557 research outputs found
Casimir energy of a non-uniform string
The Casimir energy of a non-uniform string built up from two pieces with
different speed of sound is calculated. A standard procedure of subtracting the
energy of an infinite uniform string is applied, the subtraction being
interpreted as the renormalization of the string tension. It is shown that in
the case of a homogeneous string this method is completely equivalent to the
zeta renormalization.Comment: 11 pages, REVTeX, no figures and table
Comment on "Observation of a Push Force on the End Face of a Nanometer Silica Filament Exerted by Outgoing Light" [PRL 101, 243601 (2008)]
A brief discussion is given on the recent experiment of She et al. [Phys.
Rev. Lett. 101, 243601 (2008), arXiv:0806.2442], in relation to the
Abraham-Minkowski energy-momentum problem.Comment: 1 page latex. The text is partially reformulated. To appear as a
Comment in Phys. Rev. Let
Cosmic Evolution and Primordial Black Hole Evaporation
A cosmological model in which primordial black holes (PBHs) are present in
the cosmic fluid at some instant t=t_0 is investigated. The time t_0 is
naturally identified with the end of the inflationary period. The PBHs are
assumed to be nonrelativistic in the comoving fluid, to have the same mass, and
may be subject to evaporation for t>t_0. Our present work is related to an
earlier paper of Zimdahl and Pavon [Phys. Rev. D {\bf 58}, 103506 (1998)], but
in contradistinction to these authors we assume that the (negative) production
rate of the PBHs is zero. This assumption appears to us to be more simple and
more physical. Consequences of the formalism are worked out. In particular, the
four-divergence of the entropy four-vector in combination with the second law
in thermodynamics show in a clear way how the the case of PBH evaporation
corresponds to a production of entropy. Accretion of radiation onto the black
holes is neglected. We consider both a model where two different sub-fluids
interact, and a model involving one single fluid only. In the latter case an
effective bulk viscosity naturally appears in the formalism.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX, no figures. Extended discussion of the black hole
evaporation process. Version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Casimir energy of a dilute dielectric ball in the mode summation method
In the --approximation the Casimir energy of a
dilute dielectric ball is derived using a simple and clear method of the mode
summation. The addition theorem for the Bessel functions enables one to present
in a closed form the sum over the angular momentum before the integration over
the imaginary frequencies. The linear in contribution
into the vacuum energy is removed by an appropriate subtraction. The role of
the contact terms used in other approaches to this problem is elucidated.Comment: 14 pages, REVTeX, no figures, no tables; presentation is made better,
new references are adde
Casimir Effects Near the Big Rip Singularity in Viscous Cosmology
Analytical properties of the scalar expansion in the cosmic fluid are
investigated, especially near the future singularity, when the fluid possesses
a constant bulk viscosity \zeta. In addition, we assume that there is a
Casimir-induced term in the fluid's energy-momentum tensor, in such a way that
the Casimir contributions to the energy density and pressure are both
proportional to 1/a^4, 'a' being the scale factor. A series expansion is worked
out for the scalar expansion under the condition that the Casimir influence is
small. Close to the Big Rip singularity the Casimir term has however to fade
away and we obtain the same singular behavior for the scalar expansion, the
scale factor, and the energy density, as in the Casimir-free viscous case.Comment: 7 pages RevTeX, no figures. Minor changes in discussion, some
references added. To appear in Gen. Rel. Gra
Thermodynamic Properties of the 2N-Piece Relativistic String
The thermodynamic free energy F(\beta) is calculated for a gas consisting of
the transverse oscillations of a piecewise uniform bosonic string. The string
consists of 2N parts of equal length, of alternating type I and type II
material, and is relativistic in the sense that the velocity of sound
everywhere equals the velocity of light. The present paper is a continuation of
two earlier papers, one dealing with the Casimir energy of a 2N--piece string
[I. Brevik and R. Sollie (1997)], and another dealing with the thermodynamic
properties of a string divided into two (unequal) parts [I. Brevik, A. A.
Bytsenko and H. B. Nielsen (1998)]. Making use of the Meinardus theorem we
calculate the asymptotics of the level state density, and show that the
critical temperatures in the individual parts are equal, for arbitrary
spacetime dimension D. If D=26, we find \beta= (2/N)\sqrt{2\pi /T_{II}}, T_{II}
being the tension in part II. Thermodynamic interactions of parts related to
high genus g is also considered.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX, 2 figures. Discussion in section 8 expande
Dark Energy and Viscous Cosmology
Singularities in the dark energy universe are discussed, assuming that there
is a bulk viscosity in the cosmic fluid. In particular, it is shown how the
physically natural assumption of letting the bulk viscosity be proportional to
the scalar expansion in a spatially flat FRW universe can drive the fluid into
the phantom region (w -1)
in the non-viscous case.Comment: 11 pages. Printing error in eq.(23) corrected. To appear in Gen. Rel.
Gra
Recommended from our members
Software development methods and usability: Perspectives from a survey in the software industry in Norway
This paper investigates the relationship between traditional software development methodologies and usability. The point of departure is the assumption that two important disciplines in software development, one of software development methods (SDMs) and one of usability work, are not integrated in industrial software projects. Building on previous research we investigate two questions; (1) Will software companies generally acknowledge the importance of usability, but not prioritise it in industrial projects? and (2) To what degree are software development methods and usability perceived by practitioners as being integrated? To this end a survey in the Norwegian IT industry was conducted. From a sample of 259 companies we received responses from 78 companies. In response to our first research question, our findings show that although there is a positive bias towards usability, the importance of usability testing is perceived to be much less than that of usability requirements. Given the strong time and cost pressures associated with the software industry, we believe that these results highlight that there is a gap between intention and reality. Regarding our second research question our survey revealed that companies perceive usability and software development methods to be integrated. This is in contrast to earlier research, which, somewhat pessimistically, has argued for the existence of two different cultures, one of software development and one of usability. The findings give hope for the future, in particular because the general use of system development methods are pragmatic and adaptable
Casimir Surface Force on a Dilute Dielectric Ball
The Casimir surface force density F on a dielectric dilute spherical ball of
radius a, surrounded by a vacuum, is calculated at zero temperature. We treat
(n-1) (n being the refractive index) as a small parameter. The dispersive
properties of the material are taken into account by adopting a simple
dispersion relation, involving a sharp high frequency cutoff at omega =
omega_0. For a nondispersive medium there appears (after regularization) a
finite, physical, force F^{nondisp} which is repulsive. By means of a uniform
asymptotic expansion of the Riccati-Bessel functions we calculate F^{nondisp}
up to the fourth order in 1/nu. For a dispersive medium the main part of the
force F^{disp} is also repulsive. The dominant term in F^{disp} is proportional
to (n-1)^2{omega_0}^3/a, and will under usual physical conditions outweigh
F^{nondisp} by several orders of magnitude.Comment: 24 pages, latex, no figures, some additions to the Acknowledments
sectio
- …