The R_h=ct Universe Without Inflation

The horizon problem in the standard model of cosmology (LDCM) arises from the observed uniformity of the cosmic microwave background radiation, which has the same temperature everywhere (except for tiny, stochastic fluctuations), even in regions on opposite sides of the sky, which appear to lie outside of each other's causal horizon. Since no physical process propagating at or below lightspeed could have brought them into thermal equilibrium, it appears that the universe in its infancy required highly improbable initial conditions. In this paper, we examine this well-known problem by considering photon propagation through a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) spacetime at a more fundamental level than has been attempted before, demonstrating that the horizon problem only emerges for a subset of FRW cosmologies, such as LCDM, that include an early phase of rapid deceleration. We show that the horizon problem is nonexistent for the recently introduced R_h=ct universe, obviating the principal motivation for the inclusion of inflation. We demonstrate through direct calculation that, in the R_h=ct universe, even opposite sides of the cosmos have remained causally connected to us - and to each other - from the very first moments in the universe's expansion. Therefore, within the context of the R_h=ct universe, the hypothesized inflationary epoch from t=10^{-35} seconds to 10^{-32} seconds was not needed to fix this particular "problem", though it may still provide benefits to cosmology for other reasons.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. arXiv Slight revisions in refereed version. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Cosmic acceleration: Inhomogeneity versus vacuum energy

In this essay, I present an alternative explanation for the cosmic acceleration which appears as a consequence of recent high redshift Supernova data. In the usual interpretation, this cosmic acceleration is explained by the presence of a positive cosmological constant or vacuum energy, in the background of Friedmann models. Instead, I will consider a Local Rotational Symmetric (LRS) inhomogeneous spacetime, with a barotropic equation of state for the cosmic matter. Within this framework the kinematical acceleration of the cosmic fluid or, equivalently, the inhomogeneity of matter, is just the responsible of the SNe Ia measured cosmic acceleration. Although in our model the Cosmological Principle is relaxed, it maintains local isotropy about our worldline in agreement with the CBR experiments.Comment: LATEX, 7 pags, no figs, Honorable Mention in the 1999 Essay Competition of the Gravity Research Foundatio

A Relativistic Description of Gentry's New Redshift Interpretation

We obtain a new expression of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker metric, which is an analogue of a static chart of the de Sitter space-time. The reduced metric contains two functions, $M(T,R)$ and $\Psi(T,R)$, which are interpreted as, respectively, the mass function and the gravitational potential. We find that, near the coordinate origin, the reduced metric can be approximated in a static form and that the approximated metric function, $\Psi(R)$, satisfies the Poisson equation. Moreover, when the model parameters of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker metric are suitably chosen, the approximated metric coincides with exact solutions of the Einstein equation with the perfect fluid matter. We then solve the radial geodesics on the approximated space-time to obtain the distance-redshift relation of geodesic sources observed by the comoving observer at the origin. We find that the redshift is expressed in terms of a peculiar velocity of the source and the metric function, $\Psi(R)$, evaluated at the source position, and one may think that this is a new interpretation of {\it Gentry's new redshift interpretation}.Comment: 11 pages. Submitted to Modern Physics Letters

Telepresence robotics in an academic library: A study of exposure and adaptation among patrons and employees

Purpose Librarians are working with telepresence robotics for various uses, particularly as a communication method inhabiting a space between video chat and face-to-face interactions. The library at Western Michigan University partnered with the Western Michigan University Communication and Social Robotics Lab to showcase this emerging technology in a high-traffic setting utilized by students of every level and major. The purpose of this paper is to discuss patron reactions to this technology exhibition in the library, beta testing of a telepresence robot in various public services tasks, and library employee attitudes toward this unfamiliar technology before and after one-on-one training. Design/methodology/approach The project gathered data through three studies. In study 1, feedback forms were filled out by patrons who interacted with or piloted the robot. In study 2, observations by the librarians piloting the robot for various public services activities were recorded in a log. In study 3, employees were invited to complete a pretest designed to solicit perceptions and attitudes regarding the use of the robot, become trained in navigating the robot, and complete a posttest for comparison purposes. Results were analyzed to find trends and highlight perceived uses for the technology. Findings Patrons and library employees gave positive feedback regarding the novelty of the technology and appreciated its remote communication capability. Trialed uses of the technology for public services yielded positive results when the TR was used for public relations, such as at special events or in greeting tours, and yielded less positive results when used for reference purposes. Library employees comfort with and perceived utility of the robot grew consistently across departments, levels of experience and employment types after a personal training session. Originality/value Although libraries in recent years have surveyed users regarding TR technology, this paper captures quantitative and qualitative data from a library employee training study regarding perception of the technology. Exploration of the public services uses and library employee acceptance of TR technology is valuable to those contemplating expending time and resources in similar endeavors

