The Strong Decays of Orbitally Excited BsJ∗B^{*}_{sJ} Mesons by Improved Bethe-Salpeter Method

We calculate the masses and the strong decays of orbitally excited states $B_{s0}$, $B'_{s1}$, $B_{s1}$ and $B_{s2}$ by the improved Bethe-Salpeter method. The predicted masses of $B_{s0}$ and $B'_{s1}$ are $M_{B_{s0}}=5.723\pm0.280 {\rm GeV}$, $M_{B'_{s1}}=5.774\pm0.330 {\rm GeV}$. We calculate the isospin symmetry violating decay processes $B_{s0}\to B_s \pi$ and $B'_{s1}\to B_s^* \pi$ through $\pi^0-\eta$ mixing and get small widths. Considering the uncertainties of the masses, for $B_{s0}$ and $B'_{s1}$, we also calculate the OZI allowed decay channels: $B_{s0}\to B\bar K$ and $B'_{s1}\to B^*\bar K$. For $B_{s1}$ and $B_{s2}$, the OZI allowed decay channels $B_{s1}\to B^{*}\bar K$, $B_{s2}\to B\bar K$ and $B_{s2}\to B^{*}\bar K$ are studied. In all the decay channels, the reduction formula, PCAC relation and low energy theorem are used to estimate the decay widths. We also obtain the strong coupling constants $G_{B_{s0}B_s\pi}$, $G_{B_{s0}B\bar K}$, $G_{B'_{s1}B_s^*\pi}$, $F_{B'_{s1}B_s^*\pi}$, $G_{B'_{s1}B^*\bar K}$, $F_{B'_{s1}B^*\bar K}$, $G_{B_{s1}B^{*}\bar K}$, $F_{B_{s1}B^{*}\bar K}$, $G_{B_{s2}B\bar K}$ and $G_{B_{s2}B^{*}\bar K}$.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure, 4 table

The effect of in-plane magnetic field and applied strain in quantum spin Hall systems: application to InAs/GaSb quantum wells

Motivated by the recent discovery of quantized spin Hall effect in InAs/GaSb quantum wells\cite{du2013}$^,$\cite{xu2014}, we theoretically study the effects of in-plane magnetic field and strain effect to the quantization of charge conductance by using Landauer-Butikker formalism. Our theory predicts a robustness of the conductance quantization against the magnetic field up to a very high field of 20 tesla. We use a disordered hopping term to model the strain and show that the strain may help the quantization of the conductance. Relevance to the experiments will be discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures. Comments are welcome

Theory for Spin Selective Andreev Reflection in Vortex Core of Topological Superconductor: Majorana Zero Modes on Spherical Surface and Application to Spin Polarized Scanning Tunneling Microscope Probe

Majorana zero modes (MZMs) have been predicted to exist in the topological insulator (TI)/superconductor (SC) heterostructure. Recent spin polarized scanning tunneling microscope (STM) experiment$^{1}$ has observed spin-polarization dependence of the zero bias differential tunneling conductance at the center of vortex core, which may be attributed to the spin selective Andreev reflection, a novel property of the MZMs theoretically predicted in 1-dimensional nanowire$^{2}$. Here we consider a helical electron system described by a Rashba spin orbit coupling Hamiltonian on a spherical surface with a s-wave superconducting pairing due to proximity effect. We examine in-gap excitations of a pair of vortices with one at the north pole and the other at the south pole. While the MZM is not a spin eigenstate, the spin wavefunction of the MZM at the center of the vortex core, r = 0, is parallel to the magnetic field, and the local Andreev reflection of the MZM is spin selective, namely occurs only when the STM tip has the spin polarization parallel to the magnetic field, similar to the case in 1-dimensional nanowire2. The total local differential tunneling conductance consists of the normal term proportional to the local density of states and an additional term arising from the Andreev reflection. We also discuss the finite size effect, for which the MZM at the north pole is hybridized with the MZM at the south pole. We apply our theory to examine the recently reported spin-polarized STM experiments and show good agreement with the experiments.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures, 1 table. Comments are welcome

Coupled-Channel-Induced S−DS-D mixing of Charmonia and Testing Possible Assignments for Y(4260)Y(4260) and Y(4360)Y(4360)

The mass spectrum and the two-body open-charm decays of the $J^{PC}=1^{--}$ charmonium states are studied with the coupled-channel effects taken into account. The coupled-channel-induced mixing effects among the excited vector charmonia are studied. Based on our calculations of the masses and the decay widths, we find that the tension between the observed properties of $Y(4260)/Y(4360)$ and their conventional charmonia interpretations could be softened.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 5 table

Event patterns extracted from anisotropic spectra of charged particles produced in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV

Event patterns extracted from anisotropic spectra of charged particles produced in lead-lead collisions at 2.76 TeV are investigated. We use an inverse power-law resulted from the QCD calculus to describe the transverse momentum spectrum in the hard scattering process, and a revised Erlang distribution resulted from a multisource thermal model to describe the transverse momentum spectrum and anisotropic flow in the soft excitation process. The pseudorapidity distribution is described by a three-Gaussian function which is a revision of the Landau hydrodynamic model. Thus, the event patterns at the kinetic freeze-out are displayed by the scatter plots of the considered particles in the three-dimensional velocity, momentum, and rapidity spaces.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, The European Physical Journal A, accepte

Episodic neurologic disorders: syndromes, genes, and mechanisms.

Many neurologic diseases cause discrete episodic impairment in contrast with progressive deterioration. The symptoms of these episodic disorders exhibit striking variety. Herein we review what is known of the phenotypes, genetics, and pathophysiology of episodic neurologic disorders. Of these, most are genetically complex, with unknown or polygenic inheritance. In contrast, a fascinating panoply of episodic disorders exhibit Mendelian inheritance. We classify episodic Mendelian disorders according to the primary neuroanatomical location affected: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, neuromuscular junction, peripheral nerve, or central nervous system (CNS). Most known Mendelian mutations alter genes that encode membrane-bound ion channels. These mutations cause ion channel dysfunction, which ultimately leads to altered membrane excitability as manifested by episodic disease. Other Mendelian disease genes encode proteins essential for ion channel trafficking or stability. These observations have cemented the channelopathy paradigm, in which episodic disorders are conceptualized as disorders of ion channels. However, we expand on this paradigm to propose that dysfunction at the synaptic and neuronal circuit levels may underlie some episodic neurologic entities

Solving the mystery of human sleep schedules one mutation at a time.

Sleep behavior remains one of the most enigmatic areas of life. The unanswered questions range from "why do we sleep?" to "how we can improve sleep in today's society?" Identification of mutations responsible for altered circadian regulation of human sleep lead to unique opportunities for probing these territories. In this review, we summarize causative circadian mutations found from familial genetic studies to date. We also describe how these mutations mechanistically affect circadian function and lead to altered sleep behaviors, including shifted or shortening of sleep patterns. In addition, we discuss how the investigation of mutations can not only expand our understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating the circadian clock and sleep duration, but also bridge the pathways between clock/sleep and other human physiological conditions and ailments such as metabolic regulation and migraine headaches