904 research outputs found
The physical basis of natural units and truly fundamental constants
The natural unit system, in which the value of fundamental constants such as
c and h are set equal to one and all quantities are expressed in terms of a
single unit, is usually introduced as a calculational convenience. However, we
demonstrate that this system of natural units has a physical justification as
well. We discuss and review the natural units, including definitions for each
of the seven base units in the International System of Units (SI) in terms of a
single unit. We also review the fundamental constants, which can be classified
as units-dependent or units-independent. Units-independent constants, whose
values are not determined by human conventions of units, may be interpreted as
inherent constants of nature.Comment: 17 pages, to be published in European Physical Journal-Plus, The
final publication is available at www.epj.or
Most and Least Preferred Colours Differ According to Object Context : New Insights from an Unrestricted Colour Range
Humans like some colours and dislike others, but which particular colours and why remains to be understood. Empirical studies on colour preferences generally targeted most preferred colours, but rarely least preferred (disliked) colours. In addition, findings are often based on general colour preferences leaving open the question whether results generalise to specific objects. Here, 88 participants selected the colours they preferred most and least for three context conditions (general, interior walls, t-shirt) using a high-precision colour picker. Participants also indicated whether they associated their colour choice to a valenced object or concept. The chosen colours varied widely between individuals and contexts and so did the reasons for their choices. Consistent patterns also emerged, as most preferred colours in general were more chromatic, while for walls they were lighter and for t-shirts they were darker and less chromatic compared to least preferred colours. This meant that general colour preferences could not explain object specific colour preferences. Measures of the selection process further revealed that, compared to most preferred colours, least preferred colours were chosen more quickly and were less often linked to valenced objects or concepts. The high intra- and inter-individual variability in this and previous reports furthers our understanding that colour preferences are determined by subjective experiences and that most and least preferred colours are not processed equally
Third-order relativistic many-body calculations of energies and lifetimes of levels along the silver isoelectronic sequence
Energies of 5l_j (l= s, p, d, f, g) and 4f_j states in neutral Ag and Ag-like
ions with nuclear charges Z = 48 - 100 are calculated using relativistic
many-body perturbation theory. Reduced matrix elements, oscillator strengths,
transition rates and lifetimes are calculated for the 17 possible 5l_j-5l'_{j'}
and 4f_j-5l_{j'} electric-dipole transitions. Third-order corrections to
energies and dipole matrix elements are included for neutral Ag and for ions
with Z60. Comparisons are made
with available experimental data for transition energies and lifetimes.
Correlation energies and transition rates are shown graphically as functions of
nuclear charge Z for selected cases. These calculations provide a theoretical
benchmark for comparison with experiment and theory.Comment: 8 page
The Uncertainty in Newton's Constant and Precision Predictions of the Primordial Helium Abundance
The current uncertainty in Newton's constant, G_N, is of the order of 0.15%.
For values of the baryon to photon ratio consistent with both cosmic microwave
background observations and the primordial deuterium abundance, this
uncertainty in G_N corresponds to an uncertainty in the primordial 4He mass
fraction, Y_P, of +-1.3 x 10^{-4}. This uncertainty in Y_P is comparable to the
effect from the current uncertainty in the neutron lifetime, which is often
treated as the dominant uncertainty in calculations of Y_P. Recent measurements
of G_N seem to be converging within a smaller range; a reduction in the
estimated error on G_N by a factor of 10 would essentially eliminate it as a
source of uncertainty in the calculation of the primordial 4He abundance.Comment: 3 pages, no figures, fixed typos, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Relativistic transition wavelenghts and probabilities for spectral lines of Ne II
Transition wavelengths and probabilities for several 2p4 3p - 2p4 3s and 2p4
3d - 2p4 3p lines in fuorine-like neon ion (NeII) have been calculated within
the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) method with quantum electrodynamics
(QED) corrections. The results are compared with all existing experimental and
theoretical data
Long range effects on the optical model of 6He around the Coulomb barrier
We present an optical model (OM) analysis of the elastic scattering data of
the reactions 6He+27Al and 6He+208Pb at incident energies around the Coulomb
barrier. The bare part of the optical potential is constructed microscopically
by means of a double folding procedure, using the Sao Paulo prescription
without any renormalization. This bare interaction is supplemented with a
Coulomb dipole polarization (CDP) potential, which takes into account the
effect of the dipole Coulomb interaction. For this CDP potential, we use an
analytical formula derived from the semiclassical theory of Coulomb excitation.
