QCD Heat Kernel in Covariant Gauge

We report the calculation of the fourth coefficient in an expansion of the heat kernel of a non-minimal, non-abelian kinetic operator in an arbitrary background gauge in arbitrary space-time dimension. The fourth coefficient is shown to bring a nontrivial gauge dependence due to the contribution of the lowest order off-shell gauge invariant structure.Comment: 6 pages + title page, standart LaTe

DNA Torsional Solitons in Presence of localized Inhomogeneities

In the present paper we investigate the influence of inhomogeneities in the dynamics and stability of DNA open states, modeled as propagating solitons in the spirit of a Generalized Yakushevish Model. It is a direct consecuence of our model that there exists a critical distance between the soliton's center of mass and the inhomogeneity at which the interaction between them can change the stability of the open state.Furtherly from this results was derived a renormalized potential funtion.Comment: RevTex, 13 pages, 3 figures, final versio

Animal movement modelling: Independent or dependent models?

Hidden Markov models have become a popular time series method for the analysis of GPS tracked animals. Their advantage for identifying latent behavioural states compared with Independent Mixture models is that they take into account the time series dependency of successive displacement distances by the tracked animals. However, little is known about how the analysis results may differ depending on which of these approaches is used. We compared the results and interpretations obtained from fitting Hidden Markov and Independent Mixture models to simulated movement data as well as to field data recording the hourly movements of sable antelope and buffalo within the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Hidden Markov models consistently yielded narrower confidence intervals around parameters and smaller standard errors than simpler time independent mixture models, but for some data the improvement was marginal and the Independent Mixture model provided an adequate alternative for identifying the latent behavioural states of the animal. In general, it is expected Hidden Markov models will provide the better balance between model complexity and extensibility for animal movement modelling from a statistical perspective. However, in some cases, Independent Mixture models could provide an adequate alternative method and might be more faithful biologically

Cluster observations of the midaltitude cusp under strong northward interplanetary magnetic field

We report on a multispacecraft cusp observation lasting more than 100 min. We determine the cusp boundary motion and reveal the effect on the cusp size of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) changing from southward to northward. The cusp shrinks at the beginning of the IMF rotation and it reexpands at the rate of 0.40° invariant latitude per hour under stable northward IMF. On the basis of plasma signatures inside the cusp, such as counterstreaming electrons with balanced fluxes, we propose that pulsed dual lobe reconnection operates during the time of interest. SC1 and SC4 observations suggest a long-term regular periodicity of the pulsed dual reconnection, which we estimate to be ~1–5 min. Further, the distances from the spacecraft to the reconnection site are estimated on the basis of observations from three satellites. The distance determined using SC1 and SC4 observations is ~15 RE and that determined from SC3 data is ~8 RE. The large-scale speed of the reconnection site sunward motion is ~16 km s-1. We observe also a fast motion of the reconnection site by SC1, which provides new information about the transitional phase after the IMF rotation. Finally, a statistical study of the dependency of plasma convection inside the cusp on the IMF clock angle is performed. The relationship between the cusp stagnation, the dual lobe reconnection process, and the IMF clock angle is discussed

An X-ray and Optical Investigation of the Environments Around Nearby Radio Galaxies

Investigations of the cluster environment of radio sources have not shown a correlation between radio power and degree of clustering. However, it has been demonstrated that extended X-ray luminosity and galaxy clustering do exhibit a positive correlation. This study investigates a complete sample of 25 nearby (z less than 0.06) radio galaxies which are not cataloged members of Abell clusters. The environment of these radio galaxies is studied in both the X-ray and the optical by means of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS), ROSAT pointed observations, and the Palomar optical Digitized Sky Survey (DSS). X-ray luminosities and extents are determined from the RASS, and the DSS is used to quantify the degree of clustering via the spatial two-point correlation coefficient, Bgg. Of the 25 sources, 20 are greater than sigma detections in the X-ray and 11 possessed Bgg's significantly in excess of that expected for an isolated galaxy. Adding the criterion that the X-ray emission be resolved, 10 of the radio galaxies do appear to reside in poor clusters with extended X-ray emission suggestive of the presence of an intracluster medium. Eight of these galaxies also possess high spatial correlation coefficients. Taken together, these data suggest that the radio galaxies reside in a low richness extension of the Abell clusters. The unresolved X-ray emission from the other galaxies is most likely associated with AGN phenomena. Furthermore, although the sample size is small, it appears that the environments of FR I and FR II sources differ. FR I's tend to be more frequently associated with extended X-ray emission (10 of 18), whereas FR II's are typically point sources or non-detections in the X-ray (none of the 7 sources exhibit extended X-ray emission).Comment: 28 page postscript file including figures and tables, plus one landscape table and 5 GIF figure

