2,042 research outputs found
An effective action for asymptotically safe gravity
Asymptotically safe theories of gravitation have received great attention in
recent times. In this framework an effective action embodying the basic
features of the renormalized flow around the non-gaussian fixed point is
derived and its implications for the early universe are discussed. In
particular, a "landscape" of a countably infinite number of cosmological
inflationary solutions characterized by an unstable de Sitter phase lasting for
a large enough number of e-folds is found.Comment: 5 pages, to appear as a Rapid Communication in Physical Review
A Class of Renormalization Group Invariant Scalar Field Cosmologies
We present a class of scalar field cosmologies with a dynamically evolving
Newton parameter and cosmological term . In particular, we discuss
a class of solutions which are consistent with a renormalization group scaling
for and near a fixed point. Moreover, we propose a modified
action for gravity which includes the effective running of and
near the fixed point. A proper understanding of the associated variational
problem is obtained upon considering the four-dimensional gradient of the
Newton parameter.Comment: 10 pages, RevTex4, no figures, to appear on GR
The Accelerated expansion of the Universe as a crossover phenomenon
We show that the accelerated expansion of the Universe can be viewed as a
crossover phenomenon where the Newton constant and the Cosmological constant
are actually scaling operators, dynamically evolving in the attraction basin of
a non-Gaussian infrared fixed point, whose existence has been recently
discussed. By linearization of the renormalized flow it is possible to evaluate
the critical exponents, and it turns out that the approach to the fixed point
is ruled by a marginal and a relevant direction. A smooth transition between
the standard Friedmann--Lemaitre--Robertson--Walker (FLRW) cosmology and the
observed accelerated expansion is then obtained, so that at late times.Comment: 12 pages, latex, use bibtex. In the final version, the presentation
has been improved, and new references have been adde
The quality of Valle del Belice sheep’s milk and cheese produced in the hot summer season in Sicily
In response to the growing consumer demand for fresh cheese in summer,
this investigation was aimed to evaluate the chemical and microbiological
characteristics of sheep’s milk and cheese produced in Sicily in the hot summer months.
A total of 810 bulk milk samples collected from 17 farms rearing ewes of the Valle del
Belice breed were analysed for chemical composition, somatic cell count, total bacterial
count and clotting parameters. Samples (n=18) of Protected Designation of Origin
Vastedda della valle del Belice cheese produced in six dairies were collected in
summer, autumn and spring and analysed for chemical composition, microbiological
profile and fatty acid (FA) composition. Univariate and multivariate analyses were
performed to assess variations by season. Sheep’s milk produced in the summer had
higher fat and casein contents, less lactose and urea and slightly higher total bacterial
count and, similar to milk produced in winter, had a weaker clotting ability. Vastedda
cheese produced in spring had less thermophilic lactococci and a high rumenic acid
content. Cheese produced in summer had more fat; less saturated FA; and more linoleic
acid, monounsaturated FA and omega-3 polyunsaturated FA. A dual approach to data
analysis revealed a strong influence of production season on bulk milk and Vastedda
cheese characteristics due to climate conditions and ewes’ feeding regimen. Although
this study provides evidence of the good nutritional properties of summer sheep’s
cheese, management and feeding strategies could aim to further improve the quality of
milk and cheese produced in the summer months
Renormalization Group Flow of Quantum Gravity in the Einstein-Hilbert Truncation
The exact renormalization group equation for pure quantum gravity is used to
derive the non-perturbative \Fbeta-functions for the dimensionless Newton
constant and cosmological constant on the theory space spanned by the
Einstein-Hilbert truncation. The resulting coupled differential equations are
evaluated for a sharp cutoff function. The features of these flow equations are
compared to those found when using a smooth cutoff. The system of equations
with sharp cutoff is then solved numerically, deriving the complete
renormalization group flow of the Einstein-Hilbert truncation in . The
resulting renormalization group trajectories are classified and their physical
relevance is discussed. The non-trivial fixed point which, if present in the
exact theory, might render Quantum Einstein Gravity nonperturbatively
renormalizable is investigated for various spacetime dimensionalities.Comment: 58 pages, latex, 24 figure
Ariel - Volume 3 Number 5
Editors
Richard J. Bonanno
Robin A. Edwards
Associate Editors
Steven Ager
Tom Williams
Lay-out Editor
Eugenia Miller
Contributing Editors
Paul Bialas
Robert Breckenridge
Lynne Porter
David Jacoby
Terry Burt
Mark Pearlman
Michael Leo
Mike LeWitt
Editors Emeritus
Delvyn C. Case., Jr.
Paul M. Fernhof
Flow Equations for U_k and Z_k
By considering the gradient expansion for the wilsonian effective action S_k
of a single component scalar field theory truncated to the first two terms, the
potential U_k and the kinetic term Z_k, I show that the recent claim that
different expansion of the fluctuation determinant give rise to different
renormalization group equations for Z_k is incorrect. The correct procedure to
derive this equation is presented and the set of coupled differential equations
for U_k and Z_k is definitely established.Comment: 5 page
Gravitational collapse in loop quantum gravity
In this paper we study the gravitational collapse in loop quantum gravity. We
consider the space-time region inside the Schwarzschild black hole event
horizon and we divide this region in two parts, the first one where the matter
(dust matter) is localized and the other (outside) where the metric is
Kantowski-Sachs type. We calculate the state solving Hamiltonian constraint and
we obtain a set of three difference equations that give a regular and natural
evolution beyond the classical singularity point in "r=0" localized.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure
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