4,902 research outputs found
Degeneracy measures for the algebraic classification of numerical spacetimes
We study the issue of algebraic classification of the Weyl curvature tensor,
with a particular focus on numerical relativity simulations. The spacetimes of
interest in this context, binary black hole mergers, and the ringdowns that
follow them, present subtleties in that they are generically, strictly
speaking, Type I, but in many regions approximately, in some sense, Type D. To
provide meaning to any claims of "approximate" Petrov class, one must define a
measure of degeneracy on the space of null rays at a point. We will investigate
such a measure, used recently to argue that certain binary black hole merger
simulations ring down to the Kerr geometry, after hanging up for some time in
Petrov Type II. In particular, we argue that this hangup in Petrov Type II is
an artefact of the particular measure being used, and that a geometrically
better-motivated measure shows a black hole merger produced by our group
settling directly to Petrov Type D.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures. Version 2 adds two references
The Seeds of Cosmic structure as a door to New Physics
There is something missing in our understanding of the origin of the seeds of
Cosmic Structuture.
The fact that the fluctuation spectrum can be extracted from the inflationary
scenario through an analysis that involves quantum field theory in curved
space-time, and that it coincides with the observational data has lead to a
certain complacency in the community, which prevents the critical analysis of
the obscure spots in the derivation. The point is that the inhomogeneity and
anisotropy of our universe seem to emerge from an exactly homogeneous and
isotropic initial state through processes that do not break those symmetries.
This article gives a brief recount of the problems faced by the arguments based
on established physics, which comprise the point of view held by a large
majority of researchers in the field.
The conclusion is that we need some new physics to be able to fully address
the problem. The article then exposes one avenue that has been used to address
the central issue and elaborates on the degree to which, the new approach makes
different predictions from the standard analyses.
The approach is inspired on Penrose's proposals that Quantum Gravity might
lead to a real, dynamical collapse of the wave function, a process that we
argue has the properties needed to extract us from the theoretical impasse
described above.Comment: Prepared for the proceedings of the conference NEBXII " Recent
Developments in Gravity", Napfio Grece June 2006. LateX, 15 page
Off-Diagonal Long-Range Order: Meissner Effect and Flux Quantization
There has been a proof by Sewell that the hypothesis of off-diagonal
long-range order in the reduced density matrix implies the Meissner
effect. We present in this note an elementary and straightforward proof that
not only the Meissner effect but also the property of magnetic flux
quantization follows from the hypothesis. It is explicitly shown that the two
phenomena are closely related, and phase coherence is the origin for both.Comment: 11 pages, Latex fil
Dynamics and instability of false vacuum bubbles
This paper examines the classical dynamics of false vacuum regions embedded
in surrounding regions of true vacuum, in the thin-wall limit. The dynamics of
all generally relativistically allowed solutions -- most but not all of which
have been previously studied -- are derived, enumerated, and interpreted. We
comment on the relation of these solutions to possible mechanisms whereby
inflating regions may be spawned from non-inflating ones. We then calculate the
dynamics of first order deviations from spherical symmetry, finding that many
solutions are unstable to such aspherical perturbations. The parameter space in
which the perturbations on bound solutions inevitably become nonlinear is
mapped. This instability has consequences for the Farhi-Guth-Guven mechanism
for baby universe production via quantum tunneling.Comment: 16 PRD-style pages including 11 embedded figures; accepted by PRD.
Revised version includes new solution, discussion of 'thermal activation',
added reference, fixed typo
Twistors, special relativity, conformal symmetry and minimal coupling - a review
An approach to special relativistic dynamics using the language of spinors
and twistors is presented. Exploiting the natural conformally invariant
symplectic structure of the twistor space, a model is constructed which
describes a relativistic massive, spinning and charged particle, minimally
coupled to an external electro-magnetic field. On the two-twistor phase space
the relativistic Hamiltonian dynamics is generated by a Poincare scalar
function obtained from the classical limit (appropriately defined by us) of the
second order, to an external electro-magnetic field minimally coupled, Dirac
operator. In the so defined relativistic classical limit there are no Grassman
variables. Besides, the arising equation that describes dynamics of the
relativistic spin differs significantly from the so called Thomas Bergman
Michel Telegdi equation.Comment: 39 pages, no figures, few erronous statements (not affecting anything
else in the papper) on page 23 delete
Relations between Entropies Produced in Nondeterministic Thermodynamic Processes
Landauer's erasure principle is generalized to nondeterministic processes on
systems having an arbitrary number of non-symmetrical logical states. The
condition that the process is applied in the same way, irrespective of the
initial logical state, imposes some restrictions on the individual heat
exchanges associated with each possible transition. The complete set of such
restrictions are derived by a statistical analysis of the phase-space flow
induced by the process. Landauer's erasure principle can be derived from and is
a special case of these.Comment: 12 pages with one figure; a final major revision in presentation;
physical assumptions are clarified no
Spin-Raising Operators and Spin-3/2 Potentials in Quantum Cosmology
Local boundary conditions involving field strengths and the normal to the
boundary, originally studied in anti-de Sitter space-time, have been recently
considered in one-loop quantum cosmology. This paper derives the conditions
under which spin-raising operators preserve these local boundary conditions on
a 3-sphere for fields of spin 0,1/2,1,3/2 and 2. Moreover, the two-component
spinor analysis of the four potentials of the totally symmetric and independent
field strengths for spin 3/2 is applied to the case of a 3-sphere boundary. It
is shown that such boundary conditions can only be imposed in a flat Euclidean
background, for which the gauge freedom in the choice of the potentials
remains.Comment: 13 pages, plain-tex, recently appearing in Classical and Quantum
Gravity, volume 11, April 1994, pages 897-903. Apologies for the delay in
circulating the file, due to technical problems now fixe
Noncommutativity and Discrete Physics
The purpose of this paper is to present an introduction to a point of view
for discrete foundations of physics. In taking a discrete stance, we find that
the initial expression of physical theory must occur in a context of
noncommutative algebra and noncommutative vector analysis. In this way the
formalism of quantum mechanics occurs first, but not necessarily with the usual
interpretations. The basis for this work is a non-commutative discrete calculus
and the observation that it takes one tick of the discrete clock to measure
momentum.Comment: LaTeX, 23 pages, no figure
Thermal gravity, black holes and cosmological entropy
Taking seriously the interpretation of black hole entropy as the logarithm of
the number of microstates, we argue that thermal gravitons may undergo a phase
transition to a kind of black hole condensate. The phase transition proceeds
via nucleation of black holes at a rate governed by a saddlepoint configuration
whose free energy is of order the inverse temperature in Planck units. Whether
the universe remains in a low entropy state as opposed to the high entropy
black hole condensate depends sensitively on its thermal history. Our results
may clarify an old observation of Penrose regarding the very low entropy state
of the universe.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, RevTex. v4: to appear in Phys. Rev.
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