1,272 research outputs found
Gauge Invariant Treatment of the Energy Carried by a Gravitational Wave
Even though the energy carried by a gravitational wave is not itself gauge
invariant, the interaction with a gravitational antenna of the gravitational
wave which carries that energy is. It therefore has to be possible to make some
statements which involve the energy which are in fact gauge invariant, and it
is the objective of this paper to provide them. In order to develop a gauge
invariant treatment of the issues involved, we construct a specific action for
gravitational fluctuations which is gauge invariant to second perturbative
order. Then, via variation of this action, we obtain an energy-momentum tensor
for perturbative gravitational fluctuations around a general curved background
whose covariant conservation condition is also fully gauge invariant to second
order. Contraction of this energy-momentum tensor with a Killing vector of the
background conveniently allows us to convert this covariant conservation
condition into an ordinary conservation condition which is also gauge invariant
through second order. Then, via spatial integration we are able to obtain a
relation involving the time derivative of the total energy of the fluctuation
and its asymptotic spatial momentum flux which is also completely gauge
invariant through second order. It is only in making the simplification of
setting the asymptotic momentum flux to zero that one would actually lose
manifest gauge invariance, with only invariance under those particular gauge
transformations which leave the asymptotic momentum flux zero then remaining.
However, if one works in an arbitrary gauge where the asymptotic momentum flux
is non-zero, the gravitational wave will then deliver both energy and momentum
to a gravitational antenna in a completely gauge invariant manner, no matter
how badly behaved at infinity the gauge function might be.Comment: 13 pages, revtex4. Final version. To appear in Phys. Rev.
Quantitative modeling of spin relaxation in quantum dots
We use numerically exact diagonalization to calculate the spin-orbit and
phonon-induced triplet-singlet relaxation rate in a two-electron quantum dot
exposed to a tilted magnetic field. Our scheme includes a three-dimensional
description of the quantum dot, the Rashba and the linear and cubic Dresselhaus
spin-orbit coupling, the ellipticity of the quantum dot, and the full angular
description of the magnetic field. We are able to find reasonable agreement
with the experimental results of Meunier et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 126601
(2007)] in terms of the singlet-triplet energy splitting and the spin
relaxation rate, respectively. We analyze in detail the effects of the
spin-orbit factors, magnetic-field angles, and the dimensionality, and discuss
the origins of the remaining deviations from the experimental data
Hadron multiplicities, pT-spectra and net-baryon number in central Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC
We compute the initial energy density and net baryon number density in 5%
most central Pb+Pb collisions at TeV from pQCD + (final state)
saturation, and describe the evolution of the produced system with
boost-invariant transversely expanding hydrodynamics. In addition to the total
multiplicity at midrapidity, we give predictions for the multiplicity of
charged hadrons, pions, kaons and (anti)protons, for the total transverse
energy and net-baryon number, as well as for the -spectrum of charged
hadrons, pions and kaons. We also predict the region of applicability of
hydrodynamics by comparing these results with high- hadron spectra
computed from pQCD and energy losses.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, to be presented at the workshop "Heavy Ion
Collisions at the LHC: Last Call for Predictions" at CERN 29 May - 2 Jun
Light-cone averaging in cosmology: formalism and applications
We present a general gauge invariant formalism for defining cosmological
averages that are relevant for observations based on light-like signals. Such
averages involve either null hypersurfaces corresponding to a family of past
light-cones or compact surfaces given by their intersection with timelike
hypersurfaces. Generalized Buchert-Ehlers commutation rules for derivatives of
these light-cone averages are given. After introducing some adapted "geodesic
light-cone" coordinates, we give explicit expressions for averaging the
redshift to luminosity-distance relation and the so-called "redshift drift" in
a generic inhomogeneous Universe.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures. Comments and references added, typos corrected.
Version accepted for publication in JCA
Light Propagation and Large-Scale Inhomogeneities
We consider the effect on the propagation of light of inhomogeneities with
sizes of order 10 Mpc or larger. The Universe is approximated through a
variation of the Swiss-cheese model. The spherical inhomogeneities are
void-like, with central underdensities surrounded by compensating overdense
shells. We study the propagation of light in this background, assuming that the
source and the observer occupy random positions, so that each beam travels
through several inhomogeneities at random angles. The distribution of
luminosity distances for sources with the same redshift is asymmetric, with a
peak at a value larger than the average one. The width of the distribution and
the location of the maximum increase with increasing redshift and length scale
of the inhomogeneities. We compute the induced dispersion and bias on
cosmological parameters derived from the supernova data. They are too small to
explain the perceived acceleration without dark energy, even when the length
scale of the inhomogeneities is comparable to the horizon distance. Moreover,
the dispersion and bias induced by gravitational lensing at the scales of
galaxies or clusters of galaxies are larger by at least an order of magnitude.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures, revised version to appear in JCAP, analytical
estimate included, typos correcte
Possible polarisation and spin dependent aspects of quantum gravity
We argue that quantum gravity theories that carry a Lie algebraic
modification of the Poincare' and Heisenberg algebras inevitably provide
inhomogeneities that may serve as seeds for cosmological structure formation.
Furthermore, in this class of theories one must expect a strong polarisation
and spin dependence of various quantum-gravity effects.Comment: Awarded an "honourable mention" in the 2007 Gravity Research
Foundation Essay Competitio
Averaging Robertson-Walker Cosmologies
The cosmological backreaction arises when one directly averages the Einstein
equations to recover an effective Robertson-Walker cosmology, rather than
assuming a background a priori. While usually discussed in the context of dark
energy, strictly speaking any cosmological model should be recovered from such
a procedure. We apply the Buchert averaging formalism to linear
Robertson-Walker universes containing matter, radiation and dark energy and
evaluate numerically the discrepancies between the assumed and the averaged
behaviour, finding the largest deviations for an Einstein-de Sitter universe,
increasing rapidly with Hubble rate to a 0.01% effect for h=0.701. For the LCDM
concordance model, the backreaction is of the order of Omega_eff~4x10^-6, with
those for dark energy models being within a factor of two or three. The impacts
at recombination are of the order of 10^-8 and those in deep radiation
domination asymptote to a constant value. While the effective equations of
state of the backreactions in Einstein-de Sitter, concordance and quintessence
models are generally dust-like, a backreaction with an equation of state
w_eff<-1/3 can be found for strongly phantom models.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, ReVTeX. Updated to version accepted by JCA
Light propagation in statistically homogeneous and isotropic universes with general matter content
We derive the relationship of the redshift and the angular diameter distance
to the average expansion rate for universes which are statistically homogeneous
and isotropic and where the distribution evolves slowly, but which have
otherwise arbitrary geometry and matter content. The relevant average expansion
rate is selected by the observable redshift and the assumed symmetry properties
of the spacetime. We show why light deflection and shear remain small. We write
down the evolution equations for the average expansion rate and discuss the
validity of the dust approximation.Comment: 42 pages, no figures. v2: Corrected one detail about the angular
diameter distance and two typos. No change in result
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