991 research outputs found
Dynamical tachyons on fuzzy spheres
We study the spectrum of off-diagonal fluctuations between displaced fuzzy
spheres in the BMN plane wave matrix model. The displacement is along the plane
of the fuzzy spheres. We find that when two fuzzy spheres intersect at angles
classical tachyons develop and that the spectrum of these modes can be computed
analytically. These tachyons can be related to the familiar Nielsen-Olesen
instabilities in Yang-Mills theory on a constant magnetic background. Many
features of the problem become more apparent when we compare with maximally
supersymmetric Yang-Mills on a sphere, of which this system is a truncation. We
also set up a simple oscillatory trajectory on the displacement between the
fuzzy spheres and study the dynamics of the modes as they become tachyonic for
part of the oscillations. We speculate on their role regarding the possible
thermalization of the system.Comment: 34 pages, 4 figures; v2: 35 pages, expanded sec. 4.3, added
reference
Non-Hermitian Delocalization and Eigenfunctions
Recent literature on delocalization in non-Hermitian systems has stressed
criteria based on sensitivity of eigenvalues to boundary conditions and the
existence of a non-zero current. We emphasize here that delocalization also
shows up clearly in eigenfunctions, provided one studies the product of left-
and right-eigenfunctions, as required on physical grounds, and not simply the
squared modulii of the eigenfunctions themselves. We also discuss the right-
and left-eigenfunctions of the ground state in the delocalized regime and
suggest that the behavior of these functions, when considered separately, may
be viewed as ``intermediate'' between localized and delocalized.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figures include
Quarkonium dissociation by anisotropy
We compute the screening length for quarkonium mesons moving through an
anisotropic, strongly coupled N=4 super Yang-Mills plasma by means of its
gravity dual. We present the results for arbitrary velocities and orientations
of the mesons, as well as for arbitrary values of the anisotropy. The
anisotropic screening length can be larger or smaller than the isotropic one,
and this depends on whether the comparison is made at equal temperatures or at
equal entropy densities. For generic motion we find that: (i) mesons dissociate
above a certain critical value of the anisotropy, even at zero temperature;
(ii) there is a limiting velocity for mesons in the plasma, even at zero
temperature; (iii) in the ultra-relativistic limit the screening length scales
as with \epsilon =1/2, in contrast with the isotropic result
\epsilon =1/4.Comment: 39 pages, 26 figures; v2: minor changes, added reference
Phase diagram for non-axisymmetric plasma balls
Plasma balls and rings emerge as fluid holographic duals of black holes and
black rings in the hydrodynamic/gravity correspondence for the Scherk-Schwarz
AdS system. Recently, plasma balls spinning above a critical rotation were
found to be unstable against m-lobed perturbations. In the phase diagram of
stationary solutions the threshold of the instability signals a bifurcation to
a new phase of non-axisymmetric configurations. We find explicitly this family
of solutions and represent them in the phase diagram. We discuss the
implications of our results for the gravitational system. Rotating
non-axisymmetric black holes necessarily radiate gravitational waves. We thus
emphasize that it would be important, albeit possibly out of present reach, to
have a better understanding of the hydrodynamic description of gravitational
waves and of the gravitational interaction between two bodies. We also argue
that it might well be that a non-axisymmetric m-lobed instability is also
present in Myers-Perry black holes for rotations below the recently found
ultraspinning instability.Comment: 1+22 pages, 3 figures. v2: minor corrections and improvements,
matches published versio
Avoidance of wind farms by harbour seals is limited to pile driving activities
DJFR, GH, VMJ and BM were funded by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) as part of their Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment programme. DT and GH were also funded by NERC/Defra EBAO NE/J004243/1. ELJ was funded under Scottish Government grant MMSS001/01. This work was also supported by National Capability funding from the Natural Environment Research Council to SMRU (grant no. SMRU1001). Tags and their deployment in the Thames in 2006 and The Wash were funded by DECC. Tags and their deployment in the Thames in 2012 were commissioned by Zoological Society London, with funding from BBC Wildlife Fund and Sita Trust.1. As part of global efforts to reduce dependence on carbon-based energy sources there has been a rapid increase in the installation of renewable energy devices. The installation and operation of these devices can result in conflicts with wildlife. In the marine environment, mammals may avoid wind farms that are under construction or operating. Such avoidance may lead to more time spent travelling or displacement from key habitats. A paucity of data on at-sea movements of marine mammals around wind farms limits our understanding of the nature of their potential impacts. 2. Here, we present the results of a telemetry study on harbour seals Phoca vitulina in The Wash, south-east England, an area where wind farms are being constructed using impact pile driving. We investigated whether seals avoid wind farms during operation, construction in its entirety, or during piling activity. The study was carried out using historical telemetry data collected prior to any wind farm development and telemetry data collected in 2012 during the construction of one wind farm and the operation of another. 