arXiv subjects

D. J. Smith

Publications and source records attributed to D. J. Smith.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Oriented suspension mechanics with applications to flow linear dichrosim spectroscopy and pathogen detection

Flow linear dichroism is a biophysical spectroscopic technique that exploits the shear-induced alignment of elongated particles in suspension. Motivated by the broad aim of optimising the sensitivity of this technique, and more specifically by a handheld synthetic biotechnology prototype for waterborne-pathogen detection, a model of steady and oscillating pressure-driven channel flow and orientation dynamics of a suspension of slender microscopic fibres is developed. The model couples the Fokker-Planck equation for Brownian suspensions with the narrow channel flow equations, the latter modified to incorporate mechanical anisotropy induced by the particles. The linear dichroism signal is estimated through integrating the perpendicular components of the distribution function via an appropriate formula which takes the bi-axial nature of the orientation into account. For the specific application of pathogen detection via binding of M13 bacteriophage, it is found that increases in the channel depth are more significant in improving the linear dichroism signal than increases in the channel width. Increasing channel depth to $2~$mm and pressure gradient to $5 \times 10^4~$Pa/m essentially maximises the alignment. Oscillating flow can produce nearly equal alignment to steady flow at appropriate frequencies, which has significant potential practical value in the analysis of small sample volumes.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

Mathematical modelling of the vitamin C clock reaction

Chemical clock reactions are characterised by a relatively long induction period followed by a rapid `switchover' during which the concentration of a \emph{clock chemical} rises rapidly. In addition to their interest in chemistry education, these reactions are relevant to industrial and biochemical applications. A substrate-depletive, non-autocatalytic clock reaction involving household chemicals (vitamin C, iodine, hydrogen peroxide and starch) is modelled mathematically via a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Following dimensional analysis the model is analysed in the phase plane and via matched asymptotic expansions. Asymptotic approximations are found to agree closely with numerical solutions in the appropriate time regions. Asymptotic analysis also yields an approximate formula for the dependence of switchover time on initial concentrations and the rate of the slow reaction. This formula is tested via `kitchen sink chemistry' experiments, and is found to enable a good fit to experimental series varying in initial concentrations of both iodine and vitamin C. The vitamin C clock reaction provides an accessible model system for mathematical chemistry.

math.DS↗

arXiv2019

Twin prime correlations from the pair correlation of Riemann zeros

We establish, via a formal/heuristic Fourier inversion calculation, that the Hardy-Littlewood twin prime conjecture is equivalent to an asymptotic formula for the two-point correlation function of Riemann zeros at a height $E$ on the critical line. Previously it was known that the Hardy-Littlewood conjecture implies the pair correlation formula, and we show that the reverse implication also holds. A smooth form of the Hardy-Littlewood conjecture is obtained by inverting the $E \rightarrow \infty$ limit of the two-point correlation function and the precise form of the conjecture is found by including asymptotically lower order terms in the two-point correlation function formula.

math.NT↗

arXiv2016

Statistics of the zeros of $L$-functions and arithmetic correlations

This thesis determines some of the implications of non-universal and emergent universal statistics on arithmetic correlations and fluctuations of arithmetic functions, in particular correlations amongst prime numbers and the variance of the expected number of prime numbers over short intervals are generalised by associating these concepts to $L$-functions arising from number theoretic objects.

math.NT↗

arXiv2015

On the variance of sums of arithmetic functions over primes in short intervals and pair correlation for L-functions in the Selberg class

We establish the equivalence of conjectures concerning the pair correlation of zeros of $L$-functions in the Selberg class and the variances of sums of a related class of arithmetic functions over primes in short intervals. This extends the results of Goldston & Montgomery [7] and Montgomery & Soundararajan [11] for the Riemann zeta-function to other $L$-functions in the Selberg class. Our approach is based on the statistics of the zeros because the analogue of the Hardy-Littlewood conjecture for the auto-correlation of the arithmetic functions we consider is not available in general. One of our main findings is that the variances of sums of these arithmetic functions over primes in short intervals have a different form when the degree of the associated $L$-functions is 2 or higher to that which holds when the degree is 1 (e.g. the Riemann zeta-function). Specifically, when the degree is 2 or higher there are two regimes in which the variances take qualitatively different forms, whilst in the degree-1 case there is a single regime.

