Maxwell's Equations in a Uniformly Rotating Dielectric Medium and the Wilson-Wilson Experiment

This note offers a conceptually straightforward and efficient way to formulate and solve problems in the electromagnetics of moving media based on a representation of Maxwell's equations in terms of differential forms on spacetime together with junction conditions at moving interfaces. This framework is used to address a number of issues that have been discussed recently in this journal about the theoretical description underlying the interpretation of the Wilson-Wilson experiment.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure

Controlled electrochemical growth of ultra-long gold nanoribbons

Citation: Basnet, G., Panta, K. R., Thapa, P. S., & Flanders, B. N. (2017). Controlled electrochemical growth of ultra-long gold nanoribbons. Applied Physics Letters, 110(7), 5. doi:10.1063/1.4976027This paper describes the electrochemical growth of branchless gold nanoribbons with similar to 40 nm x similar to 300 nm cross sections and >100 mu m lengths (giving length-to-thickness aspect ratios of > 10(3)). These structures are useful for opto-electronic studies and as nanoscale electrodes. The 0.75-1.0V voltage amplitude range is optimal for branchless ribbon growth. Reduced amplitudes induce no growth, possibly due to reversible redox chemistry of gold at reduced amplitudes, whereas elevated amplitudes, or excess electrical noise, induce significant side-branching. The inter-relatedness of voltage-amplitude, noise, and side-branching in electrochemical nanoribbon growth is demonstrated. Published by AIP Publishing

Spinor formulation of topologically massive gravity

In the framework of real 2-component spinors in three dimensional space-time we present a description of topologically massive gravity (TMG) in terms of differential forms with triad scalar coefficients. This is essentially a real version of the Newman-Penrose formalism in general relativity. A triad formulation of TMG was considered earlier by Hall, Morgan and Perjes, however, due to an unfortunate choice of signature some of the spinors underlying the Hall-Morgan-Perjes formalism are real, while others are pure imaginary. We obtain the basic geometrical identities as well as the TMG field equations including a cosmological constant for the appropriate signature. As an application of this formalism we discuss the Bianchi Type $VIII - IX$ exact solutions of TMG and point out that they are parallelizable manifolds. We also consider various re-identifications of these homogeneous spaces that result in black hole solutions of TMG.Comment: An expanded version of paper published in Classical and Quantum Gravity 12 (1995) 291

Human norovirus infection and the acute serum cytokine response

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/115914/1/cei12681.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/115914/2/cei12681_am.pd

Height estimates for Killing graphs

The paper aims at proving global height estimates for Killing graphs defined over a complete manifold with nonempty boundary. To this end, we first point out how the geometric analysis on a Killing graph is naturally related to a weighted manifold structure, where the weight is defined in terms of the length of the Killing vector field. According to this viewpoint, we introduce some potential theory on weighted manifolds with boundary and we prove a weighted volume estimate for intrinsic balls on the Killing graph. Finally, using these tools, we provide the desired estimate for the weighted height in the assumption that the Killing graph has constant weighted mean curvature and the weighted geometry of the ambient space is suitably controlled.Comment: 26 pages. Final version. To appear on Journal of Geometric Analysi

Electrodynamics with Lorentz-violating operators of arbitrary dimension

The behavior of photons in the presence of Lorentz and CPT violation is studied. Allowing for operators of arbitrary mass dimension, we classify all gauge-invariant Lorentz- and CPT-violating terms in the quadratic Lagrange density associated with the effective photon propagator. The covariant dispersion relation is obtained, and conditions for birefringence are discussed. We provide a complete characterization of the coefficients for Lorentz violation for all mass dimensions via a decomposition using spin-weighted spherical harmonics. The resulting nine independent sets of spherical coefficients control birefringence, dispersion, and anisotropy. We discuss the restriction of the general theory to various special models, including among others the minimal Standard-Model Extension, the isotropic limit, the case of vacuum propagation, the nonbirefringent limit, and the vacuum-orthogonal model. The transformation of the spherical coefficients for Lorentz violation between the laboratory frame and the standard Sun-centered frame is provided. We apply the results to various astrophysical observations and laboratory experiments. Astrophysical searches of relevance include studies of birefringence and of dispersion. We use polarimetric and dispersive data from gamma-ray bursts to set constraints on coefficients for Lorentz violation involving operators of dimensions four through nine, and we describe the mixing of polarizations induced by Lorentz and CPT violation in the cosmic-microwave background. Laboratory searches of interest include cavity experiments. We present the theory for searches with cavities, derive the experiment-dependent factors for coefficients in the vacuum-orthogonal model, and predict the corresponding frequency shift for a circular-cylindrical cavity.Comment: 58 pages two-column REVTeX, accepted in Physical Review

