2,266 research outputs found
CMB temperature anisotropies from third order gravitational perturbations
In this paper we present a complete computation of the Cosmic Microwave
Background (CMB) anisotropies up to third order from gravitational
perturbations accounting for scalar, vector and tensor perturbations. We then
specify our results to the large scale limit, providing the evolution of the
gravitational potentials in a flat universe filled with matter and cosmological
constant which characterizes the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect. As a byproduct
in the large scale approximation we are able to give non-perturbative solutions
for the photon geodesic equations. Our results are the first step to provide a
complete theoretical prediction for cubic non-linearities which are
particularly relevant for characterizing the level of non-Gaussianity in the
CMB through the detection of the four-point angular connected correlation
function (trispectrum). For this purpose we also allow for generic initial
conditions due to primordial non-Gaussianity.Comment: 19 pages, LateX file; typos corrected; some corrections made and
several consistency checks performed regarding Eqs.(2.18); (2.28)-(2.29) and
Eqs.(3.8)-(3.24) and Eq.(4.2). Version accepted for publication in JCA
Electromagnetic field fluctuations near a dielectric-vacuum boundary and surface divergences in the ideal conductor limit
We consider the electric and magnetic field fluctuations in the vacuum state
in the region external to a half-space filled with a homogeneous
non-dissipative dielectric. We discuss an appropriate limit to an ideal metal
and concentrate our interest on the renormalized field fluctuations, or
equivalently to renormalized electric and magnetic energy densities, in the
proximity of the dielectric-vacuum interface. We show that surface divergences
of field fluctuations arise at the interface in an appropriate ideal conductor
limit, and that our limiting procedure allows to discuss in detail their
structure. Field fluctuations close to the surface can be investigated through
the retarded Casimir-Polder interaction with an appropriate polarizable body.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Testing Primordial Black Holes as Dark Matter through LISA
The idea that primordial black holes (PBHs) can comprise most of the dark
matter of the universe has recently reacquired a lot of momentum. Observational
constraints, however, rule out this possibility for most of the PBH masses,
with a notable exception around . These light PBHs may be
originated when a sizeable comoving curvature perturbation generated during
inflation re-enters the horizon during the radiation phase. During such a
stage, it is unavoidable that gravitational waves (GWs) are generated. Since
their source is quadratic in the curvature perturbations, these GWs are
generated fully non-Gaussian. Their frequency today is about the mHz, which is
exactly the range where the LISA mission has the maximum of its sensitivity.
This is certainly an impressive coincidence. We show that this scenario of PBHs
as dark matter can be tested by LISA by measuring the GW two-point correlator.
On the other hand, we show that the short observation time (as compared to the
age of the universe) and propagation effects of the GWs across the perturbed
universe from the production point to the LISA detector suppress the bispectrum
to an unobservable level. This suppression is completely general and not
specific to our model.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures. v3: matching published versio
Loop Representations for 2+1 Gravity on a Torus
We study the loop representation of the quantum theory for 2+1 dimensional
general relativity on a manifold, , where
is the torus, and compare it with the connection representation
for this system. In particular, we look at the loop transform in the part of
the phase space where the holonomies are boosts and study its kernel. This
kernel is dense in the connection representation and the transform is not
continuous with respect to the natural topologies, even in its domain of
definition. Nonetheless, loop representations isomorphic to the connection
representation corresponding to this part of the phase space can still be
constructed if due care is taken. We present this construction but note that
certain ambiguities remain; in particular, functions of loops cannot be
uniquely associated with functions of connections.Comment: 24 journal or 52 preprint pages, revtex, SU-GP-93/3-
Microstructured superhydrorepellent surfaces: Effect of drop pressure on fakir-state stability and apparent contact angles
In this paper we present a generalized Cassi-Baxter equation to take into
account the effect of drop pressure on the apparent contact angle theta_{app}.
