The N=2N=2 super W4W_4 algebra and its associated generalized KdV hierarchies

We construct the $N=2$ super $W_4$ algebra as a certain reduction of the second Gel'fand-Dikii bracket on the dual of the Lie superalgebra of $N=1$ super pseudo-differential operators. The algebra is put in manifestly $N=2$ supersymmetric form in terms of three $N=2$ superfields $\Phi_i(X)$, with $\Phi_1$ being the $N=2$ energy momentum tensor and $\Phi_2$ and $\Phi_3$ being conformal spin $2$ and $3$ superfields respectively. A search for integrable hierarchies of the generalized KdV variety with this algebra as Hamiltonian structure gives three solutions, exactly the same number as for the $W_2$ (super KdV) and $W_3$ (super Boussinesq) cases.Comment: 16 pages, LaTeX, UTAS-PHYS-92-3

Iron-Line Emission as a Probe of Bardeen-Petterson Accretion Disks

In this work we show that Bardeen-Petterson accretion disks can exhibit unique, detectable features in relativistically broadened emission line profiles. Some of the unique characteristics include inverted line profiles with sharper red horns and softer blue horns and even profiles with more than 2 horns from a single rest-frame line. We demonstrate these points by constructing a series of synthetic line profiles using simple two-component disk models. We find that the resultant profiles are very sensitive to the two key parameters one would like to constrain, namely the Bardeen-Petterson transition radius r_{BP} and the relative tilt \beta between the two disk components over a range of likely values [10 < r_{BP}/(GM/c^2) < 40 ; 15deg < \beta < 45deg]. We use our findings to show that some of the ``extra'' line features observed in the spectrum of the Seyfert-I galaxy MCG--6-30-15 may be attributable to a Bardeen-Petterson disk structure. Similarly, we apply our findings to two likely Bardeen-Petterson candidate Galactic black holes - GRO J1655-40 and XTE J1550-564. We provide synthetic line profiles of these systems using observationally constrained sets of parameters. Although we do not formally fit the data for any of these systems, we confirm that our synthetic spectra are consistent with current observations.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Ap

Partial Dynamical SU(3) Symmetry and the Nature of the Lowest K=0 Collective Excitation in Deformed Nuclei

We discuss the implications of partial dynamical SU(3) symmetry (PDS) for the structure of the lowest K=0^{+} (K=0_2) collective excitation in deformed nuclei. We consider an interacting boson model Hamiltonian whose ground and gamma bands have good SU(3) symmetry while the K=0_2 band is mixed. It is shown that the double-phonon components in the K=0_2 wave function arise from SU(3) admixtures which, in turn, can be determined from absolute E2 rates connecting the K=0_2 and ground bands. An explicit expression is derived for these admixtures in terms of the ratio of K=0_2 and gamma bandhead energies. The SU(3) PDS predictions are compared with existing data and with broken-SU(3) calculations for ^{168}Er.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Forbidden Transitions in a Magneto-Optical Trap

We report the first observation of a non-dipole transition in an ultra-cold atomic vapor. We excite the 3P-4P electric quadrupole (E2) transition in $^{23}$Na confined in a Magneto-Optical Trap(MOT), and demonstrate its application to high-resolution spectroscopy by making the first measurement of the hyperfine structure of the 4P$_{1/2}$ level and extracting the magnetic dipole constant A $=$ 30.6 $\pm$ 0.1 MHz. We use cw OODR (Optical-Optical Double Resonance) accompanied by photoinization to probe the transition

Supergravity Instabilities of Non-Supersymmetric Quantum Critical Points

Motivated by the recent use of certain consistent truncations of M-theory to study condensed matter physics using holographic techniques, we study the SU(3)-invariant sector of four-dimensional, N=8 gauged supergravity and compute the complete scalar spectrum at each of the five non-trivial critical points. We demonstrate that the smaller SU(4)^- sector is equivalent to a consistent truncation studied recently by various authors and find that the critical point in this sector, which has been proposed as the ground state of a holographic superconductor, is unstable due to a family of scalars that violate the Breitenlohner-Freedman bound. We also derive the origin of this instability in eleven dimensions and comment on the generalization to other embeddings of this critical point which involve arbitrary Sasaki-Einstein seven manifolds. In the spirit of a resurging interest in consistent truncations, we present a formal treatment of the SU(3)-invariant sector as a U(1)xU(1) gauged N=2 supergravity theory coupled to one hypermultiplet.Comment: 46 page

Constraints in Quantum Geometrodynamics

We compare different treatments of the constraints in canonical quantum gravity. The standard approach on the superspace of 3--geometries treats the constraints as the sole carriers of the dynamic content of the theory, thus rendering the traditional dynamical equations obsolete. Quantization of the constraints in both the Dirac and ADM square root Hamiltonian approaches leads to the well known problems of time evolution. These problems of time are of both an interpretational and technical nature. In contrast, the geometrodynamic quantization procedure on the superspace of the true dynamical variables separates the issues of quantization from the enforcement of the constraints. The resulting theory takes into account states that are off-shell with respect to the constraints, and thus avoids the problems of time. We develop, for the first time, the geometrodynamic quantization formalism in a general setting and show that it retains all essential features previously illustrated in the context of homogeneous cosmologies.Comment: 36 pages, no figures, submitted to IJMPA, Rewording, Fixed Typo

Molecular Hydrogen Emission Lines in Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Observations of Mira B

We present new Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) observations of Mira A's wind-accreting companion star, Mira B. We find that the strongest lines in the FUSE spectrum are H2 lines fluoresced by H I Lyman-alpha. A previously analyzed Hubble Space Telescope (HST) spectrum also shows numerous Lyman-alpha fluoresced H2 lines. The HST lines are all Lyman band lines, while the FUSE H2 lines are mostly Werner band lines, many of them never before identified in an astrophysical spectrum. We combine the FUSE and HST data to refine estimates of the physical properties of the emitting H2 gas. We find that the emission can be reproduced by an H2 layer with a temperature and column density of T=3900 K and log N(H2)=17.1, respectively. Another similarity between the HST and FUSE data, besides the prevalence of H2 emission, is the surprising weakness of the continuum and high temperature emission lines, suggesting that accretion onto Mira B has weakened dramatically. The UV fluxes observed by HST on 1999 August 2 were previously reported to be over an order of magnitude lower than those observed by HST and the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) from 1979--1995. Analysis of the FUSE data reveals that Mira B was still in a similarly low state on 2001 November 22.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures; AASTEX v5.0 plus EPSF extensions in mkfig.sty; accepted by Ap

Simultaneous Acquisition of the Polarized and Depolarized Raman Signal with a Single Detector

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Electro-Mechanical Fredericks Effects in Nematic Gels

The solid nematic equivalent of the Fredericks transition is found to depend on a critical field rather than a critical voltage as in the classical case. This arises because director anchoring is principally to the solid rubbery matrix of the nematic gel rather than to the sample surfaces. Moreover, above the threshold field, we find a competition between quartic (soft) and conventional harmonic elasticity which dictates the director response. By including a small degree of initial director misorientation, the calculated field variation of optical anisotropy agrees well with the conoscopy measurements of Chang et al (Phys.Rev.E56, 595, 1997) of the electro-optical response of nematic gels.Comment: Latex (revtex style), 5 EPS figures, submitted to PRE, corrections to discussion of fig.3, cosmetic change