Scaling Relations for the Cosmological "Constant" in Five-Dimensional Relativity

When the cosmological "constant" is derived from modern five-dimensional relativity, exact solutions imply that for small systems it scales in proportion to the square of the mass. However, a duality transformation implies that for large systems it scales as the inverse square of the mass

Astrophysical Implications of Higher-Dimensional Gravity

We review the implications of modern higher-dimensional theories of gravity for astrophysics and cosmology. In particular, we discuss the latest developments of space-time-matter theory in connection with dark matter, particle dynamics and the cosmological constant, as well as related aspects of quantum theory. There are also more immediate tests of extra dimensions, notably involving perturbations of the cosmic 3K microwave background and the precession of a supercooled gyroscope in Earth orbit. We also outline some general features of embeddings, and include pictures of the big bang as viewed from a higher dimension.Comment: 23 pages, 2 figures; to appear in Space Science Reviews; v3: typos corrected and minor changes to text, expanded derivation of fundamental mode adde

The Physical Dynamics Of Patterned Ground In The Northern Foothills Of The Brooks Range, Alaska

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2005Periglacial landforms, called patterned ground, change the vegetation, microtopography and organic content of the surface soil horizons. Because they are uniquely products of the periglacial environment, changes in that environment affect their distribution and activity. As surface features, they mitigate heat and mass transfer processes between the land and atmosphere. For environmental change detection, the state of the soil and active layer must be monitored across temporal and spatial scales that include these features. It is suggested here that changes in the state of the active layer due to the abrupt spatial changes in surface soil character lead to changes in the distribution of soil components, soil bulk thermal properties and the thermal and hydrological fluxes result. The determination of soil volumetric moisture content using the relative dielectric permittivity of the soil is extended to include live and dead low-density feathermoss. High temporal resolution monitoring of the thermal conductivity of mineral and organic soil horizons over multiple annual cycles is introduced, along with a new method for analyzing the results of transient heat pulse sensor measurements. These results are applied to studies of frost boils and soil stripes in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range in Alaska. Active layer ice dynamics determine the thermal properties of the frozen soil in the frost boil pedon. Annual heaving and subsiding of the ground surface reflects these changes in ice content and can be used to estimate active layer ice content as a function of depth. These estimates correlate with bulk soil thermal diffusivity, inferred as a function of depth from temperature data. Differences in soil thermal diffusivity determine thaw depth differences between frost boil and tundra, and between wet and dry soil stripes. For the latter, deeper subsurface flow through the high organic content wet stripes is delayed until mid-summer; when it does occur, it has a large component normal to the hillslope as a consequence of differential heave. Dynamics in these periglacial landforms can be identified from surface features, highlighting the potential for scaling up their net effect using remote sensing techniques

Waves and causality in higher dimensions

We give a new, wave-like solution of the field equations of five-dimensional relativity. In ordinary three-dimensional space, the waves resemble de Broglie or matter waves, whose puzzling behaviour can be better understood in terms of one or more extra dimensions. Causality is appropriately defined by a null higher-dimensional interval. It may be possible to test the properties of these waves in the laboratory.Comment: 15 pages, no figure