Problems and strategy of the first flight to the comets

Substantiation is given for the urgency of using space equipment to study comets in order to work out the basic problem of the origin and evolution of the solar system. The potentialities and advantages of selecting ballistically-accessible objects among the newly discovered comets are shown (as a preliminary study). The technique of early detection of such objects is discussed

On the Question of Polygonality and Irregularities of the Shape of Certain Craters on the Moon

Evaluation of moon crater polygonality, and irregular shape

Penetrators (penetrating sondes) and new possibilities for study of the planets

The fields of possible use of penetrators in space research are considered. A survey of the condition of development and plans for use of penetrators abroad is presented and an analysis is given of the significance of scientific problems when probing planets

Cylindrically symmetric solitons in Einstein-Yang-Mills theory

Recently new Einstein-Yang-Mills (EYM) soliton solutions were presented which describe superconducting strings with Kasner asymptotic (hep-th/0610183). Here we study the static cylindrically symmetric SU(2) EYM system in more detail. The ansatz for the gauge field corresponds to superposition of the azimuthal $B_\phi$ and the longitudinal $B_z$ components of the color magnetic field. We derive sum rules relating data on the symmetry axis to asymptotic data and show that generic asymptotic structure of regular solutions is Kasner. Solutions starting with vacuum data on the axis generically are divergent. Regular solutions correspond to some bifurcation manifold in the space of parameters which has the low-energy limiting point corresponding to string solutions in flat space (with the divergent total energy) and the high-curvature point where gravity is crucial. Some analytical results are presented for the low energy limit, and numerical bifurcation curves are constructed in the gravitating case. Depending on the parameters, the solution looks like a straight string or a pair of straight and circular strings. The existence of such non-linear superposition of two strings becomes possible due to self-interaction terms in the Yang-Mills action which suppress contribution of the circular string near the polar axis.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figure

A Variational Approach to Nonlocal Exciton-Phonon Coupling

In this paper we apply variational energy band theory to a form of the Holstein Hamiltonian in which the influence of lattice vibrations (optical phonons) on both local site energies (local coupling) and transfers of electronic excitations between neighboring sites (nonlocal coupling) is taken into account. A flexible spanning set of orthonormal eigenfunctions of the joint exciton-phonon crystal momentum is used to arrive at a variational estimate (bound) of the ground state energy for every value of the joint crystal momentum, yielding a variational estimate of the lowest polaron energy band across the entire Brillouin zone, as well as the complete set of polaron Bloch functions associated with this band. The variation is implemented numerically, avoiding restrictive assumptions that have limited the scope of previous assaults on the same and similar problems. Polaron energy bands and the structure of the associated Bloch states are studied at general points in the three-dimensional parameter space of the model Hamiltonian (electronic tunneling, local coupling, nonlocal coupling), though our principal emphasis lay in under-studied area of nonlocal coupling and its interplay with electronic tunneling; a phase diagram summarizing the latter is presented. The common notion of a "self-trapping transition" is addressed and generalized.Comment: 33 pages, 11 figure

Theory of a Narrow roton Absorption Line in the Spectrum of a Disk-Shaped SHF Resonator

We calculate the probability of the birth of a circular phonon (c-phonon) in He II by a c-photon of the resonator. It is shown that this probability has sharp maxima at frequencies, where the effective group velocity of the c-phonon is equal to zero; the density of states of c-phonons strongly grows at such frequencies. For He II, these frequencies correspond to a roton and a maxon. From the probability of the c-roton birth, we calculate the roto line width which is found to approximately agree with the experimental one. We conclude that the roton line observed in the super-high-frequency (SHF) absorption spectrum of helium is related to the birth of c-rotons. A possible interpretation of the Stark effect observed for the roton line is also proposed.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure, v2: journal variant, several minor correction