12,980 research outputs found
Moduli Stabilization with the String Higgs Effect
We review the notion of the Higgs effect in the context of string theory. We
find that by including this effect in time dependent backgrounds, one is led to
a natural mechanism for stabilizing moduli at points of enhanced gauge
symmetry. We consider this mechanism for the case of the radion (size of the
extra dimensions) and find that as decompactification of the large spatial
dimensions takes place the radion will remain stabilized at the self dual
radius. We discuss how this mechanism can be incorporated into models of string
cosmology and brane inflation to resolve some outstanding problems. We also
address some issues regarding which string states should be included when
constructing low energy actions in string cosmology.Comment: 20 pages, references added, typos correcte
Effective Actions near Singularities
We study the heterotic string compactified on K3 x T^2 near the line T=U,
where the effective action becomes singular due to an SU(2) gauge symmetry
enhancement. By `integrating in' the light W^\pm vector multiplets we derive a
quantum corrected effective action which is manifestly SU(2) invariant and
non-singular. This effective action is found to be consistent with a residual
SL(2,Z) quantum symmetry on the line T=U. In an appropriate decompactification
limit, we recover the known SU(2) invariant action in five dimensions.Comment: 33 pages, LaTeX. v2: cosmetic correction on titlepage. v3: references
and note adde
Hubble space telescope STIS spectroscopy of the peculiar nova-like variables BK Lyn, V751 Cygni, and V380 Oph
We obtained Hubble STIS spectra of three nova-like variables: V751 Cygni, V380 Oph, andâthe only confirmed nova-like variable known to be below the period gapâBK Lyn. In all three systems, the spectra were taken during high optical brightness state, and a luminous accretion disk dominates their far-ultraviolet (FUV) light. We assessed a lower limit of the distances by applying the infrared photometric method of Knigge. Within the limitations imposed by the poorly known system parameters (such as the inclination, white dwarf mass, and the applicability of steady state accretion disks) we obtained satisfactory fits to BK Lyn using optically thick accretion disk models with an accretion rate of for a white dwarf mass of Mwd = 1.2M and for Mwd = 0.4M. However, for the VY Scl-type nova-like variable V751 Cygni and for the SW Sex star V380 Oph, we are unable to obtain satisfactory synthetic spectral fits to the high state FUV spectra using optically thick steady state accretion disk models. The lack of FUV spectra information down to the Lyman limit hinders the extraction of information about the accreting white dwarf during the high states of these nova-like systems
Princess and the Pea at the nanoscale: Wrinkling and delamination of graphene on nanoparticles
Thin membranes exhibit complex responses to external forces or geometrical
constraints. A familiar example is the wrinkling, exhibited by human skin,
plant leaves, and fabrics, resulting from the relative ease of bending versus
stretching. Here, we study the wrinkling of graphene, the thinnest and stiffest
known membrane, deposited on a silica substrate decorated with silica
nanoparticles. At small nanoparticle density monolayer graphene adheres to the
substrate, detached only in small regions around the nanoparticles. With
increasing nanoparticle density, we observe the formation of wrinkles which
connect nanoparticles. Above a critical nanoparticle density, the wrinkles form
a percolating network through the sample. As the graphene membrane is made
thicker, global delamination from the substrate is observed. The observations
can be well understood within a continuum elastic model and have important
implications for strain-engineering the electronic properties of graphene.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Physical Review
Statistical mechanics of a colloidal suspension in contact with a fluctuating membrane
Surface effects are generally prevailing in confined colloidal systems. Here
we report on dispersed nanoparticles close to a fluid membrane. Exact results
regarding the static organization are derived for a dilute solution of
non-adhesive colloids. It is shown that thermal fluctuations of the membrane
broaden the density profile, but on average colloids are neither accumulated
nor depleted near the surface. The radial correlation function is also
evaluated, from which we obtain the effective pair-potential between colloids.