math.NT↗

arXiv2007

Microstructure, magneto-transport and magnetic properties of Gd-doped magnetron-sputtered amorphous carbon

The magnetic rare earth element gadolinium (Gd) was doped into thin films of amorphous carbon (hydrogenated \textit{a}-C:H, or hydrogen-free \textit{a}-C) using magnetron co-sputtering. The Gd acted as a magnetic as well as an electrical dopant, resulting in an enormous negative magnetoresistance below a temperature ($T'$). Hydrogen was introduced to control the amorphous carbon bonding structure. High-resolution electron microscopy, ion-beam analysis and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the influence of Gd doping on the \textit{a-}Gd$_x$C$_{1-x}$(:H$_y$) film morphology, composition, density and bonding. The films were largely amorphous and homogeneous up to $x$=22.0 at.%. As the Gd doping increased, the $sp^{2}$-bonded carbon atoms evolved from carbon chains to 6-member graphitic rings. Incorporation of H opened up the graphitic rings and stabilized a $sp^{2}$-rich carbon-chain random network. The transport properties not only depended on Gd doping, but were also very sensitive to the $sp^{2}$ ordering. Magnetic properties, such as the spin-glass freezing temperature and susceptibility, scaled with the Gd concentration.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

The Fourth-Order Type Linear Ordinary Differential Equations

This note reports on the recent advancements in the search for explicit representation, in classical special functions, of the solutions of the fourth-order ordinary differential equations named Bessel-type, Jacobi-type, Laguerre-type, Legendre-type.

math.CA↗

arXiv2001

Quantum Numbers of AGUT Higgs Fields from the Quark-Lepton Spectrum

A series of Higgs field quantum numbers in the anti-grand unification model, based on the gauge group $SMG^3 \times U(1)_f$, is tested against the spectrum of quark and lepton masses and mixing angles. A more precise formulation of the statement that the couplings are assumed of order unity is given. It is found that the corrections coming from this more precise assumption do not contain factors of order of the number of colours, $N_c= 3$, as one could have feared. We also include a combinatorial correction factor, taking account of the distinct internal orderings within the chain Feynman diagrams in our statistical estimates. Strictly speaking our model predicts that the uncertainty in its predictions and thus the accuracy of our fits should be $\pm 60\%$. Many of the best fitting quantum numbers give a higher accuracy fit to the masses and mixing angles, although within the expected fluctuations in a $χ^2$. This means that our fit is as good as it can possibly be.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1998

The Fermion Mass Problem and the Anti-Grand Unification Model

We describe the Anti-Grand Unification Model (AGUT) and the Multiple Point Principle (MPP) used to calculate the values of the Standard Model gauge coupling constants in the theory, from the requirement of the existence of degenerate vacua. The application of the MPP to the pure Standard Model predicts the existence of a second minimum of the Higgs potential close to the cut-off, which we take to be the Planck scale, giving our Standard Model predictions for the top quark and Higgs masses: $M_t = 173 \pm 5$ GeV and $M_H = 135 \pm 9$ GeV. We also discuss mass protection by chiral charges and present a fit to the charged fermion mass spectrum using the chiral quantum numbers of the maximal AGUT gauge group $SMG^3 \times U(1)_f$, where $SMG \equiv SU(3) \times SU(2) \times U(1)$. The neutrino mass and mixing problem is then briefly discussed for models with chiral flavour charges responsible for the charged fermion mass hierarchy.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1997

Dynamical Determination of the Top Quark and Higgs Masses and Fermion Masses in the Anti-Grand Unification Model

