaction.
abstract: Reconnection of the self-generated magnetic fields in laser-plasma interaction was first investigated experimentally by Nilson et al.  by shining two laser pulses a distance apart on a solid target layer. An elongated current sheet (CS) was observed in the plasma between the two laser spots. In order to more closely model magnetotail reconnection, here two side-by-side thin target layers, instead of a single one, are used. It is found that at one end of the elongated CS a fanlike electron outflow region including three well-collimated electron jets appears. The (>1 MeV) tail of the jet energy distribution exhibits a power-law scaling. The enhanced electron acceleration is attributed to the intense inductive electric field in the narrow electron dominated reconnection region, as well as additional acceleration as they are trapped inside the rapidly moving plasmoid formed in and ejected from the CS. The ejection also induces a secondary CS.

title: Response of the Photospheric Magnetic Field to the X2.2 Flare on 2011 February 15
abstract: It is well known that the long-term evolution of the photospheric magnetic field plays an important role in building up free energy to power solar eruptions. Observations, despite being controversial, have also revealed a rapid and permanent variation of the photospheric magnetic field in response to the coronal magnetic field restructuring during the eruption. The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager instrument (HMI) on board the newly launched Solar Dynamics Observatory produces seeing-free full-disk vector magnetograms at consistently high resolution and high cadence, which finally makes possible an unambiguous and comprehensive study of this important back-reaction process. In this study, we present a near disk-center, GOES-class X2.2 flare, which occurred in NOAA AR 11158 on 2011 February 15. Using the magnetic field measurements made by HMI, we obtained the first solid evidence of a rapid (in about 30 minutes) and irreversible enhancement in the horizontal magnetic field at the flaring magnetic polarity inversion line (PIL) by a magnitude of {approx}30%. It is also shown that the photospheric field becomes more sheared and more inclined. This field evolution is unequivocally associated with the flare occurrence in this sigmoidal active region, with the enhancement area located in between the two chromospheric flare ribbons andmore » the initial conjugate hard X-ray footpoints. These results strongly corroborate our previous conjecture that the photospheric magnetic field near the PIL must become more horizontal after eruptions, which could be related to the newly formed low-lying fields resulting from the tether-cutting reconnection.« less