Canonical formulation of self-gravitating spinning-object systems

Based on the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner (ADM) canonical formulation of general relativity, a canonical formulation of gravitationally interacting classical spinning-object systems is given to linear order in spin. The constructed position, linear momentum and spin variables fulfill standard Poisson bracket relations. A spatially symmetric time gauge for the tetrad field is introduced. The achieved formulation is of fully reduced form without unresolved constraints, supplementary, gauge, or coordinate conditions. The canonical field momentum is not related to the extrinsic curvature of spacelike hypersurfaces in standard ADM form. A new reduction of the tetrad degrees of freedom to the Einstein form of the metric field is suggested.Comment: 6 pages. v2: extended version; identical to the published one. v3: corrected misprints in (24) and (39); improved notation; added note regarding a further reference

Foehn winds in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctic: The origin of extreme warming events

Foehn winds resulting from topographic modification of airflow in the lee of mountain barriers are frequently experienced in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) of Antarctica. Strong foehn winds in the MDVs cause dramatic warming at onset and have significant effects on landscape forming processes; however, no detailed scientific investigation of foehn in the MDVs has been conducted. As a result, they are often misinterpreted as adiabatically warmed katabatic winds draining from the polar plateau. Herein observations from surface weather stations and numerical model output from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) during foehn events in the MDVs are presented. Results show that foehn winds in the MDVs are caused by topographic modification of south-southwesterly airflow, which is channeled into the valleys from higher levels. Modeling of a winter foehn event identifies mountain wave activity similar to that associated with midlatitude foehn winds. These events are found to be caused by strong pressure gradients over the mountain ranges of the MDVs related to synoptic-scale cyclones positioned off the coast of Marie Byrd Land. Analysis of meteorological records for 2006 and 2007 finds an increase of 10% in the frequency of foehn events in 2007 compared to 2006, which corresponds to stronger pressure gradients in the Ross Sea region. It is postulated that the intra- and interannual frequency and intensity of foehn events in the MDVs may therefore vary in response to the position and frequency of cyclones in the Ross Sea region

Hamiltonian of a spinning test-particle in curved spacetime

Using a Legendre transformation, we compute the unconstrained Hamiltonian of a spinning test-particle in a curved spacetime at linear order in the particle spin. The equations of motion of this unconstrained Hamiltonian coincide with the Mathisson-Papapetrou-Pirani equations. We then use the formalism of Dirac brackets to derive the constrained Hamiltonian and the corresponding phase-space algebra in the Newton-Wigner spin supplementary condition (SSC), suitably generalized to curved spacetime, and find that the phase-space algebra (q,p,S) is canonical at linear order in the particle spin. We provide explicit expressions for this Hamiltonian in a spherically symmetric spacetime, both in isotropic and spherical coordinates, and in the Kerr spacetime in Boyer-Lindquist coordinates. Furthermore, we find that our Hamiltonian, when expanded in Post-Newtonian (PN) orders, agrees with the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner (ADM) canonical Hamiltonian computed in PN theory in the test-particle limit. Notably, we recover the known spin-orbit couplings through 2.5PN order and the spin-spin couplings of type S_Kerr S (and S_Kerr^2) through 3PN order, S_Kerr being the spin of the Kerr spacetime. Our method allows one to compute the PN Hamiltonian at any order, in the test-particle limit and at linear order in the particle spin. As an application we compute it at 3.5PN order.Comment: Corrected typo in the ADM Hamiltonian at 3.5 PN order (eq. 6.20

Motion and gravitational wave forms of eccentric compact binaries with orbital-angular-momentum-aligned spins under next-to-leading order in spin-orbit and leading order in spin(1)-spin(2) and spin-squared couplings

A quasi-Keplerian parameterisation for the solutions of second post-Newtonian (PN) accurate equations of motion for spinning compact binaries is obtained including leading order spin-spin and next-to-leading order spin-orbit interactions. Rotational deformation of the compact objects is incorporated. For arbitrary mass ratios the spin orientations are taken to be parallel or anti-parallel to the orbital angular momentum vector. The emitted gravitational wave forms are given in analytic form up to 2PN point particle, 1.5PN spin orbit and 1PN spin-spin contributions, where the spins are counted of 0PN order.Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure, published in CQG. Current version: we removed a remark and clarified the derivation of the orbital element \e_ph

Hydrogen bonding of nitroxide spin labels in membrane proteins

On the basis of experiments at 275 GHz, we reconsider the dependence of the continuous-wave EPR spectra of nitroxide spin-labeled protein sites in sensory- and bacteriorhodopsin on the micro-environment. The high magnetic field provides the resolution necessary to disentangle the effects of hydrogen bonding and polarity. In the gxx region of the 275 GHz EPR spectrum, bands are resolved that derive from spin-label populations carrying no, one or two hydrogen bonds. The gxx value of each population varies hardly from site to site, significantly less than deduced previously from studies at lower microwave frequencies. The fractions of the populations vary strongly, which provides a consistent description of the variation of the average gxx and the average nitrogen-hyperfine interaction Azz from site to site. These variations reflect the difference in the proticity of the micro-environment, and differences in polarity contribute marginally. Concomitant W-band ELDOR- detected NMR experiments on the corresponding nitroxide in perdeuterated water resolve population-specific nitrogen-hyperfine bands, which underlies the interpretation for the proteins