The multiple point criticality principle is applied to the pure Standard Model (SM), with a desert up to the Planck scale. We are thereby led to impose the constraint that the effective Higgs potential should have two degenerate minima, one of which should have a vacuum expectation value of order unity in Planck units. In this way we predict a top quark mass of $173 \pm 5$ GeV and a Higgs particle mass of $135 \pm 9$ GeV. The quark and lepton mass matrices are considered in the anti-grand unified extension of the SM based on the gauge group $SMG^3 \otimes U(1)_f$; this group contains three copies of the SM gauge group SMG, one for each generation, and an abelian flavour group $U(1)_f$. The 9 quark and lepton masses and 3 mixing angles are fitted using 3 free parameters, with the overall mass scale set by the electroweak interaction. It is pointed out that the same results can be obtained in an anomaly free $SMG \otimes U(1)^3$ model.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1997

Fermion masses, neutrino mixing and CP violation from the anti-grand unification model

The fermion masses and mixing angles are fitted using only 3 free parameters in a non-supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model, with new approximately conserved chiral gauge quantum numbers broken by a set of Higgs fields. The fundamental mass scale of this anti-grand unification model is given by the Planck mass. We also calculate neutrino mixing angles and masses, as well as CP violation from the CKM matrix. A good fit is obtained to the observed fermion masses but our predictions of the neutrino masses are too small to lead to any observable neutrino oscillation effects claimed today, without introducing another mass scale. We also give some arguments in support of this type of model based on the observed fermion masses.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1997

Towards a Non-perturbative Formulation of IIB Superstrings by Matrix Models

We address the problem of a non-perturbative formulation of superstring theory by means of the recently proposed matrix models. For the model by Ishibashi, Kawai, Kitazawa and Tsuchiya (IKKT), we perform one-loop calculation of the interaction between operator-like solutions identified with D-brane configurations of type IIB superstring (in particular, for parallel moving and rotated static p-branes). Comparing to the superstring calculations, we show that the matrix model reproduces the superstring results only at large distances or small velocities, corresponding to keeping only the lowest mass closed string modes. We propose a modification of the IKKT matrix model introducing an integration over an additional Hermitian matrix required to have positive definite eigenvalues, which is similar to the square root of the metric in the continuum Schild formulation of IIB superstrings. We show that for this new matrix action the Nambu-Goto version of the Green-Schwarz action is reproduced even at quantum level.

hep-th↗

arXiv1996

Fermion Masses and Anti-grand Unification

We present an extension of the Standard Model (SM) without supersymmetry, which we use to calculate order of magnitude values for the elements of the mass matrices in the SM. In our model we can fit the 9 quark and lepton masses and 3 mixing angles using only 3 free parameters, with the overall mass scale set by the electroweak interaction. The specific model described here has the anti-grand unified gauge group SMG^3 x U(1)_f at high energies where SMG = SU(3) x SU(2) x U(1) is the SM gauge group. The SM fermions are placed in representations of the full gauge group so that they do not produce any anomalies.It is pointed out that the same results can be obtained in an anomaly free SMG x U(1)^3 model.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1996

Extending the Standard Model Using Charge Quantisation Rules

We examine extensions of the Standard Model (SM), basing our assumptions on what has already been observed; we don't consider anything fundamentally different, such as grand unification or supersymmetry, which is not directly suggested by the SM itself. We concentrate on the possibility of additional low mass fermions (relative to the Planck mass) and search for combinations of representations which don't produce any gauge anomalies. Generalisations of the SM weak hypercharge quantisation rule are used to specify the weak hypercharge, modulo 2, for any given representation of the non-abelian part of the gauge group. Strong experimental constraints are put on our models, by using the renormalisation group equations to obtain upper limits on fermion masses and to check that there is no U(1) Landau pole below the Planck scale. Our most promising model contains a fourth generation of quarks without leptons and can soon be tested experimentally.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1996

Could there be a Fourth Generation of Quarks Without More Leptons?

We investigate the possibility of adding a fourth generation of quarks. We also extend the Standard Model gauge group by adding another SU(N) component. In order to cancel the contributions of the fourth generation of quarks to the gauge anomalies we must add a generation of fermions coupling to the SU(N) group. This model has many features similar to the Standard Model and, for example, includes a natural generalisation of the Standard Model charge quantisation rule. We discuss the phenomenology of this model and, in particular, show that the infrared quasi-fixed point values of the Yukawa coupling constants put upper limits on the new quark masses close to the present experimental lower bounds.

hep-ph↗