902 research outputs found
Observational constraints on Rastall's cosmology
Rastall's theory is a modification of General Relativity, based on the
non-conservation of the stress-energy tensor. The latter is encoded in a
parameter such that restores the usual law. We test Rastall's theory in cosmology, on a flat
Robertson-Walker metric, investigating a two-fluid model and using the type Ia
supernovae Constitution dataset. One of the fluids is pressureless and obeys
the usual conservation law, whereas the other is described by an equation of
state , with constant. The Bayesian analysis of the
Constitution set does not strictly constrain the parameter and prefers
values of close to -1. We then address the evolution of small
perturbations and show that they are dramatically unstable if and
, i.e. General Relativity is the favored configuration. The only
alternative is , for which the dynamics becomes independent from
.Comment: Latex file, 14 pages, 6 figures in eps format. Substantial
modifications performed, main conclusions change
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE AS A FORM OF RESILIENCE IN CHINESE COUNTRYSIDE TRANSITION. EVIDENCE FROM A RURAL SETTLEMENT IN THE FUJIAN PROVINCE
Abstract. Chinese rural settlements face different critical challenges in the current framework of rapid transformation. Tangible and intangible elements related to the traditional spatial organisation of siting and living are threatened by a socio-economic transition which appears to be indifferent to local specificities. Such aspects express and shape the rural built fabric, which shows no resistance to the pressures of both planned and spontaneous development. The few exceptions are mainly represented by the survived vernacular architectures, whose function goes beyond practical uses, such as the ancestral halls. Their spatial principles persisted in the malleable rural patterns, making such buildings the physical carrier of local traditions. This paper takes a rural village in the Fujian Province, China, as a paradigmatic case study to explore the settlement pattern's degree of resilience. The data collected in two years of fieldworks allows authors to assert the prominent role played by the fifteen ancestral halls of the village. After introducing the current patterns of change, with a focus on the phenomenon of rural hollowing, the paper emphasises both the spatial rules and the contextual relationships of vernacular buildings. In the conclusions, we remark their importance against the backdrop of current land use development, suggesting to reconsider the vernacular buildings as an alternative approach for more conscious and sustainable development
Time variable cosmological constant of holographic origin with interaction in Brans-Dicke theory
Time variable cosmological constant (TVCC) of holographic origin with
interaction in Brans-Dicke theory is discussed in this paper. We investigate
some characters for this model, and show the evolutions of deceleration
parameter and equation of state (EOS) for dark energy. It is shown that in this
scenario an accelerating universe can be obtained and the evolution of EOS for
dark energy can cross over the boundary of phantom divide. In addition, a
geometrical diagnostic method, jerk parameter is applied to this model to
distinguish it with cosmological constant.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Towards the critical behavior for the light nuclei by NIMROD detector
The critical behavior for the light nuclei with A has been
investigated experimentally by the NIMROD multi-detectors. The wide variety of
observables indicate the critical point has been reached in the disassembly of
hot nuclei at an excitation energy of 5.60.5 MeV/u.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; Proceeding of 18th Nuclear Physics Division
Conference of the Euro. Phys. Society (NPDC18) "Phase transitions in strongly
interacting matter", Prague, 23.8.-29.8. 2004. To be published in Nuclear
Physics
Contraints on unified models for dark matter and dark energy using H(z)
The differential age data of astrophysical objects that have evolved
passivelly during the history of the universe (e.g. red galaxies) allows to
test theoretical cosmological models through the predicted Hubble function
expressed in terms of the redshift , . We use the observational data
for to test unified scenarios for dark matter and dark energy.
Specifically, we focus our analysis on the Generalized Chaplygin Gas (GCG) and
the viscous fluid (VF) models. For the GCG model, it is shown that the unified
scenario for dark energy and dark matter requires some priors. For the VF model
we obtain estimations for the free parameters that may be compared with further
analysis mainly at perturbative level.Comment: Latex file, 10 pages, 19 figures in eps format. Accepted for
publication in European Journal of Physics
Laboratory Tests of Low Density Astrophysical Equations of State
Clustering in low density nuclear matter has been investigated using the
NIMROD multi-detector at Texas A&M University. Thermal coalescence modes were
employed to extract densities, , and temperatures, , for evolving
systems formed in collisions of 47 MeV Ar + Sn,Sn
and Zn + Sn, Sn. The yields of , , He, and
He have been determined at = 0.002 to 0.032 nucleons/fm and
= 5 to 10 MeV. The experimentally derived equilibrium constants for
particle production are compared with those predicted by a number of
astrophysical equations of state. The data provide important new constraints on
the model calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Cosmological Imprint of an Energy Component with General Equation of State
We examine the possibility that a significant component of the energy density
of the universe has an equation-of-state different from that of matter,
radiation or cosmological constant (). An example is a cosmic scalar
field evolving in a potential, but our treatment is more general. Including
this component alters cosmic evolution in a way that fits current observations
well. Unlike , it evolves dynamically and develops fluctuations,
leaving a distinctive imprint on the microwave background anisotropy and mass
power spectrum.Comment: revised version, with added references, to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett.
