Related papers: The helium fine-structure controversy
We have investigated by rotating drum experiments the influence of a small amount of fine particles on the stability of a granular heap. The fine particles are shown to have a strong and ambivalent influence. For low fine particle content,…
In their interesting study (Ref. [1]) Hu et al have shown that for a simple "harmonium" solid model the slip-induced motion of surface atoms is close to critically damped. This result is in fact well known from studies of vibrational…
Here I discuss some implicit assumptions of modern hydrodynamic models and argue that their accuracy cannot be better than 10-15 %. Then I formulate the correct conservation laws for the fluid emitting particles from an arbitrary freeze-out…
We investigate the finite nuclear mass corrections in the helium atom in order to resolve a significant disagreement between the $2^3S - 2^3P$ and $2^3S - 2^1S$ transition isotope shifts. These two transitions lead to discrepant results for…
We adduce the results of the condensate fraction calculation for liquid helium-4. The method is derived from the first principles and involves minimum assumptions. The only experimental quantity we need in our calculations is the static…
We investigate the stability of stars with a density discontinuity between a high-density core and a very low density mantle. Previous work on "strange dwarfs" suggested that such a discontinuity could stabilize stars that would have been…
We develop the formalism to include substructure in the halo model of clustering. Real halos are not likely to be perfectly smooth, but have substructure which has so far been neglected in the halo model -- our formalism allows one to…
The interpretation of future precise experiments on atomic parity violation in terms of parameters of the Standard Model could be hampered by uncertainties in the atomic and nuclear structure. While the former can be overcome by measurement…
As Juno is presently measuring Jupiter's gravitational moments to unprecedented accuracy, models for the interior structure of the planet are putted to the test. While equations of state based on first principles or ab initio simulations…
More than half a century ago Penrose asked: are the superfluid and solid state of matter mutually exclusive or do there exist "supersolid" materials where the atoms form a regular lattice and simultaneously flow without friction? Recent…
The thermodynamical stability of DNA minicircles is investigated by means of path integral techniques. Hydrogen bonds between base pairs on complementary strands can be broken by thermal fluctuations and temporary fluctuational openings…
The unusually large hyperfine structure splittings in the 23P state of the 3He isotope is measured using electro-optic techniques with high precision laser spectroscopy. Originally designed to probe the fine structure of the 4He atom, this…
A version of the configuration interaction method, which has been recently developed to deal with large number of valence electrons, has been used to calculate magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole hyperfine structure constants for a…
The $m \alpha^6$ correction to energy is expressed in terms of an effective Hamiltonian $H^{(6)}$ for an arbitrary state of helium. Numerical calculations are performed for $n=2$ levels, and the previous result for the $2^3P$ centroid is…
The hyperfine structures of the $2\,^3\!S_1$ and $2\,^3\!P_J$ states of the $^7$Be$^{2+}$ and $^9$Be$^{2+}$ ions are investigated within the framework of the nonrelativistic quantum electrodynamics (NRQED). The uncertainties of present…
Particle-hole symmetry has been used on several occasions in nuclear structure over the years. We prove that particle-hole symmetry is broken in nuclear shells possessing the proxy-SU(3) symmetry. The breaking of the symmetry is rooted in…
Weak-scale supersymmetry is a well motivated, if speculative, theory beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. It solves the thorny issue of the Higgs mass, namely: how can it be stable to quantum corrections, when they are expected to…
The structure of the unbound nucleus $^{13}$Be is important to understanding the Borromean, two-neutron halo nucleus $^{14}$Be. The experimental studies conducted over the last four decades are reviewed in the context of the beryllium chain…
Recent cosmological measurements tend to confirm that the fine structure constant {\alpha} is not immutable and has undergone a tiny variation since the Big Bang. Choosing adequate units, this could also reflect a variation of Planck's…
Various developing topics in CP violation are reviewed. There are many theoretical reasons to hope that the CKM paradigm may be incomplete. It is surely too soon to be claiming new physics in \epsilon^\prime/\epsilon or in D^0-\bar D^0…