Update on an Electromagnetic Basis for Inertia, Gravitation, the Principle of Equivalence, Spin and Particle Mass Ratios

A possible connection between the electromagnetic quantum vacuum and inertia was first published by Haisch, Rueda and Puthoff (1994). If correct, this would imply that mass may be an electromagnetic phenomenon and thus in principle subject to modification, with possible technological implications for propulsion. A multiyear NASA-funded study at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center further developed this concept, resulting in an independent theoretical validation of the fundamental approach (Rueda and Haisch, 1998ab). Distortion of the quantum vacuum in accelerated reference frames results in a force that appears to account for inertia. We have now shown that the same effect occurs in a region of curved spacetime, thus elucidating the origin of the principle of equivalence (Rueda, Haisch and Tung, 2001). A further connection with general relativity has been drawn by Nickisch and Mollere (2002): zero-point fluctuations give rise to spacetime micro-curvature effects yielding a complementary perspective on the origin of inertia. Numerical simulations of this effect demonstrate the manner in which a massless fundamental particle, e.g. an electron, acquires inertial properties; this also shows the apparent origin of particle spin along lines originally proposed by Schroedinger. Finally, we suggest that the heavier leptons (muon and tau) may be explainable as spatial-harmonic resonances of the (fundamental) electron. They would carry the same overall charge, but with the charge now having spatially lobed structure, each lobe of which would respond to higher frequency components of the electromagnetic quantum vacuum, thereby increasing the inertia and thus manifesting a heavier mass.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, AIP Conf. Proc., Space Technology and Applications International Forum (STAIF-2003

Three-Loop Mixing of Dipole Operators

We calculate the complete three-loop O(alpha_s^3) anomalous dimension matrix for the dimension-five dipole operators that arise in the Standard Model after integrating out the top quark and the heavy electroweak bosons. Our computation completes the three-loop anomalous dimension matrix of operators that govern low-energy |Delta F| = 1 flavor-changing processes, and represents an important ingredient of the next-to-next-to-leading order QCD analysis of the Bbar -> X_s gamma decay.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; journal version, text below Eq. (7) correcte

Lyman alpha initiated winds in late-type stars

The IUE survey of late-type stars revealed a sharp division in the HR diagram between stars with solar type spectra (chromosphere and transition region lines) and those with non-solar type spectra (only chromosphere lines). Models of both hot coronae and cool wind flows were calculated using stellar model chromospheres as starting points for stellar wind calculations in order to investigate the possibility of having a supersonic transition locus in the HR diagram dividing hot coronae from cool winds. From these models, it is concluded that the Lyman alpha flux may play an important role in determining the location of a stellar wind critical point. The interaction of Lyman alpha radiation pressure with Alfven waves in producing strong, low temperature stellar winds in the star Arcturus is examined

Multi-wavelength observations of Proxima Centauri

We report simultaneous observations of the nearby flare star Proxima Centauri with VLT/UVES and XMM-Newton over three nights in March 2009. Our optical and X-ray observations cover the star's quiescent state, as well as its flaring activity and allow us to probe the stellar atmospheric conditions from the photosphere into the chromosphere, and then the corona during its different activity stages. Using the X-ray data, we investigate variations in coronal densities and abundances and infer loop properties for an intermediate-sized flare. The optical data are used to investigate the magnetic field and its possible variability, to construct an emission line list for the chromosphere, and use certain emission lines to construct physical models of Proxima Centauri's chromosphere. We report the discovery of a weak optical forbidden Fe xiii line at 3388 AA during the more active states of Proxima Centauri. For the intermediate flare, we find two secondary flare events that may originate in neighbouring loops, and discuss the line asymmetries observed during this flare in H i, He i, and Ca ii lines. The high time-resolution in the H alpha line highlights strong temporal variations in the observed line asymmetries, which re-appear during a secondary flare event. We also present theoretical modelling with the stellar atmosphere code PHOENIX to construct flaring chromospheric models.Comment: 19 pages, 22 figures, accepted by A&

