1,322 research outputs found
Quantum M^2 -> 2Lambda/3 discontinuity for massive gravity with a Lambda term
In a previous paper we showed that the absence of the van
Dam-Veltman-Zakharov discontinuity as M^2 -> 0 for massive spin-2 with a Lambda
term is an artifact of the tree approximation, and that the discontinuity
reappears at one loop, as a result of going from five degrees of freedom to
two. In this paper we show that a similar classical continuity but quantum
discontinuity arises in the "partially massless" limit M^2 -> 2Lambda/3, as a
result of going from five degrees of freedom to four.Comment: 8 pages, REVTe
Septal Oxytocin Administration Impairs Peer Affiliation via V1a Receptors in Female Meadow Voles
The peptide hormone oxytocin (OT) plays an important role in social behaviors, including social bond formation. In different contexts, however, OT is also associated with aggression, social selectivity, and reduced affiliation. Female meadow voles form social preferences for familiar same-sex peers under short, winter-like day lengths in the laboratory, and provide a means of studying affiliation outside the context of reproductive pair bonds. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the actions of OT in the lateral septum (LS) may decrease affiliative behavior, including greater density of OT receptors in the LS of meadow voles that huddle less. We infused OT into the LS of female meadow voles immediately prior to cohabitation with a social partner to determine its effects on partner preference formation. OT prevented the formation of preferences for the partner female. Co-administration of OT with a specific OT receptor antagonist did not reverse the effect, but co-administration of OT with a specific vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR) antagonist did, indicating that OT in the LS likely acted through V1aRs to decrease partner preference. Receptor autoradiography revealed dense V1aR binding in the LS of female meadow voles. These results suggest that the LS is a brain region that may be responsible for inhibitory effects of OT administration on affiliation, which will be important to consider in therapeutic administrations of OT
Quantum Discontinuity for Massive Spin 3/2 with a Lambda Term
We show that the recently demonstrated absence of the van
Dam-Veltman-Zakharov discontinuity for massive spin 3/2 with a Lambda term is
an artifact of the tree level approximation, and that the discontinuity
reappears at one loop. As a numerical check on the calculation, we rederive the
vanishing of the one- loop beta function for D=11 supergravity on AdS_4 x S^7
level-by-level in the Kaluza-Klein tower
Logarithmic Corrections to N=2 Black Hole Entropy: An Infrared Window into the Microstates
Logarithmic corrections to the extremal black hole entropy can be computed
purely in terms of the low energy data -- the spectrum of massless fields and
their interaction. The demand of reproducing these corrections provides a
strong constraint on any microscopic theory of quantum gravity that attempts to
explain the black hole entropy. Using quantum entropy function formalism we
compute logarithmic corrections to the entropy of half BPS black holes in N=2
supersymmetric string theories. Our results allow us to test various proposals
for the measure in the OSV formula, and we find agreement with the measure
proposed by Denef and Moore if we assume their result to be valid at weak
topological string coupling. Our analysis also gives the logarithmic
corrections to the entropy of extremal Reissner-Nordstrom black holes in
ordinary Einstein-Maxwell theory.Comment: LaTeX file, 66 page
Stellar Inversion Techniques
Stellar seismic inversions have proved to be a powerful technique for probing
the internal structure of stars, and paving the way for a better understanding
of the underlying physics by revealing some of the shortcomings in current
stellar models. In this lecture, we provide an introduction to this topic by
explaining kernel-based inversion techniques. Specifically, we explain how
various kernels are obtained from the pulsation equations, and describe
inversion techniques such as the Regularised Least-Squares (RLS) and Optimally
Localised Averages (OLA) methods.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures. Lecture presented at the IVth Azores
International Advanced School in Space Sciences on "Asteroseismology and
Exoplanets: Listening to the Stars and Searching for New Worlds"
(arXiv:1709.00645), which took place in Horta, Azores Islands, Portugal in
July 201
Low Background Micromegas in CAST
Solar axions could be converted into x-rays inside the strong magnetic field
of an axion helioscope, triggering the detection of this elusive particle. Low
background x-ray detectors are an essential component for the sensitivity of
these searches. We report on the latest developments of the Micromegas
detectors for the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST), including technological
pathfinder activities for the future International Axion Observatory (IAXO).