The Functional Derivation of Master Equations

Master equations describe the quantum dynamics of open systems interacting with an environment. They play an increasingly important role in understanding the emergence of semiclassical behavior and the generation of entropy, both being related to quantum decoherence. Presently we derive the exact master equation for a homogeneous scalar Higgs or inflaton like field coupled to an environment field represented by an infinite set of harmonic oscillators. Our aim is to demonstrate a derivation directly from the path integral representation of the density matrix propagator. Applications and generalizations of this result are discussed.Comment: 10 pages; LaTex. - Contribution to the workshop Hadron Physics VI, March 1998, Florianopolis (Brazil); proceedings, E. Ferreira et al., eds. (World Scientific). Replaced by slightly modified published versio

Telling the other what one knows? Strategic lying in a modified acquiring-a-company experiment with two-sided private information

Lying for a strategic advantage is to be expected in commercial interactions. But would this be more or less obvious when lying could come from either party and question mutually profitable exchange? To explore this, we modify the acquiring-a-company game (Samuelson and Bazerman in Res Exp Econ 3:105–138, 1985) by letting both, buyer and seller, be privately informed. Specifically, the value of the company for the buyer is known only by the seller; whereas, only the buyer is aware by which proportion the sellers evaluation is lower than that of the buyer. Before bargaining, both parties can reveal what they know via cheap-talk numerical messages. Game theoretically, the pooling equilibrium may or may not allow for trade depending on the commonly known expected evaluation discrepancy. By mutually revealing what one knows, one could boost trade and efficiency. Although strategic misreporting prevails quite generally, it is higher for sellers throughout the experiment. Regarding gender, women misreport less, especially as sellers, and offer higher prices

Behavioral spillovers in local public good provision: an experimental study

In a circular neighborhood, each member has a left and a right neighbor with whom(s) he interacts repeatedly. From their two separate endowment amounts individuals can contribute to each of their two structurally independent public goods, either shared only with their left, respectively right, neighbor. If most group members are discrimination averse and conditionally cooperating with their neighbors, this implies intra- as well as inter personal spillovers which link all neighbors. Investigating individual adaptations in one’s two games with differing freeriding incentives confirms, through behavioral spillovers, that both individual contributions anchor on the local public good with the smaller free-riding incentive. Therefore asymmetry in gaining from local public goods allows to establish a higher level of voluntary cooperation

Does heterogeneity spoil the basket? The role of productivity and feedback information on public good provision

In a circular neighborhood of eight, each member contributes repeatedly to two local public goods, one with the left and one with the right neighbor. All eight two-person games provide only local feedback information and are structurally independent in spite of their overlapping player sets. Heterogeneity is induced intra-personally by asymmetric productivity in left and right games and inter-personally by two randomly selected group members who are less privileged (LP) by being either less productive or excluded from end-of-period feedback information about their payoffs and neighbors’ contributions. Although both LP-types let the neighborhood as a whole evolve less cooperatively, their spillover dynamics differ. While less productive LPs initiate “spoiling the basket” via their low contributions, LPs with no-end-of-round information are exploited by their neighbors. Furthermore, LP-positioning, closest versus most distant, affects how the neighborhood evolves

Cosmological Surrealism: More than ``Eternal Reality" is Needed

Inflationary Cosmology makes the universe ``eternal" and provides for recurrent universe creation, ad infinitum -- making it also plausible to assume that ``our" Big Bang was also preceeded by others, etc.. However, GR tells us that in the ``parent" universe's reference frame, the newborn universe's expansion will never start. Our picture of ``reality" in spacetime has to be enlarged.Comment: 7 pages, TAUP N23