385 research outputs found
Inflating in a Better Racetrack
We present a new version of our racetrack inflation scenario which, unlike
our original proposal, is based on an explicit compactification of type IIB
string theory: the Calabi-Yau manifold P^4_[1,1,1,6,9]. The axion-dilaton and
all complex structure moduli are stabilized by fluxes. The remaining 2 Kahler
moduli are stabilized by a nonperturbative superpotential, which has been
explicitly computed. For this model we identify situations for which a linear
combination of the axionic parts of the two Kahler moduli acts as an inflaton.
As in our previous scenario, inflation begins at a saddle point of the scalar
potential and proceeds as an eternal topological inflation. For a certain range
of inflationary parameters, we obtain the COBE-normalized spectrum of metric
perturbations and an inflationary scale of M = 3 x 10^{14} GeV. We discuss
possible changes of parameters of our model and argue that anthropic
considerations favor those parameters that lead to a nearly flat spectrum of
inflationary perturbations, which in our case is characterized by the spectral
index n_s = 0.95.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures. Brief discussion on the non-gaussianity of this
model, one more figure of the field trajectories added as well as other minor
changes to the tex
Geometrical Tachyon Kinks and NS5 Branes
We further investigate the 5 ring background using the tachyon map.
Mapping the radion fields to the rolling tachyon helps to explain the motion of
a probe -brane in this background. It turns out that the radion field
becomes tachyonic when the brane is confined to one dimensional motion inside
the ring. We find explicit solutions for the geometrical tachyon field that
describe stable kink solutions which are similar to those of the open string
tachyon. Interestingly in the case of the geometric tachyon, the dynamics is
controlled by a cosine potential. In addition, we couple a constant electric
field to the probe-brane, but find that the only stable kink solutions occur
when there is zero electric field or a critical field value. We also
investigate the behaviour of Non-BPS branes in this background, and find that
the end state of any probe brane is that of tachyonic matter 'trapped' around
the interior of the ring. We conclude by considering compactification of the
ring solution in one of the transverse directions.Comment: Latex, 24 pages, 1 eps fig; clarifying comments added to Section 2;
typos correcte
Could Large CP Violation Be Detected at Colliders?
We argue that CP--violation effects below a few tenths of a percent are
probably undetectable at hadron and electron colliders. Thus only operators
whose contributions interfere with tree--level Standard Model amplitudes are
detectable. We list these operators for Standard Model external particles and
some two and three body final state reactions that could show detectable
effects. These could test electroweak baryogenesis scenarios.Comment: 11pp, LaTeX, UM--TH--92--27(massaged to make TeX output cleaner), no
picture
Interplanetary and Geomagnetic Consequences of Interacting CMEs of 13-14 June 2012
We report on the kinematics of two interacting CMEs observed on 13 and 14
June 2012. Both CMEs originated from the same active region NOAA 11504. After
their launches which were separated by several hours, they were observed to
interact at a distance of 100 Rs from the Sun. The interaction led to a
moderate geomagnetic storm at the Earth with Dst index of approximately, -86
nT. The kinematics of the two CMEs is estimated using data from the Sun Earth
Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) onboard the Solar
Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO). Assuming a head-on collision
scenario, we find that the collision is inelastic in nature. Further, the
signatures of their interaction are examined using the in situ observations
obtained by Wind and the Advance Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft. It is
also found that this interaction event led to the strongest sudden storm
commencement (SSC) (approximately 150 nT) of the present Solar Cycle 24. The
SSC was of long duration, approximately 20 hours. The role of interacting CMEs
in enhancing the geoeffectiveness is examined.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, Accepted in Solar Physics Journa
Salinity tolerance of diapausing eggs of freshwater zooplankton
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73091/1/j.1365-2427.2004.01185.x.pd
Semi-Analytic Stellar Structure in Scalar-Tensor Gravity
Precision tests of gravity can be used to constrain the properties of
hypothetical very light scalar fields, but these tests depend crucially on how
macroscopic astrophysical objects couple to the new scalar field. We develop
quasi-analytic methods for solving the equations of stellar structure using
