Clustering, Angular Size and Dark Energy

The influence of dark matter inhomogeneities on the angular size-redshift test is investigated for a large class of flat cosmological models driven by dark energy plus a cold dark matter component (XCDM model). The results are presented in two steps. First, the mass inhomogeneities are modeled by a generalized Zeldovich-Kantowski-Dyer-Roeder (ZKDR) distance which is characterized by a smoothness parameter $\alpha(z)$ and a power index $\gamma$, and, second, we provide a statistical analysis to angular size data for a large sample of milliarcsecond compact radio sources. As a general result, we have found that the $\alpha$ parameter is totally unconstrained by this sample of angular diameter data.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted in Physical Review

Inflationary Models Driven by Adiabatic Matter Creation

The flat inflationary dust universe with matter creation proposed by Prigogine and coworkers is generalized and its dynamical properties are reexamined. It is shown that the starting point of these models depends critically on a dimensionless parameter $\Sigma$, closely related to the matter creation rate $\psi$. For $\Sigma$ bigger or smaller than unity flat universes can emerge, respectively, either like a Big-Bang FRW singularity or as a Minkowski space-time at $t=-\infty$. The case $\Sigma=1$ corresponds to a de Sitter-type solution, a fixed point in the phase diagram of the system, supported by the matter creation process. The curvature effects have also been investigated. The inflating de Sitter is a universal attractor for all expanding solutions regardless of the initial conditions as well as of the curvature parameter.Comment: 25 pages, 2 figures(available from the authors), uses LATE

Spin Disorder and Magnetic Anisotropy in Fe3O4 Nanoparticles

We have studied the magnetic behavior of dextran-coated magnetite (Fe$_3$O$_4$) nanoparticles with median particle size \left=8 $nm$. Magnetization curves and in-field M\"ossbauer spectroscopy measurements showed that the magnetic moment $M_S$ of the particles was much smaller than the bulk material. However, we found no evidence of magnetic irreversibility or non-saturating behavior at high fields, usually associated to spin canting. The values of magnetic anisotropy $K_{eff}$ from different techniques indicate that surface or shape contributions are negligible. It is proposed that these particles have bulk-like ferrimagnetic structure with ordered A and B sublattices, but nearly compensated magnetic moments. The dependence of the blocking temperature with frequency and applied fields, $T_B(H,\omega)$, suggests that the observed non-monotonic behavior is governed by the strength of interparticle interactions.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 3 Table

Magnetic phases evolution in the LaMn1-xFexO3+y system

We have investigated the crystal structure and magnetic properties for polycrystalline samples of LaMn1-xFexO3+y, in the whole range x=0.0 to x=1.0, prepared by solid state reaction in air. All samples show the ORT-2 orthorhombic structure that suppresses the Jahn-Teller distortion, thus favoring a ferromagnetic (FM) superexchange (SE) interaction between Mn^{3+}-O-Mn^{3+}. For x=0.0 the oxygen excess (y ~ 0.09) produces vacancies in the La and Mn sites and generates a fraction around 18% of Mn^{4+} ions and 82% of the usual Mn^{3+} ions, with possible double exchange interaction between them. The Fe doping in this system is known to produce only stable Fe^{3+} ions. We find an evolution from a fairly strong FM phase with a Curie temperature T_{C} ~ 160 K, for x=0.0, to an antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase with T_{N} = 790 K, for x=1.0, accompanied by clear signatures of a cluster-glass behavior. For intermediate Fe contents a mixed-phase state occurs, with a gradual decrease (increase) of the FM (AFM) phase, accompanied by a systematic transition broadening for 0.2 < x < 0.7. A model based on the expected exchange interaction among the various magnetic-ion types, accounts very well for the saturation-magnetization dependence on Fe doping.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figure

Quantum state tomography of photons polarization and path degrees of freedom

Quantum state tomography (QST), the process through which the density matrix of a quantum system is characterized from measurements of specific observables, is a fundamental pillar in the fields of quantum information and computation. We propose a simple QST method to reconstruct the density matrix of two qubits encoded in the polarization and path degrees of freedom of a single photon, which can be realized with a single linear-optical setup. We demonstrate that the density matrix can be fully described in terms of the one-point Stokes parameters related to the two possibles paths of the photon, together with a quantum version of the two-point Stokes parameters introduced here.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Accelerating Cold Dark Matter Cosmology (ΩΛ≡0\Omega_{\Lambda}\equiv 0)

A new kind of accelerating flat model with no dark energy that is fully dominated by cold dark matter (CDM) is investigated. The number of CDM particles is not conserved and the present accelerating stage is a consequence of the negative pressure describing the irreversible process of gravitational particle creation. A related work involving accelerating CDM cosmology has been discussed before the SNe observations [Lima, Abramo & Germano, Phys. Rev. D53, 4287 (1996)]. However, in order to have a transition from a decelerating to an accelerating regime at low redshifts, the matter creation rate proposed here includes a constant term of the order of the Hubble parameter. In this case, $H_0$ does not need to be small in order to solve the age problem and the transition happens even if the matter creation is negligible during the radiation and part of the matter dominated phase. Therefore, instead of the vacuum dominance at redshifts of the order of a few, the present accelerating stage in this sort of Einstein-de Sitter CDM cosmology is a consequence of the gravitational particle creation process. As an extra bonus, in the present scenario does not exist the coincidence problem that plagues models with dominance of dark energy. The model is able to harmonize a CDM picture with the present age of the universe, the latest measurements of the Hubble parameter and the Supernovae observations.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, typos corrected, references added, discussion in Appendix B extende

Chemical Potential and the Nature of the Dark Energy: The case of phantom

The influence of a possible non zero chemical potential $\mu$ on the nature of dark energy is investigated by assuming that the dark energy is a relativistic perfect simple fluid obeying the equation of state (EoS), $p=\omega \rho$ ($\omega <0, constant$). The entropy condition, $S \geq 0$, implies that the possible values of $\omega$ are heavily dependent on the magnitude, as well as on the sign of the chemical potential. For $\mu >0$, the $\omega$-parameter must be greater than -1 (vacuum is forbidden) while for $\mu < 0$ not only the vacuum but even a phantomlike behavior ($\omega <-1$) is allowed. In any case, the ratio between the chemical potential and temperature remains constant, that is, $\mu/T=\mu_0/T_0$. Assuming that the dark energy constituents have either a bosonic or fermionic nature, the general form of the spectrum is also proposed. For bosons $\mu$ is always negative and the extended Wien's law allows only a dark component with $\omega < -1/2$ which includes vacuum and the phantomlike cases. The same happens in the fermionic branch for $\mu 0$ are permmited only if $-1 < \omega < -1/2$. The thermodynamics and statistical arguments constrain the EoS parameter to be $\omega < -1/2$, a result surprisingly close to the maximal value required to accelerate a FRW type universe dominated by matter and dark energy ($\omega \lesssim -10/21$).Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Cobertura morta de leguminosas no controle de ervas invasoras em sistema de cultivo em faixas (Alley cropping).

bitstream/item/32692/1/CPATU-BP137.pd

Caracterização de matrizes de açaizeiro (Euterpe oleracea Mart) para fruto no Estado do Amapá.

O objetivo do presente trabalho e relatar 13 variaveis de 25 matrizes de açaizeiro coletadas no Amapá, visando a produção de frutos