Plastic Deformation of 2D Crumpled Wires

When a single long piece of elastic wire is injected trough channels into a confining two-dimensional cavity, a complex structure of hierarchical loops is formed. In the limit of maximum packing density, these structures are described by several scaling laws. In this paper it is investigated this packing process but using plastic wires which give origin to completely irreversible structures of different morphology. In particular, it is studied experimentally the plastic deformation from circular to oblate configurations of crumpled wires, obtained by the application of an axial strain. Among other things, it is shown that in spite of plasticity, irreversibility, and very large deformations, scaling is still observed.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Structural properties of crumpled cream layers

The cream layer is a complex heterogeneous material of biological origin which forms spontaneously at the air-milk interface. Here, it is studied the crumpling of a single cream layer packing under its own weight at room temperature in three-dimensional space. The structure obtained in these circumstances has low volume fraction and anomalous fractal dimensions. Direct means and noninvasive NMR imaging technique are used to investigate the internal and external structure of these systems.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted in J. Phys. D: Appl. Phy

Integrable Field Theories with Defects

The structure of integrable field theories in the presence of defects is discussed in terms of boundary functions under the Lagrangian formalism. Explicit examples of bosonic and fermionic theories are considered. In particular, the boundary functions for the super sinh-Gordon model is constructed and shown to generate the Backlund transformations for its soliton solutions.Comment: talk presented at the XVth International Colloquium on Integrable Systems and Quantum Symmetries, to appear in Czechoslovak Journal of Physics (2006

On the properties of the interstellar medium in extremely metal-poor blue compact dwarf galaxies: GMOS-IFU spectroscopy and SDSS photometry of the double-knot galaxy HS 2236+1344

The main goal of this study is to carry out a spatially resolved investigation of the warm interstellar medium (ISM) in the extremely metal-poor Blue Compact Dwarf (BCD) galaxy HS 2236+1344. Special emphasis is laid on the analysis of the spatial distribution of chemical abundances, emission-line ratios and kinematics of the ISM, and to the recent star-forming activity in this galaxy. This study is based on optical integral field unit spectroscopy data from Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph at the Gemini North telescope and archival Sloan Digital Sky Survey images. The data were obtained in two different positions across the galaxy, obtaining a total 4 arcsec X 8 arcsec field which encompasses most of its ISM. Emission-line maps and broad-band images obtained in this study indicate that HS 2236+1344 hosts three Giant HII regions. Our data also reveal some faint curved features in the BCD periphery that might be due to tidal perturbations or expanding ionized-gas shells. The ISM velocity field shows systematic gradients along the major axis of the BCD, with its south-eastern and north-western half differing by ~80 km/s in their recessional velocity. The Ha and Hb equivalent width distribution in the central part of HS 2236+1344 is consistent with a very young (~3 Myr) burst. Our surface photometry analysis indicates that the ongoing starburst provides ~50% of the total optical emission, similar to other BCDs. It also reveals an underlying lower-surface brightness component with moderately red colors, which suggest that the galaxy has undergone previous star formation. We derive an integrated oxygen abundance of 12+log(O/H)=7.53\pm0.06 and a nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio of log(N/O)=-1.57\pm0.19. Our results are consistent, within the uncertainties, with a homogeneous distribution of oxygen and nitrogen within the ISM of the galaxy. (abridged)Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Gauge Invariance and Fractional Statistics

We present a new $(2+1)$-dimensional field theory showing exotic statistics and fractional spin. This theory is achieved through a redefinition of the gauge field $A_{\mu}$. New properties are found. Another way to implement the field redefinition is used with the same results obtained.Comment: 5 page

Canonical Quantization of the Maxwell-Chern-Simons Theory in the Coulomb Gauge

The Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory is canonically quantized in the Coulomb gauge by using the Dirac bracket quantization procedure. The determination of the Coulomb gauge polarization vector turns out to be intrincate. A set of quantum Poincar\'e densities obeying the Dirac-Schwinger algebra, and, therefore, free of anomalies, is constructed. The peculiar analytical structure of the polarization vector is shown to be at the root for the existence of spin of the massive gauge quanta.The Coulomb gauge Feynman rules are used to compute the M\"oller scattering amplitude in the lowest order of perturbation theory. The result coincides with that obtained by using covariant Feynman rules. This proof of equivalence is, afterwards, extended to all orders of perturbation theory. The so called infrared safe photon propagator emerges as an effective propagator which allows for replacing all the terms in the interaction Hamiltonian of the Coulomb gauge by the standard field-current minimal interaction Hamiltonian.Comment: 21 pages, typeset in REVTEX, figures not include