Time Resolved Spectroscopy Of Cataclysmic Variables - SS Cygni

NSF AST76-23882, AST 79-06340McDonald Observator

Lorentz violating electrodynamics

After summarizing the most interesting results in the calculation of synchrotron radiation in the Myers-Pospelov effective model for Lorentz invariance violating (LIV) electrodynamics, we present a general unified way of describing the radiation regime of LIV electrodynamics which include the following three different models : Gambini-Pullin, Ellis et al. and Myers-Pospelov. Such unification reduces to the standard approach of radiation in a dispersive and absortive (in general) medium with a given index of refraction. The formulation is presented up to second order in the LIV parameter and it is explicitly applied to the synchrotron radiation case.Comment: 11 pages, extended version of the talk given by L.F. Urrutia in the VI Mexican School: Approaches to Quantum Gravity, Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Nov. 2004. Minor chages in the text and added reference

A new method for the spectroscopic identification of stellar non-radial pulsation modes. II. Mode identification of the Delta Scuti star FG Virginis

We present a mode identification based on new high-resolution time-series spectra of the non-radially pulsating Delta Scuti star FG~Vir (HD 106384, V = 6.57, A5V). From 2002 February to June a global Delta Scuti Network (DSN) campaign, utilizing high-resolution spectroscopy and simultaneous photometry has been conducted for FG~Vir in order to provide a theoretical pulsation model. In this campaign we have acquired 969 Echelle spectra covering 147 hours at six observatories. The mode identification was carried out by analyzing line profile variations by means of the Fourier parameter fit method, where the observational Fourier parameters across the line are fitted with theoretical values. This method is especially well suited for determining the azimuthal order m of non-radial pulsation modes and thus complementary with the method of Daszynska-Daszkiewicz (2002) which does best at identifying the degree l. 15 frequencies between 9.2 and 33.5 c/d were detected spectroscopically. We determined the azimuthal order m of 12 modes and constrained their harmonic degree l. Only modes of low degree (l <= 4) were detected, most of them having axisymmetric character mainly due to the relatively low projected rotational velocity of FG Vir. The detected non-axisymmetric modes have azimuthal orders between -2 and 1. We derived an inclination of 19 degrees, which implies an equatorial rotational rate of 66 km/s.Comment: 14 pages, 26 figure

Phenomenological description of quantum gravity inspired modified classical electrodynamics

We discuss a large class of phenomenological models incorporating quantum gravity motivated corrections to electrodynamics. The framework is that of electrodynamics in a birefringent and dispersive medium with non-local constitutive relations, which are considered up to second order in the inverse of the energy characterizing the quantum gravity scale. The energy-momentum tensor, Green functions and frequency dependent refraction indices are obtained, leading to departures from standard physics. The effective character of the theory is also emphasized by introducing a frequency cutoff. The analysis of its effects upon the standard notion of causality is performed, showing that in the radiation regime the expected corrections get further suppressed by highly oscillating terms, thus forbiding causality violations to show up in the corresponding observational effects.Comment: 14 pages, to be published in Obregon Festschrift 2006, Gen. Rel. and Gra

Decentralized Collaborative Load Transport by Multiple Robots, ICRA

Abstract-With the rapid progress of the robotic technology, it is becoming increasingly common to have multiple robots working together for material transport, cooperative assembly, etc. To ensure the proper handling of the load, especially if it is fragile or needs to be moved rapidly, the constraint force needs to be carefully managed. Tight force coordination is possible if all robots share their force information and the grasp geometry is completely known. When this is not the case, a common approach is to use the leader/follower strategy, where the leader provides the position control for the load and other robots comply based on the individual contact force measurements. This paper considers an alternate decentralized motion and force control method, where all robots participate in the control of the load without sharing any position and force information. Under centralized squeeze force control, robot motion is not affected. However, when the force control is decentralized, a perturbation term is added to the motion control loop. We show that the nominal exponential stability of the motion loop preserves the closed loop stability in the presence of this perturbation. Simulation and experimental results are included to demonstrate the proposed approach