This entropically-driven interaction shares many similarities with the familiar
depletion interaction. It is shown to be always attractive with range
controlled by the membrane correlation length. The depth of the potential well
is comparable to the thermal energy, but depends only indirectly upon membrane
rigidity. Consequenses for stability of the suspension are also discussed
A Time-Like Naked Singularity
We construct a class of spherically symmetric collapse models in which a
naked singularity may develop as the end state of collapse. The matter
distribution considered has negative radial and tangential pressures, but the
weak energy condition is obeyed throughout. The singularity forms at the center
of the collapsing cloud and continues to be visible for a finite time. The
duration of visibility depends on the nature of energy distribution. Hence the
causal structure of the resulting singularity depends on the nature of the mass
function chosen for the cloud. We present a general model in which the naked
singularity formed is timelike, neither pointlike nor null. Our work represents
a step toward clarifying the necessary conditions for the validity of the
Cosmic Censorship Conjecture.Comment: 4 pages, Revtex4, To appear in Physical Review
Quantum general relativity and Hawking radiation
In a previous paper we have set up the Wheeler-DeWitt equation which
describes the quantum general relativistic collapse of a spherical dust cloud.
In the present paper we specialize this equation to the case of matter
perturbations around a black hole, and show that in the WKB approximation, the
wave-functional describes an eternal black hole in equilibrium with a thermal
bath at Hawking temperature.Comment: 13 pages, minor revisions in: (i) para 5 of Introduction, (ii) para
following Eqn. (10). Revised version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Previously Unidentified Changes in Renal Cell Carcinoma Gene Expression Identified by Parametric Analysis of Microarray Data
BACKGROUND. Renal cell carcinoma is a common malignancy that often presents as a metastatic-disease for which there are no effective treatments. To gain insights into the mechanism of renal cell carcinogenesis, a number of genome-wide expression profiling studies have been performed. Surprisingly, there is very poor agreement among these studies as to which genes are differentially regulated. To better understand this lack of agreement we profiled renal cell tumor gene expression using genome-wide microarrays (45,000 probe sets) and compare our analysis to previous microarray studies. METHODS. We hybridized total RNA isolated from renal cell tumors and adjacent normal tissue to Affymetrix U133A and U133B arrays. We removed samples with technical defects and removed probesets that failed to exhibit sequence-specific hybridization in any of the samples. We detected differential gene expression in the resulting dataset with parametric methods and identified keywords that are overrepresented in the differentially expressed genes with the Fisher-exact test. RESULTS. We identify 1,234 genes that are more than three-fold changed in renal tumors by t-test, 800 of which have not been previously reported to be altered in renal cell tumors. Of the only 37 genes that have been identified as being differentially expressed in three or more of five previous microarray studies of renal tumor gene expression, our analysis finds 33 of these genes (89%). A key to the sensitivity and power of our analysis is filtering out defective samples and genes that are not reliably detected. CONCLUSIONS. The widespread use of sample-wise voting schemes for detecting differential expression that do not control for false positives likely account for the poor overlap among previous studies. Among the many genes we identified using parametric methods that were not previously reported as being differentially expressed in renal cell tumors are several oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes that likely play important roles in renal cell carcinogenesis. This highlights the need for rigorous statistical approaches in microarray studies.National Institutes of Healt
A simple derivation of the naked singularity in spherical dust collapse
We describe a simple method of determining whether the singularity that forms
in the spherically symmetric collapse of inhomogeneous dust is naked or
covered. This derivation considerably simplifies the analysis given in the
earlier literature, while giving the same results as have been obtained before.Comment: Latex, 9 page
Cosmic censorship and spherical gravitational collapse with tangential pressure
We study the spherical gravitational collapse of a compact object under the
approximation that the radial pressure is identically zero, and the tangential
pressure is related to the density by a linear equation of state. It turns out
that the Einstein equations can be reduced to the solution of an integral for
the evolution of the area radius. We show that for positive pressure there is a
finite region near the center which necessarily expands outwards, if collapse
begins from rest. This region could be surrounded by an inward moving one which
could collapse to a singularity - any such singularity will necessarily be
covered by a horizon. For negative pressure the entire object collapses
inwards, but any singularities that could arise are not naked. Thus the nature
of the evolution is very different from that of dust, even when the ratio of
pressure to density is infinitesimally small.Comment: 16 pages, Latex file, two figures, uses epsf.st
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