1,859 research outputs found
Dual Projection and Selfduality in Three Dimensions
We discuss the notion of duality and selfduality in the context of the dual
projection operation that creates an internal space of potentials. Contrary to
the prevailing algebraic or group theoretical methods, this technique is
applicable to both even and odd dimensions. The role of parity in the kernel of
the Gauss law to determine the dimensional dependence is clarified. We derive
the appropriate invariant actions, discuss the symmetry groups and their proper
generators. In particular, the novel concept of duality symmetry and
selfduality in Maxwell theory in (2+1) dimensions is analysed in details. The
corresponding action is a 3D version of the familiar duality symmetric
electromagnetic theory in 4D. Finally, the duality symmetric actions in the
different dimensions constructed here manifest both the SO(2) and
symmetries, contrary to conventional results.Comment: 20 pages, late
Helicity, polarization, and Riemann-Silberstein vortices
Riemann-Silberstein (RS) vortices have been defined as surfaces in spacetime
where the complex form of a free electromagnetic field given by F=E+iB is null
(F.F=0), and they can indeed be interpreted as the collective history swept out
by moving vortex lines of the field. Formally, the nullity condition is similar
to the definition of "C-lines" associated with a monochromatic electric or
magnetic field, which are curves in space where the polarization ellipses
degenerate to circles. However, it was noted that RS vortices of monochromatic
fields generally oscillate at optical frequencies and are therefore
unobservable while electric and magnetic C-lines are steady. Here I show that
under the additional assumption of having definite helicity, RS vortices are
not only steady but they coincide with both sets of C-lines, electric and
magnetic. The two concepts therefore become one for waves of definite frequency
and helicity. Since the definition of RS vortices is relativistically invariant
while that of C-lines is not, it may be useful to regard the vortices as a
wideband generalization of C-lines for waves of definite helicity.Comment: 5 pages, no figures. Submitted to J of Optics A, special issue on
Singular Optics; minor changes from v.
On the Deconfinement Phase Transition in the Resonance Gas
We obtain the constraints on the ruling parameters of the dense hadronic gas
model at the critical temperature and propose the quasiuniversal ratios of the
thermodynamic quantities. The possible appearence of thermodynamical
instability in such a model is discussed.Comment: 7 pages, plain LaTeX, BI-TP 94/4
Slit Observations and Empirical Calculations for HII Regions
When analysing HII regions, a possible source of systematic error on
empirically derived physical quantities is the limited size of the slit used
for the observations. A grid of photoionization models was built through the
Aangaba code varying the ionizing radiation spectrum emitted by a stellar
cluster, as well as the gas abundance. The calculated line surface brightness
was then used to simulate slit observations and to derive empirical parameters
using the usual methods described in the literature. Depending on the fraction
of the object covered by the slit, the parameters can be different from those
obtained from observations of the whole object, an effect that is mainly
dependent on the age of the ionizing stellar cluster. The low-ionization
forbidden lines are more sensitive to the size of the area covered by the slit
than the high-ionization forbidden lines or recombination lines. Regarding the
temperature indicator T[OIII], the slit effects are small since this
temperature is derived from [OIII] lines. On the other hand, for the abundance
indicator R23, which depends also on the [OII] line, the slit effect is
slightly higher. Therefore, the systematic error due to slit observations on
the O abundance is low, being usually less than 10%, except for HII regions
powered by stellar clusters with a relative low number of ionizing photons
between 13.6 and 54.4 eV, which create a smaller O++ emitting volume. In this
case, the systematic error on the empirical O abundance deduced from slit
observations is more than 10% when the covered area is less than 50%.Comment: To be published in MNRAS, accepted in 09/09/2005, 17 pages and 6
figure
Determination of Omega_b From Big Bang Nucleosynthesis in the Presence of Regions of Antimatter
Production of regions of antimatter in the early universe is predicted in
many baryogenesis models. Small scale antimatter regions would annihilate
during or soon after nucleosynthesis, affecting the abundances of the light
elements. In this paper we study how the acceptable range in Omega_b changes in
the presence of antimatter regions, as compared to the standard big bang
nucleosynthesis. It turns out that it is possible to produce at the same time
both a low 4He value (Y_p < 0.240) and a low D/H value (D/H < 4e-5), but
overproduction of 7Li is unavoidable at large Omega_b.Comment: 9 pages, PRD version, ref. 6 correcte
Cosmological Constraints on Late-time Entropy Production
We investigate cosmological effects concerning the late-time entropy
production due to the decay of non-relativistic massive particles. The
thermalization process of neutrinos after the entropy production is properly
solved by using the Boltzmann equation. If a large entropy production takes
