NEARLY CONFORMAL GAUGE THEORIES ON THE LATTICE
We present selected new results on chiral symmetry breaking in nearly conformal gauge theories with fermions in the fundamental representation of the SU(3) color gauge group. We found chiral symmetry breaking (χSB) for all flavors between Nf = 4 and Nf = 12 with most of the results discussed here for Nf = 4, 8, 12 as we approach the conformal window. To identify χSB we apply several methods which include, within the framework of chiral perturbation theory, the analysis of the Goldstone spectrum in the p-regime and the spectrum of the fermion Dirac operator with eigenvalue distributions of random matrix theory in the ϵ-regime. Chiral condensate enhancement is observed with increasing Nf when the electroweak symmetry breaking scale F is held fixed in technicolor language. Important finite-volume consistency checks from the theoretical understanding of the SU(Nf) rotator spectrum of the δ-regime are discussed. We also consider these gauge theories at Nf = 16 inside the conformal window. Our work on the running coupling is presented

title: Conformal finite size scaling of twelve fermion flavors
abstract: Extended simulation results and their analysis are reported in a strongly coupled gauge theory with twelve fermion flavors in the fundamental SU(3) color representation. The conformality of the model is probed using mass deformed conformal finite size scaling (FSS) theory driven by the fermion mass anomalous dimension. Two independent conformal FSS fitting procedures are used in the analysis. The first one deploys physics motivated scaling functions, complemented by a second fitting procedure with spline based general B-forms for the scaling functions. The results at fixed gauge coupling show unresolved problems with the conformal hypothesis.

title: Equation of state in ( 2+1 )-flavor QCD
abstract: We present results for the equation of state in (2 + 1)-flavor QCD using the highly improved staggered quark action and lattices with temporal extent N tau = 6, 8, 10, and 12. We show that these data can be reliably extrapolated to the continuum limit and obtain a number of thermodynamic quantities and the speed of sound in the temperature range 130-400 MeV. We compare our results with previous calculations and provide an analytic parameterization of the pressure, from which other thermodynamic quantities can be calculated, for use in phenomenology. We show that the energy density in the crossover region, 145 MeV <= T <= 163 MeV, defined by the chiral transition, is epsilon(c) = (0.18-0.5) GeV/fm(3), i.e., (1.2-3.1) epsilon(nuclear). At high temperatures, we compare our results with resummed and dimensionally reduced perturbation theory calculations. As a byproduct of our analyses, we obtain the values of the scale parameters r(0) from the static quark potential and w(0) from the gradient flow.

title: Twelve massless flavors and three colors below the conformal window
abstract: We report new results for a frequently discussed gauge theory with twelve fermion flavors in the fundamental representation of the SU(3) color gauge group. The model, controversial with respect to its conformality, is important in non-perturbative studies searching for a viable composite Higgs mechanism Beyond the Standard Model (BSM). To resolve the controversy, we subject the model to opposite hypotheses inside and outside of the conformal window. In the first hypothesis we test chiral symmetry breaking ( SB) with its Goldstone spectrum, F , the SB condensate, and several composite hadron states as the fermion mass is varied in a limited range with our best e ort to control finite volume e ects and extrapolation to the massless chiral limit. Supporting results for SB from the running coupling based on the force between static sources and some preliminary evidence for the finite temperature transition are also presented. In the second test for the alternate hypothesis we probe conformal behavior driven by a single anomalous mass dimension under the assumption of unbroken chiral symmetry. Our results show a very low level of confidence in the conformal scenario. Staggered lattice fermions with stout-suppressed taste breaking are used throughout the simulations.

title: Chiral symmetry breaking in fundamental and sextet fermion representations of SU(3) color
abstract: We report new results for lattice gauge theories with twelve fermion flavors in the fundamental representation and two fermion flavors in the two-index symmetric (sextet) representation of the SU(3) color gauge group. Both models are important in searching for a viable composite Higgs mechanism in the Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) paradigm. We subject both models to opposite hypotheses inside and outside of the conformal window. In the first hypothesis we test chiral symmetry breaking ($\chi{\rm SB}$) with its Goldstone spectrum, $F_\pi$, the $\chi{\rm SB}$ condensate, and several composite hadron states as the fermion mass is varied in a limited range with our best effort to control finite volume effects. Supporting results for $\chi{\rm SB}$ from the running coupling based on the force between static sources is also presented. In the second test for the alternate hypothesis we probe conformal behavior driven by a single anomalous mass dimension under the assumption of unbroken chiral symmetry. Our results show very low level of confidence in the conformal scenario.

