1,241 research outputs found
Strong Coupling Phenomena on the Noncommutative Plane
We study strong coupling phenomena in U(1) gauge theory on the
non-commutative plane. To do so, we make use of a T-dual description in terms
of an limit of U(N) gauge theory on a commutative torus. The
magnetic flux on this torus is taken to be , while the area scales like
1/N, keeping fixed. With a few assumptions, we argue that the
speed of high frequency light in pure non-commutative QED is modified in the
non-commutative directions by the factor , where
is the non-commutative parameter. If charged flavours are included,
there is an upper bound on the momentum of a photon propagating in the
non-commutative directions, beyond which it is unstable against production of
charged pairs. We also discuss a particular limit of pure
non-commutative QED which is T-dual to a more conventional limit
with fixed. In the non-commutative description, this limit gives rise to
an exotic theory of open strings.Comment: 24 pages, latex, 2 figures, corrected typo in eqn 6.
Centennial- to millennial-scale hard rock erosion rates deduced from luminescence-depth profiles
The measurement of erosion and weathering rates in different geomorphic settings and over diverse temporal and spatial scales is fundamental to the quantification of rates and patterns of earth surface processes. A knowledge of the rates of these surface processes helps one to decipher their relative contribution to landscape evolution – information that is crucial to understanding the interaction between climate, tectonics and landscape. Consequently, a wide range of techniques has been developed to determine short- (<102 a) and long-term (>104 a) erosion rates. However, no method is available to quantify hard rock erosion rates at centennial to millennial timescales. Here we propose a novel technique, based on the solar bleaching of luminescence signals with depth into rock surfaces, to bridge this analytical gap. We apply our technique to glacial and landslide boulders in the Eastern Pamirs, China. The calculated erosion rates from the smooth varnished surfaces of 7 out of the 8 boulders sampled in this study vary between <0.038±0.002 and 1.72±0.04 mmka-1 (the eighth boulder gave an anomalously high erosion rate, possibly due to a recent chipping/cracking loss of surface). Given this preferential sampling of smooth surfaces, assumed to arise from grain-by-grain surface loss, we consider these rates as minimum estimates of rock surface denudation rates in the Eastern Pamirs, China
Wilson line correlators in two-dimensional noncommutative Yang-Mills theory
We study the correlator of two parallel Wilson lines in two-dimensional
noncommutative Yang-Mills theory, following two different approaches. We first
consider a perturbative expansion in the large-N limit and resum all planar
diagrams. The second approach is non-perturbative: we exploit the Morita
equivalence, mapping the two open lines on the noncommutative torus (which
eventually gets decompacted) in two closed Wilson loops winding around the dual
commutative torus. Planarity allows us to single out a suitable region of the
variables involved, where a saddle-point approximation of the general Morita
expression for the correlator can be performed. In this region the correlator
nicely compares with the perturbative result, exhibiting an exponential
increase with respect to the momentum p.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure, typeset in JHEP style; some formulas corrected in
Sect.3, one reference added, results unchange
Radiation-induced growth and isothermal decay of infrared-stimulated luminescence from feldspar
Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages can determine a wide range of geological events or processes, such as the timing of sediment deposition, the exposure duration of a rock surface, or the cooling rate of bedrock. The accuracy of OSL dating critically depends on our capability to describe the growth and decay of laboratory-regenerated luminescence signals. Here we review a selection of common models describing the response of infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) of feldspar to constant radiation and temperature as administered in the laboratory. We use this opportunity to introduce a general-order kinetic model that successfully captures the behaviour of different materials and experimental conditions with a minimum of model parameters, and thus appears suitable for future application and validation in natural environments. Finally, we evaluate all the presented models by their ability to accurately describe a recently published feldspar multi-elevated temperature post-IR IRSL (MET-pIRIR) dataset, and highlight each model's strengths and shortfalls
On the Anomalies and Schwinger Terms in Noncommutative Gauge Theories
Invariant (nonplanar) anomaly of noncommutative QED is reexamined. It is
found that just as in ordinary gauge theory UV regularization is needed to
discover anomalies, in noncommutative case, in addition, an IR regularization
is also required to exhibit existence of invariant anomaly. Thus resolving the
controversy in the value of invariant anomaly, an expression for the
unintergrated anomaly is found. Schwinger terms of the current algebra of the
