Eine neue Vitrea art aus der Balearischen Insel Ibiza

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Tachyons, Supertubes and Brane/Anti-Brane Systems

We find supertubes with arbitrary (and not necessarily planar) cross section; the stability against the D2-brane tension is due to a compensation by the local momentum generated by Born-Infeld fields. Stability against long-range supergravity forces is also established. We find the corresponding solutions of the infinite-N M(atrix) model. The supersymmetric D2/anti-D2 system is a special case of the general supertube, and we show that there are no open-string tachyons in this system via a computation of the open-string one-loop vacuum energy.Comment: 1+23 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX. V2, 1+28 pages: Further generalization to non-planar cross-sections and addition of an entirely new section with the explicit supergravity solutions. V3, 1+30 pages: Bound on the angular momentum added, other minor changes in Section

On the covariance of the Dirac-Born-Infeld-Myers action

A covariant version of the non-abelian Dirac-Born-Infeld-Myers action is presented. The non-abelian degrees of freedom are incorporated by adjoining to the (bosonic) worldvolume of the brane a number of anticommuting fermionic directions corresponding to boundary fermions in the string picture. The proposed action treats these variables as classical but can be given a matrix interpretation if a suitable quantisation prescription is adopted. After gauge-fixing and quantisation of the fermions, the action is shown to be in agreement with the Myers action derived from T-duality. It is also shown that the requirement of covariance in the above sense leads to a modified WZ term which also agrees with the one proposed by Myers.Comment: 18 pages. Minor alterations to the text; references adde

The Equitable Basis for sl_2

This article contains an investigation of the equitable basis for the Lie algebra sl_2. Denoting this basis by {x,y,z}, we have [x,y] = 2x + 2y, [y,z] = 2y + 2z, [z, x] = 2z + 2x. One focus of our study is the group of automorphisms G generated by exp(ad x*), exp(ad y*), exp(ad z*), where {x*,y*,z*} is the basis for sl_2 dual to {x,y,z} with respect to the trace form (u,v) = tr(uv). We show that G is isomorphic to the modular group PSL_2(Z). Another focus of our investigation is the lattice L=Zx+Zy+Zz. We prove that the orbit G(x) equals {u in L |(u,u)=2}. We determine the precise relationship between (i) the group G, (ii) the group of automorphisms for sl_2 that preserve L, (iii) the group of automorphisms and antiautomorphisms for sl_2 that preserve L, and (iv) the group of isometries for (,) that preserve L. We obtain analogous results for the lattice L* =Zx*+Zy*+Zz*. Relative to the equitable basis, the matrix of the trace form is a Cartan matrix of hyperbolic type; consequently,we identify the equitable basis with the set of simple roots of the corresponding Kac-Moody Lie algebra g. Then L is the root lattice for g and 1/2L* is the weight lattice, and G(x) coincides with the set of real roots for g. Using L, L*, and G, we give several descriptions of the isotropic roots for g and show that each isotropic root has multiplicity 1. We describe the finite-dimensional sl_2-modules from the point of view of the equitable basis. In the final section, we establish a connection between the Weyl group orbit of the fundamental weights of g and Pythagorean triples.Comment: Minor changes made to the introductory material, and a few typos corrected. The final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.co

M2-Branes and Background Fields

We discuss the coupling of multiple M2-branes to the background 3-form and 6-form gauge fields of eleven-dimensional supergravity, including the coupling of the Fermions. In particular we show in detail how a natural generalization of the Myers flux-terms, along with the resulting curvature of the background metric, leads to mass terms in the effective field theory.Comment: 19 page

Geothermal exploration in the Fell Sandstone Formation (Mississippian) beneath the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: the Newcastle Science Central Deep Geothermal Borehole

The postulate that geothermal energy might be recoverable from strata laterally equivalent to the Fell Sandstone Formation (Carboniferous: Mississippian) beneath Newcastle upon Tyne has been examined by the drilling and testing of the 1821 m deep Newcastle Science Central Deep Geothermal Borehole. This proved 376.5 m of Fell Sandstone Formation below 1400 m, much of which resembled braided river deposits found at outcrop, although some lower portions were reddened and yielded grains of aeolian affinity. Downhole logging after attainment of thermal equilibrium proved a temperature of 73°C at 1740 m, and allowed estimation of heat flow at about 88 mW m−2. This relatively high value probably reflects deep convective transfer of heat over a distance of >8 km from the North Pennine Batholith, along the Ninety Fathom Fault. The Fell Sandstone traversed by the borehole proved to be of low hydraulic conductivity (c. 7×10−5 m d−1). The water that entered the well was highly saline, with a Na–(Ca)–Cl signature similar to other warm waters encountered in the region. It remains for future directional drilling to establish whether sufficient natural fracture permeability can be encountered, or wells stimulated, to support commercial heat production

Direct numerical solution of Poisson`s equation in cylindrical (r, z) coordinates

A direct solver method is developed for solving Poisson`s equation numerically for the electrostatic potential {phi}(r,z) in a cylindrical region (r < R{sub wall}, 0 < z < L). The method assumes the charge density {rho}(r,z) and wall potential {phi}(r = R{sub wall}, z) are specified, and {partial_derivative}{phi}/{partial_derivative}z = 0 at the axial boundaries (z = 0, L)

Impact of Nitrogen Fertilization and Cropping System on Carbon Sequestration in Midwestern Mollisols

Growing interest in the potential for agricultural soils to provide a sink for atmospheric C has prompted studies of effects of management on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. We analyzed the impact on SOC of four N fertilization rates (0–270 kg N ha−1) and four cropping systems: continuous corn (CC) (Zea mays L.); corn–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (CS); corn–corn–oat–alfalfa (oat, Avena sativa L.; alfalfa, Medicago sativa L.) (CCOA), and corn–oat–alfalfa–alfalfa (COAA). Soils were sampled in 2002, Years 23 and 48 of the experiments located in northeast and north-central Iowa, respectively. The experiments were conducted using a replicated split-plot design under conventional tillage. A native prairie was sampled to provide a reference (for one site only). Cropping systems that contained alfalfa had the highest SOC stocks, whereas the CS system generally had the lowest SOC stocks. Concentrations of SOC increased significantly between 1990 and 2002 in only two of the nine systems for which historical data were available, the fertilized CC and COAA systems at one site. Soil quality indices such as particulate organic carbon (POC) were influenced by cropping system, with CS \u3c CC \u3c CCOA. In the native prairie, SOC, POC, and resistant C concentrations were 2.8, 2.6, and 3.9 times, respectively, the highest values in cropped soil, indicating that cultivated soils had not recovered to precultivation conditions. Although corn yields increased with N additions, N fertilization increased SOC stocks only in the CC system at one site. Considering the C cost for N fertilizer production, N fertilization generally had a net negative effect on C sequestration

Kappa-symmetry for coincident D-branes

A kappa-symmetric action for coincident D-branes is presented. It is valid in the approximation that the additional fermionic variables, used to incorporate the non-abelian degrees of freedom, are treated classically. The action is written as a Bernstein-Leites integral on the supermanifold obtained from the bosonic worldvolume by adjoining the extra fermions. The integrand is a very simple extension of the usual Green-Schwarz action for a single brane; all symmetries, except for kappa, are manifest, and the proof of kappa-symmetry is very similar to the abelian case.Comment: 18 pages. References adde