Time Dependence of Particle Creation from Accelerating Mirrors

Particle production due to a quantized, massless, minimally coupled scalar field in two-dimensional flat spacetime with an accelerating mirror is investigated, with a focus on the time dependence of the process. We analyze first the classes of trajectories previously investigated by Carlitz and Willey and by Walker and Davies. We then analyze four new classes of trajectories, all of which can be expressed analytically and for which several ancillary properties can be derived analytically. The time dependence is investigated through the use of wave packets for the modes of the quantized field that are in the out vacuum state. It is shown for most of the trajectories studied that good time resolution of the particle production process can be obtained.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figure

Mirror Reflections of a Black Hole

An exact correspondence between a black hole and an accelerating mirror is demonstrated. It is shown that for a massless minimally coupled scalar field the same Bogolubov coefficients connecting the "in" and "out" states occur for a (1+1)D flat spacetime with a particular perfectly reflecting accelerating boundary trajectory and a (1+1)D curved spacetime in which a null shell collapses to form a black hole. Generalization of the latter to the (3+1)D case is discussed. The spectral dynamics is computed in both (1+1)-dimensional spacetimes along with the energy flux in the spacetime with a mirror. It is shown that the approach to equilibrium is monotonic, asymmetric in terms of the rate, and there is a specific time which characterizes the system when it is the most out-of-equilibrium.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figure

Black Hole - Moving Mirror II: Particle Creation

There is an exact correspondence between the simplest solution to Einstein's equations describing the formation of a black hole and a particular moving mirror trajectory. In both cases the Bogolubov coefficients in 1+1 dimensions are identical and can be computed analytically. Particle creation is investigated by using wave packets. The entire particle creation history is computed, incorporating the early-time non-thermal emission due to the formation of the black hole (or the early-time acceleration of the moving mirror) and the evolution to a Planckian spectrum.Comment: Contribution to MG14 Proceedings, 5 pages, 4 figure

Black Hole - Moving Mirror I: An Exact Correspondence

An exact correspondence is shown between a new moving mirror trajectory in (1+1)D and a spacetime in (1+1)D in which a black hole forms from the collapse of a null shell. It is shown that the Bogolubov coefficients between the "in" and "out" states are identical and the exact Bogolubov coefficients are displayed. Generalization to the (3+1)D black hole case is discussed.Comment: Contribution to MG14 Proceedings, 5 pages, 1 figur

Hazards to golden-mantled ground squirrels and associated secondary hazard potential from strychnine baiting for forest pocket gophers

Radio telemetry and capture-recapture techniques were used to evaluate the hazards to golden-mantled ground squirrels (Spermophilus lateralis) from hand baiting with 0.5% strychnine-treated oats for western pocket gophers (Thomomys mazama) on conifer plantations in eastern Oregon. Toxicology data were collected on field-killed and caged ground squirrels and on caged mink (Mustela vison), great horned owls (Bubo virginianus), and red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). Ground squirrel populations were reduced 50 to 75% following underground baiting for pocket gophers. Maximum amount of strychnine alkaloid found in cheek pouches and carcass of a field-killed golden-mantled ground squirrel was 2.88 mg. Mean amount of strychnine in carcasses was 0.35 mg; almost all occurred in the gut. The estimated LD50 for mink was 0.6 mg/kg. The lowest lethal dose for great horned owls and red-tailed hawks was 7.7 mg/kg and 10.2 mg/kg, respectively. The LD50 for owls and hawks was not determined. Long-term effects on golden-mantled ground squirrel populations and secondary hazard potential to owls and hawks were judged to be minimal. Wild mustelids as large as mink could be adversely affected by consuming the gut content of strychnine-killed golden-mantled ground squirrels

Radicchio cultivation under different sprinkler irrigation systems

Gun sprinklers were commonly used in Italy to irrigate Radicchio. Although this high-pressure irrigation system allows large areas to be irrigated in a short time, it has some major disadvantages. Disadvantages include the impact of the drops on the soil and crop can be very strong, the high volume of water used tends to increase water use and runoff and water distribution uniformity is low. A 3-year experiment was conducted in North-East Italy in order to evaluate the possibility of using a mini-sprinkler irrigation system with low-volume application rates. The use of mini-sprinkler resulted in a higher distribution uniformity, higher Christiansen uniformity coefficient and a higher water use efficiency. Energy cost was also lower when the mini-sprinkler system was used for irrigation as compared to the irrigation gun system. Radicchio head weight and marketable yield were higher when plants were irrigated with the mini-sprinkler as compared to those irrigated with the irrigation gun. Therefore, the use of mini-sprinklers resulted in not only a reduction in water use and energy cost but also an increase in radicchio production

Genetic parameters for animal mortality in pasture-based, seasonal-calving dairy and beef herds

peer-reviewedIn the absence of informative health and welfare phenotypes, breeding for reduced animal mortality could improve overall health and welfare, provided genetic variability in animal mortality exists. The objective of the present study was to estimate genetic (and other) variance components for animal mortality in pasture-based, seasonal-calving dairy and beef herds across multiple life stages as well as to quantify the genetic relationship in mortality among life stages. National mortality records were available for all cattle born in the Republic of Ireland. Cattle were grouped into three life stages based on age (0 to 30 days, 31 to 365 days, 366 to 1095 days) whereas females with ≥1 calving event were also grouped into five life stages, based on parity number (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), considering both the initial 60 days of lactation and a cow's entire lactation period, separately. The mean mortality prevalence ranged from 0.70 to 5.79% in young animals and from 0.53 to 3.86% in cows. Variance components and genetic correlations were estimated using linear mixed models using 21,637 to 100,993 records. Where heritability estimates were different from zero, direct heritability estimates for mortality in young animals (≤1095 days) ranged from 0.006 to 0.040, whereas the genetic standard deviation ranged from 0.015 to 0.034. The contribution of a maternal genetic effect to mortality in young animals was evident up to 30 days of age in dairy herds, but this was only the case in preliminary analysis of stillbirths in beef herds. Based on the estimated genetic standard deviation in the present study, the incidence of mortality in young animals could be reduced through breeding by up to 3.4 percentage units per generation. For cows, direct heritability estimates for mortality, where different from zero, ranged from 0.003 to 0.049. The genetic standard deviation for mortality in cows ranged from 0.005 to 0.016 during the initial 60 days of lactation and ranged from 0.011 to 0.032 during the cow's entire lactation. Genetic correlations among the age groups as well as between the age groups and cow parities had high standard errors. Genetic correlations among the cow parities were moderate to strongly positive (ranging from 0.66 to 0.99) and mostly different from zero. Results from the present study can be used to inform genetic evaluations for mortality in young animals and in cows as well as the potential genetic gain achievable