Observational cosmology and the cosmic distance-duality relation

We study the validity of cosmic distance duality relation between angular diameter and luminosity distances. To test this duality relation we use the latest Union2 Supernovae Type Ia (SNe Ia) data for estimating the luminosity distance. The estimation of angular diameter distance comes from the samples of galaxy clusters (real and mock) and FRIIb radio galaxies. We parameterize the distance duality relation as a function of redshift in four different ways and we find that the mock data set, which assumes a spherical isothermal $\beta$ model for the galaxy clusters does not accommodate the distance duality relation while the real data set which assumes elliptical $\beta$ model does.Comment: 4 pages, Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Gravitation and Cosmology, 14-19 December (2011), Goa, INDI

Magnetic Field and Curvature Effects on Pair Production II: Vectors and Implications for Chromodynamics

We calculate the pair production rates for spin-$1$ or vector particles on spaces of the form $M \times {\mathbb R}^{1,1}$ with $M$ corresponding to ${\mathbb R}^2$ (flat), $S^2$ (positive curvature) and $H^2$ (negative curvature), with and without a background (chromo)magnetic field on $M$. Beyond highlighting the effects of curvature and background magnetic field, this is particularly interesting since vector particles are known to suffer from the Nielsen-Olesen instability, which can dramatically increase pair production rates. The form of this instability for $S^2$ and $H^2$ is obtained. We also give a brief discussion of how our results relate to ideas about confinement in nonabelian theories.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figure

The Isospin Asymmetry in Anomalous Fluid Dynamics

The dynamics of fluids in which the constituent particles carry nonabelian charges can be described succinctly in terms of group-valued variables via a generalization of the co-adjoint orbit action for particles. This formalism, which is particularly suitable for incorporating anomalies, has previously been used for the chiral magnetic and chiral vorticity effects. Here we consider the similar effect for the isospin which corresponds to an angular asymmetry for neutral pions.Comment: 12 page

Comparison of the effects of high and low milk-replacer feeding regimens on health and growth of crossbred dairy heifers

Context: Pre-weaning growth in dairy heifers is highly dependent on the amount of milk fed. Both milk replacer (MR) and associated labour are costly, encouraging restricted milk rations and once-a-day feeding. Aims: This study compared performance relating to the growth and health of calves receiving one of two commercial feeding regimens: High or Low. Methods: All heifers born during the Spring (January–March) calving block on a commercial UK farm with mixed-breed genetics were recruited at birth, randomly assigned to the High (n = 104, receiving MR-A) or Low (n = 88, receiving MR-B) feed group and reared indoors on straw bedding, with free access to concentrate. Both groups initially received MR twice daily. The High group continued to receive MR twice daily throughout the experiment, whereas the Low group calves were reduced to a single MR feed daily during Weeks 4–8. Blood samples were taken in Weeks 1 and 6 to assess passive transfer and measure circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). The Wisconsin calf-scoring system was used to assess health of calves in Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 and at 6 months and size was also measured at these times. Data were analysed by univariate and multivariate models. Key results: Passive transfer was good in both groups (serum total protein (mean ± s.d.) 60.9 ± 9.1 mg/mL) with no differences in pre-weaning disease incidence; diarrhoea occurred in 64.5% and bovine respiratory disease in 26.3% of calves. High group calves were significantly heavier, taller and longer at all pre-weaning examinations except recruitment owing to more growth in the first month, and remained significantly larger at 6 months: weight 157 ± 8 vs 149 ± 7 kg, height 103 ± 5 vs 100 ± 5 cm, length 90 ± 4 vs 88 ± 5 cm. Plasma IGF1 concentrations at around Week 6 were doubled in the High group (101 ± 38.6 vs 55 ± 34.1 ng/mL). Bovine respiratory disease was associated with reduced weight gain. Heifers with diarrhoea were leaner at weaning. High feed group, weight at recruitment and good passive transfer were positively associated with weight at 6 months. Conclusions: Higher feeding levels pre-weaning increased growth rates and IGF1, although the disease incidence was unaffected. Implications: Previous studies have shown that more growth and higher IGF1 pre-weaning are associated with a lower age at first calving and an increased chance of reaching the end of first lactation. These in turn improve long-term performance

Control Synthesis for an Underactuated Cable Suspended System Using Dynamic Decoupling

