The AdS/CFT correspondence has provided new and useful insights into the nonperturbative regime of strongly coupled gauge theories. We construct a class of models meant to mimic Yang-Mills theory using the superpotential method. This method allows us to efficiently address the problem of solving all the equations of motion. The conformal symmetry is broken in the infrared by a dilaton field. Using a five-dimensional action we calculate the mass spectrum of scalar glueballs. This spectrum contains a tachyon, indicating an instability in the theory. We stabilize the theory by introducing a cosmological constant in the bulk and a pair of 3-branes, as in the Randall-Sundrum model. The scalar glueball masses computed by lattice gauge theory are then described very well by just a few parameters. Prospects for extending the model to other spins and parities and to finite temperature are considered.

We present a numerical study on the mixing process between two stable states of a chemical reaction model. The two stable states of the reactions are found in practice not to coexist, and a single stable state of homogeneous scalar concentration is achieved over long time. With all other parameters fixed, we find the dependence of the final state on the rate of reaction. Interestingly, with the existence of coherent structures, at a range of intermediate rate of reaction, we find that the final state also depends on the initial locations of the scalar impurity. The exact dependence on initial condition is explored in detail. These results lead to the fundamental understanding on the variability of biogeochemical tracers in the environment induced by nonlinear fluid stirring. C 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx.

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In the celebrated Unruh effect, we learn that a uniformly accelerating detector in a Minkowski vacuum spacetime registers a constant temperature. Building on prior work, we present a technique based on derivative couplings of the two-point Wightman function and the Hadamard renormalization procedure to define an instantaneous temperature for a massive scalar field, non-minimally coupled to gravity. We find the temperature contains local contributions from the acceleration of the detector, the curvature of spacetime, and the renormalized stress-energy tensor of the field. Our result, which can be considered as a generalized Stefan-Boltzmann law for curved spacetimes, agrees with the familiar expressions found in 4D Rindler, thermal Minkowski, and de Sitter.