Parton Distributions

I discuss our current understanding of parton distributions. I begin with the underlying theoretical framework, and the way in which different data sets constrain different partons, highlighting recent developments. The methods of examining the uncertainties on the distributions and those physical quantities dependent on them is analysed. Finally I look at the evidence that additional theoretical corrections beyond NLO perturbative QCD may be necessary, what type of corrections are indicated and the impact these may have on the uncertainties.Comment: Invited talk at "XXI International Symposium on Lepton and Photon Interactions at High Energies," (Fermilab, Chicago, August 2003). 12 pages, 21 figure

Recent Progress in Parton Distributions and Implications for LHC Physics

I outline some of the most recent developments on the global fit to parton distributions performed by the MRST collaboration.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures. To appear in proceedings of XIII International Workshop on Deep Inelastic Scattering, April,27 - May,1, 2005, Madison, Wisconsin, US

Nonaxisymmetric instability of rapidly rotating black hole in five dimensions

We present results from numerical solution of Einstein's equation in five dimensions describing evolution of rapidly rotating black holes. We show, for the first time, that the rapidly rotating black holes in higher dimensions are unstable against nonaxisymmetric deformation; for the five-dimensional case, the critical value of spin parameter for onset of the instability is $\approx 0.87$.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in PRD(R

Complex Wave Numbers in the Vicinity of the Schwarzschild Event Horizon

This paper is devoted to investigate the cold plasma wave properties outside the event horizon of the Schwarzschild planar analogue. The dispersion relations are obtained from the corresponding Fourier analyzed equations for non-rotating and rotating, non-magnetized and magnetized backgrounds. These dispersion relations provide complex wave numbers. The wave numbers are shown in graphs to discuss the nature and behavior of waves and the properties of plasma lying in the vicinity of the Schwarzschild event horizon.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Classical stability and quantum instability of black-hole Cauchy horizons

For a certain region of the parameter space $\{M,e,\Lambda\}$, the Cauchy horizon of a (charged) black hole residing in de Sitter space is classically stable to gravitational perturbations. This implies that, when left to its own devices, classical theory is unable to retain full predictive power: the evolution of physical fields beyond the Cauchy horizon is not uniquely determined by the initial conditions. In this paper we argue that the Cauchy horizon of a Reissner-Nordstr\"om-de Sitter black hole must always be unstable quantum mechanically.Comment: 4 pages; uses ReVTeX; figure available upon request to [email protected]