place at late time t 1 sec, it is found that a large fraction of
neutrinos cannot be thermalized. This fact loosens the tight constraint on the
reheating temperature T_R from the big bang nucleosynthesis and T_R could be as
low as 0.5 MeV. The influence on the large scale structure formation and cosmic
microwave background anisotropies is also discussed.Comment: 4 pages, using RevTeX and five postscript figures, comments added, to
appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Precision Prediction for the Big-Bang Abundance of Primordial Helium
Within the standard models of particle physics and cosmology we have
calculated the big-bang prediction for the primordial abundance of \he to a
theoretical uncertainty of less than 0.1 \pct ,
improving the current theoretical precision by a factor of 10. At this accuracy
the uncertainty in the abundance is dominated by the experimental uncertainty
in the neutron mean lifetime, . The following
physical effects were included in the calculation: the zero and
finite-temperature radiative, Coulomb and finite-nucleon-mass corrections to
the weak rates; order- quantum-electrodynamic correction to the plasma
density, electron mass, and neutrino temperature; and incomplete neutrino
decoupling. New results for the finite-temperature radiative correction and the
QED plasma correction were used. In addition, we wrote a new and independent
nucleosynthesis code designed to control numerical errors to be less than
0.1\pct. Our predictions for the \EL[4]{He} abundance are presented in the form
of an accurate fitting formula. Summarizing our work in one number, . Further,
the baryon density inferred from the Burles-Tytler determination of the
primordial D abundance, , leads to the
prediction: . This ``prediction'' and an accurate measurement of the primeval \he
abundance will allow an important consistency test of primordial
nucleosynthesis.Comment: Replaced fitting formulas - new versions differ by small but
significant amount. Other minor changes. 30 pages, 17 figures, 5 table
INTEGRAL discovery of persistent hard X-ray emission from the Soft Gamma Ray Repeater SGR 1806-20
We report the discovery of persistent hard X-ray emission extending up to 150
keV from the soft gamma-ray repeater SGR 1806-20 using data obtained with the
INTEGRAL satellite in 2003-2004. Previous observations of hard X-rays from
objects of this class were limited to short duration bursts and rare transient
episodes of strongly enhanced luminosity (``flares''). The emission observed
with the IBIS instrument above 20 keV has a power law spectrum with photon
index in the range 1.5-1.9 and a flux of 3 milliCrabs, corresponding to a
20-100 keV luminosity of ~10^36 erg s^-1 (for a distance of 15 kpc). The
spectral hardness and the luminosity correlate with the level of source
activity as measured from the number of emitted bursts.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Revised version accepted for publication in
Astronomy and Astrophysics Letter
Neutrino Fluxes from CMSSM LSP Annihilations in the Sun
We evaluate the neutrino fluxes to be expected from neutralino LSP
annihilations inside the Sun, within the minimal supersymmetric extension of
the Standard Model with supersymmetry-breaking scalar and gaugino masses
constrained to be universal at the GUT scale (the CMSSM). We find that there
are large regions of typical CMSSM planes where the LSP
density inside the Sun is not in equilibrium, so that the annihilation rate may
be far below the capture rate. We show that neutrino fluxes are dependent on
the solar model at the 20% level, and adopt the AGSS09 model of Serenelli et
al. for our detailed studies. We find that there are large regions of the CMSSM
planes where the capture rate is not dominated by
spin-dependent LSP-proton scattering, e.g., at large along the CMSSM
coannihilation strip. We calculate neutrino fluxes above various threshold
energies for points along the coannihilation/rapid-annihilation and focus-point
strips where the CMSSM yields the correct cosmological relic density for
tan(beta) = 10 and 55 for > 0, exploring their sensitivities to
uncertainties in the spin-dependent and -independent scattering matrix
elements. We also present detailed neutrino spectra for four benchmark models
that illustrate generic possibilities within the CMSSM. Scanning the
cosmologically-favored parts of the parameter space of the CMSSM, we find that
the IceCube/DeepCore detector can probe at best only parts of this parameter
space, notably the focus-point region and possibly also at the low-mass tip of
the coannihilation strip.Comment: 32 pages, 13 figures. v2: updated/expanded discussion of
IceCube/DeepCor
Pulsar kicks from neutrino oscillations
Neutrino oscillations in a core-collapse supernova may be responsible for the
observed rapid motions of pulsars. Given the present bounds on the neutrino
masses, the pulsar kicks require a sterile neutrino with mass 2-20 keV and a
small mixing with active neutrinos. The same particle can be the cosmological
dark matter. Its existence can be confirmed the by the X-ray telescopes if they
detect a 1-10 keV photon line from the decays of the relic sterile neutrinos.
In addition, one may be able to detect gravity waves from a pulsar being
accelerated by neutrinos in the event of a nearby supernova.Comment: invited review article to appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys. (21 pages, 6
figures
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