18,968 research outputs found
Evolution of a Primordial Black Hole Population
We reconsider in this work the effects of an energy absorption term in the
evolution of primordial black holes (hereafter PBHs) in the several epochs of
the Universe. A critical mass is introduced as a boundary between the accreting
and evaporating regimes of the PBHs. We show that the growth of PBHs is
negligible in the Radiation-dominated Era due to scarcity of energy density
supply from the expanding background, in agreement with a previous analysis by
Carr and Hawking, but that nevertheless the absorption term is large enough for
black holes above the critical mass to preclude their evaporation until the
universe has cooled sufficiently. The effects of PBH motion are also discussed:
the Doppler effect may give rise to energy accretion in black-holes with large
peculiar motions relative to background. We discuss how cosmological
constraints are modified by the introduction of the critical mass since that
PBHs above it do not disturb the CMBR. We show that there is a large range of
admissible masses for PBHs above the critical mass but well below the
cosmological horizon. Finally we outline a minimal kinetic formalism, solved in
some limiting cases, to deal with more complicated cases of PBH populationsComment: RevTex file, 8 pp., 3 .ps figures available upon request from
[email protected]
Timelike self-similar spherically symmetric perfect-fluid models
Einstein's field equations for timelike self-similar spherically symmetric
perfect-fluid models are investigated. The field equations are rewritten as a
first-order system of autonomous differential equations. Dimensionless
variables are chosen in such a way that the number of equations in the coupled
system is reduced as far as possible and so that the reduced phase space
becomes compact and regular. The system is subsequently analysed qualitatively
using the theory of dynamical systems.Comment: 23 pages, 6 eps-figure
The state space and physical interpretation of self-similar spherically symmetric perfect-fluid models
The purpose of this paper is to further investigate the solution space of
self-similar spherically symmetric perfect-fluid models and gain deeper
understanding of the physical aspects of these solutions. We achieve this by
combining the state space description of the homothetic approach with the use
of the physically interesting quantities arising in the comoving approach. We
focus on three types of models. First, we consider models that are natural
inhomogeneous generalizations of the Friedmann Universe; such models are
asymptotically Friedmann in their past and evolve fluctuations in the energy
density at later times. Second, we consider so-called quasi-static models. This
class includes models that undergo self-similar gravitational collapse and is
important for studying the formation of naked singularities. If naked
singularities do form, they have profound implications for the predictability
of general relativity as a theory. Third, we consider a new class of
asymptotically Minkowski self-similar spacetimes, emphasizing that some of them
are associated with the self-similar solutions associated with the critical
behaviour observed in recent gravitational collapse calculations.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figure
Internal stress wave measurements in solids subjected to lithotripter pulses
Semiconductor strain gauges were used to measure the internal strain along the axes of spherical and disk plaster specimens when subjected to lithotripter shock pulses. The pulses were produced by one of two lithotripters. The first source generates spherically diverging shock waves of peak pressure approximately 1 MPa at the surface of the specimen. For this source, the incident and first reflected pressure (P) waves in both sphere and disk specimens were identified. In addition, waves reflected by the disk circumference were found to contribute significantly to the strain fields along the disk axis. Experimental results compared favorably to a ray theory analysis of a spherically diverging shock wave striking either concretion. For the sphere, pressure contours for the incident P wave and caustic lines were determined theoretically for an incident spherical shock wave. These caustic lines indicate the location of the highest stresses within the sphere and therefore the areas where damage may occur. Results were also presented for a second source that uses an ellipsoidal reflector to generate a 30-MPa focused shock wave, more closely approximating the wave fields of a clinical extracorporeal lithotripter
Insertion of the CXC chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL9) into the mouse hepatitis virus genome results in protection from viral-induced encephalitis and hepatitis.
The role of the CXC chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL9) in host defense following infection with mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) was determined. Inoculation of the central nervous system (CNS) of CXCL9-/- mice with MHV resulted in accelerated and increased mortality compared to wild type mice supporting an important role for CXCL9 in anti-viral defense. In addition, infection of RAG1-/- or CXCL9-/- mice with a recombinant MHV expressing CXCL9 (MHV-CXCL9) resulted in protection from disease that correlated with reduced viral titers within the brain and NK cell-mediated protection in the liver. Survival in MHV-CXCL9-infected CXCL9-/- mice was associated with reduced viral burden within the brain that coincided with increased T cell infiltration. Similarly, viral clearance from the livers of MHV-CXCL9-infected mice was accelerated but independent of increased T cell or NK cell infiltration. These observations indicate that CXCL9 promotes protection from coronavirus-induced neurological and liver disease
Gamma-rays from ultracompact minihalos: potential constraints on the primordial curvature perturbation
Ultracompact minihalos (UCMHs) are dense dark matter structures which can
form from large density perturbations shortly after matter-radiation equality.
If dark matter is in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs),
then UCMHs may be detected via their gamma-ray emission. We investigate how the
{\em{Fermi}} satellite could constrain the abundance of UCMHs and place limits
on the power spectrum of the primordial curvature perturbation. Detection by
{\em Fermi} would put a lower limit on the UCMH halo fraction. The smallest
detectable halo fraction, , is for . If gamma-ray emission from UCMHs is not detected, an
upper limit can be placed on the halo fraction. The bound is tightest, , for . The
resulting upper limit on the power spectrum of the primordial curvature
perturbation in the event of non-detection is in the range on scales . This is substantially tighter than the existing constraints from
primordial black hole formation on these scales, however it assumes that dark
matter is in the form of WIMPs and UCMHs are not disrupted during the formation
of the Milky Way halo.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, version to appear in Phys. Rev. D, minor change
Macroscopic quantum tunnelling of Bose-Einstein condensates in a finite potential well
Bose-Einstein condensates are studied in a potential of finite depth which
supports both bound and quasi-bound states. This potential, which is harmonic
for small radii and decays as a Gaussian for large radii, models experimentally
relevant optical traps. The nonlinearity, which is proportional to both the
number of atoms and the interaction strength, can transform bound states into
quasi-bound ones. The latter have a finite lifetime due to tunnelling through
the barriers at the borders of the well. We predict the lifetime and stability
properties for repulsive and attractive condensates in one, two, and three
dimensions, for both the ground state and excited soliton and vortex states. We
show, via a combination of the variational and WKB approximations, that
macroscopic quantum tunnelling in such systems can be observed on time scales
of 10 milliseconds to 10 seconds.Comment: J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. in pres
Stability criterion for self-similar solutions with a scalar field and those with a stiff fluid in general relativity
A stability criterion is derived in general relativity for self-similar
solutions with a scalar field and those with a stiff fluid, which is a perfect
fluid with the equation of state . A wide class of self-similar
solutions turn out to be unstable against kink mode perturbation. According to
the criterion, the Evans-Coleman stiff-fluid solution is unstable and cannot be
a critical solution for the spherical collapse of a stiff fluid if we allow
sufficiently small discontinuity in the density gradient field in the initial
data sets. The self-similar scalar-field solution, which was recently found
numerically by Brady {\it et al.} (2002 {\it Class. Quantum. Grav.} {\bf 19}
6359), is also unstable. Both the flat Friedmann universe with a scalar field
and that with a stiff fluid suffer from kink instability at the particle
horizon scale.Comment: 15 pages, accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravity,
typos correcte
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