1,429 research outputs found
An economic geography of the United States: from commutes to megaregions
The emergence in the United States of large-scale “megaregions” centered on major
metropolitan areas is a phenomenon often taken for granted in both scholarly studies
and popular accounts of contemporary economic geography. This paper uses a data set
of more than 4,000,000 commuter flows as the basis for an empirical approach to the
identification of such megaregions. We compare a method which uses a visual heuristic
for understanding areal aggregation to a method which uses a computational
partitioning algorithm, and we reflect upon the strengths and limitations of both. We
discuss how choices about input parameters and scale of analysis can lead to different
results, and stress the importance of comparing computational results with “common
sense” interpretations of geographic coherence. The results provide a new perspective
on the functional economic geography of the United States from a megaregion
perspective, and shed light on the old geographic problem of the division of space into
areal units
A "Littlest Higgs" Model with Custodial SU(2) Symmetry
In this note, a ``littlest higgs'' model is presented which has an
approximate custodial SU(2) symmetry. The model is based on the coset space
. The light pseudo-goldstone bosons of the theory
include a {\it single} higgs doublet below a TeV and a set of three
triplets and an electroweak singlet in the TeV range. All of these scalars
obtain approximately custodial SU(2) preserving vacuum expectation values. This
model addresses a defect in the earlier moose
model, with the only extra complication being an extended top sector. Some of
the precision electroweak observables are computed and do not deviate
appreciably from Standard Model predictions. In an S-T oblique analysis, the
dominant non-Standard Model contributions are the extended top sector and higgs
doublet contributions. In conclusion, a wide range of higgs masses is allowed
in a large region of parameter space consistent with naturalness, where large
higgs masses requires some mild custodial SU(2) violation from the extended top
sector.Comment: 22 pages + 8 figures; JHEP style, added references and extra
discussion on size of T contributions, as well as some other minor
clarifications. Version to appear in JHE
QCD Corrections to K-Kbar Mixing in R-symmetric Supersymmetric Models
The leading-log QCD corrections to K-Kbar mixing in R-symmetric
supersymmetric models are computed using effective field theory techniques. The
spectrum topology where the gluino is significantly heavier than the squarks is
motivated and focused on. It is found that, like in the MSSM, QCD corrections
can tighten the kaon mass difference bound by roughly a factor of three. CP
violation is also briefly considered, where QCD corrections can constrain
phases to be as much as a factor of ten smaller than the uncorrected value.Comment: 11 pages, 11 pdf-figures; updated acknowledgments and references,
clarified relationship to Ref[17], clarified CP-violation sectio
Supersymmetry, Axions and Cosmology
Various authors have noted that in particular models, the upper bound on the
axion decay constant may not hold. We point out that within supersymmetry, this
is a generic issue. For large decay constants, the cosmological problems
associated with the axion's scalar partner are far more severe than those of
the axion. We survey a variety of models, both for the axion multiplet and for
cosmology, and find that in many cases where the cosmological problems of the
saxion are solved, the usual upper bound on the axion is significantly relaxed.
We discuss, more generally, the cosmological issues raised by the pseudoscalar
members of moduli multiplets, and find that they are potentially quite severe.Comment: 27 pages, published version, some discussions clarifie
First-order cosmological phase transitions in the radiation dominated era
We consider first-order phase transitions of the Universe in the
radiation-dominated era. We argue that in general the velocity of interfaces is
non-relativistic due to the interaction with the plasma and the release of
latent heat. We study the general evolution of such slow phase transitions,
which comprise essentially a short reheating stage and a longer phase
equilibrium stage. We perform a completely analytical description of both
stages. Some rough approximations are needed for the first stage, due to the
non-trivial relations between the quantities that determine the variation of
temperature with time. The second stage, instead, is considerably simplified by
the fact that it develops at a constant temperature, close to the critical one.
