1,397 research outputs found
Grafting and Poisson structure in (2+1)-gravity with vanishing cosmological constant
We relate the geometrical construction of (2+1)-spacetimes via grafting to
phase space and Poisson structure in the Chern-Simons formulation of
(2+1)-dimensional gravity with vanishing cosmological constant on manifolds of
topology , where is an orientable two-surface of genus
. We show how grafting along simple closed geodesics \lambda is
implemented in the Chern-Simons formalism and derive explicit expressions for
its action on the holonomies of general closed curves on S_g. We prove that
this action is generated via the Poisson bracket by a gauge invariant
observable associated to the holonomy of . We deduce a symmetry
relation between the Poisson brackets of observables associated to the Lorentz
and translational components of the holonomies of general closed curves on S_g
and discuss its physical interpretation. Finally, we relate the action of
grafting on the phase space to the action of Dehn twists and show that grafting
can be viewed as a Dehn twist with a formal parameter satisfying
.Comment: 43 pages, 10 .eps figures; minor modifications: 2 figures added,
explanations added, typos correcte
Geometrical (2+1)-gravity and the Chern-Simons formulation: Grafting, Dehn twists, Wilson loop observables and the cosmological constant
We relate the geometrical and the Chern-Simons description of
(2+1)-dimensional gravity for spacetimes of topology , where
is an oriented two-surface of genus , for Lorentzian signature and general
cosmological constant and the Euclidean case with negative cosmological
constant. We show how the variables parametrising the phase space in the
Chern-Simons formalism are obtained from the geometrical description and how
the geometrical construction of (2+1)-spacetimes via grafting along closed,
simple geodesics gives rise to transformations on the phase space. We
demonstrate that these transformations are generated via the Poisson bracket by
one of the two canonical Wilson loop observables associated to the geodesic,
while the other acts as the Hamiltonian for infinitesimal Dehn twists. For
spacetimes with Lorentzian signature, we discuss the role of the cosmological
constant as a deformation parameter in the geometrical and the Chern-Simons
formulation of the theory. In particular, we show that the Lie algebras of the
Chern-Simons gauge groups can be identified with the (2+1)-dimensional Lorentz
algebra over a commutative ring, characterised by a formal parameter
whose square is minus the cosmological constant. In this
framework, the Wilson loop observables that generate grafting and Dehn twists
are obtained as the real and the -component of a Wilson loop
observable with values in the ring, and the grafting transformations can be
viewed as infinitesimal Dehn twists with the parameter .Comment: 50 pages, 6 eps figure
Crystallization of a classical two-dimensional electron system: Positional and orientational orders
Crystallization of a classical two-dimensional one-component plasma
(electrons interacting with the Coulomb repulsion in a uniform neutralizing
positive background) is investigated with a molecular dynamics simulation. The
positional and the orientational correlation functions are calculated for the
first time. We have found an indication that the solid phase has a
quasi-long-range (power-law) positional order along with a long-range
orientational order. This indicates that, although the long-range Coulomb
interaction is outside the scope of Mermin's theorem, the absence of ordinary
crystalline order at finite temperatures applies to the electron system as
well. The `hexatic' phase, which is predicted between the liquid and the solid
phases by the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young theory, is also
discussed.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures; Corrected typos; Double columne
Are the magnetic fields of millisecond pulsars ~ 10^8 G?
