Dark matter vs. modifications of the gravitational inverse-square law. Results from planetary motion in the solar system

Dark matter or modifications of the Newtonian inverse-square law in the solar-system are studied with accurate planetary astrometric data. From extra-perihelion precession and possible changes in the third Kepler's law, we get an upper limit on the local dark matter density, rho_{DM} < 3*10^{-16} kg/m^3 at the 2-sigma confidence level. Variations in the 1/r^2 behavior are considered in the form of either a possible Yukawa-like interaction or a modification of gravity of MOND type. Up to scales of 10^{11} m, scale-dependent deviations in the gravitational acceleration are really small. We examined the MOND interpolating function mu in the regime of strong gravity. Gradually varying mu suggested by fits of rotation curves are excluded, whereas the standard form mu(x)= x/(1+x^2)^{1/2} is still compatible with data. In combination with constraints from galactic rotation curves and theoretical considerations on the external field effect, the absence of any significant deviation from inverse square attraction in the solar system makes the range of acceptable interpolating functions significantly narrow. Future radio ranging observations of outer planets with an accuracy of few tenths of a meter could either give positive evidence of dark matter or disprove modifications of gravity.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

The role of Lambda in the cosmological lens equation

The cosmological constant Lambda affects cosmological gravitational lensing. Effects due to Lambda can be studied in the framework of the Schwarzschild-de Sitter spacetime. Two novel contributions, which can not be accounted for by a proper use of angular diameter distances, are derived. First, a term 2m b Lambda/3 has to be added to the bending angle, where "m" is the lens mass and "b" the impact parameter. Second, Lambda brings about a difference in the redshifts of multiple images. Both effects are quite small for real astrophysical systems (contribution to the bending < 0.1 microarcsec and difference in redshift < 10^{-7}).Comment: 4 pages. (Univ. Zuerich); v2: presentation improved, discussion extended, references to papers posted after the v1-version added. In press on Phys. Rev. Let

On aberration in gravitational lensing

It is known that a relative translational motion between the deflector and the observer affects gravitational lensing. In this paper, a lens equation is obtained to describe such effects on actual lensing observables. Results can be easily interpreted in terms of aberration of light-rays. Both radial and transverse motions with relativistic velocities are considered. The lens equation is derived by first considering geodesic motion of photons in the rest-frame Schwarzschild spacetime of the lens, and, then, light-ray detection in the moving observer's frame. Due to the transverse motion images are displaced and distorted in the observer's celestial sphere, whereas the radial velocity along the line of sight causes an effective re-scaling of the lens mass. The Einstein ring is distorted to an ellipse whereas the caustics in the source plane are still point-like. Either for null transverse motion or up to linear order in velocities, the critical curve is still a circle with its radius corrected by a factor (1+z_d) with respect to the static case, z_d being the relativistic Doppler shift of the deflector. From the observational point of view, the orbital motion of the Earth can cause potentially observable corrections of the order of the microarcsec in lensing towards the super-massive black hole at the Galactic center. On a cosmological scale, tangential peculiar velocities of cluster of galaxies bring about a typical flexion in images of background galaxies in the weak lensing regime but future measurements seem to be too much challenging.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, in press on PR

Fine-grained nociceptive maps in primary somatosensory cortex

Topographic maps of the receptive surface are a fundamental feature of neural organization in many sensory systems. While touch is finely mapped in the cerebral cortex, it remains controversial how precise any cortical nociceptive map may be. Given that nociceptive innervation density is relatively low on distal skin regions such as the digits, one might conclude that the nociceptive system lacks fine representation of these regions. Indeed, only gross spatial organization of nociceptive maps has been reported so far. However, here we reveal the existence of fine-grained somatotopy for nociceptive inputs to the digits in human primary somatosensory cortex (SI). Using painful nociceptive-selective laser stimuli to the hand, and phase-encoded fMRI analysis methods, we observed somatotopic maps of the digits in contralateral SI. These nociceptive maps were highly aligned with maps of non-painful tactile stimuli, suggesting comparable cortical representations for, and possible interactions between, mechanoreceptive and nociceptive signals. Our findings may also be valuable for future studies tracking the timecourse and the spatial pattern of plastic changes in cortical organization involved in chronic pain

Development of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus-specific microsatellite markers to assess the genetic diversity of populations from European forests.

The pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner & Buhrer, 1934), Nickle (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) is the causal agent of the pine wilt disease and is currently considered as one of the most important pests and pathogens in the world. Its introduction and spread in new forest ecosystems have considerable consequences both economically and environmentally. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to identify its invasion routes, to determine the origin of new outbreaks and to understand the invasion process of this species to prevent further dissemination of the disease in Europe. In order to address these questions using population genetic approaches, we have been developing a set of PWN-specific microsatellite markers, usable in routine conditions at the individual level, thanks to multiplex PCR coupled with a fast DNA extraction method. Microsatellites were isolated from a genomic library using a procedure combining DNA enrichment and high throughput pyrosequencing as recently described by Malausa et al. (2011). Primers were designed for 71 and 23 perfect and compound microsatellites, respectively, 26 of which were experimentally validated so far. Among them, 18 markers exhibited polymorphism after several rounds of amplification tests. Preliminary results on a set of 190 nematodes from 13 populations indicate a very low level of polymorphism in PWN populations from Portugal and Madeira Island, compared to populations from the native area in North America. The genotyping of a wide collection of samples from Europe, Asia and North America is currently underway in the laboratory. Assessing the genetic diversity of populations indeed constitutes the cornerstone to determine whether the European invasive PWN populations are the result of a single or several independent events of introduction

Variability among four populations of Meloidogyne javanica from Brazil

La morphologie, les profils isoenzymatiques, la caryolgie, la gamme d'hôtes et l'analyse de l'ADN (PCR-RAPD) de quatre populations atypiques de #Meloidogyne javanica originaires du Brésil (P1-P4) ont été comparés à ceux de deux populations typiques appartenant à la même espèce (S1 et S2). Ces approches ont permis la séparation de ces populations en deux groupes : P1, S1 et S2, d'une part et P3 et P4, d'autre part. En se basant sur l'analyse de l'ADN, la population P2 présente une position intermédiaire, mais semble très proche de P1 d'après ses caractères morphologiques et le nombre de ses chromosomes. Elle en diffère cependant par son phénotype estérasique et par sa gamme d'hôtes. La technique de PCR-RAPD a permis la détection d'une variabilité intraspécifique notable. Cela représente un avantage certain par rapport à l'utilisation des isoenzymes et des gammes d'hôtes, dans la mesure où le nombre d'hôtes différentiels et de systèmes enzymatiques disponsibles est limité. Par comparaison avec d'autres études, nos résultats mettent en évidence une variabilité intraspécifique élevée chez #M. javanica, espèce considérée jusque là comme relativement homogène. (Résumé d'auteur

Gravitational lensing by stars with angular momentum

Gravitational lensing by spinning stars, approximated as homogeneous spheres, is discussed in the weak field limit. Dragging of inertial frames, induced by angular momentum of the deflector, breaks spherical symmetry. I examine how the gravito-magnetic field affects image positions, caustics and critical curves. Distortion in microlensing-induced light curves is also considered.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures; to appear in MNRA