60 research outputs found
Dynamical Vacuum in Quantum Cosmology
By regarding the vacuum as a perfect fluid with equation of state p=-rho, de
Sitter's cosmological model is quantized. Our treatment differs from previous
ones in that it endows the vacuum with dynamical degrees of freedom. Instead of
being postulated from the start, the cosmological constant arises from the
degrees of freedom of the vacuum regarded as a dynamical entity, and a time
variable can be naturally introduced. Taking the scale factor as the sole
degree of freedom of the gravitational field, stationary and wave-packet
solutions to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation are found. It turns out that states of
the Universe with a definite value of the cosmological constant do not exist.
For the wave packets investigated, quantum effects are noticeable only for
small values of the scale factor, a classical regime being attained at
asymptotically large times.Comment: Latex, 19 pages, to appear in Gen. Rel. Gra
Quantum cosmological perfect fluid models
Perfect fluid Friedmann-Robertson-Walker quantum cosmological models for an
arbitrary barotropic equation of state are constructed using
Schutz's variational formalism. In this approach the notion of time can be
recovered. By superposition of stationary states, finite-norm wave-packet
solutions to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation are found. The behaviour of the scale
factor is studied by applying the many-worlds and the ontological
interpretations of quantum mechanics. Singularity-free models are obtained for
.Comment: Latex file, 12 pages. New paragraphs in the Introduction and
Conclusion, and other minor corrections in the text and in some formulas.
Accepted for publication in General Relativity and Gravitatio
Fermions scattering in a three dimensional extreme black hole background
The absorption cross section for scattering of fermions off an extreme BTZ
black hole is calculated. It is shown that, as in the case of scalar particles,
an extreme BTZ black hole exhibits a vanishing absorption cross section, which
is consistent with the vanishing entropy of such object. Additionally, we give
a general argument to prove that the particle flux near the horizon is zero.
Finally we show that the {\it reciprocal space} introduced previously in
\cite{gm} gives rise to the same result and, therefore, it could be considered
as the space where the scattering process takes place in an AdS spacetime.Comment: 15 pages, RevTex4. Revised version. To be published in Class.
Quantum. Gra
Casimir Energies for Spherically Symmetric Cavities
A general calculation of Casimir energies --in an arbitrary number of
dimensions-- for massless quantized fields in spherically symmetric cavities is
carried out. All the most common situations, including scalar and spinor
fields, the electromagnetic field, and various boundary conditions are treated
with care. The final results are given as analytical (closed) expressions in
terms of Barnes zeta functions. A direct, straightforward numerical evaluation
of the formulas is then performed, which yields highly accurate numbers of, in
principle, arbitrarily good precision.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX, sub. Ann. Phy
Roy-Steiner equations for pion-nucleon scattering
Starting from hyperbolic dispersion relations, we derive a closed system of
Roy-Steiner equations for pion-nucleon scattering that respects analyticity,
unitarity, and crossing symmetry. We work out analytically all kernel functions
and unitarity relations required for the lowest partial waves. In order to
suppress the dependence on the high-energy regime we also consider once- and
twice-subtracted versions of the equations, where we identify the subtraction
constants with subthreshold parameters. Assuming Mandelstam analyticity we
determine the maximal range of validity of these equations. As a first step
towards the solution of the full system we cast the equations for the
partial waves into the form of a Muskhelishvili-Omn\`es
problem with finite matching point, which we solve numerically in the
single-channel approximation. We investigate in detail the role of individual
contributions to our solutions and discuss some consequences for the spectral
functions of the nucleon electromagnetic form factors.Comment: 106 pages, 18 figures; version published in JHE
Toxicology of chemically modified graphene-based materials for medical application.
This review article aims to provide an overview of chemically modified graphene, and graphene oxide (GO), and their impact on toxicology when present in biological systems. Graphene is one of the most promising nanomaterials due to unique physicochemical properties including enhanced optical, thermal, and electrically conductive behavior in addition to mechanical strength and high surface-to-volume ratio. Graphene-based nanomaterials have received much attention over the last 5Â years in the biomedical field ranging from their use as polymeric conduits for nerve regeneration, carriers for targeted drug delivery and in the treatment of cancer via photo-thermal therapy. Both in vitro and in vivo biological studies of graphene-based nanomaterials help understand their relative toxicity and biocompatibility when used for biomedical applications. Several studies investigating important material properties such as surface charge, concentration, shape, size, structural defects, and chemical functional groups relate to their safety profile and influence cyto- and geno-toxicology. In this review, we highlight the most recent studies of graphene-based nanomaterials and outline their unique properties, which determine their interactions under a range of environmental conditions. The advent of graphene technology has led to many promising new opportunities for future applications in the field of electronics, biotechnology, and nanomedicine to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of debilitating diseases
A multimodal cell census and atlas of the mammalian primary motor cortex
ABSTRACT We report the generation of a multimodal cell census and atlas of the mammalian primary motor cortex (MOp or M1) as the initial product of the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN). This was achieved by coordinated large-scale analyses of single-cell transcriptomes, chromatin accessibility, DNA methylomes, spatially resolved single-cell transcriptomes, morphological and electrophysiological properties, and cellular resolution input-output mapping, integrated through cross-modal computational analysis. Together, our results advance the collective knowledge and understanding of brain cell type organization: First, our study reveals a unified molecular genetic landscape of cortical cell types that congruently integrates their transcriptome, open chromatin and DNA methylation maps. Second, cross-species analysis achieves a unified taxonomy of transcriptomic types and their hierarchical organization that are conserved from mouse to marmoset and human. Third, cross-modal analysis provides compelling evidence for the epigenomic, transcriptomic, and gene regulatory basis of neuronal phenotypes such as their physiological and anatomical properties, demonstrating the biological validity and genomic underpinning of neuron types and subtypes. Fourth, in situ single-cell transcriptomics provides a spatially-resolved cell type atlas of the motor cortex. Fifth, integrated transcriptomic, epigenomic and anatomical analyses reveal the correspondence between neural circuits and transcriptomic cell types. We further present an extensive genetic toolset for targeting and fate mapping glutamatergic projection neuron types toward linking their developmental trajectory to their circuit function. Together, our results establish a unified and mechanistic framework of neuronal cell type organization that integrates multi-layered molecular genetic and spatial information with multi-faceted phenotypic properties
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