The rest of the optical potential is parametrized in terms of Woods-Saxon
shapes. In the 6He+208Pb case, the analysis confirms the presence of long range
components, in agreement with previous works. Four-body Continuum-Discretized
Coupled-Channels calculations have been performed in order to better understand
the features of the optical potentials found in the OM analysis. This study
searches to elucidate some aspects of the optical potential of weakly bound
systems, such as the dispersion relation and the long range (attractive and
absorptive) mechanisms.Comment: Accepted in Nucl. Phys. A; 26 pages, 8 figures, 6 tables
Many-body-QED perturbation theory: Connection to the Bethe-Salpeter equation
The connection between many-body theory (MBPT)--in perturbative and
non-perturbative form--and quantum-electrodynamics (QED) is reviewed for
systems of two fermions in an external field. The treatment is mainly based
upon the recently developed covariant-evolution-operator method for QED
calculations [Lindgren et al. Phys. Rep. 389, 161 (2004)], which has a
structure quite akin to that of many-body perturbation theory. At the same time
this procedure is closely connected to the S-matrix and the Green's-function
formalisms and can therefore serve as a bridge between various approaches. It
is demonstrated that the MBPT-QED scheme, when carried to all orders, leads to
a Schroedinger-like equation, equivalent to the Bethe-Salpeter (BS) equation. A
Bloch equation in commutator form that can be used for an "extended" or
quasi-degenerate model space is derived. It has the same relation to the BS
equation as has the standard Bloch equation to the ordinary Schroedinger
equation and can be used to generate a perturbation expansion compatible with
the BS equation also for a quasi-degenerate model space.Comment: Submitted to Canadian J of Physic
Coherent matter wave inertial sensors for precision measurements in space
We analyze the advantages of using ultra-cold coherent sources of atoms for
matter-wave interferometry in space. We present a proof-of-principle experiment
that is based on an analysis of the results previously published in [Richard et
al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 91, 010405 (2003)] from which we extract the ratio h/m
for 87Rb. This measurement shows that a limitation in accuracy arises due to
atomic interactions within the Bose-Einstein condensate
Models of quintessence coupled to the electromagnetic field and the cosmological evolution of alpha
We study the change of the effective fine structure constant in the
cosmological models of a scalar field with a non-vanishing coupling to the
electromagnetic field. Combining cosmological data and terrestrial observations
we place empirical constraints on the size of the possible coupling and explore
a large class of models that exhibit tracking behavior. The change of the fine
structure constant implied by the quasar absorption spectra together with the
requirement of tracking behavior impose a lower bound of the size of this
coupling. Furthermore, the transition to the quintessence regime implies a
narrow window for this coupling around in units of the inverse Planck
mass. We also propose a non-minimal coupling between electromagnetism and
quintessence which has the effect of leading only to changes of alpha
determined from atomic physics phenomena, but leaving no observable
consequences through nuclear physics effects. In doing so we are able to
reconcile the claimed cosmological evidence for a changing fine structure
constant with the tight constraints emerging from the Oklo natural nuclear
reactor.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, RevTex, new references adde
Dimensionless cosmology
Although it is well known that any consideration of the variations of
fundamental constants should be restricted to their dimensionless combinations,
the literature on variations of the gravitational constant is entirely
dimensionful. To illustrate applications of this to cosmology, we explicitly
give a dimensionless version of the parameters of the standard cosmological
model, and describe the physics of Big Bang Neucleosynthesis and recombination
in a dimensionless manner. The issue that appears to have been missed in many
studies is that in cosmology the strength of gravity is bound up in the
cosmological equations, and the epoch at which we live is a crucial part of the
model. We argue that it is useful to consider the hypothetical situation of
communicating with another civilization (with entirely different units),
comparing only dimensionless constants, in order to decide if we live in a
Universe governed by precisely the same physical laws. In this thought
experiment, we would also have to compare epochs, which can be defined by
giving the value of any {\it one} of the evolving cosmological parameters. By
setting things up carefully in this way one can avoid inconsistent results when
considering variable constants, caused by effectively fixing more than one
parameter today. We show examples of this effect by considering microwave
background anisotropies, being careful to maintain dimensionlessness
throughout. We present Fisher matrix calculations to estimate how well the fine
structure constants for electromagnetism and gravity can be determined with
future microwave background experiments. We highlight how one can be misled by
simply adding to the usual cosmological parameter set
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