Thermalization and Lyapunov Exponents in the Yang-Mills-Higgs Theory

We investigate thermalization processes occurring at different time scales in the Yang-Mills-Higgs system at high temperatures. We determine the largest Lyapunov exponent associated with the gauge fields and verify its relation to the perturbatively calculated damping rate of a static gauge boson.Comment: 33 pages (revtex), 4 PS figures, submitted to PR

Nuclear Matter on a Lattice

We investigate nuclear matter on a cubic lattice. An exact thermal formalism is applied to nucleons with a Hamiltonian that accommodates on-site and next-neighbor parts of the central, spin- and isospin-exchange interactions. We describe the nuclear matter Monte Carlo methods which contain elements from shell model Monte Carlo methods and from numerical simulations of the Hubbard model. We show that energy and basic saturation properties of nuclear matter can be reproduced. Evidence of a first-order phase transition from an uncorrelated Fermi gas to a clustered system is observed by computing mechanical and thermodynamical quantities such as compressibility, heat capacity, entropy and grand potential. We compare symmetry energy and first sound velocities with literature and find reasonable agreement.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures (some in color), to be submitted to Phys. Rev.

Hot subdwarf stars in close-up view. I. Rotational properties of subdwarf B stars in close binary systems and nature of their unseen companions

Original article can be found at: http://www.aanda.org/ Copyright The European Southern Observatory (ESO)The origin of hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) is still unclear. About half of the known sdBs are in close binary systems for which common envelope ejection is the most likely formation channel. Little is known about this dynamic phase of binary evolution. Since most of the known sdB systems are single-lined spectroscopic binaries, it is difficult to derive masses and unravel the companions' nature, which is the aim of this paper. Due to the tidal influence of the companion in close binary systems, the rotation of the primary becomes synchronised to its orbital motion. In this case it is possible to constrain the mass of the companion, if the primary mass, its projected rotational velocity as well as its surface gravity are known. For the first time we measured the projected rotational velocities of a large sdB binary sample from high resolution spectra. We analysed a sample of 51 sdB stars in close binaries, 40 of which have known orbital parameters comprising half of all such systems known today. Synchronisation in sdB binaries is discussed both from the theoretical and the observational point of view. The masses and the nature of the unseen companions could be constrained in 31 cases. We found orbital synchronisation most likely to be established in binaries with orbital periods shorter than . Only in five cases it was impossible to decide whether the sdB's companion is a white dwarf or an M dwarf. The companions to seven sdBs could be clearly identified as late M stars. One binary may have a brown dwarf companion. The unseen companions of nine sdBs are white dwarfs with typical masses. The mass of one white dwarf companion is very low. In eight cases (including the well known system KPD1930+2752) the companion mass exceeds , four of which even exceed the Chandrasekhar limit indicating that they may be neutron stars. Even stellar mass black holes are possible for the most massive companions. The distribution of the inclinations of the systems with low mass companions appears to be consistent with expectations, whereas a lack of high inclinations becomes obvious for the massive systems. We show that the formation of such systems can be explained with common envelope evolution and present an appropriate formation channel including two phases of unstable mass transfer and one supernova explosion. The sample also contains a candidate post-RGB star, which rotates fast despite its long orbital period. The post-RGB stars are expected to spin-up caused by their ongoing contraction. The age of the sdB is another important factor. If the EHB star is too young, the synchronisation process might not be finished yet. Estimating the ages of the target stars from their positions on the EHB band, we found PG 2345+318, which is known not to be synchronised, to lie near the zero-age extreme horizontal branch as are the massive candidates PG 1232-136, PG 1432+159 and PG 1101+249. These star may possibly be too young to have reached synchronisation. The derived large fraction of putative massive sdB binary systems in low inclination orbits is inconsistent with theoretical predictions. Even if we dismiss three candidates because they may be too young and assume that the other sdB primaries are of low mass, PG 1743+477 and, in particular, HE 0532-4503 remain as candidates whose companions may have masses close to or above the Chandrasekhar limit. X-ray observations and accurate photometry are suggested to clarify their nature. As high inclination systems must also exist, an appropriate survey has already been launched to find such binaries.Peer reviewe

