Phase analysis of the cosmic microwave background from an incomplete sky coverage

Phases of the spherical harmonic analysis of full-sky cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature data contain useful information complementary to the ubiquitous angular power spectrum. In this letter we present a new method of phase analysis on incomplete sky maps. It is based on Fourier phases of equal-latitude pixel rings of the map, which are related to the mean angle of the trigonometric moments from the full-sky phases. They have an advantage for probing regions of interest without tapping polluted Galactic plane area, and can localize non-Gaussian features and departure from statistical isotropy in the CMB.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures submitted to MNRAS Letters, replaced with minor change

Long beating wavelength in the Schwarz-Hora effect

Thirty years ago, H.Schwarz has attempted to modulate an electron beam with optical frequency. When a 50-keV electron beam crossed a thin crystalline dielectric film illuminated with laser light, electrons produced the electron-diffraction pattern not only at a fluorescent target but also at a nonfluorescent target. In the latter case the pattern was of the same color as the laser light (the Schwarz-Hora effect). This effect was discussed extensively in the early 1970s. However, since 1972 no reports on the results of further attempts to repeat those experiments in other groups have appeared, while the failures of the initial such attempts have been explained by Schwarz. The analysis of the literature shows there are several unresolved up to now contradictions between the theory and the Schwarz experiments. In this work we consider the interpretation of the long-wavelength spatial beating of the Schwarz-Hora radiation. A more accurate expression for the spatial period has been obtained, taking into account the mode structure of the laser field within the dielectric film. It is shown that the discrepancy of more than 10% between the experimental and theoretical results for the spatial period cannot be reduced by using the existing quantum models that consider a collimated electron beam.Comment: 3 pages, RevTe

Healthcare professional’s guide to cardiopulmonary exercise testing

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPEX) is a valuable clinical tool that has proven indications within the fields of cardiovascular, respiratory and pre-operative medical care. Validated uses include investigation of the underlying mechanism in patients with breathlessness, monitoring functional status in patients with known cardiovascular disease and pre-operative functional state assessment. An understanding of the underlying physiology of exercise, and the perturbations associated with pathological states, is essential for healthcare professionals to provide optimal patient care. Healthcare professionals may find performing CPEX to be daunting, yet this is often due to a lack of local expertise and guidance with testing. We outline the indications for CPEX within the clinical setting, present a typical protocol that is easy to implement, explain the key underlying physiological changes assessed by CPEX, and review the evidence behind its use in routine clinical practice. There is mounting evidence for the use of CPEX clinically, and an ever-growing utilisation of the test within research fields; a sound knowledge of CPEX is essential for healthcare professionals involved in routine patient care

How strong is the evidence for accelerated expansion?

We test the present expansion of the universe using supernova type Ia data without making any assumptions about the matter and energy content of the universe or about the parameterization of the deceleration parameter. We assume the cosmological principle to apply in a strict sense. The result strongly depends on the data set, the light-curve fitting method and the calibration of the absolute magnitude used for the test, indicating strong systematic errors. Nevertheless, in a spatially flat universe there is at least a 5 sigma evidence for acceleration which drops to 1.8 sigma in an open universe.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure

Flow Phase Diagram for the Helium Superfluids

The flow phase diagram for He II and $^3$He-B is established and discussed based on available experimental data and the theory of Volovik [JETP Letters {\bf{78}} (2003) 553]. The effective temperature - dependent but scale - independent Reynolds number $Re_{eff}=1/q=(1+\alpha')/\alpha$, where $\alpha$ and $\alpha'$ are the mutual friction parameters and the superfluid Reynolds number characterizing the circulation of the superfluid component in units of the circulation quantum are used as the dynamic parameters. In particular, the flow diagram allows identification of experimentally observed turbulent states I and II in counterflowing He II with the turbulent regimes suggested by Volovik.Comment: 2 figure

High-velocity collimated outflows in planetary nebulae: NGC 6337, He 2-186, and K 4-47

We have obtained narrow-band images and high-resolution spectra of the planetary nebulae NGC 6337, He 2-186, and K 4-47, with the aim of investigating the relation between their main morphological components and several low-ionization features present in these nebulae. The data suggest that NGC 6337 is a bipolar PN seen almost pole on, with polar velocities higher than 200 km/s. The bright inner ring of the nebula is interpreted to be the "equatorial" density enhancement. It contains a number of low-ionization knots and outward tails that we ascribe to dynamical instabilities leading to fragmentation of the ring or transient density enhancements due to the interaction of the ionization front with previous density fluctuations in the ISM. The lobes show a pronounced point-symmetric morphology and two peculiar low-ionization filaments whose nature remains unclear. The most notable characteristic of He 2-186 is the presence of two high-velocity (higher than 135 km/s) knots from which an S-shaped lane of emission departs toward the central star. K 4-47 is composed of a compact core and two high-velocity, low-ionization blobs. We interpret the substantial broadening of line emission from the blobs as a signature of bow shocks, and using the modeling of Hartigan, Raymond, & Hartman (1987), we derive a shock velocity of 150 km/s and a mild inclination of the outflow on the plane of the sky. We discuss possible scenarios for the formation of these nebulae and their low-ionization features. In particular, the morphology of K 4-47 hardly fits into any of the usually adopted mass-loss geometries for single AGB stars. Finally, we discuss the possibility that point-symmetric morphologies in the lobes of NGC 6337 and the knots of He 2-186 are the result of precessing outflows from the central stars.Comment: 16 pages plus 7 figures, ApJ accepted. Also available at http://www.iac.es/publicaciones/preprints.htm

Odd Chern-Simons Theory, Lie Algebra Cohomology and Characteristic Classes

We investigate the generic 3D topological field theory within AKSZ-BV framework. We use the Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) formalism to construct explicitly cocycles of the Lie algebra of formal Hamiltonian vector fields and we argue that the perturbative partition function gives rise to secondary characteristic classes. We investigate a toy model which is an odd analogue of Chern-Simons theory, and we give some explicit computation of two point functions and show that its perturbation theory is identical to the Chern-Simons theory. We give concrete example of the homomorphism taking Lie algebra cocycles to Q-characteristic classes, and we reinterpreted the Rozansky-Witten model in this light.Comment: 52 page

A two-cocycle on the group of symplectic diffeomorphisms

We investigate a two-cocycle on the group of symplectic diffeomorphisms of an exact symplectic manifolds defined by Ismagilov, Losik, and Michor and investigate its properties. We provide both vanishing and non-vanishing results and applications to foliated symplectic bundles and to Hamiltonian actions of finitely generated groups.Comment: 16 pages, no figure

A super-analogue of Kontsevich's theorem on graph homology

In this paper we will prove a super-analogue of a well-known result by Kontsevich which states that the homology of a certain complex which is generated by isomorphism classes of oriented graphs can be calculated as the Lie algebra homology of an infinite-dimensional Lie algebra of symplectic vector fields.Comment: 15 page

First Direct Double-Beta Decay Q-value Measurement of 82Se in Support of Understanding the Nature of the Neutrino

In anticipation of results from current and future double-beta decay studies, we report a measurement resulting in a 82Se double-beta decay Q-value of 2997.9(3) keV, an order of magnitude more precise than the currently accepted value. We also present preliminary results of a calculation of the 82Se neutrinoless double-beta decay nuclear matrix element that corrects in part for the small size of the shell model single-particle space. The results of this work are important for designing next generation double-beta decay experiments and for the theoretical interpretations of their observations.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter