402 research outputs found
Non-Uniqueness of Quantized Yang-Mills Theories
We consider quantized Yang-Mills theories in the framework of causal
perturbation theory which goes back to Epstein and Glaser. In this approach
gauge invariance is expressed by a simple commutator relation for the S-matrix.
The most general coupling which is gauge invariant in first order contains a
two-parametric ambiguity in the ghost sector - a divergence- and a
coboundary-coupling may be added. We prove (not completely) that the higher
orders with these two additional couplings are gauge invariant, too. Moreover
we show that the ambiguities of the n-point distributions restricted to the
physical subspace are only a sum of divergences (in the sense of vector
analysis). It turns out that the theory without divergence- and
coboundary-coupling is the most simple one in a quite technical sense. The
proofs for the n-point distributions containing coboundary-couplings are given
up to third or fourth order only, whereas the statements about the
divergence-coupling are proven in all orders.Comment: 22 pages. The paper is written in TEX. The necessary macros are
include
On the Influence of Eccentricities on Flux Linkages of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines
The noise behavior of electrical machines is influenced by tolerances. Eccentricities in particular lead to poorer noise behavior. However, the measurement of NVH quantities is usually very complex. Therefore, it is of interest to be able to detect such tolerances also by other measurands. In this paper, the influence of eccentricities on the flux linkages is investigated. For this purpose, detailed investigations were carried out using FEA. In a further step, these are compared with the results obtained from a test rig measurement. Prior to this, a methodology is presented with which the angle-dependent flux linkages can be determined. It is shown that eccentricities cause only slight changes in the harmonic components of the flux linkages. Due to the symmetry properties of the investigated machine, the changes in the flux linkage caused by the different air gap lengths cancel each other out. This could also be confirmed in the experiment
Representation of acoustic communication signals by insect auditory receptor neurons
Despite their simple auditory systems, some insect species recognize certain temporal aspects of acoustic stimuli with an acuity equal to that of vertebrates; however, the underlying neural mechanisms and coding schemes are only partially understood. In this study, we analyze the response characteristics of the peripheral auditory system of grasshoppers with special emphasis on the representation of species-specific communication signals. We use both natural calling songs and artificial random stimuli designed to focus on two low-order statistical properties of the songs: their typical time scales and the distribution of their modulation amplitudes. Based on stimulus reconstruction techniques and quantified within an information-theoretic framework, our data show that artificial stimuli with typical time scales of >40 msec can be read from single spike trains with high accuracy. Faster stimulus variations can be reconstructed only for behaviorally relevant amplitude distributions. The highest rates of information transmission (180 bits/sec) and the highest coding efficiencies (40%) are obtained for stimuli that capture both the time scales and amplitude distributions of natural songs. Use of multiple spike trains significantly improves the reconstruction of stimuli that vary on time scales <40 msec or feature amplitude distributions as occur when several grasshopper songs overlap. Signal-to-noise ratios obtained from the reconstructions of natural songs do not exceed those obtained from artificial stimuli with the same low-order statistical properties. We conclude that auditory receptor neurons are optimized to extract both the time scales and the amplitude distribution of natural songs. They are not optimized, however, to extract higher-order statistical properties of the song-specific rhythmic patterns
On Gauge Invariance and Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking
We show how the widely used concept of spontaneous symmetry breaking can be
explained in causal perturbation theory by introducing a perturbative version
of quantum gauge invariance. Perturbative gauge invariance, formulated
exclusively by means of asymptotic fields, is discussed for the simple example
of Abelian U(1) gauge theory (Abelian Higgs model). Our findings are relevant
for the electroweak theory, as pointed out elsewhere.Comment: 13 pages, latex, no figure
The Epstein-Glaser approach to pQFT: graphs and Hopf algebras
The paper aims at investigating perturbative quantum field theory (pQFT) in
the approach of Epstein and Glaser (EG) and, in particular, its formulation in
the language of graphs and Hopf algebras (HAs). Various HAs are encountered,
each one associated with a special combination of physical concepts such as
normalization, localization, pseudo-unitarity, causality and an associated
regularization, and renormalization. The algebraic structures, representing the
perturbative expansion of the S-matrix, are imposed on the operator-valued
distributions which are equipped with appropriate graph indices. Translation
invariance ensures the algebras to be analytically well-defined and graded
total symmetry allows to formulate bialgebras. The algebraic results are given
embedded in the physical framework, which covers the two recent EG versions by
Fredenhagen and Scharf that differ with respect to the concrete recursive
