Can type II Semi-local cosmic strings form?

We present the simplest possible model for a semi-local string defect in which a U(1) gauged subgroup of an otherwise global SU(2) is broken to produce local cosmic strings endowed with current-carrying properties. Restricting attention to type II vortices for which the non current-carrying state is unstable, we show that a condensate must form microscopically and macroscopically evolve towards a chiral configuration. It has been suggested that such configurations could potentially exist in a stable state, thereby inducing large cosmological consequences based on equilibrium angular momentum supported loop configurations (vortons). Here we show that the current itself induces a macroscopic (longitudinal) instability: we conclude that type II semi-local cosmic strings cannot form in a cosmological context.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

The Indonesian Economy During the Soeharto Era: a Review

At the beginning of the 1970s it was easy to believe that the road ahead for Indonesiawas difficult. But as the decade unfolded, the changes across the Indonesian economy,and the sustained growth, surpassed all expectations. Numerous dramatic events seizedIndonesian and International attention during the 1970s including corruption issues,the 1972 rice crisis, the Malari riots of early 1974, and the impact of the first oil boomincluding the Pertamina crisis. Anne Booth and I reviewed these developments inour edited collection of articles on The Indonesian economy during the Soeharto era.Looking back, our edited volume captured the excitement of the 1970s and, perhaps,was rather too cautious in looking towards the further gains that changes in the nextfew decades would bring to Indonesia

Why is the Notion of Person also Descriptively Problematic?

Informally and on occasions formally, the notion of person seems to be indispensable in many walks of life. In philosophical debates, though, the notion oftentimes appears to play a subordinate role. Other notions--subject, self, individual, human being, or characteristic marks of persons: mind, consciousness, rationality, (individual or cultural) identity, autonomy, authenticity, responsibility-- occupy center stage. There are exceptions: there is the venerable problem of personal identity through time; in certain ethical issues, e.g., in bioethics or political philosophy, conceptions of person figure explicitly; and there are some treatises of the "concept of person" itself. Yet, even here one can hear warnings, e.g., that the concept is fraught with dilemmas and should be avoided in bioethical debates (Birnbacher 1997), or warnings concerning the "vagueness" (Wils 1997, 37) or the "contemporary crisis" of the concept (Kobusch 1997, 263ff.)