Chaos in Time Dependent Variational Approximations to Quantum Dynamics

Dynamical chaos has recently been shown to exist in the Gaussian approximation in quantum mechanics and in the self-consistent mean field approach to studying the dynamics of quantum fields. In this study, we first show that any variational approximation to the dynamics of a quantum system based on the Dirac action principle leads to a classical Hamiltonian dynamics for the variational parameters. Since this Hamiltonian is generically nonlinear and nonintegrable, the dynamics thus generated can be chaotic, in distinction to the exact quantum evolution. We then restrict attention to a system of two biquadratically coupled quantum oscillators and study two variational schemes, the leading order large N (four canonical variables) and Hartree (six canonical variables) approximations. The chaos seen in the approximate dynamics is an artifact of the approximations: this is demonstrated by the fact that its onset occurs on the same characteristic time scale as the breakdown of the approximations when compared to numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation.Comment: 10 pages (12 figures), RevTeX (plus macro), uses epsf, minor typos correcte

Multitemporal generalization of the Tangherlini solution

The n-time generalization of the Tangherlini solution [1] is considered. The equations of geodesics for the metric are integrated. For $n = 2$ it is shown that the naked singularity is absent only for two sets of parameters, corresponding to the trivial extensions of the Tangherlini solution. The motion of a relativistic particle in the multitemporal background is considered. This motion is governed by the gravitational mass tensor. Some generalizations of the solution, including the multitemporal analogue of the Myers-Perry charged black hole solution, are obtained.Comment: 14 pages. RGA-CSVR-005/9

Hormonal Signal Amplification Mediates Environmental Conditions during Development and Controls an Irreversible Commitment to Adulthood

Many animals can choose between different developmental fates to maximize fitness. Despite the complexity of environmental cues and life history, different developmental fates are executed in a robust fashion. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans serves as a powerful model to examine this phenomenon because it can adopt one of two developmental fates (adulthood or diapause) depending on environmental conditions. The steroid hormone dafachronic acid (DA) directs development to adulthood by regulating the transcriptional activity of the nuclear hormone receptor DAF-12. The known role of DA suggests that it may be the molecular mediator of environmental condition effects on the developmental fate decision, although the mechanism is yet unknown. We used a combination of physiological and molecular biology techniques to demonstrate that commitment to reproductive adult development occurs when DA levels, produced in the neuroendocrine XXX cells, exceed a threshold. Furthermore, imaging and cell ablation experiments demonstrate that the XXX cells act as a source of DA, which, upon commitment to adult development, is amplified and propagated in the epidermis in a DAF-12 dependent manner. This positive feedback loop increases DA levels and drives adult programs in the gonad and epidermis, thus conferring the irreversibility of the decision. We show that the positive feedback loop canalizes development by ensuring that sufficient amounts of DA are dispersed throughout the body and serves as a robust fate-locking mechanism to enforce an organism-wide binary decision, despite noisy and complex environmental cues. These mechanisms are not only relevant to C. elegans but may be extended to other hormonal-based decision-making mechanisms in insects and mammals

Periodic Chaotic Billiards: Quantum-Classical Correspondence in Energy Space

We investigate the properties of eigenstates and local density of states (LDOS) for a periodic 2D rippled billiard, focusing on their quantum-classical correspondence in energy representation. To construct the classical counterparts of LDOS and the structure of eigenstates (SES), the effects of the boundary are first incorporated (via a canonical transformation) into an effective potential, rendering the one-particle motion in the 2D rippled billiard equivalent to that of two-interacting particles in 1D geometry. We show that classical counterparts of SES and LDOS in the case of strong chaotic motion reveal quite a good correspondence with the quantum quantities. We also show that the main features of the SES and LDOS can be explained in terms of the underlying classical dynamics, in particular of certain periodic orbits. On the other hand, statistical properties of eigenstates and LDOS turn out to be different from those prescribed by random matrix theory. We discuss the quantum effects responsible for the non-ergodic character of the eigenstates and individual LDOS that seem to be generic for this type of billiards with a large number of transverse channels.Comment: 13 pages, 18 figure

Herschelobservations of the W3 GMC (II): clues to the formation of clusters of high-mass stars

The W3 giant molecular cloud is a prime target for investigating the formation of high-mass stars and clusters. This second study of W3 within the HOBYS Key Program provides a comparative analysis of subfields within W3 to further constrain the processes leading to the observed structures and stellar population. Probability density functions (PDFs) and cumulative mass distributions (CMDs) were created from dust column density maps, quantified as extinction AV. The shape of the PDF, typically represented with a lognormal function at low Av “breaking” to a power-law tail at high Av, is influenced by various processes including turbulence and selfgravity. The breaks can also be identified, often more readily, in the CMDs. The PDF break from lognormal (Av(SF)» 6–10 mag) appears to shift to higher Av by stellar feedback, so that high-mass star-forming regions tend to have higher PDF breaks. A second break at Av> 50 mag traces structures formed or influenced by a dynamic process. Because such a process has been suggested to drive high-mass star formation in W3, this second break might then identify regions with potential for hosting high-mass stars/clusters. Stellar feedback appears to be a major mechanism driving the local evolution and state of regions within W3. A high initial star formation efficiency in a dense medium could result in a self-enhancing process, leading to more compression and favorable star formation conditions (e.g., colliding flows), a richer stellar content, and massive stars. This scenario would be compatible with the “convergent constructive feedback” model introduced in our previous Herschel study

