13,269 research outputs found
Symplectic gauge fields and dark matter
The dynamics of symplectic gauge fields provides a consistent framework for
fundamental interactions based on spin three gauge fields. One remarkable
property is that symplectic gauge fields only have minimal couplings with
gravitational fields and not with any other field of the Standard Model.
Interactions with ordinary matter and radiation can only arise from radiative
corrections. In spite of the gauge nature of symplectic fields they acquire a
mass by the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism which generates Higgs-like mass terms
where the gravitational field is playing the role of a Higgs field. Massive
symplectic gauge fields weakly interacting with ordinary matter are natural
candidates for the dark matter component of the Universe.Comment: 16 page
Non-analyticities in three-dimensional gauge theories
Quantum fluctuations generate in three-dimensional gauge theories not only
radiative corrections to the Chern-Simons coupling but also non-analytic terms
in the effective action. We review the role of those terms in gauge theories
with massless fermions and Chern-Simons theories. The explicit form of
non-analytic terms turns out to be dependent on the regularization scheme and
in consequence the very existence of phenomena like parity and framing
anomalies becomes regularization dependent. In particular we find
regularization regimes where both anomalies are absent. Due to the presence of
non-analytic terms the effective action becomes not only discontinuous but also
singular for some background gauge fields which include sphalerons. The
appearence of this type of singularities is linked to the existence of nodal
configurations in physical states and tunneling suppression at some classical
field configurations. In the topological field theory the number of physical
states may also become regularization dependent. Another consequence of the
peculiar behaviour of three-dimensional theories under parity odd
regularizations is the existence of a simple mechanism of generation of a mass
gap in pure Yang-Mills theory by a suitable choice of regularization scheme.
The generic value of this mass does agree with the values obtained in
Hamiltonian and numerical analysis. Finally, the existence of different
regularization regimes unveils the difficulties of establishing a Zamolodchikov
c-theorem for three-dimensional field theories in terms of the induced
gravitational Chern-Simons couplings.Comment: 21 pages; Contribution to Ian Kogan Memorial Collection, ``From
Fields to Strings: Circumnavigating Theoretical Physics'
Casimir Effect and Global Theory of Boundary Conditions
The consistency of quantum field theories defined on domains with external
borders imposes very restrictive constraints on the type of boundary conditions
that the fields can satisfy. We analyse the global geometrical and topological
properties of the space of all possible boundary conditions for scalar quantum
field theories. The variation of the Casimir energy under the change of
boundary conditions reveals the existence of singularities generically
associated to boundary conditions which either involve topology changes of the
underlying physical space or edge states with unbounded below classical energy.
The effect can be understood in terms of a new type of Maslov index associated
to the non-trivial topology of the space of boundary conditions. We also
analyze the global aspects of the renormalization group flow, T-duality and the
conformal invariance of the corresponding fixed points.Comment: 11 page
Competition between noise and coupling in the induction of synchronisation.
We apply a Fokker-Planck analysis to investigate the relative influences of coupling strength and noise on the synchronisation of two phase oscillators. We go beyond earlier studies of noise-induced synchronisation (without couplings) and coupling-induced synchronisation (without common noise) to consider both effects together, and we obtain a result that is very different from a straightforward superposition of the effects of each agent acting alone: two regimes are possible depending on which agent is inducing the synchronisation. In each regime, one agent induces and the other hinders the synchronisation. In particular we show that, counterintuitively, coupling can sometimes inhibit synchronisation
Stars and brown dwarfs in the sigma Orionis cluster. III. OSIRIS/GTC low-resolution spectroscopy of variable sources
Context. Although many studies have been performed so far, there are still
dozens of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in the young sigma Orionis open
cluster without detailed spectroscopic characterisation. Aims. We look for
unknown strong accretors and disc hosts that were undetected in previous
surveys. Methods. We collected low-resolution spectroscopy (R ~ 700) of ten
low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in sigma Orionis with OSIRIS at the Gran
Telescopio Canarias under very poor weather conditions. These objects display
variability in the optical, infrared, Halpha, and/or X-rays on time scales of
hours to years. We complemented our spectra with optical and near-/mid-infrared
photometry. Results. For seven targets, we detected lithium in absorption,
identified Halpha, the calcium doublet, and forbidden lines in emission, and/or
determined spectral types for the first time. We characterise in detail a
faint, T Tauri-like brown dwarf with an 18 h-period variability in the optical
and a large Halpha equivalent width of -125+/-15 AA, as well as two M1-type,
X-ray-flaring, low-mass stars, one with a warm disc and forbidden emission
lines, the other with a previously unknown cold disc with a large inner hole.
