3,640 research outputs found
The Logic behind Feynman's Paths
The classical notions of continuity and mechanical causality are left in
order to refor- mulate the Quantum Theory starting from two principles: I) the
intrinsic randomness of quantum process at microphysical level, II) the
projective representations of sym- metries of the system. The second principle
determines the geometry and then a new logic for describing the history of
events (Feynman's paths) that modifies the rules of classical probabilistic
calculus. The notion of classical trajectory is replaced by a history of
spontaneous, random an discontinuous events. So the theory is reduced to
determin- ing the probability distribution for such histories according with
the symmetries of the system. The representation of the logic in terms of
amplitudes leads to Feynman rules and, alternatively, its representation in
terms of projectors results in the Schwinger trace formula.Comment: 15 pages, contribution to Mario Castagnino Festschrif
A scenario of planet erosion by coronal radiation
Context: According to theory, high-energy emission from the coronae of cool
stars can severely erode the atmospheres of orbiting planets. No observational
tests of the long term effects of erosion have yet been made. Aims: To analyze
the current distribution of planetary mass with X-ray irradiation of the
atmospheres in order to make an observational assessment of the effects of
erosion by coronal radiation. Methods: We study a large sample of
planet-hosting stars with XMM-Newton, Chandra and ROSAT; make a careful
identification of X-ray counterparts; and fit their spectra to make accurately
measurements of the stellar X-ray flux. Results: The distribution of the
planetary masses with X-ray flux suggests that erosion has taken place: most
surviving massive planets, (M_p sin i >1.5 M_J), have been exposed to lower
accumulated irradiation. Heavy erosion during the initial stages of stellar
evolution is followed by a phase of much weaker erosion. A line dividing these
two phases could be present, showing a strong dependence on planet mass.
Although a larger sample will be required to establish a well-defined erosion
line, the distribution found is very suggestive. Conclusions: The distribution
of planetary mass with X-ray flux is consistent with a scenario in which planet
atmospheres have suffered the effects of erosion by coronal X-ray and EUV
emission. The erosion line is an observational constraint to models of
atmospheric erosion.Comment: A&A 511, L8 (2010). 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 online table (included).
Language edited; corrected a wrong unit conversion (g/s -> M_J/Gyr);
corrected values in column 12 of Table 1 (slightly underestimated in first
version), and Figure 2 updated accordingl
Multi-wavelength study of the low-luminosity outbursting young star HBC 722
HBC 722 (V2493 Cyg) is a young eruptive star in outburst since 2010. It is an
FU Orionis-type object with an atypically low outburst luminosity. Because it
was well characterized in the pre-outburst phase, HBC 722 is one of the few
FUors where we can learn about the physical changes and processes associated
with the eruption. We monitored the source in the BVRIJHKs bands from the
ground, and at 3.6 and 4.5 m from space with the Spitzer Space Telescope.
We analyzed the light curves and the spectral energy distribution by fitting a
series of steady accretion disk models at many epochs. We also analyzed the
spectral properties of the source based on new optical and infrared spectra. We
also mapped HBC 722 and its surroundings at millimeter wavelengths. From the
light curve analysis we concluded that the first peak of the outburst in 2010
September was due to an abrupt increase of the accretion rate in the innermost
part of the system. This was followed by a long term process, when the
brightening was mainly due to a gradual increase of the accretion rate and the
emitting area. Our new observations show that the source is currently in a
constant plateau phase. We found that around the peak the continuum was bluer
and the H profile changed significantly between 2012 and 2013. The
source was not detected in the millimeter continuum, but we discovered a
flattened molecular gas structure with a diameter of 1700 au and mass of 0.3
M centered on HBC 722. While the first brightness peak could be
interpreted as a rapid fall of piled-up material from the inner disk onto the
star, the later monotonic flux rise suggests the outward expansion of a hot
component according to the theory of Bell & Lin (1994). Our study of HBC 722
demonstrated that accretion-related outbursts can occur in young stellar
objects even with very low mass disks, in the late Class II phase.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 3 online tables. Accepted for publication in the
A&
Phases of dual superconductivity and confinement in softly broken N=2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories
We study the electric flux tubes that undertake color confinement in N=2
supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories softly broken down to N=1 by perturbing with
the first two Casimir operators. The relevant Abelian Higgs model is not the
standard one due to the presence of an off-diagonal coupling among different
magnetic U(1) factors. We perform a preliminary study of this model at a
qualitative level. BPS vortices are explicitely obtained for particular values
of the soft breaking parameters. Generically however, even in the ultrastrong
scaling limit, vortices are not critical but live in a "hybrid" type II phase.