Also we determine the limiting pressure p_{W} which causes the impalement
transition to the Wenzel state and the pull-off pressure p_{out} at which the
drop detaches from the substrate. The calculations have been carried out for
axial-symmetric pillars of three different shapes: conical, hemispherical
topped and flat topped cylindrical pillars. Calculations show that, assuming
the same pillar spacing, conical pillars may be more incline to undergo an
impalement transition to the Wenzel state, but, on the other hand, they are
characterized by a vanishing pull-off pressure which causes the drop not to
adhere to the substrate and therefore to detach very easily. We infer that this
property should strongly reduce the contact angle hysteresis as experimentally
osberved in Ref. \cite{Martines-Conical-Shape}. It is possible to combine large
resistance to impalement transition (i.e. large value of p_{W}) and small (or
even vanishing) detaching pressure p_{out} by employing cylindrical pillars
with conical tips. We also show that depending on the particular pillar
geometry, the effect of drop pressure on the apparent contact angle theta_{app}
may be more or less significant. In particular we show that in case of conical
pillars increasing the drop pressure causes a significant decrease of
theta_{app} in agreement with some experimental investigations
\cite{LafunaTransitio}, whereas theta_{app} slightly increases for
hemispherical or flat topped cylindrical pillars.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figure
New data and the hard pomeron
New structure-function data are in excellent agreement with the existence of
a hard pomeron, with intercept about 1.4. It gives a very economical
description of the data. Having fixed 2 parameters from the data for the
real-photon cross section , we need just 5 further
parameters to fit the data for with . The available
data range from to 35 GeV. With guesses consistent with
dimensional counting for the dependences of our three separate terms, the
fit extends well to larger and to GeV. With no additional
parameters, it gives a good description of data for the charm structure
function from to 130 GeV. The two pomerons also give
a good description of both the and the dependence of .Comment: 11 pages, plain tex, with 10 figures embedded using epsf. (Spurious
figure removed.
Phase transition in the Countdown problem
Here we present a combinatorial decision problem, inspired by the celebrated
quiz show called the countdown, that involves the computation of a given target
number T from a set of k randomly chosen integers along with a set of
arithmetic operations. We find that the probability of winning the game
evidences a threshold phenomenon that can be understood in the terms of an
algorithmic phase transition as a function of the set size k. Numerical
simulations show that such probability sharply transitions from zero to one at
some critical value of the control parameter, hence separating the algorithm's
parameter space in different phases. We also find that the system is maximally
efficient close to the critical point. We then derive analytical expressions
that match the numerical results for finite size and permit us to extrapolate
the behavior in the thermodynamic limit.Comment: Submitted for publicatio
Electronic structure of crystalline binary and ternary Cd-Te-O compounds
The electronic structure of crystalline CdTe, CdO, -TeO,
CdTeO and CdTeO is studied by means of first principles
calculations. The band structure, total and partial density of states, and
charge densities are presented. For -TeO and CdTeO, Density
Functional Theory within the Local Density Approximation (LDA) correctly
describes the insulating character of these compounds. In the first four
compounds, LDA underestimates the optical bandgap by roughly 1 eV. Based on
this trend, we predict an optical bandgap of 1.7 eV for CdTeO. This
material shows an isolated conduction band with a low effective mass, thus
explaining its semiconducting character observed recently. In all these oxides,
the top valence bands are formed mainly from the O 2p electrons. On the other
hand, the binding energy of the Cd 4d band, relative to the valence band
maximum, in the ternary compounds is smaller than in CdTe and CdO.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables. Accepted in Phys Rev
A review of bioplastics and their adoption in the circular economy
The European Union is working towards the 2050 net-zero emissions goal and tackling the ever-growing environmental and sustainability crisis by implementing the European Green Deal. The shift towards a more sustainable society is intertwined with the production, use, and disposal of plastic in the European economy. Emissions generated by plastic production, plastic waste, littering and leakage in nature, insufficient recycling, are some of the issues addressed by the European Commission. Adoption of bioplasticsâplastics that are biodegradable, bio-based, or bothâis under assessment as one way to decouple society from the use of fossil resources, and to mitigate specific environmental risks related to plastic waste. In this work, we aim at reviewing the field of bioplastics, including standards and life cycle assessment studies, and discuss some of the challenges that can be currently identified with the adoption of these materials
Gauge invariant Boltzmann equation and the fluid limit
This article investigates the collisionless Boltzmann equation up to second
order in the cosmological perturbations. It describes the gauge dependence of
the distribution function and the construction of a gauge invariant
distribution function and brightness, and then derives the gauge invariant
fluid limit.Comment: 36 page
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