Ferredoxin:NADP(H) Oxidoreductase Abundance and Location Influences Redox Poise and Stress Tolerance

In linear photosynthetic electron transport, ferredoxin:NADP(H) oxidoreductase (FNR) transfers electrons from ferredoxin (Fd) to NADP(+). Both NADPH and reduced Fd (Fd(red)) are required for reductive assimilation and light/dark activation/deactivation of enzymes. FNR is therefore a hub, connecting photosynthetic electron transport to chloroplast redox metabolism. A correlation between FNR content and tolerance to oxidative stress is well established, although the precise mechanism remains unclear. We investigated the impact of altered FNR content and localization on electron transport and superoxide radical evolution in isolated thylakoids, and probed resulting changes in redox homeostasis, expression of oxidative stress markers, and tolerance to high light in planta. Our data indicate that the ratio of Fd(red) to FNR is critical, with either too much or too little FNR potentially leading to increased superoxide production, and perception of oxidative stress at the level of gene transcription. In FNR overexpressing plants, which show more NADP(H) and glutathione pools, improved tolerance to high-light stress indicates that disturbance of chloroplast redox poise and increased free radical generation may help “prime” the plant and induce protective mechanisms. In fnr1 knock-outs, the NADP(H) and glutathione pools are more oxidized relative to the wild type, and the photoprotective effect is absent despite perception of oxidative stress at the level of gene transcription

Microbial load of rinsed and unrinsed body cavities of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) on the killing day and after cold storage: A preliminary investigation

Ensuring good game meat hygiene is a challenge in the hunting supply chain. Game carcasses can be soiled with intestinal contents or other substances from the environment due to hunting and handling practices. This soiling can increase the microbial load (ML) of the carcass and the resulting game meat. The aim of this study was to investigate whether rinsing of soiled and unsoiled body cavities with drinking water can reduce the ML of carcasses. Carcasses of 23 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) were processed, either rinsed (n = 12) or unrinsed (n = 11), and examined for ML. Swab and muscle samples were taken from the carcasses at killing day and after 3 days of cold storage. The levels of ML were comparable for the rinsed and unrinsed roe deer carcasses with an increase of Pseudomonas spp. during cold storage. Initial ML seems to be independent of visible soiling. Other factors affecting the initial ML should be determined in future studies

Circulation and Oxygen Distribution in the Tropical Atlantic Cruise No. 80, Leg 1; October 26 to November 23, 2009 Mindelo (Cape Verde) to Mindelo (Cape Verde)

METEOR cruise 80/1 was a contribution to the SFB 754 “Climate-Biogeochemistry Interactions in the Tropical Ocean”. Shipboard, glider and moored observations are used to study the temporal and spatial variability of physical and biogeochemical parameters within the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) of the tropical North Atlantic. As part of the BMBF “Nordatlantik” project, it further focuses on the equatorial current system including the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) and intermediate currents below. During the cruise, hydrographic station observations were performed using a CTD/O2 rosette, including water sampling for salinity, oxygen, nutrients and other biogeochemical tracers. Underway current measurements were successfully carried out with the 75 kHz ADCP borrowed from R/V POSEIDON during the first part of the cruise, and R/V METEOR’s 38 kHz ADCP during the second part. During M80/1, an intensive mooring program was carried out with 8 mooring recoveries and 8 mooring deployments. Right at the beginning of the cruise, a multidisciplinary mooring near the Cape Verde Islands was recovered and redeployed. Within the framework of SFB 754, two moorings with CTD/O2 profilers were recovered and redeployed with other instrumentation in the center and at the southern rim of the OMZ of the tropical North Atlantic. The equatorial mooring array as part of BMBF “North Atlantic” project consists of 5 current meter moorings along 23°W between 2°S and 2°N. It is aimed at quantifying the variability of the thermocline water supply toward the equatorial cold tongue which develops east of 10°W during boreal summer. Several glider missions were performed during the cruise. One glider was recovered that was deployed two months earlier. Another glider was deployed for two short term missions, near the equator for about 8 days and near 8°N for one day. This glider was equipped with a new microstructure probe in addition to standard sensors, i.e. CTD/O2, chlorophyll and turbidity

Distance between a native cofactor and a spin label in the reaction centre of Rhodobacter sphaeroides by a two-frequency pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance method and molecular dynamics simulation

Biological and Soft Matter Physic