Anomalous hydrodynamics and "normal" fluids in rapidly rotating BECs

In rapidly rotating bose systems we show that there is a region of anomalous hydrodynamics whilst the system is still condensed, which coincides with the mean field quantum Hall regime. An immediate consequence is the absence of a normal fluid in any conventional sense. However, even the superfluid hydrodynamics is not described by conventional Bernoulli and continuity equations. We show there are kinematic constraints which connect spatial variations of density and phase, that the positions of vortices are not the simplest description of the dynamics of such a fluid (despite their utility in describing the instantaneous state of the condensate) and that the most compact description allows solution of some illuminating examples of motion. We demonstrate, inter alia, a very simple relation between vortices and surface waves. We show the surface waves can form a "normal fluid" which absorbs energy and angular momentum from vortex motion in the trap. The time scale of this process is sensitive to the initial configuration of the vortices, which can lead to long-lived vortex patches - perhaps related to those observed at JILA.Comment: 4 pages; 1 sentence and references modifie

Issues for the Next Generation of Galaxy Surveys

I argue that the weight of the available evidence favours the conclusions that galaxies are unbiased tracers of mass, the mean mass density (excluding a cosmological constant or its equivalent) is less than the critical Einstein-de Sitter value, and an isocurvature model for structure formation offers a viable and arguably attractive model for the early assembly of galaxies. If valid these conclusions complicate our work of adding structure formation to the standard model for cosmology, but it seems sensible to pay attention to evidence.Comment: 14 pages, 3 postscript figures, uses rspublic.st

The evolution of clustering and bias in the galaxy distribution

This paper reviews the measurements of galaxy correlations at high redshifts, and discusses how these may be understood in models of hierarchical gravitational collapse. The clustering of galaxies at redshift one is much weaker than at present, and this is consistent with the rate of growth of structure expected in an open universe. If $\Omega=1$, this observation would imply that bias increases at high redshift, in conflict with observed $M/L$ values for known high-$z$ clusters. At redshift 3, the population of Lyman-limit galaxies displays clustering which is of similar amplitude to that seen today. This is most naturally understood if the Lyman-limit population is a set of rare recently-formed objects. Knowing both the clustering and the abundance of these objects, it is possible to deduce empirically the fluctuation spectrum required on scales which cannot be measured today owing to gravitational nonlinearities. Of existing physical models for the fluctuation spectrum, the results are most closely matched by a low-density spatially flat universe. This conclusion is reinforced by an empirical analysis of CMB anisotropies, in which the present-day fluctuation spectrum is forced to have the observed form. Open models are strongly disfavoured, leaving $\Lambda$CDM as the most successful simple model for structure formation.Comment: Invited review at the Royal Society Meeting `Large-scale structure in the universe', London, March 1998. 20 Pages LaTe

Exact vortex nucleation and cooperative vortex tunneling in dilute BECs

With the imminent advent of mesoscopic rotating BECs in the lowest Landau level (LLL) regime, we explore LLL vortex nucleation. An exact many-body analysis is presented in a weakly elliptical trap for up to 400 particles. Striking non-mean field features are exposed at filling factors >>1 . Eg near the critical rotation frequency pairs of energy levels approach each other with exponential accuracy. A physical interpretation is provided by requantising a mean field theory, where 1/N plays the role of Planck's constant, revealing two vortices cooperatively tunneling between classically degenerate energy minima. The tunnel splitting variation is described in terms of frequency, particle number and ellipticity.Comment: 4 pages,4 figure

The velocity peaks in the cold dark matter spectrum on Earth

The cold dark matter spectrum on earth is expected to have peaks in velocity space. We obtain estimates for the sizes and locations of these peaks. To this end we have generalized the secondary infall model of galactic halo formation to include angular momentum of the dark matter particles. This new model is still spherically symmetric and it has self-similar solutions. Our results are relevant to direct dark matter search experiments.Comment: 12 pages including 1 table and 4 figures, LaTeX, REVTEX 3.0 versio

Deep ROSAT Surveys & the contribution of AGNs to the soft X-ray background

The ROSAT Deep Surveys in the Lockman Hole have revealed that AGNs are the main contributors (~75%) to the soft X-ray background in the 1–2 keV band. Using new optical/infrared and radio observations we have obtained a nearly complete identification (93%) of the 91 X-ray sources down to a limiting flux of 1.2·10^(–15) erg cm^(–2) s^(–1) in the 0.5–2.0 keV band. We present the optical colors and the emission line properties of our AGNs in comparison with other X-ray selected AGN samples. Furthermore we discuss the fraction of red AGNs found in the ROSAT Deep Surveys. From the ROSAT Deep Surveys we see no evidence for a new class of X-ray bright galaxies, which significantly contributes to the soft X-ray background