486 research outputs found
Gravitational energy of conical defects
The energy density of asymptotically flat gravitational fields can be
calculated from a simple expression involving the trace of the torsion tensor.
Integration of this energy density over the whole space yields the ADM energy.
Such expression can be justified within the framework of the teleparallel
equivalent of general relativity, which is an alternative geometrical
formulation of Einstein's general relativity. In this paper we apply this
energy density to the evaluation of the energy per unit length of a class of
conical defects of topological nature, which include disclinations and
dislocations (in the terminology of crystallography). Disclinations correspond
to cosmic strings, and for a spacetime endowed with only such a defect we
obtain precisely the well known expression of energy per unit length. However
for a pure spacetime dislocation the total gravitational energy is zero.Comment: 16 pages, LaTex file, no figure, additional text included, to appear
in the J. Math. Phy
Gravitational energy of rotating black holes
In the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity the energy density of
asymptotically flat gravitational fields can be naturaly defined as a scalar
density restricted to a three-dimensional spacelike hypersurface .
Integration over the whole yields the standard ADM energy. After
establishing the reference space with zero gravitational energy we obtain the
expression of the localized energy for a Kerr black hole. The expression of the
energy inside a surface of constant radius can be explicitly calculated in the
limit of small , the specific angular momentum. Such expression turns out to
be exactly the same as the one obtained by means of the method preposed
recently by Brown and York. We also calculate the energy contained within the
outer horizon of the black hole for {\it any} value of . The result is
practically indistinguishable from , where is the
irreducible mass of the black hole.Comment: 18 pages, LaTex file, one figur
Engineering of spin-lattice relaxation dynamics by digital growth of diluted magnetic semiconductor CdMnTe
The technological concept of "digital alloying" offered by molecular-beam
epitaxy is demonstrated to be a very effective tool for tailoring static and
dynamic magnetic properties of diluted magnetic semiconductors. Compared to
common "disordered alloys" with the same Mn concentration, the spin-lattice
relaxation dynamics of magnetic Mn ions has been accelerated by an order of
magnitude in (Cd,Mn)Te digital alloys, without any noticeable change in the
giant Zeeman spin splitting of excitonic states, i.e. without effect on the
static magnetization. The strong sensitivity of the magnetization dynamics to
clustering of the Mn ions opens a new degree of freedom for spin engineering.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
The cyanobacterial endosymbiont of the unicellular algae Rhopalodia gibba shows reductive genome evolution
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bacteria occur in facultative association and intracellular symbiosis with a diversity of eukaryotic hosts. Recently, we have helped to characterise an intracellular nitrogen fixing bacterium, the so-called spheroid body, located within the diatom <it>Rhopalodia gibba</it>. Spheroid bodies are of cyanobacterial origin and exhibit features that suggest physiological adaptation to their intracellular life style. To investigate the genome modifications that have accompanied the process of endosymbiosis, here we compare gene structure, content and organisation in spheroid body and cyanobacterial genomes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Comparison of the spheroid body's genome sequence with corresponding regions of near free-living relatives indicates that multiple modifications have occurred in the endosymbiont's genome. These include localised changes that have led to elimination of some genes. This gene loss has been accompanied either by deletion of the respective DNA region or replacement with non-coding DNA that is AT rich in composition. In addition, genome modifications have led to the fusion and truncation of genes. We also report that in the spheroid body's genome there is an accumulation of deleterious mutations in genes for cell wall biosynthesis and processes controlled by transposases. Interestingly, the formation of pseudogenes in the spheroid body has occurred in the presence of intact, and presumably functional, <it>rec</it>A and <it>rec</it>F genes. This is in contrast to the situation in most investigated obligate intracellular bacterium-eukaryote symbioses, where at least either <it>rec</it>A or <it>rec</it>F has been eliminated.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our analyses suggest highly specific targeting/loss of individual genes during the process of genome reduction and establishment of a cyanobacterial endosymbiont inside a eukaryotic cell. Our findings confirm, at the genome level, earlier speculation on the obligate intracellular status of the spheroid body in <it>Rhopalodia gibba</it>. This association is the first example of an obligate cyanobacterial symbiosis involving nitrogen fixation for which genomic data are available. It represents a new model system to study molecular adaptations of genome evolution that accompany a switch from free-living to intracellular existence.</p
Laser-wakefield accelerators as hard x-ray sources for 3D medical imaging of human bone
A bright μm-sized source of hard synchrotron x-rays (critical energy Ecrit > 30 keV) based on the betatron oscillations of laser wakefield accelerated electrons has been developed. The potential of this source for medical imaging was demonstrated by performing micro-computed tomography of a human femoral trabecular bone sample, allowing full 3D reconstruction to a resolution below 50 μm. The use of a 1 cm long wakefield accelerator means that the length of the beamline (excluding the laser) is dominated by the x-ray imaging distances rather than the electron acceleration distances. The source possesses high peak brightness, which allows each image to be recorded with a single exposure and reduces the time required for a full tomographic scan. These properties make this an interesting laboratory source for many tomographic imaging applications
- …