'Sexercise': Working out heterosexuality in Jane Fonda’s fitness books

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Leisure Studies, 30(2), 237 - 255, 2011, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/02614367.2010.523837.This paper explores the connection between the promotion of heterosexual norms in women’s fitness books written by or in the name of Jane Fonda during the 1980s and the commodification of women’s fitness space in both the public and private spheres. The paper is set in the absence of overt discussions of normative heterosexuality in leisure studies and draws on critical heterosexual scholarship as well as the growing body of work theorising geographies of corporeality and heterosexuality. Using the principles of media discourse analysis, the paper identifies three overlapping characteristics of heterosexuality represented in Jane Fonda’s fitness books, and embodied through the exercise regimes: respectable heterosexual desire, monogamous procreation and domesticity. The paper concludes that the promotion and prescription of exercise for women in the Jane Fonda workout books centred on the reproduction and embodiment of heterosexual corporeality. Set within an emerging commercial landscape of women’s fitness in the 1980s, such exercise practices were significant in the legitimation and institutionalisation of heteronormativity

The theory of pulsar winds and nebulae

We review current theoretical ideas on pulsar winds and their surrounding nebulae. Relativistic MHD models of the wind of the aligned rotator, and of the striped wind, together with models of magnetic dissipation are discussed. It is shown that the observational signature of this dissipation is likely to be point-like, rather than extended, and that pulsed emission may be produced. The possible pulse shapes and polarisation properties are described. Particle acceleration at the termination shock of the wind is discussed, and it is argued that two distinct mechanisms must be operating, with the first-order Fermi mechanism producing the high-energy electrons (above 1 TeV) and either magnetic annihilation or resonant absorption of ion cyclotron waves responsible for the 100 MeV to 1 TeV electrons. Finally, MHD models of the morphology of the nebula are discussed and compared with observation.Comment: 33 pages, to appear in Springer Lecture Notes on "Neutron stars and pulsars, 40 years after the discovery", ed W.Becke

Thiophene antibacterials that allosterically stabilize DNA-cleavage complexes with DNA gyrase

A paucity of novel acting antibacterials is in development to treat the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance, particularly in Gram-negative hospital pathogens, which has led to renewed efforts in antibiotic drug discovery. Fluoroquinolones are broad-spectrum antibacterials that target DNA gyrase by stabilizing DNA-cleavage complexes, but their clinical utility has been compromised by resistance. We have identified a class of antibacterial thiophenes that target DNA gyrase with a unique mechanism of action and have activity against a range of bacterial pathogens, including strains resistant to fluoroquinolones. Although fluoroquinolones stabilize double-stranded DNA breaks, the antibacterial thiophenes stabilize gyrase-mediated DNA-cleavage complexes in either one DNA strand or both DNA strands. X-ray crystallography of DNA gyrase–DNA complexes shows the compounds binding to a protein pocket between the winged helix domain and topoisomerase-primase domain, remote from the DNA. Mutations of conserved residues around this pocket affect activity of the thiophene inhibitors, consistent with allosteric inhibition of DNA gyrase. This druggable pocket provides potentially complementary opportunities for targeting bacterial topoisomerases for antibiotic development

A <i>Herschel</i> and BIMA study of the sequential star formation near the W 48A H II region

We present the results of Herschel HOBYS (Herschel imaging survey of OB Young Stellar objects) photometric mapping combined with Berkeley Illinois Maryland Association (BIMA) observations and additional archival data, and perform an in-depth study of the evolutionary phases of the star-forming clumps in W 48A and their surroundings. Age estimates for the compact sources were derived from bolometric luminosities and envelope masses, which were obtained from the dust continuum emission, and agree within an order of magnitude with age estimates from molecular line and radio data. The clumps in W 48A are linearly aligned by age (east-old to west-young): we find a ultra-compact (UC) H II region, a young stellar object (YSO) with class II methanol maser emission, a YSO with a massive outflow and finally the NH2D prestellar cores from Pillai et al. This remarkable positioning reflects the (star) formation history of the region. We find that it is unlikely that the star formation in the W 48A molecular cloud was triggered by the UC H II region and discuss the Aquila supershell expansion as a major influence on the evolution of W 48A. We conclude that the combination of Herschel continuum data with interferometric molecular line and radio continuum data is important to derive trustworthy age estimates and interpret the origin of large-scale structures through kinematic information