Conclusions. New unrevealed strong accretors and disc hosts, even below the
substellar limit, await discovery among the list of known sigma Orionis stars
and brown dwarfs that are variable in the optical and have no detailed
spectroscopic characterisation yet.Comment: A&A, in press (accepted for publication in section 14. Catalogs and
data of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Monitoring luminous yellow massive stars in M33: new yellow hypergiant candidates
The evolution of massive stars surviving the red supergiant (RSG) stage
remains unexplored due to the rarity of such objects. The yellow hypergiants
(YHGs) appear to be the warm counterparts of post-RSG classes located near the
Humphreys-Davidson upper luminosity limit, which are characterized by
atmospheric instability and high mass-loss rates. We aim to increase the number
of YHGs in M33 and thus to contribute to a better understanding of the
pre-supernova evolution of massive stars. Optical spectroscopy of five
dust-enshrouded YSGs selected from mid-IR criteria was obtained with the goal
of detecting evidence of extensive atmospheres. We also analyzed BVI photometry
for 21 of the most luminous YSGs in M33 to identify changes in the spectral
type. To explore the properties of circumstellar dust, we performed SED-fitting
of multi-band photometry of the 21 YSGs. We find three luminous YSGs in our
sample to be YHG candidates, as they are surrounded by hot dust and are
enshrouded within extended, cold dusty envelopes. Our spectroscopy of star 2
shows emission of more than one H component, as well as emission of
CaII, implying an extended atmospheric structure. In addition, the long-term
monitoring of the star reveals a dimming in the visual light curve of amplitude
larger than 0.5 mag that caused an apparent drop in the temperature that
exceeded 500 K. We suggest the observed variability to be analogous to that of
the Galactic YHG Cas. Five less luminous YSGs are suggested as post-RSG
candidates showing evidence of hot or/and cool dust emission. We demonstrate
that mid-IR photometry, combined with optical spectroscopy and time-series
photometry, provide a robust method for identifying candidate YHGs. Future
discovery of YHGs in Local Group galaxies is critical for the study of the late
evolution of intermediate-mass massive stars.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures, 7 Tables. A&A in pres
Sentiment cascades in the 15M movement
Recent grassroots movements have suggested that online social networks might
play a key role in their organization, as adherents have a fast, many-to-many,
communication channel to help coordinate their mobilization. The structure and
dynamics of the networks constructed from the digital traces of protesters have
been analyzed to some extent recently. However, less effort has been devoted to
the analysis of the semantic content of messages exchanged during the protest.
Using the data obtained from a microblogging service during the brewing and
active phases of the 15M movement in Spain, we perform the first large scale
test of theories on collective emotions and social interaction in collective
actions. Our findings show that activity and information cascades in the
movement are larger in the presence of negative collective emotions and when
users express themselves in terms related to social content. At the level of
individual participants, our results show that their social integration in the
movement, as measured through social network metrics, increases with their
level of engagement and of expression of negativity. Our findings show that
non-rational factors play a role in the formation and activity of social
movements through online media, having important consequences for viral
spreading.Comment: EPJ Data Science vol 4 (2015) (forthcoming
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