Virial mass in DGP brane cosmology

We study the virial mass discrepancy in the context of a DPG brane-world scenario and show that such a framework can offer viable explanations to account for the mass discrepancy problem. This is done by defining a geometrical mass $\mathcal{N}$ that we prove to be proportional to the virial mass. Estimating $\mathcal{N}$ using observational data, we show that it behaves linearly with $r$ and has a value of the order of $M_{200}$, pointing to a possible resolution of the virial mass discrepancy. We also obtain the radial velocity dispersion of galaxy clusters and show that it is compatible with the radial velocity dispersion profile of such clusters. This velocity dispersion profile can be used to differentiate various models predicting the virial mass.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, to appear in CQ

A comparison between Pa alpha and H alpha emission: The relation between HII region mean reddening, local gas density and metallicity

We measure reddenings to HII regions in NGC 2903, NGC 1512, M51, NGC 4449 and NGC 6946 from Hubble Space Telescope Pa alpha and H alpha images. Extinctions range from A_V ~ 5 - 0 depending upon the galaxy. For the galaxies with HST images in both lines, NGC 2903, NGC 1512 and M51, the Pa alpha and H alpha emission are almost identical in morphology which implies that little emission from bright HII regions is hidden from view by regions of comparatively high extinction. The scatter in the measured extinctions is only +- 0.5 mag. We compare the reddenings we measure in five galaxies using the Pa alpha to H alpha ratios to those measured previously from the Balmer decrement in the LMC and as a function of radius in M101 and M51. We find that luminosity weighted mean extinctions of these ensembles of HI regions are correlated with gas surface density and metallicity. The correlation is consistent with the mean extinction depending on dust density where the dust to gas mass ratio scales with the metallicity. This trend is expected if HII regions tend to be located near the mid-plane of a gas disk and emerge from their parent molecular clouds soon after birth. In environments with gas densities below a few hundred Msol/pc^2 star formation rates estimated from integrated line fluxes and mean extinctions are likely to be fairly accurate.Comment: accepted for publication in A

Virtual Reality in Healthcare – what stops hospitals and patients o adopt the technology?

Virtual Reality (VR) has been used in healthcare for nearly a decade but on it’s infancy in the UK. Innovation adoption is still a struggle based on recent reports, specially adoption of high tech innovation. This study looks into the barriers of adoption of VR in pain management in National Health Services in Dorset. The study investigates this from patient and staff point of view

Spitzer IRAC Observations of Star Formation in N159 in the LMC

We present observations of the giant HII region complex N159 in the LMC using IRAC on the {\it Spitzer Space Telescope}. One of the two objects previously identified as protostars in N159 has an SED consistent with classification as a Class I young stellar object (YSO) and the other is probably a Class I YSO as well, making these two stars the youngest stars known outside the Milky Way. We identify two other sources that may also be Class I YSOs. One component, N159AN, is completely hidden at optical wavelengths, but is very prominent in the infrared. The integrated luminosity of the entire complex is L $\approx 9\times10^6$L$_{\odot}$, consistent with the observed radio emission assuming a normal Galactic initial mass function (IMF). There is no evidence for a red supergiant population indicative of an older burst of star formation. The N159 complex is 50 pc in diameter, larger in physical size than typical HII regions in the Milky Way with comparable luminosity. We argue that all of the individual components are related in their star formation history. The morphology of the region is consistent with a wind blown bubble $\approx 1-2Myr-old that has initiated star formation now taking place at the rim. Other than its large physical size, star formation in N159 appears to be indistinguishable from star formation in the Milky Way.Comment: 14 figure

Entanglement criterion for pure M⊗NM\otimes N bipartite quantum states

We propose a entanglement measure for pure $M \otimes N$ bipartite quantum states. We obtain the measure by generalizing the equivalent measure for a $2 \otimes 2$ system, via a $2 \otimes 3$ system, to the general bipartite case. The measure emphasizes the role Bell states have, both for forming the measure, and for experimentally measuring the entanglement. The form of the measure is similar to generalized concurrence. In the case of $2 \otimes 3$ systems, we prove that our measure, that is directly measurable, equals the concurrence. It is also shown that in order to measure the entanglement, it is sufficient to measure the projections of the state onto a maximum of $M(M-1)N(N-1)/2$ Bell states.Comment: 6 page

Defending Continuous Variable Teleportation: Why a laser is a clock, not a quantum channel

It has been argued [T. Rudolph and B.C. Sanders, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 87}, 077903 (2001)] that continuous-variable quantum teleportation at optical frequencies has not been achieved because the source used (a laser) was not `truly coherent'. Van Enk, and Fuchs [Phys. Rev. Lett, {\bf 88}, 027902 (2002)], while arguing against Rudolph and Sanders, also accept that an `absolute phase' is achievable, even if it has not been achieved yet. I will argue to the contrary that `true coherence' or `absolute phase' is always illusory, as the concept of absolute time (at least for frequencies beyond direct human experience) is meaningless. All we can ever do is to use an agreed time standard. In this context, a laser beam is fundamentally as good a `clock' as any other. I explain in detail why this claim is true, and defend my argument against various objections. In the process I discuss super-selection rules, quantum channels, and the ultimate limits to the performance of a laser as a clock. For this last topic I use some earlier work by myself [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 60}, 4083 (1999)] and Berry and myself [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 65}, 043803 (2002)] to show that a Heisenberg-limited laser with a mean photon number $\mu$ can synchronize $M$ independent clocks each with a mean-square error of $\sqrt{M}/4\mu$ radians$^2$.Comment: 22 pages, to be published in a special issue of J. Opt. B. This is an extended version of quant-ph/0303116 (the SPIE conference paper

Inflation and late time acceleration in braneworld cosmological models with varying brane tension

Braneworld models with variable brane tension $\lambda$ introduce a new degree of freedom that allows for evolving gravitational and cosmological constants, the latter being a natural candidate for dark energy. We consider a thermodynamic interpretation of the varying brane tension models, by showing that the field equations with variable $\lambda$ can be interpreted as describing matter creation in a cosmological framework. The particle creation rate is determined by the variation rate of the brane tension, as well as by the brane-bulk energy-matter transfer rate. We investigate the effect of a variable brane tension on the cosmological evolution of the Universe, in the framework of a particular model in which the brane tension is an exponentially dependent function of the scale factor. The resulting cosmology shows the presence of an initial inflationary expansion, followed by a decelerating phase, and by a smooth transition towards a late accelerated de Sitter type expansion. The varying brane tension is also responsible for the generation of the matter in the Universe (reheating period). The physical constraints on the model parameters, resulted from the observational cosmological data, are also investigated.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in European Physical Journal