5,885 research outputs found
Orientation and symmetries of Alexandrov spaces with applications in positive curvature
We develop two new tools for use in Alexandrov geometry: a theory of ramified
orientable double covers and a particularly useful version of the Slice Theorem
for actions of compact Lie groups. These tools are applied to the
classification of compact, positively curved Alexandrov spaces with maximal
symmetry rank.Comment: 34 pages. Simplified proofs throughout and a new proof of the Slice
Theorem, correcting omissions in the previous versio
Domain wall dynamics in expanding spaces
We study the effects on the dynamics of kinks due to expansions and
contractions of the space. We show that the propagation velocity of the kink
can be adiabatically tuned through slow expansions/contractions, while its
width is given as a function of the velocity. We also analyze the case of fast
expansions/contractions, where we are no longer on the adiabatic regime. In
this case the kink moves more slowly after an expansion-contraction cycle as a
consequence of loss of energy through radiation. All these effects are
numerically studied in the nonlinear Klein-Gordon equations (both for the
sine-Gordon and for the phi^4 potential), and they are also studied within the
framework of the collective coordinate evolution equations for the width and
the center of mass of the kink. These collective coordinate evolution equations
are obtained with a procedure that allows us to consider even the case of large
expansions/contractions.Comment: LaTeX, 18 pages, 2 figures, improved version to appear in Phys Rev
The Rotating Quantum Vacuum
We derive conditions for rotating particle detectors to respond in a variety
of bounded spacetimes and compare the results with the folklore that particle
detectors do not respond in the vacuum state appropriate to their motion.
Applications involving possible violations of the second law of thermodynamics
are briefly addressed.Comment: Plain TeX, 10 pages (to appear in PRD
Resonantly enhanced nonlinear optics in semiconductor quantum wells: An application to sensitive infrared detection
A novel class of coherent nonlinear optical phenomena, involving induced
transparency in quantum wells, is considered in the context of a particular
application to sensitive long-wavelength infrared detection. It is shown that
the strongest decoherence mechanisms can be suppressed or mitigated, resulting
in substantial enhancement of nonlinear optical effects in semiconductor
quantum wells.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, replaced with revised versio
Phase correlation of laser waves with arbitrary frequency spacing
The theoretically predicted correlation of laser phase fluctuations in
Lambda-type interaction schemes is experimentally demonstrated. We show, that
the mechanism of correlation in a Lambda scheme is restricted to high frequency
noise components, whereas in a double- scheme, due to the laser phase
locking in closed-loop interaction, it extends to all noise frequencies. In
this case the correlation is weakly sensitive to coherence losses. Thus the
double-Lambda scheme can be used to correlate e.m. fields with carrier
frequency differences beyond the GHz regime.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Initial results from the Caltech/DRSI balloon-borne isotope experiment
The Caltech/DSRI balloonborne High Energy Isotope Spectrometer Telescope (HEIST) was flown successfully from Palestine, Texas on 14 May, 1984. The experiment was designed to measure cosmic ray isotopic abundances from neon through iron, with incident particle energies from approx. 1.5 to 2.2 GeV/nucleon depending on the element. During approximately 38 hours at float altitude, 100,000 events were recorded with Z or = 6 and incident energies approx. 1.5 GeV/nucleon. We present results from the ongoing data analysis associated with both the preflight Bevalac calibration and the flight data
Association of the tumour necrosis factor alpha -308 but not the interleukin 10 -627 promoter polymorphism with genetic susceptibility to primary sclerosing cholangitis
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of unknown aetiology. Abnormalities in immune regulation and genetic associations suggest that PSC is an immune mediated disease. Several polymorphisms within the tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) promoter genes have been described which influence expression of these cytokines. This study examines the possible association between polymorphisms at the −308 and −627 positions in the TNF-α and IL-10 promoter genes, respectively, and susceptibility to PSC.
METHODS TNF-α −308 genotypes were studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 160 PSC patients from Norway and the UK compared with 145 ethnically matched controls. IL-10 −627 genotypes were studied by PCR in 90 PSC patients compared with 84 ethnically matched controls.
RESULTS A total of 16% of Norwegian PSC patients and 12% of British PSC patients were homozygous for the TNF2 allele compared with 3% and 6% of respective controls. The TNF2 allele was present in 60% of PSC patients versus 30% of controls (ORcombined data=3.2 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.8–4.5); pcorr=10−5). The association between the TNF2 allele and susceptibility to PSC was independent of the presence of concurrent inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the PSC patients; 61% of PSC patients without IBD had TNF2 compared with 30% of controls (ORcombined data=3.2 (95% CI 1.2–9.0); pcorr=0.006 ). There was no difference in the −627 IL-10 polymorphism distributions between patients and controls in either population. The increase in TNF2 allele in PSC patients only occurs in the presence of DRB1*0301 (DR3) and B8. In the combined population data, DRB1*0301 showed a stronger association with susceptibility to PSC than both the TNF2 and B8 alleles (ORcombined data=3.8, pcorr=10−6 v ORcombined data=3.2, pcorr=10−5 vORcombined data =3.41, pcorr=10−4, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS This study identified a significant association between possession of the TNF2 allele, a G→A substitution at position −308 in the TNF-α promoter, and susceptibility to PSC. This association was secondary to the association of PSC with the A1-B8-DRB1*0301-DQA1*0501-DQB1*0201 haplotype. No association was found between the IL-10 −627 promoter polymorphism and PSC
Radiation from a uniformly accelerating harmonic oscillator
We consider a radiation from a uniformly accelerating harmonic oscillator
whose minimal coupling to the scalar field changes suddenly. The exact time
evolutions of the quantum operators are given in terms of a classical solution
of a forced harmonic oscillator. After the jumping of the coupling constant
there occurs a fast absorption of energy into the oscillator, and then a slow
emission follows. Here the absorbed energy is independent of the acceleration
and proportional to the log of a high momentum cutoff of the field. The emitted
energy depends on the acceleration and also proportional to the log of the
cutoff. Especially, if the coupling is comparable to the natural frequency of
the detector () enormous energies are radiated away
from the oscillator.Comment: 26 pages, 1 eps figure, RevTeX, minor correction in grammar, add a
discussio
Observation of polarization quantum noise of laser radiation in Rb vapor cell
We present experimental study of polarization quantum noise of laser
radiation passed through optically think vapor of Rb87. We observe a step-like
noise spectrum. We discuss various factor which may result in such noise
spectrum and prevent observation of squeezing of quantum fluctuations predicted
in Matsko et al. PRA 63, 043814 (2001).Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Translated from Russian by I. Novikov
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