3,926 research outputs found
Exploring the diffeomorphism invariant Hilbert space of a scalar field
As a toy model for the implementation of the diffeomorphism constraint, the
interpretation of the resulting states, and the treatment of ordering
ambiguities in loop quantum gravity, we consider the Hilbert space of spatially
diffeomorphism invariant states for a scalar field. We give a very explicit
formula for the scalar product on this space, and discuss its structure.
Then we turn to the quantization of a certain class of diffeomorphism
invariant quantities on that space, and discuss in detail the ordering issues
involved. On a technical level these issues bear some similarity to those
encountered in full loop quantum gravity.Comment: 20 pages, no figures; v3: corrected typos, added reference, some
clarifications added; version as published in CQ
The Proca-field in Loop Quantum Gravity
In this paper we investigate the Proca-field in the framework of Loop Quantum
Gravity. It turns out that the methods developed there can be applied to the
symplectically embedded Proca-field, giving a rigorous, consistent,
non-perturbative quantization of the theory. This can be achieved by
introducing a scalar field, which has completely different properties than the
one used in spontaneous symmetry breaking. The analysis of the kernel of the
Hamiltonian suggests that the mass term in the quantum theory has a different
role than in the classical theory.Comment: 15 pages. v2: 19 pages, amended sections 2 and 6, references added
v3: 20 pages, amended section 6 and minor correction
The Marmara Sea Gateway since ~16 ky BP: non-catastrophic causes of paleoceanographic events in the Black Sea at 8.4 and 7.15 ky BP
The Late Quaternary history of connection of the Black Sea to the Eastern
Mediterranean has been intensely debated. Ryan, Pitman and coworkers
advocate two pulses of outflow from the Black Sea to the world ocean at
~16–14.7 ky BP and ~11–10 ky BP. From ~14.7–11 ky BP and from ~10–8.4
ky BP, they suggest that the level of the Black Sea fell to ~ -100 m. At 8.4 ky
BP, they further claim that a catastrophic flood occurred in a geological
instant, refilling the Black Sea with saline waters from the Mediterranean. In
contrast, we continue to gather evidence from seismic profiles and dated cores
in the Marmara Sea which demonstrate conclusively that the proposed flood
did not occur. Instead, the Black Sea has been at or above the Bosphorus sill
depth and flowing into the world ocean unabated since ~10.5 ky BP. This
conclusion is based on continuous Holocene water-column stratification
(leading to sapropel deposition in the Marmara Sea and the Aegean Sea),
proxy indicators of sea-surface salinity, and migration of endemic species
across the Bosphorus in both directions whenever appropriate hydrographic
conditions existed in the strait. The two pulses of outflow documented by
Ryan, Pitman and coworkers find support in our data, and we have modified our earlier interpretations so that these pulses now coincide with the
development of mid-shelf deltas: \Delta 2 (16–14.7 ky BP) and \Delta 1 (10.5–9 ky BP)
at the southern end of the Bosphorus Strait. However, continued Black Sea
outflow after 9 ky BP prevented the northward advection of Mediterranean
water and the entry of open-marine species into the Black Sea for more than
1000 years. Sufficient Mediterranean water to change the Sr-isotopic
composition of slope and shelf water masses was not available until ~8.4 ky
BP (along with the first arrival of many varieties of marine fauna and flora),
whereas euryhaline molluscs did not successfully populate the Black Sea
shelves until ~7.15 ky BP. Instead of relying on catastrophic events, we
recognize a slow, progressive reconnection of the Black Sea to the world
ocean, accompanied by significant time lags
Polymer quantization of the free scalar field and its classical limit
Building on prior work, a generally covariant reformulation of free scalar
field theory on the flat Lorentzian cylinder is quantized using Loop Quantum
Gravity (LQG) type `polymer' representations. This quantization of the {\em
continuum} classical theory yields a quantum theory which lives on a discrete
spacetime lattice. We explicitly construct a state in the polymer Hilbert space
which reproduces the standard Fock vacuum- two point functions for long
wavelength modes of the scalar field. Our construction indicates that the
continuum classical theory emerges under coarse graining. All our
considerations are free of the "triangulation" ambiguities which plague
attempts to define quantum dynamics in LQG. Our work constitutes the first
complete LQG type quantization of a generally covariant field theory together
with a semi-classical analysis of the true degrees of freedom and thus provides
a perfect infinite dimensional toy model to study open issues in LQG,
particularly those pertaining to the definition of quantum dynamics.Comment: 58 page
Submillimeter-wave emission of three Galactic red novae: cool molecular outflows produced by stellar mergers
Red novae are optical transients erupting at luminosities typically higher
than those of classical novae. Their outbursts are believed to be caused by
stellar mergers. We present millimeter/submillimeter-wave observations with
ALMA and SMA of the three best known Galactic red novae, V4332 Sgr, V1309 Sco,
and V838 Mon. The observations were taken 22, 8, and 14 yr after their
respective eruptions and reveal the presence of molecular gas at excitation
temperatures of 35-200 K. The gas displays molecular emission in rotational
transitions with very broad lines (full width 400 km\s). We found
emission of CO, SiO, SO, SO (in all three red novae), HS (covered only
in V838 Mon) and AlO (present in V4332 Sgr and V1309 Sco). No anomalies were
found in the isotopic composition of the molecular material and the chemical
(molecular) compositions of the three red novae appear similar to those of
oxygen-rich envelopes of classical evolved stars (RSGs, AGBs, post-AGBs). The
minimum masses of the molecular material that most likely was dispersed in the
red-nova eruptions are 0.1, 0.01, and 10 M for V838 Mon, V4332
Sgr, and V1309 Sco, respectively. The molecular outflows in V4332 Sgr and V1309
Sco are spatially resolved and appear bipolar. The kinematic distances to V1309
Sco and V4332 Sgr are 2.1 and 4.2 kpc, respectively. The kinetic energy stored
in the ejecta of the two older red-nova remnants of V838 Mon and V4332 Sgr is
of order erg, similar to values found for some post-AGB (pre-PN)
objects whose bipolar ejecta were also formed in a short-duration eruption. Our
observations strengthen the link between these post-AGB objects and red novae
and support the hypothesis that some of the post-AGB objects were formed in a
common-envelope ejection event or its most catastrophic outcome, a merger.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures, accepted to A&
Towards new background independent representations for Loop Quantum Gravity
Recently, uniqueness theorems were constructed for the representation used in
Loop Quantum Gravity. We explore the existence of alternate representations by
weakening the assumptions of the so called LOST uniqueness theorem. The
weakened assumptions seem physically reasonable and retain the key requirement
of explicit background independence. For simplicity, we restrict attention to
the case of gauge group U(1).Comment: 22 pages, minor change
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