300 research outputs found
Then again, how often does the Unruh-DeWitt detector click if we switch it carefully?
The transition probability in first-order perturbation theory for an
Unruh-DeWitt detector coupled to a massless scalar field in Minkowski space is
calculated. It has been shown recently that the conventional
regularisation prescription for the correlation function leads to non-Lorentz
invariant results for the transition rate, and a different regularisation,
involving spatial smearing of the field, has been advocated to replace it. We
show that the non-Lorentz invariance arises solely from the assumption of
sudden switch-on and switch-off of the detector, and that when the model
includes a smooth switching function the results from the conventional
regularisation are both finite and Lorentz invariant. The sharp switching limit
of the model is also discussed, as well as the falloff properties of the
spectrum for large frequencies.Comment: 16 pages, v3. Final published version with section 5 expande
Excited by a quantum field: Does shape matter?
The instantaneous transition rate of an arbitrarily accelerated Unruh-DeWitt
particle detector on four-dimensional Minkowski space is ill defined without
regularisation. We show that Schlicht's regularisation as the zero-size limit
of a Lorentz-function spatial profile yields a manifestly well-defined
transition rate with physically reasonable asymptotic properties. In the
special case of stationary trajectories, including uniform acceleration, we
recover the results that have been previously obtained by a regularisation that
relies on the stationarity. Finally, we discuss evidence for the conjecture
that the zero-size limit of the transition rate is independent of the detector
profile.Comment: 7 pages, uses jpconf. Talk given at NEB XII (Nafplio, Greece, 29 June
- 2 July 2006
Considerations on the Unruh Effect: Causality and Regularization
This article is motivated by the observation, that calculations of the Unruh
effect based on idealized particle detectors are usually made in a way that
involves integrations along the {\em entire} detector trajectory up to the
infinitely remote {\em future}. We derive an expression which allows
time-dependence of the detector response in the case of a non-stationary
trajectory and conforms more explicitely to the principle of causality, namely
that the response at a given instant of time depends only on the detectors {\em
past} movements. On trying to reproduce the thermal Unruh spectrum we are led
to an unphysical result, which we trace down to the use of the standard
regularization t\to t-i\eps of the correlation function. By consistently
employing a rigid detector of finite extension, we are led to a different
regularization which works fine with our causal response function.Comment: 19 pages, 2 figures, v2: some minor change
How often does the Unruh-DeWitt detector click? Regularisation by a spatial profile
We analyse within first-order perturbation theory the instantaneous
transition rate of an accelerated Unruh-DeWitt particle detector whose coupling
to a massless scalar field on four-dimensional Minkowski space is regularised
by a spatial profile. For the Lorentzian profile introduced by Schlicht, the
zero size limit is computed explicitly and expressed as a manifestly finite
integral formula that no longer involves regulators or limits. The same
transition rate is obtained for an arbitrary profile of compact support under a
modified definition of spatial smearing. Consequences for the asymptotic
behaviour of the transition rate are discussed. A number of stationary and
nonstationary trajectories are analysed, recovering in particular the Planckian
spectrum for uniform acceleration.Comment: 30 pages, 1 figure. v3: Added references and minor clarification
Is life a thermal horizon ?
This talk aims at questioning the vanishing of Unruh temperature for an
inertial observer in Minkovski spacetime with finite lifetime, arguing that in
the non eternal case the existence of a causal horizon is not linked to the
non-vanishing of the acceleration. This is illustrated by a previous result,
the diamonds temperature, that adapts the algebraic approach of Unruh effect to
the finite case.Comment: Proceedings of the conference DICE 2006, Piombino september 200
Accelerated detectors in Dirac vacuum: the effects of horizon fluctuations
We consider an Unruh-DeWitt detector interacting with a massless Dirac field.