A Magnetically-Switched, Rotating Black Hole Model For the Production of Extragalactic Radio Jets and the Fanaroff and Riley Class Division

A model is presented in which both Fanaroff and Riley class I and II extragalactic jets are produced by magnetized accretion disk coronae in the ergospheres of rotating black holes. While the jets are produced in the accretion disk itself, the output power still is an increasing function of the black hole angular momentum. For high enough spin, the black hole triggers the magnetic switch, producing highly-relativistic, kinetic-energy-dominated jets instead of Poynting-flux-dominated ones for lower spin. The coronal mass densities needed to trigger the switch at the observed FR break power are quite small ($\sim 10^{-15} g cm^{-3}$), implying that the source of the jet material may be either a pair plasma or very tenuous electron-proton corona, not the main accretion disk itself. The model explains the differences in morphology and Mach number between FR I and II sources and the observed trend for massive galaxies to undergo the FR I/II transition at higher radio power. It also is consistent with the energy content of extended radio lobes and explains why, because of black hole spindown, the space density of FR II sources should evolve more rapidly than that of FR I sources. If the present model is correct, then the ensemble average speed of parsec-scale jets in sources distinguished by their FR I morphology (not luminosity) should be distinctly slower than that for sources with FR II morphology. The model also suggests the existence of a population of high-redshift, sub-mJy FR I and II radio sources associated with spiral or pre-spiral galaxies that flared once when their black holes were formed but were never again re-kindled by mergers.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, final version to appear in Sept Ap

The Evolving Role of Faculty: Traditional Scholarship, Instructional Scholarship and Service Scholarship

Faculty workload decisions made by a departmental unit often create a conflict for faculty because promotion/tenure decisions usually focus primarily on individual scholarly achievements. This paper describes an approach to faculty evaluation that considers both departmental and individual needs by expanding the view of scholarship to include Research, Instruction, and Service

Statistical study of the location and size of the electron edge of the Low-Latitude Boundary Layer as observed by Cluster at mid-altitudes

The nature of particle precipitations at dayside mid-altitudes can be interpreted in terms of the evolution of reconnected field lines. Due to the difference between electron and ion parallel velocities, two distinct boundary layers should be observed at mid-altitudes between the boundary between open and closed field lines and the injections in the cusp proper. At lowest latitudes, the electron-dominated boundary layer, named the "electron edge" of the Low-Latitude Boundary Layer (LLBL), contains soft-magnetosheath electrons but only high-energy ions of plasma sheet origin. A second layer, the LLBL proper, is a mixture of both ions and electrons with characteristic magnetosheath energies. The Cluster spacecraft frequently observe these two boundary layers. We present an illustrative example of a Cluster mid-altitude cusp crossing with an extended electron edge of the LLBL. This electron edge contains 10–200 eV, low-density, isotropic electrons, presumably originating from the solar wind halo population. These are occasionally observed with bursts of parallel and/or anti-parallel-directed electron beams with higher fluxes, which are possibly accelerated near the magnetopause X-line. We then use 3 years of data from mid-altitude cusp crossings (327 events) to carry out a statistical study of the location and size of the electron edge of the LLBL. We find that the equatorward boundary of the LLBL electron edge is observed at 10:00–17:00 magnetic local time (MLT) and is located typically between 68° and 80° invariant latitude (ILAT). The location of the electron edge shows a weak, but significant, dependence on some of the external parameters (solar wind pressure, and IMF <i>B<sub>Z</sub></i>- component), in agreement with expectations from previous studies of the cusp location. The latitudinal extent of the electron edge has been estimated using new multi-spacecraft techniques. The Cluster tetrahedron crosses the electron and ion boundaries of the LLBL/cusp with time delays of 1–40 min between spacecraft. We reconstruct the motion of the electron boundary between observations by different spacecraft to improve the accuracy of the estimation of the boundary layer size. In our study, the LLBL electron edge is distinctly observed in 87% of mid-altitude LLBL/cusp crossings with clear electron and ion equatorward boundaries equivalent to 35% of all LLBL/cusp crossings by Cluster. The size of this region varied between 0°–2° ILAT with a median value of 0.2° ILAT. Generally, the size of the LLBL electron edge depends on the combination of many parameters. However, we find an anti-correlation between the size of this region and the strength of the IMF, the absolute values of the IMF <i>B<sub>Y</sub></i>- and <i>B<sub>Z</sub></i>-components and the solar wind dynamic pressure, as is expected from a simple reconnection model for the origin of this region

Giant Strengthening of Superconducting Pairing in Metallic Nanoclusters

The presence of shell structure and the accompanying high level degeneracy leads to a strengthening of the pairing interaction in some metallic nanoclusters and ions. It is predicted that for some specific systems one can expect a large increase in the values of the critical temperature and other parameters