4,749 research outputs found
Fluctuations of the Unruh Temperature
Using the influence functional formalism, the problem of an accelerating
detector in the presence of a scalar field in its ground state is considered in
Minkowski space. As is known since the work of Unruh, to a quantum mechanical
detector following a definite, classical acceleration, the field appears to be
thermally excited. We relax the requirement of perfect classicality for the
trajectory and substitute it with one of {\it derived} classicality through the
criteria of decoherence. The ensuing fluctuations in temperature are then
related with the time and the amplitude of excitation in the detector's
internal degree of freedom.Comment: LATEX, 12 pages + 2 figures (available upon request) MIT-CTP 234
Hermiticity and the Cohomology Condition in Topological Yang-Mills Theory
The symmetries of the topological Yang-Mills theory are studied in the
Hamiltonian formalism and the generators of the twisted N=2 superPoincar\'e
algebra are explicitly constructed. Noting that the twisted Lorentz generators
do not generate the Lorentz symmetry of the theory, we relate the two by
extracting from the latter the twisted version of the internal SU(2) generator.
The hermiticity properties of the various generators are also considered
throughout, and the boost generators are found to be non-hermitian. We then
recover the BRST cohomology condition on physical states from representation
theory arguments.Comment: 19 pages, MIT-CTP 223
The elusive old population of the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Leo I
We report the discovery of a significant old population in the dwarf
spheroidal (dSph) galaxy Leo I as a result of a wide-area search with the ESO
New Technology Telescope. Studies of the stellar content of Local Group dwarf
galaxies have shown the presence of an old stellar population in almost all of
the dwarf spheroidals. The only exception was Leo I, which alone appeared to
have delayed its initial star formation episode until just a few Gyr ago. The
color-magnitude diagram of Leo I now reveals an extended horizontal branch,
unambiguously indicating the presence of an old, metal-poor population in the
outer regions of this galaxy. Yet we find little evidence for a stellar
population gradient, at least outside R > 2' (0.16 kpc), since the old
horizontal branch stars of Leo I are radially distributed as their more
numerous intermediate-age helium-burning counterparts. The discovery of a
definitely old population in the predominantly young dwarf spheroidal galaxy
Leo I points to a sharply defined first epoch of star formation common to all
of the Local Group dSph's as well as to the halo of the Milky Way.Comment: 4 pages, 3 postscript figures, uses apjfonts.sty, emulateapj.sty.
Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Black hole entropy and renormalization
Using a new regulator, we examine 't Hooft's approach for evaluating black hole entropy through a statistical-mechanical counting of states for a scalar field propagating outside the event horizon. We find that this calculation yields precisely the one-loop renormalization of the standard Bekenstein-Hawking formula, S={\Cal A}/(4G). Thus our result provides evidence confirming a suggestion by Susskind and Uglum regarding black hole entropy
Media outlets and their moguls: why concentrated individual or family ownership is bad for editorial independence
This article investigates the levels of owner influence in 211 different print and broadcast outlets in 32 different European media markets. Drawing on the literature from industrial organisation, it sets out reasons why we should expect greater levels of influence where ownership of individual outlets is concentrated; where it is concentrated in the hands of individuals or families; and where ownership groups own multiple outlets in the same media market. Conversely, we should expect lower levels of influence where ownership is dispersed between transnational companies. The articles uses original data on the ownership structures of these outlets, and combines it with reliable expert judgments as to the level of owner influence in each of the outlets. These hypotheses are tested and confirmed in a multilevel regression model of owner influence. The findings are relevant for policy on ownership limits in the media, and for the debate over transnational versus local control of media
Normal-Superfluid Interface Scattering For Polarized Fermion Gases
We argue that, for the recent experiments with imbalanced fermion gases, a
temperature difference may occur between the normal (N) and the gapped
superfluid (SF) phase. Using the mean-field formalism, we study particle
scattering off the N-SF interface from the deep BCS to the unitary regime. We
show that the thermal conductivity across the interface drops exponentially
fast with increasing , where is the chemical potential imbalance.
This implies a blocking of thermal equilibration between the N and the SF
phase. We also provide a possible mechanism for the creation of gap
oscillations (FFLO-like states) as seen in recent studies on these systems.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Remarks on Renormalization of Black Hole Entropy
We elaborate the renormalization process of entropy of a nonextremal and an
extremal Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m black hole by using the Pauli-Villars
regularization method, in which the regulator fields obey either the
Bose-Einstein or Fermi-Dirac distribution depending on their spin-statistics.
The black hole entropy involves only two renormalization constants. We also
discuss the entropy and temperature of the extremal black hole.Comment: 14 pages, revtex, no figure
Renormalized Thermodynamic Entropy of Black Holes in Higher Dimensions
We study the ultraviolet divergent structures of the matter (scalar) field in
a higher D-dimensional Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m black hole and compute the matter
field contribution to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy by using the Pauli-Villars
regularization method. We find that the matter field contribution to the black
hole entropy does not, in general, yield the correct renormalization of the
gravitational coupling constants. In particular we show that the matter field
contribution in odd dimensions does not give the term proportional to the area
of the black hole event horizon.Comment: Final Revision Form as to be published in Physical Review D, ReVTeX,
No Figure
Exploring Halo Substructure with Giant Stars IV: The Extended Structure of the Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal
We present a large area photometric survey of the Ursa Minor dSph. We
identify UMi giant star candidates extending to ~3 deg from the center of the
dSph. Comparison to previous catalogues of stars within the tidal radius of UMi
suggests that our photometric luminosity classification is 100% accurate. Over
a large fraction of the survey area, blue horizontal branch stars associated
with UMi can also be identified. The spatial distribution of both the UMi giant
stars and the BHB stars are remarkably similar, and a large fraction of both
samples of stars are found outside the tidal radius of UMi. An isodensity
contour map of the stars within the tidal radius of UMi reveals two
morphological peculiarities: (1) The highest density of dSph stars is offset
from the center of symmetry of the outer isodensity contours. (2) The overall
shape of the outer contours appear S-shaped. We find that previously determined
King profiles with ~50' tidal radii do not fit well the distribution of our UMi
stars. A King profile with a larger tidal radius produces a reasonable fit,
however a power law with index -3 provides a better fit for radii > 20'. The
existence of UMi stars at large distances from the core of the galaxy, the
peculiar morphology of the dSph within its tidal radius, and the shape of its
surface density profile all suggest that UMi is evolving significantly due to
the tidal influence of the Milky Way. However, the photometric data on UMi
stars alone does not allow us to determine if the candidate extratidal stars
are now unbound or if they remain bound to the dSph within an extended dark
matter halo. (Abridged)Comment: accepted by AJ, 32 pages, 15 figures, emulateapj5 styl
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