8 research outputs found
Nonlinear electrodynamics and CMB polarization
Recently WMAP and BOOMERanG experiments have set stringent constraints on the
polarization angle of photons propagating in an expanding universe: . The polarization of the Cosmic Microwave
Background radiation (CMB) is reviewed in the context of nonlinear
electrodynamics (NLED). We compute the polarization angle of photons
propagating in a cosmological background with planar symmetry. For this
purpose, we use the Pagels-Tomboulis (PT) Lagrangian density describing NLED,
which has the form , where , and the parameter featuring the
non-Maxwellian character of the PT nonlinear description of the electromagnetic
interaction. After looking at the polarization components in the plane
orthogonal to the ()-direction of propagation of the CMB photons, the
polarization angle is defined in terms of the eccentricity of the universe, a
geometrical property whose evolution on cosmic time (from the last scattering
surface to the present) is constrained by the strength of magnetic fields over
extragalactic distances.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, minor changes, references adde
Gravitational Waves from a Pulsar Kick Caused by Neutrino Conversions
It has been suggested that the observed pulsar velocities are caused by an
asymmetric neutrino emission from a hot neutron star during the first seconds
after the supernova collapse. We calculate the magnitude of gravitational waves
produced by the asymmetries in the emission of neutrinos. The resulting
periodic gravitational waves may be detectable by LIGO and LISA in the event of
a nearby supernova explosion.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figure
Nonlinear coupled Alfv\'{e}n and gravitational waves
In this paper we consider nonlinear interaction between gravitational and
electromagnetic waves in a strongly magnetized plasma. More specifically, we
investigate the propagation of gravitational waves with the direction of
propagation perpendicular to a background magnetic field, and the coupling to
compressional Alfv\'{e}n waves. The gravitational waves are considered in the
high frequency limit and the plasma is modelled by a multifluid description. We
make a self-consistent, weakly nonlinear analysis of the Einstein-Maxwell
system and derive a wave equation for the coupled gravitational and
electromagnetic wave modes. A WKB-approximation is then applied and as a result
we obtain the nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger equation for the slowly varying wave
amplitudes. The analysis is extended to 3D wave pulses, and we discuss the
applications to radiation generated from pulsar binary mergers. It turns out
that the electromagnetic radiation from a binary merger should experience a
focusing effect, that in principle could be detected.Comment: 20 pages, revtex4, accepted in PR
Revisiting Cardassian Model and Cosmic Constraint
In this paper, we revisit the Cardassian model in which the radiation energy
component is included. It is important for early epoch when the radiation
cannot be neglected because the equation of state (EoS) of the effective dark
energy becomes time variable. Therefore, it is not equivalent to the
quintessence model with a constant EoS anymore. This situation was almost
overlooked in the literature. By using the recent released Union2 557 of type
Ia supernovae (SN Ia), the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) from Sloan Digital
Sky Survey and the WiggleZ data points, the full information of cosmic
microwave background (CMB) measurement given by the seven-year Wilkinson
Microwave Anisotropy Probe observation, we constrain the Cardassian model via
the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. A tight constraint is obtained: in regions. The
deviation of Cardassian model from quintessence model is shown in CMB
anisotropic power spectra at high l's parts due to the evolution of EoS. But it
is about the order of 0.1% which cannot be discriminated by current data sets.
The Cardassian model is consistent with current cosmic observational data sets.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, match the published versio
Einstein's Gravitational Lensing and Nonlinear Electrodynamics
International Journal of Modern Physics A, 21, pp. 43-55, http://dx.doi.org./10.1142/s0217751x06025055International audienc
Improving Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis: Results of a Diagnostic Pathway with Standard Use of Ultrasonography Followed by Selective Use of CT
Improving the false-negative rate of CT in acute appendicitis-Reassessment of CT images by body imaging radiologists: A blinded prospective study
Purpose: To compare the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) analyzed by individual radiology staff members and body imaging radiologists in a non-academic teaching hospital for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Patients and methods: In a prospective study 199 patients with suspected acute appendicitis were examined with unenhanced CT. CT images were pre-operatively analyzed by one of the 12 members of the radiology staff. In a later stage two body imaging radiologist reassessed all CT images without knowledge of the surgical findings and without knowledge of the primary CT diagnosis. The results, independently reported, were correlated with surgical and histopathologic findings. Results: In 132 patients (66%) acute appendicitis was found at surgery, in 67 patients (34%) a normal appendix was found. The sensitivity of the primary CT analysis and of the reassessment was 76% and 88%, respectively; the specificity was 84% and 87%; the positive predictive value was 90% and 93%; the negative predictive value was 64% and 78%; and the accuracy was 78% and 87%. Conclusion: Reassessment of CT images for acute appendicitis by body imaging radiologists results in a significant improvement of sensitivity, negative predictive value and accuracy. To prevent false-negative interpretation of CT images in acute appendicitis the expertise of the attending radiologist should be considered. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.Vascular Surger