Coordinate representation of particle dynamics in AdS and in generic static spacetimes

We discuss the quantum dynamics of a particle in static curved spacetimes in a coordinate representation. The scheme is based on the analysis of the squared energy operator E^2, which is quadratic in momenta and contains a scalar curvature term. Our main emphasis is on AdS spaces, where this term is fixed by the isometry group. As a byproduct the isometry generators are constructed and the energy spectrum is reproduced. In the massless case the conformal symmetry is realized as well. We show the equivalence between this quantization and the covariant quantization, based on the Klein-Gordon type equation in AdS. We further demonstrate that the two quantization methods in an arbitrary (N+1)-dimensional static spacetime are equivalent to each other if the scalar curvature terms both in the operator E^2 and in the Klein-Gordon type equation have the same coefficient equal to (N-1)/(4N).Comment: 14 pages, no figures, typos correcte

Impact of the measured parameters of exoplanets on the inferred internal structure

Exoplanet characterization is one of the main foci of current exoplanetary science. For super-Earths and sub-Neptunes, we mostly rely on mass and radius measurements, which allow to derive the body's mean density and give a rough estimate of the planet's bulk composition. However, the determination of planetary interiors is a very challenging task. In addition to the uncertainty in the observed fundamental parameters, theoretical models are limited due to the degeneracy in determining the planetary composition. We aim to study several aspects that affect internal characterization of super-Earths and sub-Neptunes: observational uncertainties, location on the M-R diagram, impact of additional constraints as bulk abundances or irradiation, and model assumptions. We use a full probabilistic Bayesian inference analysis that accounts for observational and model uncertainties. We employ a Nested Sampling scheme to efficiently produce the posterior probability distributions for all the planetary structural parameter of interest. We include a structural model based on self-consistent thermodynamics of core, mantle, high-pressure ice, liquid water, and H-He envelope. Regarding the effect of mass and radius uncertainties on the determination of the internal structure, we find three different regimes: below the Earth-like composition line and above the pure-water composition line smaller observational uncertainties lead to better determination of the core and atmosphere mass respectively, and between them structure characterization only weakly depends on the observational uncertainties. We show that small variations in the temperature or entropy profiles lead to radius variations that are comparable to the observational uncertainty, suggesting that uncertainties linked to model assumptions can become more relevant to determine the internal structure than observational uncertainties.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

Comparative study of gp130 cytokine effects on corticotroph AtT-20 cells - Redundancy or specificity of neuroimmunoendocrine modulators?

Objective: This comparative in vitro study examined the effects of all known gp130 cytokines on murine corticotroph AtT-20 cell function. Methods: Cytokines were tested at equimolar concentrations from 0.078 to 10 nM. Tyrosine phosphorylation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription ( STAT) 3 and STAT1, the STAT-dependent suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)-3 promoter activity, SOCS-3 gene expression, STAT-dependent POMC promoter activity and adrenocorticotropic hormone ( ACTH) secretion were determined. Results: Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), human oncostatin M (OSM) and cardiotrophin (CT)-1 (LIFR/gp130 ligands), as well as ciliary neurotrophic factor ( CNTF) and novel neurotrophin1/B-cell stimulating factor-3 (CNTFRalpha/LIFR/gp130 ligands) are potent stimuli of corticotroph cells in vitro. In comparison, interleukin (IL)-6 (IL-6R/gp130 ligand) and IL-11 (IL-11R/gp130 ligand) exhibited only modest direct effects on corticotrophs, while murine OSM (OSMR/gp130 ligand) showed no effect. Conclusion: (i) CNTFR complex ligands are potent stimuli of corticotroph function, comparable to LIFR complex ligands; (ii) IL-6 and IL-11 are relatively weak direct stimuli of corticotroph function; (iii) differential effects of human and murine OSM suggest that LIFR/gp130 (OSMR type I) but not OSMR/gp130 (OSMR type II) are involved in corticotroph signaling. (iv) CT-1 has the hitherto unknown ability to stimulate corticotroph function, and (v) despite redundant immuno-neuroendocrine effects of different gp130 cytokines, corticotroph cells are preferably activated through the LIFR and CNTFR complexes. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

Electron impact double ionization of helium from classical trajectory calculations

With a recently proposed quasiclassical ansatz [Geyer and Rost, J. Phys. B 35 (2002) 1479] it is possible to perform classical trajectory ionization calculations on many electron targets. The autoionization of the target is prevented by a M\o{}ller type backward--forward propagation scheme and allows to consider all interactions between all particles without additional stabilization. The application of the quasiclassical ansatz for helium targets is explained and total and partially differential cross sections for electron impact double ionization are calculated. In the high energy regime the classical description fails to describe the dominant TS1 process, which leads to big deviations, whereas for low energies the total cross section is reproduced well. Differential cross sections calculated at 250 eV await their experimental confirmation.Comment: LaTeX, 22 pages, 10 figures, submitted to J. Phys.