Indeed, in this case the equations can be solved exactly, including
back-reaction on the expansion of the Universe. This treatment also applies to
phase transitions mediated by impurities. We also investigate the relations
between the different parameters that govern the characteristics of the phase
transition and its cosmological consequences, and discuss the dependence of
these parameters with the particle content of the theory.Comment: 38 pages, 3 figures; v2: Minor changes, references added; v3: several
typos correcte
Observations of Low Frequency Solar Radio Bursts from the Rosse Solar-Terrestrial Observatory
The Rosse Solar-Terrestrial Observatory (RSTO; www.rosseobservatory.ie) was
established at Birr Castle, Co. Offaly, Ireland (53 05'38.9", 7 55'12.7") in
2010 to study solar radio bursts and the response of the Earth's ionosphere and
geomagnetic field. To date, three Compound Astronomical Low-cost Low-frequency
Instrument for Spectroscopy and Transportable Observatory (CALLISTO)
spectrometers have been installed, with the capability of observing in the
frequency range 10-870 MHz. The receivers are fed simultaneously by biconical
and log-periodic antennas. Nominally, frequency spectra in the range 10-400 MHz
are obtained with 4 sweeps per second over 600 channels. Here, we describe the
RSTO solar radio spectrometer set-up, and present dynamic spectra of a sample
of Type II, III and IV radio bursts. In particular, we describe fine-scale
structure observed in Type II bursts, including band splitting and rapidly
varying herringbone features
Space-Time Distribution of G-Band and Ca II H-Line Intensity Oscillations in Hinode/SOT-FG Observations
We study the space-time distributions of intensity fluctuations in 2 - 3 hour
sequences of multi-spectral, high-resolution, high-cadence broad-band
filtergram images (BFI) made by the SOT-FG system aboard the Hinode spacecraft.
In the frequency range 5.5 < f < 8.0 mHz both G-band and Ca II H-line
oscillations are suppressed in the presence of magnetic fields, but the
suppression disappears for f > 10 mHz. By looking at G-band frequencies above
10 mHz we find that the oscillatory power, both at these frequencies and at
lower frequencies too, lies in a mesh pattern with cell scale 2 - 3 Mm, clearly
larger than normal granulation, and with correlation times on the order of
hours. The mesh pattern lies in the dark lanes between stable cells found in
time-integrated G-band intensity images. It also underlies part of the bright
pattern in time-integrated H-line emission. This discovery may reflect
dynamical constraints on the sizes of rising granular convection cells together
with the turbulence created in strong intercellular downflows.Comment: 24 pages, 15 figure
Semiclassical force for electroweak baryogenesis: three-dimensional derivation
We derive a semiclassical transport equation for fermions propagating in the
presence of a CP-violating planar bubble wall at a first order electroweak
phase transition. Starting from the Kadanoff-Baym (KB) equation for the
two-point (Wightman) function we perform an expansion in gradients, or
equivalently in the Planck constant h-bar. We show that to first order in h-bar
the KB equations have a spectral solution, which allows for an on-shell
description of the plasma excitations. The CP-violating force acting on these
excitations is found to be enhanced by a boost factor in comparison with the
1+1-dimensional case studied in a former paper. We find that an identical
semiclassical force can be obtained by the WKB method. Applications to the MSSM
are also mentioned.Comment: 19 page
Supersymmetry with a Chargino NLSP and Gravitino LSP
We demonstrate that the lightest chargino can be lighter than the lightest
neutralino in supersymmetric models with Dirac gaugino masses as well as within
a curious parameter region of the MSSM. Given also a light gravitino, such as
from low scale supersymmetry breaking, this mass hierarchy leads to an unusual
signal where every superpartner cascades down to a chargino that decays into an
on-shell W and a gravitino, possibly with a macroscopic chargino track. We
clearly identify the region of parameters where this signal can occur. We find
it is generic in the context of the R-symmetric supersymmetric standard model,
whereas it essentially only occurs in the MSSM when sign(M1) is not equal to
sign(M2) = sign(\mu) and tan(beta) is small. We briefly comment on the search
strategies for this signal at the LHC.Comment: 27 pages and 16 figure
Advantages and Challenges of Using Physics Curricula as a Model for Reforming an Undergraduate Biology Course
We report on the development of a life sciences curriculum, targeted to undergraduate students, which was modeled after a commercially available physics curriculum and based on aspects of how people learn. Our paper describes the collaborative development process and necessary modifications required to apply a physics pedagogical model in a life sciences context. While some approaches were easily adapted, others provided significant challenges. Among these challenges were: representations of energy, introducing definitions, the placement of Scientists’ Ideas, and the replicability of data. In modifying the curriculum to address these challenges, we have come to see them as speaking to deeper differences between the disciplines, namely that introductory physics—for example, Newton\u27s laws, magnetism, light—is a science of pairwise interaction, while introductory biology—for example, photosynthesis, evolution, cycling of matter in ecosystems—is a science of linked processes, and we suggest that this is how the two disciplines are presented in introductory classes. We illustrate this tension through an analysis of our adaptations of the physics curriculum for instruction on the cycling of matter and energy; we show that modifications of the physics curriculum to address the biological framework promotes strong gains in student understanding of these topics, as evidenced by analysis of student work
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