3. Within an operational wind farm, there was a close-to-significant increase in seal usage compared to prior to wind farm development. However, the wind farm was at the edge of a large area of increased usage, so the presence of the wind farm was unlikely to be the cause. 4. There was no significant displacement during construction as a whole. However, during piling, seal usage (abundance) was significantly reduced up to 25 km from the piling activity; within 25 km of the centre of the wind farm, there was a 19 to 83% (95% confidence intervals) decrease in usage compared to during breaks in piling, equating to a mean estimated displacement of 440 individuals. This amounts to significant displacement starting from predicted received levels of between 166 and 178 dB re 1 μPa(p·p). Displacement was limited to piling activity; within 2 h of cessation of pile driving, seals were distributed as per the non-piling scenario. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our spatial and temporal quantification of avoidance of wind farms by harbour seals is critical to reduce uncertainty and increase robustness in environmental impact assessments of future developments. Specifically, the results will allow policymakers to produce industry guidance on the likelihood of displacement of seals in response to pile driving; the relationship between sound levels and avoidance rates; and the duration of any avoidance, thus allowing far more accurate environmental assessments to be carried out during the consenting process. Further, our results can be used to inform mitigation strategies in terms of both the sound levels likely to cause displacement and what temporal patterns of piling would minimize the magnitude of the energetic impacts of displacement.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
On Field Theory Thermalization from Gravitational Collapse
Motivated by its field theory interpretation, we study gravitational collapse
of a minimally coupled massless scalar field in Einstein gravity with a
negative cosmological constant. After demonstrating the accuracy of the
numerical algorithm for the questions we are interested in, we investigate
various aspects of the apparent horizon formation. In particular, we study the
time and radius of the apparent horizon formed as functions of the initial
Gaussian profile for the scalar field. We comment on several aspects of the
dual field theory picture.Comment: 31 pages, 17 figures; V2 Some figures corrected, minor revision.
arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1106.233
DV and WDVV
We prove that the quasiclassical tau-function of the multi-support solutions
to matrix models, proposed recently by Dijkgraaf and Vafa to be related to the
Cachazo-Intrilligator-Vafa superpotentials of the N=1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills
theories, satisfies the Witten-Dijkgraaf-Verlinde-Verlinde equations.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figure
Finite-gap equations for strings on AdS_3 x S^3 x T^4 with mixed 3-form flux
We study superstrings on AdS_3 x S^3 x T^4 supported by a combination of
Ramond-Ramond and Neveu-Schwarz-Neveu-Schwarz three form fluxes, and construct
a set of finite-gap equations that describe the classical string spectrum.
Using the recently proposed all-loop S-matrix we write down the all-loop Bethe
ansatz equations for the massive sector. In the thermodynamic limit the Bethe
ansatz reproduces the finite-gap equations. As part of this derivation we
propose expressions for the leading order dressing phases. These phases differ
from the well-known Arutyunov-Frolov-Staudacher phase that appears in the pure
Ramond-Ramond case. We also consider the one-loop quantization of the algebraic
curve and determine the one-loop corrections to the dressing phases. Finally we
consider some classical string solutions including finite size giant magnons
and circular strings.Comment: 44 pages, 3 figures. v2: references and a discussion about
perturbative results adde
Thermodynamics and Instabilities of a Strongly Coupled Anisotropic Plasma
We extend our analysis of a IIB supergravity solution dual to a spatially
anisotropic finite-temperature N=4 super Yang-Mills plasma. The solution is
static, possesses an anisotropic horizon, and is completely regular. The full
geometry can be viewed as a renormalization group flow from an AdS geometry in
the ultraviolet to a Lifshitz-like geometry in the infrared. The anisotropy can
be equivalently understood as resulting from a position-dependent theta-term or
from a non-zero number density of dissolved D7-branes. The holographic stress
tensor is conserved and anisotropic. The presence of a conformal anomaly plays
an important role in the thermodynamics. The phase diagram exhibits homogeneous
and inhomogeneous (i.e. mixed) phases. In some regions the homogeneous phase
displays instabilities reminiscent of those of weakly coupled plasmas. We
comment on similarities with QCD at finite baryon density and with the
phenomenon of cavitation.Comment: 62 pages, 13 figures; v2: typos fixed, added reference
The bashful and the boastful : prestigious leaders and social change in Mesolithic Societies
The creation and maintenance of influential leaders and authorities is one of the key themes of archaeological and historical enquiry. However the social dynamics of authorities and leaders in the Mesolithic remains a largely unexplored area of study. The role and influence of authorities can be remarkably different in different situations yet they exist in all societies and in almost all social contexts from playgrounds to parliaments. Here we explore the literature on the dynamics of authority creation, maintenance and contestation in egalitarian societies, and discuss the implications for our interpretation and understanding of the formation of authorities and leaders and changing social relationships within the Mesolithic
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