Patient engagement with antibiotic messaging in secondary care: a qualitative feasibility study of the ‘review & revise’ experience

Background: We aimed to investigate and optimise the acceptability and usefulness of a patient leaflet about antibiotic prescribing decisions made during hospitalisation, and to explore individual patient experiences and preferences regarding the process of antibiotic prescription ‘review & revise’ which is a key strategy to minimise antibiotic overuse in hospitals. Methods: In this qualitative study, run within the feasibility study of a large, cluster-randomised stepped wedge trial of 36 hospital organisations, a series of semi-structured, think-aloud telephone interviews were conducted and data were analysed using thematic analysis. Fifteen adult patients who had experienced a recent acute medical hospital admission during which they had been prescribed antimicrobials and offered a patient leaflet about antibiotic prescribing were recruited to the study. Results: Participants reacted positively to the leaflet, reporting that it was both an accessible and important source of information which struck the appropriate balance between informing and reassuring. Participants all valued open communication with clinicians, and were keen to be involved in antibiotic prescribing decisions, with individuals reporting positive experiences regarding antibiotic prescription changes or stopping. Many participants had prior experience or knowledge of antibiotics and resistance, and generally welcomed efforts to reduce antibiotic usage. Overall, there was a feeling that healthcare professionals (HCPs) are trusted experts providing the most appropriate treatment for individual patient conditions. Conclusions: This study offers novel insights into how patients within secondary care are likely to respond to messages advocating a reduction in the use of antibiotics through the ‘review & revise’ approach. Due to the level of trust that patients place in their care provider, encouraging HCPs within secondary care to engage patients with greater communication and information provision could provide great advantages in the drive to reduce antibiotic use. It may also be beneficial for HCPs to view patient experiences as cumulative events that have the potential to impact future behaviour around antibiotic use. Finally, pre-testing messages about antibiotic prescribing and resistance is vital to dispelling any misconceptions either around effectiveness of treatment for patients, or perceptions of how messages may be received

Electrostatic boundary value problems in the Schwarzschild background

The electrostatic potential of any test charge distribution in Schwarzschild space with boundary values is derived. We calculate the Green's function, generalize the second Green's identity for p-forms and find the general solution. Boundary value problems are solved. With a multipole expansion the asymptotic property for the field of any charge distribution is derived. It is shown that one produces a Reissner--Nordstrom black hole if one lowers a test charge distribution slowly toward the horizon. The symmetry of the distribution is not important. All the multipole moments fade away except the monopole. A calculation of the gravitationally induced electrostatic self-force on a pointlike test charge distribution held stationary outside the black hole is presented.Comment: 18 pages, no figures, uses iopart.st

Cosmological quantum entanglement

We review recent literature on the connection between quantum entanglement and cosmology, with an emphasis on the context of expanding universes. We discuss recent theoretical results reporting on the production of entanglement in quantum fields due to the expansion of the underlying spacetime. We explore how these results are affected by the statistics of the field (bosonic or fermionic), the type of expansion (de Sitter or asymptotically stationary), and the coupling to spacetime curvature (conformal or minimal). We then consider the extraction of entanglement from a quantum field by coupling to local detectors and how this procedure can be used to distinguish curvature from heating by their entanglement signature. We review the role played by quantum fluctuations in the early universe in nucleating the formation of galaxies and other cosmic structures through their conversion into classical density anisotropies during and after inflation. We report on current literature attempting to account for this transition in a rigorous way and discuss the importance of entanglement and decoherence in this process. We conclude with some prospects for further theoretical and experimental research in this area. These include extensions of current theoretical efforts, possible future observational pursuits, and experimental analogues that emulate these cosmic effects in a laboratory setting.Comment: 23 pages, 2 figures. v2 Added journal reference and minor changes to match the published versio