title: The sextet gauge model, light Higgs, and the dilaton
abstract: The frequently discussed strongly interacting gauge theory with a fermion flavor doublet in the two-index symmetric (sextet) representation of the SU(3) color gauge group is investigated \cite{Fodor:2012ty}. The chiral condensate and the mass spectrum are consistent with chiral symmetry breaking at vanishing fermion mass. In contrast, sextet fermion mass deformations of spectral properties are not consistent with leading conformal scaling behavior near the critical surface of a conformal theory. A recent paper \cite{DeGrand:2012yq} which could not resolve the conformal fixed point of the gauge coupling from the slowly walking scenario of a very small nearly vanishing \beta -function is not in conflict with chiral symmetry breaking reported here. A light Higgs impostor could emerge as the dilaton from spontaneous symmetry breaking of scale invariance or, without the dilaton mechanism, as a composite state.

title: Injection and staging for laser plasma accelerators
abstract: Controlled injection and staging are critical elements to the improvement of the stability, quality, and tunability of laser plasma accelerators (LPAs) [1, 2]. This paper will discuss techniques such as colliding pulse , density tailoring [4, 5], and ionization injection [6, 7, 8], which have recently allowed for the generation of high-energy femtosecond electron beams with percent-level energy spread and stability, and state-of-the-art emittance. Progress on staged acceleration will also be presented, which promises to further increase beam quality, allow for mapping of the wakefield, and overcome the limit of pump depletion .

title: Terahertz Radiation as a Bunch Diagnostic for Laser‐Wakefield‐Accelerated Electron Bunches
abstract: Experimental results are reported on the temporal and spectral characterization of coherent terahertz (THz) radiation. The radiation is emitted by relativistic electron bunches, which in turn are produced by a laser‐driven plasma‐based accelerator. As the femtosecond electron bunches exit the plasma‐vacuum interface, coherent transition radiation (at THz frequencies) is emitted. Measuring the properties of this radiation allows characterization of the electron bunches. Theoretical work on the emission mechanism is presented, including a model that calculates the THz waveform from a given bunch profile. It is found that the spectrum of the THz pulse is coherent up to the 200‐μm‐thick ZnTe detection limit of 4 THz, which corresponds to the production of sub‐50 fs (root‐mean‐square) electron bunch structure. The measurements demonstrate both the shot‐to‐shot stability of bunch parameters that are critical to THz emission (such as total charge and bunch length), as well as femtosecond synchronization between ...

title: MULTIMODE ANALYSIS OF THE HOLLOW PLASMA CHANNEL WAKEFIELD ACCELERATOR
abstract: The hollow plasma channel is analyzed as an accelerating structure. The excitation of the channel by an ultra-relativistic beam is analyzed. Coupling to the fundamental and all higher order azimuthal modes of the excited electromagnetic fields is derived. Implications of this work for plasma-based accelerators, including beam loading and beam breakup, are discussed. Small initial transverse displacements of the beam are shown to couple to deflecting modes in the channel. The asymptotic growth rate of the resultant beam breakup instability is analyzed and a method for reducing the growth is proposed.

title: Laser Guiding at Relativistic Intensities and Wake-field Particle Acceleration in Plasma Channels
abstract: High quality electron beams with hundreds of picoCoulombs of charge in percent energy spread above 80 MeV were produced for the first time in high gradient laser wakefield accelerators by guiding the drive laser pulse

title: Simulation of electron postacceleration in a two-stage laser wakefield accelerator
abstract: Electron bunches produced in self-modulated laser wakefield experiments usually have a broad energy spectrum, with most electrons at low energy (1-3 MeV) and only a small fraction at high energy. We propose and investigate further acceleration of such bunches in a channel-guided resonant laser wakefield accelerator. Two-dimensional simulations with and without the effects of self-consistent beam loading are performed and compared. These results indicate that it is possible to trap about 40 percent of the injected bunch charge and accelerate this fraction to an average energy of about 50 MeV in a plasma channel of a few mn.