Particle on the Innermost Stable Circular Orbit of a Rapidly Spinning Black Hole

We compute the radiation emitted by a particle on the innermost stable circular orbit of a rapidly spinning black hole both (a) analytically, working to leading order in the deviation from extremality and (b) numerically, with a new high-precision Teukolsky code. We find excellent agreement between the two methods. We confirm previous estimates of the overall scaling of the power radiated, but show that there are also small oscillations all the way to extremality. Furthermore, we reveal an intricate mode-by-mode structure in the flux to infinity, with only certain modes having the dominant scaling. The scaling of each mode is controlled by its conformal weight, a quantity that arises naturally in the representation theory of the enhanced near-horizon symmetry group. We find relationships to previous work on particles orbiting in precisely extreme Kerr, including detailed agreement of quantities computed here with conformal field theory calculations performed in the context of the Kerr/CFT correspondence.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, v2: reference added, minor changes, matches published versio

An Approximate Large NN Method for Lattice Chiral Models

An approximation is used that permits one to explicitly solve the two-point Schwinger-Dyson equations of the U(N) lattice chiral models. The approximate solution correctly predicts a phase transition for dimensions $d$ greater than two. For $d \le 2$, the system is in a single disordered phase with a mass gap. The method reproduces known $N=\infty$ results well for $d=1$. For $d=2$, there is a moderate difference with $N=\infty$ results only in the intermediate coupling constant region.Comment: Latex file, 19 page

Perturbation theory in a pure exchange non-equilibrium economy

We develop a formalism to study linearized perturbations around the equilibria of a pure exchange economy. With the use of mean field theory techniques, we derive equations for the flow of products in an economy driven by heterogeneous preferences and probabilistic interaction between agents. We are able to show that if the economic agents have static preferences, which are also homogeneous in any of the steady states, the final wealth distribution is independent of the dynamics of the non-equilibrium theory. In particular, it is completely determined in terms of the initial conditions, and it is independent of the probability, and the network of interaction between agents. We show that the main effect of the network is to determine the relaxation time via the usual eigenvalue gap as in random walks on graphs.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

Self-Maintained Coherent Oscillations in Dense Neutrino Gases

We present analytical solutions to the nonlinear equations describing the behavior of a gas of neutrinos with two flavors. Self-maintained coherent flavor oscillations are shown to occur when the gas density exceeds a critical value determined by the neutrino masses and the mean neutrino energy in the gas. Similar oscillations may have occurred in the early Universe.Comment: To appear in Physical Review D, July 199

Canonical Generations and the British Left: The Narrative Construction of the Miners’ Strike 1984–85

‘Generations’ have been invoked to describe a variety of social and cultural relationships, and to understand the development of self-conscious group identity. Equally, the term can be an applied label and politically useful construct; generations can be retrospectively produced. Drawing on the concept of ‘canonical generations’ – those whose experiences come to epitomise an event of historic and symbolic importance – this article examines the narrative creation and functions of ‘generations’ as collective memory shapes and re-shapes the desire for social change. Building a case study of the canonical role of the miners’ strike of 1984–85 in the narrative history of the British left, it examines the selective appropriation and transmission of the past in the development of political consciousness. It foregrounds the autobiographical narratives of activists who, in examining and legitimising their own actions and prospects, (re)produce a ‘generation’ in order to create a relatable and useful historical understanding

Descent Relations and Oscillator Level Truncation Method

We reexamine the oscillator level truncation method in the bosonic String Field Theory (SFT) by calculation the descent relation =Z_3<V_2|. For the ghost sector we use the fermionic vertices in the standard oscillator basis. We propose two new schemes for calculations. In the first one we assume that the insertion satisfies the overlap equation for the vertices and in the second one we use the direct calculations. In both schemes we get the correct structures of the exponent and pre-exponent of the vertex <V_2|, but we find out different normalization factors Z_3.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, Late