The use of low background techniques and the application of discrimination
algorithms based on the high granularity of the readout have led to background
levels below 10 counts/keV/cm/s, more than a factor 100 lower than
the first generation of Micromegas detectors. The best levels achieved at the
Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) are as low as 10
counts/keV/cm/s, showing good prospects for the application of this
technology in IAXO. The current background model, based on underground and
surface measurements, is presented, as well as the strategies to further reduce
the background level. Finally, we will describe the R&D paths to achieve
sub-keV energy thresholds, which could broaden the physics case of axion
helioscopes.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Large TPC Conference 2014, Pari
Logarithmic Corrections to Rotating Extremal Black Hole Entropy in Four and Five Dimensions
We compute logarithmic corrections to the entropy of rotating extremal black
holes using quantum entropy function i.e. Euclidean quantum gravity approach.
Our analysis includes five dimensional supersymmetric BMPV black holes in type
IIB string theory on T^5 and K3 x S^1 as well as in the five dimensional CHL
models, and also non-supersymmetric extremal Kerr black hole and slowly
rotating extremal Kerr-Newmann black holes in four dimensions. For BMPV black
holes our results are in perfect agreement with the microscopic results derived
from string theory. In particular we reproduce correctly the dependence of the
logarithmic corrections on the number of U(1) gauge fields in the theory, and
on the angular momentum carried by the black hole in different scaling limits.
We also explain the shortcomings of the Cardy limit in explaining the
logarithmic corrections in the limit in which the (super)gravity description of
these black holes becomes a valid approximation. For non-supersymmetric
extremal black holes, e.g. for the extremal Kerr black hole in four dimensions,
our result provides a stringent testing ground for any microscopic explanation
of the black hole entropy, e.g. Kerr/CFT correspondence.Comment: LaTeX file, 50 pages; v2: added extensive discussion on the relation
between boundary condition and choice of ensemble, modified analysis for
slowly rotating black holes, all results remain unchanged, typos corrected;
v3: minor additions and correction
A serendipitous all sky survey for bright objects in the outer solar system
We use seven yearʼs worth of observations from the Catalina Sky Survey and the Siding Spring Survey covering most of the northern and southern hemisphere at galactic latitudes higher than 20° to search for serendipitously imaged moving objects in the outer solar system. These slowly moving objects would appear as stationary transients in these fast cadence asteroids surveys, so we develop methods to discover objects in the outer solar system using individual observations spaced by months, rather than spaced by hours, as is typically done. While we independently discover eight known bright objects in the outer solar system, the faintest having no new objects are discovered. We find that the survey is nearly 100% efficient at detecting objects beyond 25 AU for ( in the southern hemisphere) and that the probability that there is one or more remaining outer solar system object of this brightness left to be discovered in the unsurveyed regions of the galactic plane is approximately 32%
Some general properties of the renormalized stress-energy tensor for static quantum states on (n+1)-dimensional spherically symmetric black holes
We study the renormalized stress-energy tensor (RSET) for static quantum
states on (n+1)-dimensional, static, spherically symmetric black holes. By
solving the conservation equations, we are able to write the stress-energy
tensor in terms of a single unknown function of the radial co-ordinate, plus
two arbitrary constants. Conditions for the stress-energy tensor to be regular
at event horizons (including the extremal and ``ultra-extremal'' cases) are
then derived using generalized Kruskal-like co-ordinates. These results should
be useful for future calculations of the RSET for static quantum states on
spherically symmetric black hole geometries in any number of space-time
dimensions.Comment: 9 pages, no figures, RevTeX4, references added, accepted for
publication in General Relativity and Gravitatio
- …