implementation of causality. Besides, the ultraviolet divergences occuring in
Feynman's representation are mathematically reasoned. As a final result, the
change of the renormalization scheme in the EG framework is modeled via a HA
which can be seen as the EG-analog of Kreimer's HA.Comment: 52 pages, 5 figure
Affective touch and attachment style modulate pain: a laser-evoked potentials study
Affective touch and cutaneous pain are two sub-modalities of interoception with contrasting affective qualities (pleasantness/unpleasantness) and social meanings (care/harm), yet their direct relationship has not been investigated. In 50 women, taking into account individual attachment styles, we assessed the role of affective touch and particularly the contribution of the C tactile (CT) system in subjective and electrophysiological responses to noxious skin stimulation, namely N1 and N2-P2 laser-evoked potentials. When pleasant, slow (versus fast) velocity touch was administered to the (non-CT-containing) palm of the hand, higher attachment anxiety predicted increased subjective pain ratings, in the same direction as changes in N2 amplitude. By contrast, when pleasant touch was administered to CT-containing skin of the arm, higher attachment anxiety predicted attenuated N1 and N2 amplitudes. Higher attachment avoidance predicted opposite results. Thus, CT-based affective touch can modulate pain in early and late processing stages (N1 and N2 components), with the direction of effects depending on attachment style. Affective touch not involving the CT system seems to affect predominately the conscious perception of pain, possibly reflecting socio-cognitive factors further up the neurocognitive hierarchy. Affective touch may thus convey information about available social resources and gate pain responses depending on individual expectations of social support
Fluctuations and differential contraction during regeneration of Hydra vulgaris tissue toroids
We studied regenerating bilayered tissue toroids dissected from Hydra
vulgaris polyps and relate our macroscopic observations to the dynamics of
force-generating mesoscopic cytoskeletal structures. Tissue fragments undergo a
specific toroid-spheroid folding process leading to complete regeneration
towards a new organism. The time scale of folding is too fast for biochemical
signalling or morphogenetic gradients which forced us to assume purely
mechanical self-organization. The initial pattern selection dynamics was
studied by embedding toroids into hydro-gels allowing us to observe the
deformation modes over longer periods of time. We found increasing mechanical
fluctuations which break the toroidal symmetry and discuss the evolution of
their power spectra for various gel stiffnesses. Our observations are related
to single cell studies which explain the mechanical feasibility of the folding
process. In addition, we observed switching of cells from a tissue bound to a
migrating state after folding failure as well as in tissue injury.
We found a supra-cellular actin ring assembled along the toroid's inner edge.
Its contraction can lead to the observed folding dynamics as we could confirm
by finite element simulations. This actin ring in the inner cell layer is
assembled by myosin- driven length fluctuations of supra-cellular
{\alpha}-actin structures (myonemes) in the outer cell-layer.Comment: 19 pages and 8 figures, submitted to New Journal of Physic
Modeling human-water-systems: towards a comprehensive and spatially distributed assessment of co-evolutions for river basins in Central Europe
In the context of river basin and flood risk management there is a growing
need to improve the understanding of and the feedbacks between the driving
forces “climate and socio-economy” and water systems. We make use of a
variety of data resources to illustrate interrelationships between different
constituents of the human-water-systems. Taking water storage for energy
production as an example we present a first analysis on the co-evolution of
socio-economic and hydrological indicators. The findings will serve as for
the development of conceptual, but fully coupled socio-hydrological models
for selected sectors and regions. These models will be used to generate
integrated scenarios of the climate and socio-economic change
Massive Vector Mesons and Gauge Theory
We show that the requirements of renormalizability and physical consistency
imposed on perturbative interactions of massive vector mesons fix the theory
essentially uniquely. In particular physical consistency demands the presence
of at least one additional physical degree of freedom which was not part of the
originally required physical particle content. In its simplest realization
(probably the only one) these are scalar fields as envisaged by Higgs but in
the present formulation without the ``symmetry-breaking Higgs condensate''. The
final result agrees precisely with the usual quantization of a classical gauge
theory by means of the Higgs mechanism. Our method proves an old conjecture of
Cornwall, Levin and Tiktopoulos stating that the renormalization and
consistency requirements of spin=1 particles lead to the gauge theory structure
(i.e. a kind of inverse of 't Hooft's famous renormalizability proof in
quantized gauge theories) which was based on the on-shell unitarity of the
-matrix. We also speculate on a possible future ghostfree formulation which
avoids ''field coordinates'' altogether and is expected to reconcile the
on-shell S-matrix point of view with the off-shell field theory structure.Comment: 53 pages, version to appear in J. Phys.
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