A Near-Infrared L Band Survey of the Young Embedded Cluster NGC 2024

We present the results of the first sensitive L band (3.4 micron) imaging study of the nearby young embedded cluster NGC 2024. Two separate surveys of the cluster were acquired in order to obtain a census of the circumstellar disk fraction in the cluster. From an analysis of the JHKL colors of all sources in our largest area, we find an infrared excess fraction of > 86%. The JHKL colors suggest that the infrared excesses arise in circumstellar disks, indicating that the majority of the sources which formed in the NGC 2024 cluster are currently surrounded by, and likely formed with circumstellar disks. The excess fractions remain very high, within the errors, even at the faintest L magnitudes from our deeper surveys suggesting that disks form around the majority of the stars in very young clusters such as NGC 2024 independent of mass. From comparison with published JHKL observations of Taurus, we find the K - L excess fraction in NGC 2024 to be consistent with a high initial incidence of circumstellar disks in both NGC 2024 and Taurus. Because NGC 2024 represents a region of much higher stellar density than Taurus, this suggests that disks may form around most of the YSOs in star forming regions independent of environment. We find a relatively constant JHKL excess fraction with increasing cluster radius, indicating that the disk fraction is independent of location in the cluster. In contrast, the JHK excess fraction increases rapidly toward the central region of the cluster, and is most likely due to contamination of the K band measurements by bright nebulosity in the central regions of the cluster. We identify 45 candidate protostellar sources in the central regions of the NGC 2024 cluster, and find a lower limit on the protostellar phase of early stellar evolution of 0.4 - 1.4 X 10^5 yr, similar to that in Taurus.Comment: 37 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, To appear in the Astronomical Journa

First Evidence of a Precessing Jet Excavating a Protostellar Envelope

We present new, sensitive, near-infrared images of the Class I protostar, Elias 29, in the Ophiuchus cloud core. To explore the relationship between the infall envelope and the outflow, narrowband H2 1-0 S(1), Br-gamma, and narrowband K-continuum filters were used to image the source with the Wide-Field Infrared Camera on the Hale 5m telescope and with Persson's Auxiliary Nasmyth Infrared Camera on the Baade 6.5 m telescope. The source appears as a bipolar, scattered light nebula, with a wide opening angle in all filters, as is typical for late-stage protostars. However, the pure H2 emission-line images point to the presence of a heretofore undetected precessing jet. It is argued that high-velocity, narrow, precessing jets provide the mechanism for creating the observed wide-angled outflow cavity in this source.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, 1 tabl

X-Ray Evidence for Flare Density Variations and Continual Chromospheric Evaporation in Proxima Centauri

Using the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory to monitor the nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, we recorded the weakest X-ray flares on a magnetically active star ever observed. Correlated X-ray and optical variability provide strong support for coronal energy and mass supply by a nearly continuous sequence of rapid explosive energy releases. Variable emission line fluxes were observed in the He-like triplets of OVII and NeIX during a giant flare. They give direct X-ray evidence for density variations, implying densities between 2x10^{10} - 4x10^{11} cm^{-3} and providing estimates of the mass and the volume of the line-emitting plasma. We discuss the data in the context of the chromospheric evaporation scenario.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, accepted by The Astrophysical Journal, Letters; improved calculations of radiative loss of cool plasma (toward end of paper

Binaries in star clusters and the origin of the field stellar population

Many, possibly most, stars form in binary and higher-order multiple systems. Therefore, the properties and frequency of binary systems provide strong clues to the star-formation process, and constraints on star-formation models. However, the majority of stars also form in star clusters in which the birth binary properties and frequency can be altered rapidly by dynamical processing. Thus, we almost never see the birth population, which makes it very difficult to know if star formation (as traced by binaries, at least) is universal, or if it depends on environment. In addition, the field population consists of a mixture of systems from different clusters which have all been processed in different ways.Comment: 16 pages, no figures. To appear as invited review article in a special issue of the Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. A: Ch. 8 "Star clusters as tracers of galactic star-formation histories" (ed. R. de Grijs). Fully peer reviewed. LaTeX, requires rspublic.cls style fil