3,890 research outputs found
Particle Creation by a Moving Boundary with Robin Boundary Condition
We consider a massless scalar field in 1+1 dimensions satisfying a Robin
boundary condition (BC) at a non-relativistic moving boundary. We derive a
Bogoliubov transformation between input and output bosonic field operators,
which allows us to calculate the spectral distribution of created particles.
The cases of Dirichlet and Neumann BC may be obtained from our result as
limiting cases. These two limits yield the same spectrum, which turns out to be
an upper bound for the spectra derived for Robin BC. We show that the particle
emission effect can be considerably reduced (with respect to the
Dirichlet/Neumann case) by selecting a particular value for the oscillation
frequency of the boundary position
Casimir torque between corrugated metallic plates
We consider two parallel corrugated plates and show that a Casimir torque
arises when the corrugation directions are not aligned. We follow the
scattering approach and calculate the Casimir energy up to second order in the
corrugation amplitudes, taking into account nonspecular reflections,
polarization mixing and the finite conductivity of the metals. We compare our
results with the proximity force approximation, which overestimates the torque
by a factor 2 when taking the conditions that optimize the effect. We argue
that the Casimir torque could be measured for separation distances as large as
1 Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, contribution to QFEXT07 proceeding
Lateral Casimir-Polder force with corrugated surfaces
We derive the lateral Casimir-Polder force on a ground state atom on top of a
corrugated surface, up to first order in the corrugation amplitude. Our
calculation is based on the scattering approach, which takes into account
nonspecular reflections and polarization mixing for electromagnetic quantum
fluctuations impinging on real materials. We compare our first order exact
result with two commonly used approximation methods. We show that the proximity
force approximation (large corrugation wavelengths) overestimates the lateral
force, while the pairwise summation approach underestimates it due to the
non-additivity of dispersion forces. We argue that a frequency shift
measurement for the dipolar lateral oscillations of cold atoms could provide a
striking demonstration of nontrivial geometrical effects on the quantum vacuum.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, contribution to QFEXT07 proceeding
Tuning in magnetic modes in Tb(Co_{x}Ni_{1-x})_{2}B_{2}C: from longitudinal spin-density waves to simple ferromagnetism
Neutron diffraction and thermodynamics techniques were used to probe the
evolution of the magnetic properties of Tb(Co_{x}Ni_{1-x})_{2}B_{2}C. A
succession of magnetic modes was observed as x is varied: the longitudinal
modulated k=(0.55,0,0) state at x=0 is transformed into a collinear
k=([nicefrac]\nicefrac{1}{2},0,[nicefrac]\nicefrac{1}{2})
antiferromagnetic state at x= 0.2, 0.4; then into a transverse c-axis modulated
k=(0,0,[nicefrac]\nicefrac{1}{3}) mode at x= 0.6, and finally
into a simple ferromagnetic structure at x= 0.8 and 1. Concomitantly, the
low-temperature orthorhombic distortion of the tetragonal unit cell at x=0 is
reduced smoothly such that for x >= 0.4 only a tetragonal unit cell is
manifested. Though predicted theoretically earlier, this is the first
observation of the k=(0,0,[nicefrac]\nicefrac{1}{3}) mode in
borocarbides; our findings of a succession of magnetic modes upon increasing x
also find support from a recently proposed theoretical model. The implication
of these findings and their interpretation on the magnetic structure of the
RM_{2}B_{2}C series are also discussed
The lateral Casimir force beyond the proximity force approximation: a nontrivial interplay between geometry and quantum vacuum
The lateral Casimir force between two corrugated metallic plates makes possible a study of the nontrivial interplay of geometry and Casimir effect appearing beyond the regime of validity of the Proximity Force Approximation (PFA). Quantitative evaluations can be obtained by using scattering theory in a perturbative expansion valid when the corrugation amplitudes are smaller than the three other length scales: the mean separation distance of the plates, the corrugation period \lambda_\C and the plasma wavelength . Within this perturbative expansion, evaluations are obtained for arbitrary relative values of , \lambda_\C and while limiting cases, some of them already known, are recovered when these values obey some specific orderings. The consequence of these results for comparison with existing experiments is discussed in the end of the paper
On the Nature of the Cosmological Constant Problem
General relativity postulates the Minkowski space-time to be the standard
flat geometry against which we compare all curved space-times and the
gravitational ground state where particles, quantum fields and their vacuum
states are primarily conceived. On the other hand, experimental evidences show
that there exists a non-zero cosmological constant, which implies in a deSitter
space-time, not compatible with the assumed Minkowski structure. Such
inconsistency is shown to be a consequence of the lack of a application
independent curvature standard in Riemann's geometry, leading eventually to the
cosmological constant problem in general relativity.
We show how the curvature standard in Riemann's geometry can be fixed by
Nash's theorem on locally embedded Riemannian geometries, which imply in the
existence of extra dimensions. The resulting gravitational theory is more
general than general relativity, similar to brane-world gravity, but where the
propagation of the gravitational field along the extra dimensions is a
mathematical necessity, rather than being a a postulate. After a brief
introduction to Nash's theorem, we show that the vacuum energy density must
remain confined to four-dimensional space-times, but the cosmological constant
resulting from the contracted Bianchi identity is a gravitational contribution
which propagates in the extra dimensions. Therefore, the comparison between the
vacuum energy and the cosmological constant in general relativity ceases to be.
Instead, the geometrical fix provided by Nash's theorem suggests that the
vacuum energy density contributes to the perturbations of the gravitational
field.Comment: LaTex, 5 pages no figutres. Correction on author lis
Modelling influence of quantitative factors on arthropod demographic parameters.
Fertility life table (FLT) parameters are important quantitative indicators of interactions between arthropod population and the environment. By summarizing information on both fertility and survivorship, they can capture chronicle sub lethal effects not detected by acute survival assays (MARINHO-PRADO, 2011; NASCIMENTO et al., 1998; NARDO et al (2001) LIU et al, 2005; LUMBIERRES et al, 2004). In life table studies, oviposition and survival data are collected over time (usually daily) and summarized into fertility life tables (FLT) for posterior estimation of the following parameters: net reproductive rate (Ro), intrinsic rate of increase (Rm), doubling time (DT), mean generation time (MGT) and finite rate of increase ( ), for each o treatments evaluated. As FLT parameters summarize data from experimental units into a single estimate for each group (treatment), the information on within treatment variance is not readily available, thus requiring the use of computationally intensive methods for its estimation. Among them, jackknife method, as proposed by MEYER (1986), is the most widely used for variance estimation in FLT analysis. Jacknife-based software available for life table analysis (HULTING et al, 1990 ; MAIA et al, 2000) was developed for analysing qualitative treatments, but such approach is frequently misused for contrasting quantitative factors (GANJISAFFAR et al., 2011; PAKYARI et al., 2011; RAZMJOU et al., 2011). Some authors use regression analysis after estimating FLT parameters for each factor level but do not account for the uncertainty of parameter estimates (CONTI et al, 2010). Here we present methods for adequately quantifying the influence of quantitative factors (e.g. temperature, pesticide level) on FLT parameters by combining the jackknife method with a regression analysis framework
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