10,253 research outputs found
Quiescent cosmology and the final state of the universe
It has long been a primary objective of cosmology to understand the apparent
isotropy in our universe and to provide a mathematical formulation for its
evolution. A school of thought for its explanation is quiescent cosmology,
which already possesses a mathematical framework, namely the definition of an
Isotropic Singularity, but only for the initial state of the universe. A
complementary framework is necessary in order to also describe possible final
states of the universe. Our new definitions of an Anisotropic Future Endless
Universe and an Anisotropic Future Singularity, whose structure and properties
differ significantly from those of the Isotropic Singularity, offer a promising
realisation for this framework. The combination of the three definitions
together may then provide the first complete formalisation of the quiescent
cosmology concept.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, essay receiving honorable mention in the 2007
Gravity Research Foundation Essay award
On the Possibility of Tidal Formation of Binary Planets Around Ordinary Stars
The planet formation process and subsequent planet migration may lead to
configurations resulting in strong dynamical interactions among the various
planets. Well-studied possible outcomes include collisions between planets,
scattering events that eject one or more of the planets, and a collision of one
or more of the planets with the parent star. In this work we consider one other
possibility that has seemingly been overlooked in the various scattering
calculations presented in the literature: the tidal capture of two planets
which leads to the formation of a binary planet (or binary brown dwarf) in
orbit about the parent star. We carry out extensive numerical simulations of
such dynamical and tidal interactions to explore the parameter space for the
formation of such binary planets. We show that tidal formation of binary
planets is possible for typical planet masses and distances from the host star.
The detection (or lack thereof) of planet-planet binaries can thus be used to
constrain the properties of planetary systems, including their mutual spacing
during formation, and the fraction of close planets in very eccentric orbits
which are believed to form by a closely related process.Comment: 11 pages, 10 Figures, submitted to Ap
New type of ellipsometry in infrared spectroscopy: The double-reference method
We have developed a conceptually new type of ellipsometry which allows the
determination of the complex refractive index by simultaneously measuring the
unpolarized normal-incidence reflectivity relative to the vacuum and to another
reference media. From these two quantities the complex optical response can be
directly obtained without Kramers-Kronig transformation. Due to its
transparency and large refractive index over a broad range of the spectrum,
from the far-infrared to the soft ultraviolet region, diamond can be ideally
used as a second reference. The experimental arrangement is rather simple
compared to other ellipsometric techniques.Comment: submitted to Appl. Phys. Let
Physisorption of positronium on quartz surfaces
The possibility of having positronium (Ps) physisorbed at a material surface
is of great fundamental interest, since it can lead to new insight regarding
quantum sticking and is a necessary first step to try to obtain a Ps
molecule on a material host. Some experiments in the past have produced
evidence for physisorbed Ps on a quartz surface, but firm theoretical support
for such a conclusion was lacking. We present a first-principles
density-functional calculation of the key parameters determining the
interaction potential between Ps and an -quartz surface. We show that
there is indeed a bound state with an energy of 0.14 eV, a value which agrees
very well with the experimental estimate of eV. Further, a brief
energy analysis invoking the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism for the reaction of
physisorbed atoms shows that the formation and desorption of a Ps molecule
in that picture is consistent with the above results.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitte
Magnetic moments of W 5d in Ca2CrWO6 and Sr2CrWO6 double perovskites
We have investigated the magnetic moment of the W ion in the ferrimagnetic
double perovskites Sr2CrWO6 and Ca2CrWO6 by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism
(XMCD) at the W L(2,3) edges. In both compounds a finite negative spin and
positive orbital magnetic moment was detected. The experimental results are in
good agreement with band-structure calculations for (Sr/Ca)2CrWO6 using the
full-potential linear muffin-tin orbital method. It is remarkable, that the
magnetic ordering temperature, TC, is correlated with the magnetic moment at
the 'non-magnetic' W atom.Comment: accepted for publicatio
Pomelo, a tool for computing Generic Set Voronoi Diagrams of Aspherical Particles of Arbitrary Shape
We describe the development of a new software tool, called "Pomelo", for the
calculation of Set Voronoi diagrams. Voronoi diagrams are a spatial partition
of the space around the particles into separate Voronoi cells, e.g. applicable
to granular materials. A generalization of the conventional Voronoi diagram for
points or monodisperse spheres is the Set Voronoi diagram, also known as
navigational map or tessellation by zone of influence. In this construction, a
Set Voronoi cell contains the volume that is closer to the surface of one
particle than to the surface of any other particle. This is required for
aspherical or polydisperse systems.
Pomelo is designed to be easy to use and as generic as possible. It directly
supports common particle shapes and offers a generic mode, which allows to deal
with any type of particles that can be described mathematically. Pomelo can
create output in different standard formats, which allows direct visualization
and further processing. Finally, we describe three applications of the Set
Voronoi code in granular and soft matter physics, namely the problem of
packings of ellipsoidal particles with varying degrees of particle-particle
friction, mechanical stable packings of tetrahedra and a model for liquid
crystal systems of particles with shapes reminiscent of pearsComment: 4 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Powders and Grains 201
Black-hole horizons as probes of black-hole dynamics I: post-merger recoil in head-on collisions
The understanding of strong-field dynamics near black-hole horizons is a
long-standing and challenging prob- lem in general relativity. Recent advances
in numerical relativity and in the geometric characterization of black- hole
horizons open new avenues into the problem. In this first paper in a series of
two, we focus on the analysis of the recoil occurring in the merger of binary
black holes, extending the analysis initiated in [1] with Robinson- Trautman
spacetimes. More specifically, we probe spacetime dynamics through the
correlation of quantities defined at the black-hole horizon and at null
infinity. The geometry of these hypersurfaces responds to bulk gravitational
fields acting as test screens in a scattering perspective of spacetime
dynamics. Within a 3 + 1 approach we build an effective-curvature vector from
the intrinsic geometry of dynamical-horizon sections and correlate its
evolution with the flux of Bondi linear momentum at large distances. We employ
this setup to study numerically the head-on collision of nonspinning black
holes and demonstrate its validity to track the qualita- tive aspects of recoil
dynamics at infinity. We also make contact with the suggestion that the
antikick can be described in terms of a "slowness parameter" and how this can
be computed from the local properties of the horizon. In a companion paper [2]
we will further elaborate on the geometric aspects of this approach and on its
relation with other approaches to characterize dynamical properties of
black-hole horizons.Comment: final version published on PR
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