22 research outputs found
Casimir energy in multiply connected static hyperbolic Universes
We generalize a previously obtained result, for the case of a few other
static hyperbolic universes with manifolds of nontrivial topology as spatial
sections.Comment: accepted for publicatio
Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy
We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable
and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is
presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and
systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of
globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude,
with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may
have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky
Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the
second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the
HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The
relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level
and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax
measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance
modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are
studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of
low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
Can COBE see the shape of the universe?
In recent years, the large angle COBE--DMR data have been used to place
constraints on the size and shape of certain topologically compact models of
the universe. Here we show that this approach does not work for generic compact
models. In particular, we show that compact hyperbolic models do not suffer the
same loss of large angle power seen in flat or spherical models. This follows
from applying a topological theorem to show that generic hyperbolic three
manifolds support long wavelength fluctuations, and by taking into account the
dominant role played by the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect in a hyperbolic
universe.Comment: 16 Pages, 5 Figures. Version published in Phys. Rev.