(4 pages Latex, 2 postscript figures
Evidence of Critical Behavior in the Disassembly of Nuclei with A ~ 36
A wide variety of observables indicate that maximal fluctuations in the
disassembly of hot nuclei with A ~ 36 occur at an excitation energy of 5.6 +-
0.5 MeV/u and temperature of 8.3 +- 0.5 MeV. Associated with this point of
maximal fluctuations are a number of quantitative indicators of apparent
critical behavior. The associated caloric curve does not appear to show a
flattening such as that seen for heavier systems. This suggests that, in
contrast to similar signals seen for liquid-gas transitions in heavier nuclei,
the observed behavior in these very light nuclei is associated with a
transition much closer to the critical point.Comment: v2: Major changes, new model calculations, new figure
Critical Behavior in Light Nuclear Systems: Experimental Aspects
An extensive experimental survey of the features of the disassembly of a
small quasi-projectile system with 36, produced in the reactions of 47
MeV/nucleon Ar + Al, Ti and Ni, has been carried
out. Nuclei in the excitation energy range of 1-9 MeV/u have been investigated
employing a new method to reconstruct the quasi-projectile source. At an
excitation energy 5.6 MeV/nucleon many observables indicate the presence
of maximal fluctuations in the de-excitation processes. The fragment
topological structure shows that the rank sorted fragments obey Zipf's law at
the point of largest fluctuations providing another indication of a liquid gas
phase transition. The caloric curve for this system shows a monotonic increase
of temperature with excitation energy and no apparent plateau. The temperature
at the point of maximal fluctuations is MeV. Taking this
temperature as the critical temperature and employing the caloric curve
information we have extracted the critical exponents , and
from the data. Their values are also consistent with the values of the
universality class of the liquid gas phase transition. Taken together, this
body of evidence strongly suggests a phase change in an equilibrated mesoscopic
system at, or extremely close to, the critical point.Comment: Physical Review C, in press; some discussions about the validity of
excitation energy in peripheral collisions have been added; 24 pages and 32
figures; longer abstract in the preprin
Electron transport and anisotropy of the upper critical magnetic field in a Ba0.68K0.32Fe2As2 single crystals
Early work on the iron-arsenide compounds supported the view, that a reduced
dimensionality might be a necessary prerequisite for high-Tc superconductivity.
Later, however, it was found that the zero-temperature upper critical magnetic
field, Hc2(0), for the 122 iron pnictides is in fact rather isotropic. Here, we
report measurements of the temperature dependence of the electrical
resistivity, \Gamma(T), in Ba0.5K0.5Fe2As2 and Ba0.68K0.32Fe2As2 single
crystals in zero magnetic field and for Ba0.68K0.32Fe2As2 as well in static and
pulsed magnetic fields up to 60 T. We find that the resistivity of both
compounds in zero field is well described by an exponential term due to
inter-sheet umklapp electron-phonon scattering between light electrons around
the M point to heavy hole sheets at the \Gamma point in reciprocal space. From
our data, we construct an H-T phase diagram for the inter-plane (H || c) and
in-plane (H || ab) directions for Ba0.68K0.32Fe2As2. Contrary to published data
for underdoped 122 FeAs compounds, we find that Hc2(T) is in fact anisotropic
in optimally doped samples down to low temperatures. The anisotropy parameter,
{\gamma} = Habc2/Hcc2, is about 2.2 at Tc. For both field orientations we find
a concave curvature of the Hc2 lines with decreasing anisotropy and saturation
towards lower temperature. Taking into account Pauli spin paramagnetism we
perfectly can describe Hc2(T) and its anisotropy.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
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