1,218 research outputs found
Robust, data-driven inference in non-linear cosmostatistics
We discuss two projects in non-linear cosmostatistics applicable to very
large surveys of galaxies. The first is a Bayesian reconstruction of galaxy
redshifts and their number density distribution from approximate, photometric
redshift data. The second focuses on cosmic voids and uses them to construct
cosmic spheres that allow reconstructing the expansion history of the Universe
using the Alcock-Paczynski test. In both cases we find that non-linearities
enable the methods or enhance the results: non-linear gravitational evolution
creates voids and our photo-z reconstruction works best in the highest density
(and hence most non-linear) portions of our simulations.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures. Talk given at "Statistical Challenges in Modern
Astronomy V," held at Penn Stat
Hadley V. Baxendale: Still Crazy After All These Years? Panel Discussion
The following discussion about Hadley v. Baxendale took place on June 8, 2004, at the Conference on The Common Law of Contracts as a World Force in Two Ages of Revolution, held at the Oxstalls Campus of the University of Gloucestershire, in Gloucester, England. The Conference marked the 150th anniversary of Hadley. The following discussion was intended to be a free-ranging exploration of Hadley, its rule, its role in legal pedagogy, and its likely future
Recovering the intrinsic shape of early-type galaxies
We investigate how well the intrinsic shape of early-type galaxies can be
recovered when both photometric and two-dimensional stellar kinematic
observations are available. We simulate these observations with galaxy models
that are representative of observed oblate fast-rotator to triaxial
slow-rotator early-type galaxies. By fitting realistic triaxial dynamical
models to these simulated observations, we recover the intrinsic shape (and
mass-to-light ratio), without making additional (ad-hoc) assumptions on the
orientation.
For (near) axisymmetric galaxies the dynamical modelling can strongly exclude
triaxiality, but the regular kinematics do not further tighten the constraint
on the intrinsic flattening significantly, so that the inclination is nearly
unconstrained above the photometric lower limit even with two-dimensional
stellar kinematics. Triaxial galaxies can have additional complexity in both
the observed photometry and kinematics, such as twists and (central)
kinematically decoupled components, which allows the intrinsic shape to be
accurately recovered. For galaxies that are very round or show no significant
rotation, recovery of the shape is degenerate, unless additional constraints
such as from a thin disk are available.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, PDFLaTeX, accepted to MNRAS, minor revision
A Bogomol`nyi equation for intersecting domain walls
We argue that the Wess-Zumino model with quartic superpotential admits static
solutions in which three domain walls intersect at a junction. We derive an
energy bound for such junctions and show that configurations saturating it
preserve 1/4 supersymmetry.Comment: 4 pages revtex. No figures. Revised version to appear in Physical
Review Letters includes discussion of the supersymmetry algebr
Cosmic Shear with Next Generation Redshift Surveys as a Cosmological Probe
The expansion of the universe causes spacetime curvature, distinguishing
between distances measured along and transverse to the line of sight. The ratio
of these distances, e.g. the cosmic shear distortion of a sphere defined by
observations of large scale structure as suggested by Alcock & Paczynski,
provides a method for exploring the expansion as a function of redshift. The
theoretical sensitivity to cosmological parameters, including the dark energy
equation of state, is presented. Remarkably, sensitivity to the time variation
of the dark energy equation of state is best achieved by observations at
redshifts z<1. While systematic errors greatly degrade the theoretical
sensitivity, this probe may still offer useful parameter estimation, especially
in complementarity with a distance measure like the Type Ia supernova method
implemented by SNAP. Possible future observations of the Alcock-Paczynski
distortion by the KAOS project on a 8 meter ground based telescope are
considered.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure
Cosmological perturbations on local systems
We study the effect of cosmological expansion on orbits--galactic, planetary,
or atomic--subject to an inverse-square force law. We obtain the laws of motion
for gravitational or electrical interactions from general relativity--in
particular, we find the gravitational field of a mass distribution in an
expanding universe by applying perturbation theory to the Robertson-Walker
metric. Cosmological expansion induces an ( force where
is the cosmological scale factor. In a locally Newtonian framework, we
show that the term represents the effect of a continuous
distribution of cosmological material in Hubble flow, and that the total force
on an object, due to the cosmological material plus the matter perturbation,
can be represented as the negative gradient of a gravitational potential whose
source is the material actually present. We also consider the effect on local
dynamics of the cosmological constant. We calculate the perihelion precession
of elliptical orbits due to the cosmological constant induced force, and work
out a generalized virial relation applicable to gravitationally bound clusters.Comment: 10 page
Domain Wall Junctions are 1/4-BPS States
We study N=1 SUSY theories in four dimensions with multiple discrete vacua,
which admit solitonic solutions describing segments of domain walls meeting at
one-dimensional junctions. We show that there exist solutions preserving one
quarter of the underlying supersymmetry -- a single Hermitian supercharge. We
derive a BPS bound for the masses of these solutions and construct a solution
explicitly in a special case. The relevance to the confining phase of N=1 SUSY
Yang-Mills and the M-theory/SYM relationship is discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, uses RevTeX. Brief comments concerning lattices
of junctions added. Version to appear in Phys. Rev.
'The show must go on': Event dramaturgy as consolidation of community
Event dramaturgy and cultural performance have not been examined in the literature from a strategic standpoint of fostering the social value of events. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the case of the Water Carnival, a celebratory event in a rural community of Southwest Texas, demonstrating the essence of this event as a symbolic social space, wherein event participants instantiate a shared and valued sense of community. A hermeneutical approach was employed, interpreting the event and its symbolisms as a text, combined with findings from ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation, in-depth interviews and analysis of archival documents. The study examines the ways that dramaturgy in the Water Carnival helps frame the ongoing public discourse for community improvement and enhances social capital. The implications of the study for social leverage of events are discussed. It is suggested that a foundation for strategic social planning is the understanding of events as symbolic social spaces and their embeddedness in community development, which can be accomplished when events are pertinent to public discourse, address community issues, represent an inclusive range of stakeholders, and promote cooperation
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