426 research outputs found
Geodesic equations and algebro-geometric methods
For an investigation of the physical properties of gravitational fields the
observation of massive test particles and light is very useful. The
characteristic features of a given space-time may be decoded by studying the
complete set of all possible geodesic motions. Such a thorough analysis can be
accomplished most effectively by using analytical methods to solve the geodesic
equation. In this contribution, the use of elliptic functions and their
generalizations for solving the geodesic equation in a wide range of well known
space-times, which are part of the general Pleba\'nski-Demia\'nski family of
solutions, will be presented. In addition, the definition and calculation of
observable effects like the perihelion shift will be presented and further
applications of the presented methods will be outlined.Comment: 8 pages, no figures; based on presentation at the conference
"Relativity and Gravitation: 100 Years after Einstein in Prague," Prague,
2012. Relativity and Gravitation, volume 157 of Springer Proceedings in
Physics, p 91. Springer International Publishing, 201
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Functional morphology and efficiency of the antenna cleaner in Camponotus rufifemur ants
Contamination of body surfaces can negatively affect many physiological functions. Insects have evolved different adaptations for removing contamination, including surfaces that allow passive self-cleaning and structures for active cleaning. Here, we study the function of the antenna cleaner in Camponotus rufifemur ants, a clamp-like structure consisting of a notch on the basitarsus facing a spur on the tibia, both bearing cuticular âcombsâ and âbrushesâ. The ants clamp one antenna tightly between notch and
spur, pull it through, and subsequently clean the antenna cleaner itself with the mouthparts. We simulated cleaning strokes by moving notch or spur over antennae contaminated with fluorescent particles. The notch removed particles more efficiently than the spur, but both components eliminated >60% of the particles with the first stroke. Ablation of bristles, brush and comb strongly reduced the efficiency, indicating that they are essential for cleaning. To study how comb and brush remove particles of different sizes, we contaminated antennae of living ants, and anaesthetized them immediately after they had performed the first cleaning stroke. Different sized beads were trapped in distinct zones of the notch, consistent with the gap widths between cuticular outgrowths. This suggests that the antenna cleaner operates like a series of sieves that remove the largest objects first, followed by smaller ones, down to the smallest particles that get caught by adhesion.To AH: Research grant from the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation
To DL: Research grant from the Cusanuswerk
To WF: UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/I008667/1)This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from RSC via http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.15012
Analytical solution of the geodesic equation in Kerr-(anti) de Sitter space-times
The complete analytical solutions of the geodesic equations in Kerr-de Sitter
and Kerr-anti-de Sitter space-times are presented. They are expressed in terms
of Weierstrass elliptic p, zeta, and sigma functions as well as hyperelliptic
Kleinian sigma functions restricted to the one-dimensional theta-divisor. We
analyze the dependency of timelike geodesics on the parameters of the
space-time metric and the test-particle and compare the results with the
situation in Kerr space-time with vanishing cosmological constant. Furthermore,
we systematically can find all last stable spherical and circular orbits and
derive the expressions of the deflection angle of flyby orbits, the orbital
frequencies of bound orbits, the periastron shift, and the Lense-Thirring
effect.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figure
A sustainable post-COVID future
Experts around the world have been informing governmentsâ plans for a post-pandemic recovery. Leena Srivastava, Deputy Director General for Science at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and Heide Hackmann, Chief Executive officer at the International Science Council (ISC), talk to Nature Sustainability about the recent joint effort âBouncing forward sustainably. Pathways to a post-COVID worldâ
Stars in five dimensional Kaluza Klein gravity
In the five dimensional Kaluza Klein (KK) theory there is a well known class
of static and electromagnetic--free KK--equations characterized by a naked
singularity behavior, namely the Generalized Schwarzschild solution (GSS). We
present here a set of interior solutions of five dimensional KK--equations.
These equations have been numerically integrated to match the GSS in the
vacuum. The solutions are candidates to describe the possible interior perfect
fluid source of the exterior GSS metric and thus they can be models for stars
for static, neutral astrophysical objects in the ordinary (four dimensional)
spacetime.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures. To be published in EPJ
Pathway to the Square Kilometre Array - The German White Paper -
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is the most ambitious radio telescope ever
planned. With a collecting area of about a square kilometre, the SKA will be
far superior in sensitivity and observing speed to all current radio
facilities. The scientific capability promised by the SKA and its technological
challenges provide an ideal base for interdisciplinary research, technology
transfer, and collaboration between universities, research centres and
industry. The SKA in the radio regime and the European Extreme Large Telescope
(E-ELT) in the optical band are on the roadmap of the European Strategy Forum
for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) and have been recognised as the essential
facilities for European research in astronomy.
This "White Paper" outlines the German science and R&D interests in the SKA
project and will provide the basis for future funding applications to secure
German involvement in the Square Kilometre Array.Comment: Editors: H. R. Kl\"ockner, M. Kramer, H. Falcke, D.J. Schwarz, A.
Eckart, G. Kauffmann, A. Zensus; 150 pages (low resolution- and colour-scale
images), published in July 2012, language English (including a foreword and
an executive summary in German), the original file is available via the MPIfR
homepag
Identifying future research directions for biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainability: perspectives from early-career researchers
We aimed to identify priority research questions in the field of biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainability (BESS), based on a workshop held during the NRG BESS Conference for Early Career Researchers on BESS, and to compare these to existing horizon scanning exercises. This work highlights the need for improved data availability through collaboration and knowledge exchange, which, in turn, can support the integrated valuation and sustainable management of ecosystems in response to global change. In addition, clear connectivity among different research themes in this field further emphasizes the need to consider a wider range of topics simultaneously to ensure the sustainable management of ecosystems for human wellbeing. In contrast to other horizon scanning exercises, our focus was more interdisciplinary and more concerned with the limits of sustainability and dynamic relationships between social and ecological systems. The identified questions could provide a framework for researchers, policy makers, funding agencies and the private sector to advance knowledge in biodiversity and ES research and to develop and implement policies to enable sustainable future development
The Pioneer Anomaly
Radio-metric Doppler tracking data received from the Pioneer 10 and 11
spacecraft from heliocentric distances of 20-70 AU has consistently indicated
the presence of a small, anomalous, blue-shifted frequency drift uniformly
changing with a rate of ~6 x 10^{-9} Hz/s. Ultimately, the drift was
interpreted as a constant sunward deceleration of each particular spacecraft at
the level of a_P = (8.74 +/- 1.33) x 10^{-10} m/s^2. This apparent violation of
the Newton's gravitational inverse-square law has become known as the Pioneer
anomaly; the nature of this anomaly remains unexplained. In this review, we
summarize the current knowledge of the physical properties of the anomaly and
the conditions that led to its detection and characterization. We review
various mechanisms proposed to explain the anomaly and discuss the current
state of efforts to determine its nature. A comprehensive new investigation of
the anomalous behavior of the two Pioneers has begun recently. The new efforts
rely on the much-extended set of radio-metric Doppler data for both spacecraft
in conjunction with the newly available complete record of their telemetry
files and a large archive of original project documentation. As the new study
is yet to report its findings, this review provides the necessary background
for the new results to appear in the near future. In particular, we provide a
significant amount of information on the design, operations and behavior of the
two Pioneers during their entire missions, including descriptions of various
data formats and techniques used for their navigation and radio-science data
analysis. As most of this information was recovered relatively recently, it was
not used in the previous studies of the Pioneer anomaly, but it is critical for
the new investigation.Comment: 165 pages, 40 figures, 16 tables; accepted for publication in Living
Reviews in Relativit
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