scalar-tensor gravity, with the goal of seeing how stellar properties depend on
assumptions made about the scalar coupling at a microscopic level. We
illustrate these methods by applying them to Brans-Dicke scalars, and their
generalization in which the scalar-matter coupling is a weak function of the
scalar field. The four observable parameters that characterize the fields
external to a spherically symmetric star (the stellar radius, R, mass, M,
scalar `charge', Q, and the scalar's asymptotic value, phi_infty) are subject
to two relations because of the matching to the interior solution, generalizing
the usual mass-radius, M(R), relation of General Relativity. We identify how
these relations depend on the microscopic scalar couplings, agreeing with
earlier workers when comparisons are possible. Explicit analytical solutions
are obtained for the instructive toy model of constant-density stars, whose
properties we compare to more realistic equations of state for neutron star
models.Comment: 39 pages, 9 figure
CMB Imprints of a Pre-Inflationary Climbing Phase
We discuss the implications for cosmic microwave background (CMB)
observables, of a class of pre-inflationary dynamics suggested by string models
where SUSY is broken due to the presence of D-branes and orientifolds
preserving incompatible portions of it. In these models the would-be inflaton
is forced to emerge from the initial singularity climbing up a mild exponential
potential, until it bounces against a steep exponential potential of "brane
SUSY breaking" scenarios, and as a result the ensuing descent gives rise to an
inflationary epoch that begins when the system is still well off its eventual
attractor. If a pre-inflationary climbing phase of this type had occurred
within 6-7 e-folds of the horizon exit for the largest observable wavelengths,
displacement off the attractor and initial-state effects would conspire to
suppress power in the primordial scalar spectrum, enhancing it in the tensor
spectrum and typically superposing oscillations on both. We investigate these
imprints on CMB observables over a range of parameters, examine their
statistical significance, and provide a semi-analytic rationale for our
results. It is tempting to ascribe at least part of the large-angle anomalies
in the CMB to pre-inflationary dynamics of this type.Comment: 38 pages, LaTeX, 11 eps figures, references added, matches version to
appear in JCA
Surface Terms as Counterterms in the AdS/CFT Correspondence
We examine the recently proposed technique of adding boundary counterterms to
the gravitational action for spacetimes which are locally asymptotic to anti-de
Sitter. In particular, we explicitly identify higher order counterterms, which
allow us to consider spacetimes of dimensions d<=7. As the counterterms
eliminate the need of ``background subtraction'' in calculating the action, we
apply this technique to study examples where the appropriate background was
ambiguous or unknown: topological black holes, Taub-NUT-AdS and Taub-Bolt-AdS.
We also identify certain cases where the covariant counterterms fail to render
the action finite, and we comment on the dual field theory interpretation of
this result. In some examples, the case of vanishing cosmological constant may
be recovered in a limit, which allows us to check results and resolve
ambiguities in certain asymptotically flat spacetime computations in the
literature.Comment: Revtex, 18 pages. References updated and few typo's fixed. Final
versio
Nonlinear Realization of N=2 Superconformal Symmetry and Brane Effective Actions
Due to the incompatibility of the nonlinear realization of superconformal
symmetry and dilatation symmetry with the dilaton as the compensator field, in
the present paper it shows an alternative mechanism of spontaneous breaking the
N=2 superconformal symmetry to the N=0 case. By using the approach of nonlinear
transformations it is found that it leads to a space-filling brane theory with
Weyl scale W(1,3) symmetry. The dynamics of the resulting Weyl scale invariant
brane, along with that of other Nambu-Goldstone fields, is derived in terms of
the building blocks of the vierbein and the covariant derivative from the
Maurer-Cartan oneforms. A general coupling of the matter fields localized on
the brane world volume to these NG fields is also constructed.Comment: 22 pages, more references and comments are adde
Occupational exposures to solvents and metals are associated with fixed airflow obstruction
peer-reviewedOur study is the first to investigate the associations between exposures to solvents and metals using lifetime work history calendars and fixed airflow obstruction (AO). We have shown that increasing cumulative exposure-unit years to chlorinated solvents is associated with fixed AO. We found that women were at increased risk of fixed AO with increasing cumulative exposed-unit-years to chlorinated solvents but not men
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