theory are derived.Comment: LaTeX, axodraw.sty, 1 figure; v2: Typos corrected, References added,
Version to appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys. A (2006
Relationship between cortisol and physical performance in older persons
Objective: Hypercortisolism is associated with muscle weakness. This study examines the relationship between cortisol and physical performance in older persons. Design/patients: The study was conducted within the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), an ongoing cohort study in a population-based sample of healthy older persons in the Netherlands. Data from the second (1995/1996) and fourth (2001/2002) cycle were used pertaining to 1172 (65-88 years) and 884 (65-94 years) men and women, respectively. Measurements: Physical performance was measured by adding up scores on the chair stands, tandem stand and walk test (range 0-12). In the second cycle serum total and calculated free cortisol were assessed; in the fourth cycle evening salivary cortisol was assessed. Regression analysis (stratified for sex, adjusted for age, body mass index, alcohol use, physical activity and region) was performed to examine the cross-sectional relationship between cortisol and physical performance. Results: Women with higher calculated free cortisol scored less well on physical performance (b = -0.28 per SD higher cortisol, P = 0.016), which was mainly explained by poorer performance on the tandem stand (OR = 1.32 for a lower score per SD higher cortisol, P = 0.003). Men with higher salivary cortisol scored less well on physical performance (b = -0.90 in the highest vs. the lowest quartile, P = 0.008), which was mainly explained by poorer performance on the chair stands and walk test (OR = 1.88, P = 0.020 and OR = 1.81, P = 0.027, respectively, in the highest vs. the lowest quartile). Conclusion: Physical performance is negatively associated with high cortisol levels in older persons. © 2007 The Authors
Effective phase description of noise-perturbed and noise-induced oscillations
An effective description of a general class of stochastic phase oscillators
is presented. For this, the effective phase velocity is defined either by
invariant probability density or via first passage times. While the first
approach exhibits correct frequency and distribution density, the second one
yields proper phase resetting curves. Their discrepancy is most pronounced for
noise-induced oscillations and is related to non-monotonicity of the phase
fluctuations
A note on the M2-M5 brane system and fuzzy spheres
This note covers various aspects of recent attempts to describe membranes
ending on fivebranes using fuzzy geometry. In particular, we examine the
Basu-Harvey equation and its relation to the Nahm equation as well as the
consequences of using a non-associative algebra for the fuzzy three-sphere.
This produces the tantalising result that the fuzzy funnel solution
corresponding to Q coincident membranes ending on a five-brane has
degrees of freedom.Comment: 17 pages, late
Violet stimulated luminescence dating of quartz from Luochuan (Chinese loess plateau): Agreement with independent chronology up to ∼600 ka
Luminescence dating at the Luochuan loess type (China) section is at present limited to ∼0.1 Ma using quartz blue light stimulated luminescence (BLSL), but can be extended back in time to ∼0.5 Ma by resorting to the more developmental post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (post-IR IRSL) and thermally transferred OSL (TT-OSL) signals. Since both the latter are associated with systematic uncertainties due to the potential (a)-thermal instability of these signals, a search continues for alternative, and demonstrably stable luminescence signals that can cover the entire Quaternary timescale. Here we explore the violet stimulated luminescence (VSL) signal at the Luochuan section, which provides a continuous archive of homogenous sediment with favourable luminescence characteristics and a solid independent age framework. By testing several VSL protocols and their associated performance, we demonstrate that the Multi-Aliquot Additive-Dose (MAAD) protocol produces a VSL chronology at Luochuan which is in agreement with independent ages up to ∼0.6 Ma. For a more representative environmental dose rate of ∼2 Gy/ka (∼35% lower than at Luochuan), the documented range of MAAD-VSL sensitivity (200-1800 Gy) would correspond to the ability to date sediment up to ∼1 Ma back in time, offering a remarkable advance over existing methods.</p
Properties of Chiral Wilson Loops
We study a class of Wilson Loops in N =4, D=4 Yang-Mills theory belonging to
the chiral ring of a N=2, d=1 subalgebra. We show that the expectation value of
these loops is independent of their shape. Using properties of the chiral ring,
we also show that the expectation value is identically 1. We find the same
result for chiral loops in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in three,
five and six dimensions. In seven dimensions, a generalized Konishi anomaly
gives an equation for chiral loops which closely resembles the loop equations
of the three dimensional Chern-Simons theory.Comment: 15 pages, two pictures, some references adde
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