Gravity's rainbow: a bridge between LQC and DSR

The doubly special relativity (DSR) theories are investigated in order to take into account an observer-independent length scale in special relativity framework. It is widely believed that any quantum theory of gravity would reduce to a DSR model at the flat limit when purely gravitational and quantum mechanical effects are negligible. Gravity's rainbow is a simple generalization of DSR theories to incorporate gravity. In this paper, we show that the effective Friedmann equations that are suggested by loop quantum cosmology (LQC) can be exactly reobtained in rainbow cosmology setup. The deformed geometry of LQC then completely fixes the modified dispersion relation and results in unique DSR model. In comparison with standard LQC scenario where only the geometry is modified, both of the geometry and matter parts get modifications in our setup. In this respect, we find that the total number of microstates for the universe is finite which suggests the statistical origin for the energy and entropy density bounds. These results explicitly show that the DSR theories are appropriate candidates for the flat limit of loop quantum gravity.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, Refs. adde

Development of a new instrument for direct skin friction measurements

A device developed for the direct measurement of wall shear stress generated by flows is described. Simple and symmetric in design with optional small moving mass and no internal friction, the features employed in the design eliminate most of the difficulties associated with the traditional floating element balances. The device is basically small and can be made in various sizes. Vibration problems associated with the floating element skin friction balances were found to be minimized due to the design symmetry and optional damping provided. The design eliminates or reduces the errors associated with conventional floating element devices: such as errors due to gaps, pressure gradient, acceleration, heat transfer, and temperature change. The instrument is equipped with various sensing systems and the output signal is a linear function of the wall shear stress. Dynamic measurements could be made in a limited range and measurements in liquids could be performed readily. Measurement made in the three different tunnels show excellent agreement with data obtained by the floating element devices and other techniques