Assuming that the detector is moving along an hyperbolic trajectory, we modeled
the effects of fluctuations in the event horizon using a Dirac equation with
random coefficients. First, we develop the perturbation theory for the
fermionic field in a random media. Further we evaluate corrections due to the
randomness in the response function associated to different model detectors.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figur
Transition rate of the Unruh-DeWitt detector in curved spacetime
We examine the Unruh-DeWitt particle detector coupled to a scalar field in an
arbitrary Hadamard state in four-dimensional curved spacetime. Using smooth
switching functions to turn on and off the interaction, we obtain a
regulator-free integral formula for the total excitation probability, and we
show that an instantaneous transition rate can be recovered in a suitable
limit. Previous results in Minkowski space are recovered as a special case. As
applications, we consider an inertial detector in the Rindler vacuum and a
detector at rest in a static Newtonian gravitational field. Gravitational
corrections to decay rates in atomic physics laboratory experiments on the
surface of the Earth are estimated to be suppressed by 42 orders of magnitude.Comment: 27 pages, 1 figure. v3: Typos corrected. Published versio
Microbiota in health and disease-potential clinical applications
Within the last two decades tremendous efforts in biomedicine have been undertaken to understand the interplay of commensal bacteria living in and on our human body with our own human physiology. It became clear that (1) a high diversity especially of the microbial communities in the gut are important to preserve health and that (2) certain bacteria via nutrition-microbe-host metabolic axes are beneficially affecting various functions of the host, including metabolic control, energy balance and immune function. While a large set of evidence indicate a special role for small chain fatty acids (SCFA) in that context, recently also metabolites of amino acids (e.g., tryptophan and arginine) moved into scientific attention. Of interest, microbiome alterations are not only important in nutrition associated diseases like obesity and diabetes, but also in many chronic inflammatory, oncological and neurological abnormalities. From a clinician's point of view, it should be mentioned, that the microbiome is not only interesting to develop novel therapies, but also as a modifiable factor to improve efficiency of modern pharmaceutics, e.g., immune-therapeutics in oncology. However, so far, most data rely on animal experiments or human association studies, whereas controlled clinical intervention studies are spare. Hence, the translation of the knowledge of the last decades into clinical routine will be the challenge of microbiome based biomedical research for the next years. This review aims to provide examples for future clinical applications in various entities and to suggest bacterial species and/or microbial effector molecules as potential targets for intervention studies
Relativistic Quantum Information in Detectors-Field Interactions
We review Unruh-DeWitt detectors and other models of detector-field
interaction in a relativistic quantum field theory setting as a tool for
extracting detector-detector, field-field and detector-field correlation
functions of interest in quantum information science, from entanglement
dynamics to quantum teleportation. We in particular highlight the contrast
between the results obtained from linear perturbation theory which can be
justified provided switching effects are properly accounted for, and the
nonperturbative effects from available analytic expressions which incorporate
the backreaction effects of the quantum field on the detector behaviour.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures. Prepared for the special focus issue on RQ
A comprehensive assessment of environmental exposures among 1000 North American patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis, with and without inflammatory bowel disease
BACKGROUND: The relationships between primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and the environment are largely unknown.
AIM: To validate associations reported in previous studies and to identify novel environmental exposures among PSC patients.
METHODS: We performed a multicenter, case-control analysis utilising self-administered questionnaires. Responses between cases (n = 1000) and controls (n = 663) were compared using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age and gender. The model was further stratified based on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) status (with IBD n = 741 without IBD n = 259).
RESULTS: Smoking was associated with PSC only when IBD was present (OR, 0.5; 95% CI 0.4-0.7) but not among those PSC patients without IBD (OR, 0.9; 95% CI 0.7-1.2). Compared to controls, women with PSC (irrespective of the presence of IBD) were less likely to have received hormone replacement therapy (HRT; OR, 0.5; 95% CI 0.4-0.7) and were more likely to have recurrent urinary tract infections (OR, 1.6; 95% CI 1.2-2.3). PSC patients regardless of gender or IBD status were less likely to eat fish (OR, 0.4; 95% CI 0.3-0.6) and grilled/barbecued meat (OR, 0.8; 95% CI 0.7-0.9). In contrast, PSC patients with and without IBD were more likely to consume steak/burgers that were more well done (OR, 1.3; 95% CI 1.2-1.5).
CONCLUSIONS: IBD (rather than PSC) is associated with smoking. Women with PSC are more likely to have recurrent urinary tract infections and less likely to receive HRT. Dietary intake and methods of food preparation differ in PSC patients when compared to controls
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