It is generally assumed that the magnetic fields of millisecond pulsars
(MSPs) are G. We argue that this may not be true and the fields
may be appreciably greater. We present six evidences for this: (1) The G field estimate is based on magnetic dipole emission losses which is
shown to be questionable; (2) The MSPs in low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are
claimed to have G on the basis of a Rayleygh-Taylor instability
accretion argument. We show that the accretion argument is questionable and the
upper limit G may be much higher; (3) Low magnetic field neutron
stars have difficulty being produced in LMXBs; (4) MSPs may still be accreting
indicating a much higher magnetic field; (5) The data that predict G for MSPs also predict ages on the order of, and greater than, ten
billion years, which is much greater than normal pulsars. If the predicted ages
are wrong, most likely the predicted G fields of MSPs are wrong;
(6) When magnetic fields are measured directly with cyclotron lines in X-ray
binaries, fields G are indicated. Other scenarios should be
investigated. One such scenario is the following. Over 85% of MSPs are
confirmed members of a binary. It is possible that all MSPs are in large
separation binaries having magnetic fields G with their magnetic
dipole emission being balanced by low level accretion from their companions.Comment: 16 pages, accept for publication in Astrophysics and Space Scienc
Sound production in bark and ambrosia beetles
© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Bark and ambrosia beetles and pinhole borers (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae) are two subfamilies of weevils that use acoustic communication within plant tissue. These insects transmit and detect sound in a medium that is neither air nor water and they are among the smallest animals with sound-producing organs. Nevertheless, their sound production is sorely understudied, mostly due to the difficulties associated with acoustically monitoring individuals inside plants. We analysed the stridulatory sounds from 55 bark and ambrosia beetle species within 15 subtribes collected in four countries, making this the largest acoustic dataset of these taxa to date. We characterised and compared the amplitude and spectro-temporal parameters of the distress airborne signals produced by the beetles, in conjunction with phenology and life history data. Sound production was present in 33% of the collected species, of which 60% of these sounds had not been previously reported. Depending on species, either both sexes stridulated or only one. Some species had calls with different acoustic morphotypes (one, two, or three notes), and when both sexes stridulated, sounds generally differed. Our data suggest that type of mating system and size play an important role in determining the acoustic communicatory capacity of most species
CDMS, Supersymmetry and Extra Dimensions
The CDMS experiment aims to directly detect massive, cold dark matter
particles originating from the Milky Way halo. Charge and lattice excitations
are detected after a particle scatters in a Ge or Si crystal kept at ~30 mK,
allowing to separate nuclear recoils from the dominating electromagnetic
background. The operation of 12 detectors in the Soudan mine for 75 live days
in 2004 delivered no evidence for a signal, yielding stringent limits on dark
matter candidates from supersymmetry and universal extra dimensions. Thirty Ge
and Si detectors are presently installed in the Soudan cryostat, and operating
at base temperature. The run scheduled to start in 2006 is expected to yield a
one order of magnitude increase in dark matter sensitivity.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of the 7th UCLA symposium on
sources and detection of dark matter and dark energy in the universe, Marina
del Rey, Feb 22-24, 200
A Passive Monitoring System in Assisted Living Facilities: 12-Month Comparative Study
The GE QuietCare® passive monitoring system uses advanced motion sensor technology that learns the daily living patterns of senior community residents and sends alerts when certain out-of-the-ordinary events occur. This study compared falls, hospitalizations, care level changes, and resident attrition between two similar assisted living facilities where one facility adopted the QuietCare® monitoring system and the other did not over a 12-month period. Average falls per week were significantly lower in the QuietCare® facility than the control facility. There was also a trend toward fewer weekly hospitalizations in the QuietCare® facility. There was higher resident retention at the QuietCare® facility. This study provides evidence of direct benefits to both the resident and the facility for the use of QuietCare®. There was a significant reduction in the number of falls, as well as a general facility performance improvement measured by care level consistency and higher resident retention rates
Einstein, incompleteness, and the epistemic view of quantum states
Does the quantum state represent reality or our knowledge of reality? In
making this distinction precise, we are led to a novel classification of hidden
variable models of quantum theory. Indeed, representatives of each class can be
found among existing constructions for two-dimensional Hilbert spaces. Our
approach also provides a fruitful new perspective on arguments for the
nonlocality and incompleteness of quantum theory. Specifically, we show that
for models wherein the quantum state has the status of something real, the
failure of locality can be established through an argument considerably more
straightforward than Bell's theorem. The historical significance of this result
becomes evident when one recognizes that the same reasoning is present in
Einstein's preferred argument for incompleteness, which dates back to 1935.
This fact suggests that Einstein was seeking not just any completion of quantum
theory, but one wherein quantum states are solely representative of our
knowledge. Our hypothesis is supported by an analysis of Einstein's attempts to
clarify his views on quantum theory and the circumstance of his otherwise
puzzling abandonment of an even simpler argument for incompleteness from 1927.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, 1 recipe for cupcakes; comments welcom
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