This article studies the dynamics and control of a novel underactuated system, wherein a plate suspended by cables and with a freely moving mass on top, whose other ends are attached to three quadrotors, is sought to be horizontally stabilized at a certain height, with the ball positioned at the center of mass of the plate. The freely moving mass introduces a 2-degree of underactuation into the system. The design proceeds through a decoupling of the quadrotors and the plate dynamics. Through a partial feedback linearization approach, the attitude of the plate and the translational height of the plate is initially controlled, while maintaining a bounded velocity along the $y$ and $x$ directions. These inputs are then synthesized through the quadrotors with a backstepping and timescale separation argument based on Tikhonov's theorem

Effective Theory of Wilson Lines and Deconfinement

To study the deconfining phase transition at nonzero temperature, I outline the perturbative construction of an effective theory for straight, thermal Wilson lines. Certain large, time dependent gauge transformations play a central role. They imply the existence of interfaces, which can be used to determine the form of the effective theory as a gauged, nonlinear sigma model of adjoint matrices. Especially near the transition, the Wilson line may undergo a Higgs effect. As an adjoint field, this can generate eigenvalue repulsion in the effective theory.Comment: 6 pages, LaTeX. Final, published version. Refs. 7, 39, and 40 added. In Ref. 37, there is an expanded discussion of a "fuzzy" bag mode

Supersymmetry and Mass Gap in 2+1 Dimensions: A Gauge Invariant Hamiltonian Analysis

A Hamiltonian formulation of Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons theories with $0\leq N\leq 4$ supersymmetry in terms of gauge-invariant variables is presented, generalizing earlier work on nonsupersymmetric gauge theories. Special attention is paid to the volume measure of integration (over the gauge orbit space of the fields) which occurs in the inner product for the wave functions and arguments relating it to the renormalization of the Chern-Simons level number and to mass-gaps in the spectrum of the Hamiltonians are presented. The expression for the integration measure is consistent with the absence of mass gap for theories with extended supersymmetry (in the absence of additional matter hypermultiplets and/or Chern-Simons couplings), while for the minimally supersymmetric case, there is a mass-gap, the scale of which is set by a renormalized level number, in agreement with indications from existing literature. The realization of the supersymmetry algebra and the Hamiltonian in terms of the gauge invariant variables is also presented.Comment: 31 pages, References added, typos correcte

Magnetic Field and Curvature Effects on Pair Production I: Scalars and Spinors

The pair production rates for spin-zero and spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ particles are calculated on spaces of the form $M \times {\mathbb R}^{1,1}$ with $M$ corresponding to ${\mathbb R}^2$ (flat), $T^2$ (flat, compactified), $S^2$ (positive curvature) and $H^2$ (negative curvature), with and without a background magnetic field on $M$. The motivation is to elucidate the effects of curvature and background magnetic field. Contrasting effects for positive and negative curvature on the two cases of spin are obtained. For positive curvature, we find enhancement for spin-zero and suppression for spin-$\frac{1}{2}$, with the opposite effect for negative curvature.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figure

Fuzzy spaces and new random matrix ensembles

We analyze the expectation value of observables in a scalar theory on the fuzzy two sphere, represented as a generalized hermitian matrix model. We calculate explicitly the form of the expectation values in the large-N limit and demonstrate that, for any single kind of field (matrix), the distribution of its eigenvalues is still a Wigner semicircle but with a renormalized radius. For observables involving more than one type of matrix we obtain a new distribution corresponding to correlated Wigner semicircles.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure; version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Magnetotransport in the CeIrIn5{_5} system: The influence of antiferromagnetic fluctuations

We present an overview of magnetotransport measurements on the heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn$_5$. Sensitive measurements of the Hall effect and magnetoresistance (MR) are used to elucidate the low temperature phase diagram of this system. The normal-state magnetotransport is highly anomalous, and experimental signatures of a pseudogap-like precursor state to superconductivity as well as evidence for two distinct scattering times governing the Hall effect and the MR are observed. Our observations point out the influence of antiferromagnetic fluctuations on the magnetotransport in this class of materials. The implications of these findings, both in the context of unconventional superconductivity in heavy-fermion systems as well as in relation to the high temperature superconducting cuprates are discussed