Einstein-Cartan theory as a theory of defects in space-time

The Einstein-Cartan theory of gravitation and the classical theory of defects in an elastic medium are presented and compared. The former is an extension of general relativity and refers to four-dimensional space-time, while we introduce the latter as a description of the equilibrium state of a three-dimensional continuum. Despite these important differences, an analogy is built on their common geometrical foundations, and it is shown that a space-time with curvature and torsion can be considered as a state of a four-dimensional continuum containing defects. This formal analogy is useful for illustrating the geometrical concept of torsion by applying it to concrete physical problems. Moreover, the presentation of these theories using a common geometrical basis allows a deeper understanding of their foundations.Comment: 18 pages, 7 EPS figures, RevTeX4, to appear in the American Journal of Physics, revised version with typos correcte

Scaling in a continuous time model for biological aging

In this paper we consider a generalization to the asexual version of the Penna model for biological aging, where we take a continuous time limit. The genotype associated to each individual is an interval of real numbers over which Dirac $\delta$--functions are defined, representing genetically programmed diseases to be switched on at defined ages of the individual life. We discuss two different continuous limits for the evolution equation and two different mutation protocols, to be implemented during reproduction. Exact stationary solutions are obtained and scaling properties are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Spreading of families in cyclic predator-prey models

We study the spreading of families in two-dimensional multispecies predator-prey systems, in which species cyclically dominate each other. In each time step randomly chosen individuals invade one of the nearest sites of the square lattice eliminating their prey. Initially all individuals get a family-name which will be carried on by their descendants. Monte Carlo simulations show that the systems with several species (N=3,4,5) are asymptotically approaching the behavior of the voter model, i.e., the survival probability of families, the mean-size of families and the mean-square distance of descendants from their ancestor exhibit the same scaling behavior. The scaling behavior of the survival probability of families has a logarithmic correction. In case of the voter model this correction depends on the number of species, while cyclic predator-prey models behave like the voter model with infinite species. It is found that changing the rates of invasions does not change this asymptotic behavior. As an application a three-species system with a fourth species intruder is also discussed.Comment: to be published in PR

Vector field theories in cosmology

Recently proposed theories based on the cosmic presence of a vectorial field are compared and contrasted. In particular the so called Einstein aether theory is discussed in parallel with a recent proposal of a strained space-time theory (Cosmic Defect theory). We show that the latter fits reasonably well the cosmic observed data with only one, or at most two, adjustable parameters, whilst other vector theories use much more. The Newtonian limits are also compared. Finally we show that the CD theory may be considered as a special case of the aether theories, corresponding to a more compact and consistent paradigm.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figure, to appear on Phys. Rev.

Emergence of diversity in a model ecosystem

The biological requirements for an ecosystem to develop and maintain species diversity are in general unknown. Here we consider a model ecosystem of sessile and mutually excluding organisms competing for space [Mathiesen et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 188101 (2011)]. The competition is controlled by an interaction network with fixed links chosen by a Bernoulli process. New species are introduced in the system at a predefined rate. In the limit of small introduction rates, the system becomes bistable and can undergo a phase transition from a state of low diversity to high diversity. We suggest that patches of isolated meta-populations formed by the collapse of cyclic relations are essential for the transition to the state of high diversity.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in PRE. Typos corrected, Fig.3A and Fig.6 update

A STRAINED SPACE-TIME TO EXPLAIN THE LARGE SCALEPROPERTIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Space-time can be treated as a four-dimensional material continuum. The corresponding generally curved manifold can be thought of as having been obtained, by continuous deformation, from a four-dimensional Euclidean manifold. In a three-dimensional ordinary situation such a deformation process would lead to strain in the manifold. Strain in turn may be read as half the di®erence between the actual metric tensor and the Euclidean metric tensor of the initial unstrained manifold. On the other side we know that an ordinary material would react to the attempt to introduce strain giving rise to internal stresses and one would have correspondingly a deformation energy term. Assuming the conditions of linear elasticity hold, the deformation energy is easily written in terms of the strain tensor. The Einstein-Hilbert action is generalized to include the new deformation energy term. The new action for space-time has been applied to a Friedmann-Lemaitre- Robertson-Walker universe filled with dust and radiation. The accelerated expansion is recovered, then the theory has been put through four cosmological tests: primordial isotopic abundances from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis; Acoustic Scale of the CMB; Large Scale Structure formation; luminosity/redshift relation for type Ia supernovae. The result is satisfying and has allowed to evaluate the parameters of the theor

Astrocytes: Orchestrating synaptic plasticity?

Synaptic plasticity is the capacity of a preexisting connection between two neurons to change in strength as a function of neural activity. Because synaptic plasticity is the major candidate mechanism for learning and memory, the elucidation of its constituting mechanisms is of crucial importance in many aspects of normal and pathological brain function. In particular, a prominent aspect that remains debated is how the plasticity mechanisms, that encompass a broad spectrum of temporal and spatial scales, come to play together in a concerted fashion. Here we review and discuss evidence that pinpoints to a possible non-neuronal, glial candidate for such orchestration: the regulation of synaptic plasticity by astrocytes

"Quantum phase transitions" in classical nonequilibrium processes

Diffusion limited reaction of the Lotka-Volterra type is analyzed taking into account the discrete nature of the reactants. In the continuum approximation, the dynamics is dominated by an elliptic fixed-point. This fixed-point becomes unstable due to discretization effects, a scenario similar to quantum phase transitions. As a result, the long-time asymptotic behavior of the system changes and the dynamics flows into a limit cycle. The results are verified by numerical simulations.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures include

Influence of local carrying capacity restrictions on stochastic predator-prey models

We study a stochastic lattice predator-prey system by means of Monte Carlo simulations that do not impose any restrictions on the number of particles per site, and discuss the similarities and differences of our results with those obtained for site-restricted model variants. In accord with the classic Lotka-Volterra mean-field description, both species always coexist in two dimensions. Yet competing activity fronts generate complex, correlated spatio-temporal structures. As a consequence, finite systems display transient erratic population oscillations with characteristic frequencies that are renormalized by fluctuations. For large reaction rates, when the processes are rendered more local, these oscillations are suppressed. In contrast with site-restricted predator-prey model, we observe species coexistence also in one dimension. In addition, we report results on the steady-state prey age distribution.Comment: Latex, IOP style, 17 pages, 9 figures included, related movies available at http://www.phys.vt.edu/~tauber/PredatorPrey/movies

On Foundation of the Generalized Nambu Mechanics

We outline the basic principles of canonical formalism for the Nambu mechanics---a generalization of Hamiltonian mechanics proposed by Yoichiro Nambu in 1973. It is based on the notion of Nambu bracket which generalizes the Poisson bracket to the multiple operation of higher order $n \geq 3$ on classical observables and is described by Hambu-Hamilton equations of motion given by $n-1$ Hamiltonians. We introduce the fundamental identity for the Nambu bracket which replaces Jacobi identity as a consistency condition for the dynamics. We show that Nambu structure of given order defines a family of subordinated structures of lower order, including the Poisson structure, satisfying certain matching conditions. We introduce analogs of action from and principle of the least action for the Nambu mechanics and show how dynamics of loops ($n-2$-dimensional objects) naturally appears in this formalism. We discuss several approaches to the quantization problem and present explicit representation of Nambu-Heisenberg commutation relation for $n=3$ case. We emphasize the role higher order algebraic operations and mathematical structures related with them play in passing from Hamilton's to Nambu's dynamical picture.Comment: 27 page