The Zeeman effect in the G band

We investigate the possibility of measuring magnetic field strength in G-band bright points through the analysis of Zeeman polarization in molecular CH lines. To this end we solve the equations of polarized radiative transfer in the G band through a standard plane-parallel model of the solar atmosphere with an imposed magnetic field, and through a more realistic snapshot from a simulation of solar magneto-convection. This region of the spectrum is crowded with many atomic and molecular lines. Nevertheless, we find several instances of isolated groups of CH lines that are predicted to produce a measurable Stokes V signal in the presence of magnetic fields. In part this is possible because the effective Land\'{e} factors of lines in the stronger main branch of the CH A$^{2}\Delta$--X$^{2}\Pi$ transition tend to zero rather quickly for increasing total angular momentum $J$, resulting in a Stokes $V$ spectrum of the G band that is less crowded than the corresponding Stokes $I$ spectrum. We indicate that, by contrast, the effective Land\'{e} factors of the $R$ and $P$ satellite sub-branches of this transition tend to $\pm 1$ for increasing $J$. However, these lines are in general considerably weaker, and do not contribute significantly to the polarization signal. In one wavelength location near 430.4 nm the overlap of several magnetically sensitive and non-sensitive CH lines is predicted to result in a single-lobed Stokes $V$ profile, raising the possibility of high spatial-resolution narrow-band polarimetric imaging. In the magneto-convection snapshot we find circular polarization signals of the order of 1% prompting us to conclude that measuring magnetic field strength in small-scale elements through the Zeeman effect in CH lines is a realistic prospect.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures. To be published in the Astrophysical Journa

Reducing Global Warming and Adapting to Climate Change: The Potential of Organic Agriculture

Climate change mitigation is urgent and adaptation to climate change is crucial, particularly in agriculture, where food security is at stake. Agriculture, currently responsible for 20-30% of global greenhouse gas emissions counting direct and indirect agricultural emissions), can however contribute to both climate change mitigation and adaptation. The main mitigation potential lies in the capacity of agricultural soils to sequester CO2 through building organic matter. This potential can be realized by employing sustainable agricultural practices, such as those commonly found within organic farming systems. Examples of these practices are the use of organic fertilizers and crop rotations including legumes leys and cover crops. Mitigation is also achieved in organic agriculture through the avoidance of open biomass burning and the avoidance of synthetic fertilizers and the related production emissions from fossil fuels. Common organic practices also contribute to adaptation. Building soil organic matter increases water retention capacity, and creates more stabile, fertile soils, thus reducing vulnerability to drought, extreme precipitation events, floods and water logging. Adaptation is further supported by increased agro-ecosystem diversity of organic farms, due to reduced nitrogen inputs and the absence of chemical pesticides. The high diversity together with the lower input costs of organic agriculture is key in reducing production risks associated with extreme weather events. All these advantageous practices are not exclusive to organic agriculture. However, they are core parts of the organic production system, in contrast to most non-organic agriculture, where they play a minor role only. Mitigation in agriculture cannot be restricted to the agricultural sector alone, though. Consumer behaviour strongly influences agricultural production systems, and thus their mitigation potential. Significant factors are meat consumption and food wastage. Any discussion on mitigation climate change in agriculture needs to address the entire food chain and needs to be linked to general sustainable development strategies. The main challenges to climate change mitigation and adaptation in organic agriculture and agriculture in general concern a)the understanding of some of the basic processes, such as the interaction of N2O emissions and soil carbon sequestration, contributions of roots to soil carbon sequestration and the life-cycle emissions of organic fertilizers such as compost; b) approaches for emissions accounting that adequately represent agricultural production systems with multiple and diverse outputs and that also encompass ecosystem services; c) the identification and implementation of most adequate policy frameworks for supporting mitigation and adaptation in agriculture, i.e: not putting systemic approaches at a disadvantage due to difficulties in the quantification of emissions, and in their allocation to single products; d) how to assure that the current focus on mitigation does not lead to neglect of the other sustainability aspects of agriculture, such as pesticide loads, eutrophication, acidification or soil erosion and e) the question how to address consumer behaviour and how to utilize the mitigation potential of changes in consumption patterns