Parameterized Directed kk-Chinese Postman Problem and kk Arc-Disjoint Cycles Problem on Euler Digraphs

In the Directed $k$-Chinese Postman Problem ($k$-DCPP), we are given a connected weighted digraph $G$ and asked to find $k$ non-empty closed directed walks covering all arcs of $G$ such that the total weight of the walks is minimum. Gutin, Muciaccia and Yeo (Theor. Comput. Sci. 513 (2013) 124--128) asked for the parameterized complexity of $k$-DCPP when $k$ is the parameter. We prove that the $k$-DCPP is fixed-parameter tractable. We also consider a related problem of finding $k$ arc-disjoint directed cycles in an Euler digraph, parameterized by $k$. Slivkins (ESA 2003) showed that this problem is W[1]-hard for general digraphs. Generalizing another result by Slivkins, we prove that the problem is fixed-parameter tractable for Euler digraphs. The corresponding problem on vertex-disjoint cycles in Euler digraphs remains W[1]-hard even for Euler digraphs

Evaluating the performance of ionic liquid coatings for mitigation of spacecraft surface charges

To reduce the impact of charging effects on satellites, cheap and lightweight conductive coatings are desirable. We mimic space-like charging environments in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chambers during deposition of charges via the electron beam of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). We use the charge induced signatures in SEM images of a thin ionic liquid (IL) film on insulating surfaces such as glass, to assess the general performance of such coatings. In order to get a reference structure in SEM, the samples were structured by nanosphere lithography and coated with IL. The IL film (we choose BMP DCA, due to its beneficial physical properties) was applied ex situ and a thickness of 10 to 30 nm was determined by reflectometry. Such an IL film is stable under vacuum conditions. It would also only lead to additional mass of below 20 mg/m$^2$. At about 5 A/m$^2 \approx 3\cdot10^{19}$ e/(s$\cdot$m$^2$), a typical sample charging rate in SEM, imaging is possible with no noticeable contrast changes over many hours; this electron current density is already 6 orders of magnitudes higher than "worst case geosynchronous environments" of $3\cdot10^{-6}$ A/m$^2$. Measurements of the surface potential are used for further insights in the reaction of IL films to the electron beam of a SEM. Participating mechanisms such as polarization or reorientation will are discussed.Comment: Submitted to Proceedings of the 14th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth System Observatio

Loop Equation in Two-dimensional Noncommutative Yang-Mills Theory

The classical analysis of Kazakov and Kostov of the Makeenko-Migdal loop equation in two-dimensional gauge theory leads to usual partial differential equations with respect to the areas of windows formed by the loop. We extend this treatment to the case of U(N) Yang-Mills defined on the noncommutative plane. We deal with all the subtleties which arise in their two-dimensional geometric procedure, using where needed results from the perturbative computations of the noncommutative Wilson loop available in the literature. The open Wilson line contribution present in the non-commutative version of the loop equation drops out in the resulting usual differential equations. These equations for all N have the same form as in the commutative case for N to infinity. However, the additional supplementary input from factorization properties allowing to solve the equations in the commutative case is no longer valid.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, references added, small clarifications adde

Quantum-Gravitational Diffusion and Stochastic Fluctuations in the Velocity of Light

We argue that quantum-gravitational fluctuations in the space-time background give the vacuum non-trivial optical properties that include diffusion and consequent uncertainties in the arrival times of photons, causing stochastic fluctuations in the velocity of light ``in vacuo''. Our proposal is motivated within a Liouville string formulation of quantum gravity that also suggests a frequency-dependent refractive index of the particle vacuum. We construct an explicit realization by treating photon propagation through quantum excitations of $D$-brane fluctuations in the space-time foam. These are described by higher-genus string effects, that lead to stochastic fluctuations in couplings, and hence in the velocity of light. We discuss the possibilities of constraining or measuring photon diffusion ``in vacuo'' via $\gamma$-ray observations of distant astrophysical sources.Comment: 17 pages LATEX, uses axodraw style fil