The meteorology of Mars and Venus Final report

Meteorology of Mars and Venu

The Physics Inside Topological Quantum Field Theories

We show that the equations of motion defined over a specific field space are realizable as operator conditions in the physical sector of a generalized Floer theory defined over that field space. The ghosts associated with such a construction are found not to be dynamical. This construction is applied to gravity on a four dimensional manifold, $M$; whereupon, we obtain Einstein's equations via surgery, along $M$, in a five-dimensional topological quantum field theory.Comment: LaTeX, 7 page

Topology, Quantum Gravity and Particle Physics

It is argued that quantum gravity has an interpretation as a topological field theory provided a certain constraint from the path intergral measure is respected. The constraint forces us to couple gauge and matter fields to gravity for space - time dimensions different from 3. We then discuss possible models which may be relevant to our universe.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX. Replaced version corrects typos and has additional reference

Quantum interference and sub-Poissonian statistics for time-modulated driven dissipative nonlinear oscillator

We show that quantum-interference phenomena can be realized for the dissipative nonlinear systems exhibiting hysteresis-cycle behavior and quantum chaos. Such results are obtained for a driven dissipative nonlinear oscillator with time-dependent parameters and take place for the regimes of long time intervals exceeding dissipation time and for macroscopic levels of oscillatory excitation numbers. Two schemas of time modulation: (i) periodic variation of the strength of the {\chi}(3) nonlinearity; (ii) periodic modulation of the amplitude of the driving force, are considered. These effects are obtained within the framework of phase-space quantum distributions. It is demonstrated that the Wigner functions of oscillatory mode in both bistable and chaotic regimes acquire negative values and interference patterns in parts of phase-space due to appropriately time-modulation of the oscillatory nonlinear dynamics. It is also shown that the time-modulation of the oscillatory parameters essentially improves the degree of sub-Poissonian statistics of excitation numbers

The effect of humidity on engine power at altitude

From tests made in the altitude chamber of the Bureau of Standards, it was found that the effect of humidity on engine power is the same at altitudes up to 25,000 feet as at sea level. Earlier tests on automotive engines, made under sea-level conditions, showed that water vapor acts as an inert diluent, reducing engine power in proportion to the amount of vapor present. By combining the effects of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity, it is shown that the indicated power obtainable from an engine is proportional to its mass rate of consumption of oxygen. This has led the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics to adopt a standard basis for the correction of engine performance, in which the effect of humidity is included

Measuring and tracking vitamin B12: a review of current methods with a focus on optical spectroscopy

Published online: 13 Sep 2016Vitamin B12 deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline. This literature review explores the current methods available for measuring vitamin B12 in human blood, serum, and urine, and the need for a globally accepted reference range for vitamin B12. We present optical spectroscopy, including chemiluminescence measurements, absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance, and Raman spectroscopy, as a promising technique for detection and tracking of vitamin B12. Considerations for future research are highlighted, including enhancing the sensitivity of optical spectroscopy and prospective pathways to improve the reproducibility, selectivity, and speed of vitamin B12 detection.Georgios Tsiminis, Erik P. Schartner, Joanna L. Brooks, and Mark R. Hutchinso

Dynamical Dark Matter: II. An Explicit Model

In a recent paper (arXiv:1106.4546), we introduced "dynamical dark matter," a new framework for dark-matter physics, and outlined its underlying theoretical principles and phenomenological possibilities. Unlike most traditional approaches to the dark-matter problem which hypothesize the existence of one or more stable dark-matter particles, our dynamical dark-matter framework is characterized by the fact that the requirement of stability is replaced by a delicate balancing between cosmological abundances and lifetimes across a vast ensemble of individual dark-matter components. This setup therefore collectively produces a time-varying cosmological dark-matter abundance, and the different dark-matter components can interact and decay throughout the current epoch. While the goal of our previous paper was to introduce the broad theoretical aspects of this framework, the purpose of the current paper is to provide an explicit model of dynamical dark matter and demonstrate that this model satisfies all collider, astrophysical, and cosmological constraints. The results of this paper therefore constitute an "existence proof" of the phenomenological viability of our overall dynamical dark-matter framework, and demonstrate that dynamical dark matter is indeed a viable alternative to the traditional paradigm of dark-matter physics. Dynamical dark matter must therefore be considered alongside other approaches to the dark-matter problem, particularly in scenarios involving large extra dimensions or string theory in which there exist large numbers of particles which are neutral under Standard-Model symmetries.Comment: 45 pages, LaTeX, 10 figures. Replaced to match published versio

On-disc observations of flux rope formation prior to its eruption

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are one of the primary manifestations of solar activity and can drive severe space weather effects. Therefore, it is vital to work towards being able to predict their occurrence. However, many aspects of CME formation and eruption remain unclear, including whether magnetic flux ropes are present before the onset of eruption and the key mechanisms that cause CMEs to occur. In this work, the pre-eruptive coronal configuration of an active region that produced an interplanetary CME with a clear magnetic flux rope structure at 1 AU is studied. A forward-S sigmoid appears in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) data two hours before the onset of the eruption (SOL2012-06-14), which is interpreted as a signature of a right-handed flux rope that formed prior to the eruption. Flare ribbons and EUV dimmings are used to infer the locations of the flux rope footpoints. These locations, together with observations of the global magnetic flux distribution, indicate that an interaction between newly emerged magnetic flux and pre-existing sunspot field in the days prior to the eruption may have enabled the coronal flux rope to form via tether-cutting-like reconnection. Composition analysis suggests that the flux rope had a coronal plasma composition, supporting our interpretation that the flux rope formed via magnetic reconnection in the corona. Once formed, the flux rope remained stable for two hours before erupting as a CME