Also, ratios among string tensions are seen to follow no simple pattern. We
examine the situation at the half Higgsed vacua and find evidence for solutions
with the behaviour of superconducting strings. In some cases they are solutions
to BPS equations.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, revtex; v2: typos corrected, final versio
Polymer materials derived from the SEAr reaction for gas separation applications
ProducciĂłn CientĂficaA set of linear polymers were synthesized utilizing an electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction (SEAr) between biphenyl and ketone containing electron-withdrawing groups (isatin, IS; N-methylisatin, MeIS; and 4,5-diazafluoren-9-one, DF). Optimization of the polycondensation reaction was made to obtain high molecular weight products when using DF, which has not previously been used for linear polymer synthesis. Due to the absence of chemically labile units, these polymers exhibited excellent chemical and thermal stability. Linear SEAr polymers were blended with porous polymer networks derived from IS and MeIS, and both neat/mixed materials were tested as membranes for gas separation. The gas separation properties of both pristine polymers and mixed matrix membranes were good, showing some polymer membrane CO2 permeability values higher than 200 barrer
Vacuum Energy and Renormalization on the Edge
The vacuum dependence on boundary conditions in quantum field theories is
analysed from a very general viewpoint. From this perspective the
renormalization prescriptions not only imply the renormalization of the
couplings of the theory in the bulk but also the appearance of a flow in the
space of boundary conditions. For regular boundaries this flow has a large
variety of fixed points and no cyclic orbit. The family of fixed points
includes Neumann and Dirichlet boundary conditions. In one-dimensional field
theories pseudoperiodic and quasiperiodic boundary conditions are also RG fixed
points. Under these conditions massless bosonic free field theories are
conformally invariant. Among all fixed points only Neumann boundary conditions
are infrared stable fixed points. All other conformal invariant boundary
conditions become unstable under some relevant perturbations. In finite volumes
we analyse the dependence of the vacuum energy along the trajectories of the
renormalization group flow providing an interesting framework for dark energy
evolution. On the contrary, the renormalization group flow on the boundary does
not affect the leading behaviour of the entanglement entropy of the vacuum in
one-dimensional conformally invariant bosonic theories.Comment: 10 pages, 1 eps figur
Estimation of the XUV radiation onto close planets and their evaporation
Context: The current distribution of planet mass vs. incident stellar X-ray
flux supports the idea that photoevaporation of the atmosphere may take place
in close-in planets. Integrated effects have to be accounted for. A proper
calculation of the mass loss rate due to photoevaporation requires to estimate
the total irradiation from the whole XUV range. Aims: The purpose of this paper
is to extend the analysis of the photoevaporation in planetary atmospheres from
the accessible X-rays to the mostly unobserved EUV range by using the coronal
models of stars to calculate the EUV contribution to the stellar spectra. The
mass evolution of planets can be traced assuming that thermal losses dominate
the mass loss of their atmospheres. Methods: We determine coronal models for 82
stars with exoplanets that have X-ray observations available. Then a synthetic
spectrum is produced for the whole XUV range (~1-912 {\AA}). The determination
of the EUV stellar flux, calibrated with real EUV data, allows us to calculate
the accumulated effects of the XUV irradiation on the planet atmosphere with
time, as well as the mass evolution for planets with known density. Results: We
calibrate for the first time a relation of the EUV luminosity with stellar age
valid for late-type stars. In a sample of 109 exoplanets, few planets with
masses larger than ~1.5 Mj receive high XUV flux, suggesting that intense
photoevaporation takes place in a short period of time, as previously found in
X-rays. The scenario is also consistent with the observed distribution of
planet masses with density. The accumulated effects of photoevaporation over
time indicate that HD 209458b may have lost 0.2 Mj since an age of 20 Myr.
Conclusions: Coronal radiation produces rapid photoevaporation of the
atmospheres of planets close to young late-type stars. More complex models are
needed to explain fully the observations.Comment: Accepted by A&A. 10 pages, 8 figures, 7 Tables (2 online). Additional
online material includes 7 pages, 6 figures and 6 tables, all include
Health-related quality of life with palbociclib plus endocrine therapy versus capecitabine in postmenopausal patients with hormone receptorâpositive metastatic breast cancer: Patient-reported outcomes in the PEARL study
Background: The PEARL study showed that palbociclib plus endocrine therapy (palbociclib/ET) was not superior to capecitabine in improving progression-free survival in postmenopausal patients with metastatic breast cancer resistant to aromatase inhibitors, but was better tolerated. This analysis compared patient-reported outcomes. Patients and methods: The PEARL quality of life (QoL) population comprised 537 patients, 268 randomised to palbociclib/ET (exemestane or fulvestrant) and 269 to capecitabine. Patients completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 and EQ-5D-3L questionnaires. Changes from the baseline and time to deterioration (TTD) were analysed using linear mixed-effect and stratified Cox regression models, respectively. Results: Questionnaire completion rate was high and similar between treatment arms. Significant differences were observed in the mean change in global health status (GHS)/QoL scores from the baseline to cycle 3 (2.9 for palbociclib/ET vs. -2.1 for capecitabine (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4â8.6; P = 0.007). The median TTD in GHS/QoL was 8.3 months for palbociclib/ET versus 5.3 months for capecitabine (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.55â0.89; P = 0.003). Similar improvements for palbociclib/ET were also seen for other scales as physical, role, cognitive, social functioning, fatigue, nausea/vomiting and appetite loss. No differences were observed between the treatment arms in change from the baseline in any item of the EQ-5D-L3 questionnaire as per the overall index score and visual analogue scale. Conclusion: Patients receiving palbociclib/ET experienced a significant delay in deterioration of GHS/QoL and several functional and symptom scales compared with capecitabine, providing additional evidence that palbociclib/ET is better tolerated. Trial registration number: NCT02028507 (ClinTrials.gov). EudraCT study number: 2013-003170-27. © 2021 The Author(s
Advances in geobotany and new tools in biogeographic and bioclimatic maps: Sierra de Guadarrama National Park
20 pĂĄginas, 14 tablas, 3 mapas
A Dashboard to Support Decision-Making Processes in Learning Ecosystems
There are software solutions to solve most of the problems related to information management in any company or institutions, but still, there is a problem for transforming information into knowledge. Technological ecosystems emerge as a solution to combine existing tools and human resources to solve different problems of knowledge management. In particular, when the ecosystem is focused on learning processes associated with knowledge are named learning ecosystems. The learning ecosystem metamodel defined in previous works solves several problems related to the definition and implementation of these solutions. However, there are still challenges associated with improving the analysis and visualization of information as a way to discover knowledge and support decision making processes. On the other hand, there is a metamodel proposal to define customized dashboards for supporting decision-making processes. This proposal aims to integrate both metamodels as a way to improve the definition of learning ecosystems
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