Mimicking Mills’ syndrome: progressive spastic hemiparesis on upper motor neuron dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Mills’ syndrome is an idiopathic, slowly progressive, spastic hemiparetic variant of primary lateral sclerosis (PLS). Despite this classic definition, this syndrome has recently been suggested to be present on all the variants of motor neuron disease (MND) spectrum (ALS, PLS or UMNdALS). Authors presented a 63 years old male with history of gradually progressive right-side hemiparesis associated with dysarthria and dysphagia. Neurologic examination revealed intact cognition, weak bilateral orofacial muscles, marked right-side spasticity with hyperreflexia and mild sensory deficit, progressing to right-upper extremity atrophy upon follow-up. Relevant blood and CSF examinations were within normal limits. MRI of brain and cervical spine were unremarkable. electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction velocity (NCV), facial motor and blinks studies initially revealed no evidence of lower motor neuron involvement. Based on the revised El escorial criteria, patient was diagnosed as upper motor neuron dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (UMNdALS) mimicking the classic PLS-Mills’ hemiparetic variant

Radiation in Lorentz violating electrodynamics

Synchrotron radiation is analyzed in the classical effective Lorentz invariance violating model of Myers-Pospelov. Within the full far-field approximation we compute the electric and magnetic fields, the angular distribution of the power spectrum and the total emitted power in the m-th harmonic, as well as the polarization. We find the appearance of rather unexpected and large amplifying factors, which go together with the otherwise negligible naive expansion parameter. This opens up the possibility of further exploring Lorentz invariance violations by synchrotron radiation measurements in astrophysical sources where these amplifying factors are important.Comment: Presented at the Second Mexican Meeting on Theoretical and Experimental Physics, El Colegio Nacional, Mexico City, 6-10 September 200

Stochastic approach to inflation II: classicality, coarse-graining and noises

In this work we generalize a previously developed semiclassical approach to inflation, devoted to the analysis of the effective dynamics of coarse-grained fields, which are essential to the stochastic approach to inflation. We consider general non-trivial momentum distributions when defining these fields. The use of smooth cutoffs in momentum space avoids highly singular quantum noise correlations and allows us to consider the whole quantum noise sector when analyzing the conditions for the validity of an effective classical dynamical description of the coarse-grained field. We show that the weighting of modes has physical consequences, and thus cannot be considered as a mere mathematical artifact. In particular we discuss the exponential inflationary scenario and show that colored noises appear with cutoff dependent amplitudes.Comment: 18 pages, revtex, no figure

Duality for symmetric second rank tensors. II. The linearized gravitational field

The construction of dual theories for linearized gravity in four dimensions is considered. Our approach is based on the parent Lagrangian method previously developed for the massive spin-two case, but now considered for the zero mass case. This leads to a dual theory described in terms of a rank two symmetric tensor, analogous to the usual gravitational field, and an auxiliary antisymmetric field. This theory has an enlarged gauge symmetry, but with an adequate partial gauge fixing it can be reduced to a gauge symmetry similar to the standard one of linearized gravitation. We present examples illustrating the general procedure and the physical interpretation of the dual fields. The zero mass case of the massive theory dual to the massive spin-two theory is also examined, but we show that it only contains a spin-zero excitation.Comment: 20 pages, no figure

VEP oscillation solutions to the solar neutrino problem

We study the solar neutrino problem within the framework of a parametrized post-Newtonian formulation for the gravitational interaction of the neutrinos, which incorporates a violation to the equivalence principle (VEP). Using the current data on the rates and the energy spectrum we find two possible oscillation solutions, both for a large mixing angle. One of them involves the MSW effect in matter and the other corresponds to vacuum oscillations. An interesting characteristic of this mechanism is that it predicts a semi-annual variation of the neutrino flux. Our analysis provides new constraints for some VEP parameters.Comment: revtex, 18 pages, 11 figure