3,709 research outputs found
Speaking the same language: developing a language-aware feedback culture
Research suggests that feedback as part of assessment is often not delivered effectively. A key aspect of effective feedback delivery is that students need to understand feedback and also feel motivated to act on it. This article explores how educational developers can incorporate a language-aware approach to feedback when working with staff involved in learning and teaching in order to enable staff to make appropriate linguistic choices when providing feedback so that it is more comprehensible and motivational for students. It describes a piece of action research which explored and evaluated two teaching activities used on a PG Cert HE with staff at a post-1992 university, designed to promote critical awareness of the language used when giving feedback. We report on the staff evaluation of the activities devised and piloted, and consider how this project could be taken forward in future
Equivalence between different classical treatments of the O(N) nonlinear sigma model and their functional Schrodinger equations
In this work we derive the Hamiltonian formalism of the O(N) non-linear sigma
model in its original version as a second-class constrained field theory and
then as a first-class constrained field theory. We treat the model as a
second-class constrained field theory by two different methods: the
unconstrained and the Dirac second-class formalisms. We show that the
Hamiltonians for all these versions of the model are equivalent. Then, for a
particular factor-ordering choice, we write the functional Schrodinger equation
for each derived Hamiltonian. We show that they are all identical which
justifies our factor-ordering choice and opens the way for a future
quantization of the model via the functional Schrodinger representation.Comment: Revtex version, 17 pages, substantial change
An investigation into the dialectic of Academic Teaching Identity: Some preliminary findings [Presentation]
Presented at the International Annual Research Conference, 07-09 Dec 2016, Celtic Manor, Newport in South Wales, United Kingdom
K-T impact(s): Continental, oceanic or both
Although geochemical and mineralogical evidence indicate that a major accretionary event occurred at the K-T boundary, no impact crater of suitable size and age was recognized. The 35 km Manson Structure, Iowa, was suggested recently as a possibility and Ar-40/Ar-39 determinations indicate that its formation age is indistinguishable from that of the K-T boundary. In order to test a possible association between Manson and the K-T boundary clay, the geochemistry and mineralogy of the K-T boundary clays at the Scollard Canyon section, Alberta and the Starkville South section, Colorado are compared with three dominant lithologies affected by the Manson impact: Proterozoic red clastics, underlying late-state granites, and gneisses. The chemical and mineralogical makeup of the Scollard Canyon boundary clay and its clastic constituents are presented, commenting on the implications for impact models. An impact into crystalline material of continental affinity appears to be required to explain the mineralogy and chemistry of the Scollard Canyon (and other Western N. American K-T sections). The low REE abundances of some K-T boundary layers are unusual but perhaps attempts should be made to understand the contributions of individual crustal components (e.g., carbonates, arkoses) as well as the potential for alteration involving these and other elements during and after impact-induced vaporization, before mantle excavation is invoked. If further studies confirm the results of published studies of marine boundary clays that indicate an oceanic target, attention must be paid to the possibility that multiple impacts occurred at the K-T boundary - one or more on the continents and one or more in the ocean
Generalized Grassmannian Coherent States For Pseudo-Hermitian Level Systems
The purpose of this paper is to generalize fermionic coherent states for
two-level systems described by pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonian \cite{Trifonov}, to
n-level systems. Central to this task is the expression of the coherent states
in terms of generalized Grassmann variables. These kind of Grassmann coherent
states satisfy bi-overcompleteness condition instead of over-completeness one,
as it is reasonably expected because of the biorthonormality of the system.
Choosing an appropriate Grassmann weight function resolution of identity is
examined. Moreover Grassmannian coherent and squeezed states of deformed group
for three level pseudo-Hermitian system are presented.Comment: 17 page
Ongoing Gas Stripping in the Virgo Cluster Spiral NGC 4522
The Virgo cluster galaxy NGC 4522 is one of the best spiral candidates for
ICM-ISM stripping in action. Optical broadband and H-alpha images from the WIYN
telescope of the highly inclined galaxy reveal a relatively undisturbed stellar
disk and a peculiar distribution of H-alpha emission. Ten percent of the
H-alpha emission arises from extraplanar HII regions which appear to lie within
filamentary structures >3 kpc long above one side of the disk. The filaments
emerge from the outer edge of a disk of bright H-alpha emission which is
abruptly truncated beyond 0.35R(25). Together the truncated H-alpha disk and
extraplanar H-alpha filaments are reminiscent of a bow shock morphology, which
strongly suggests that the interstellar medium (ISM) of NGC 4522 is being
stripped by the gas pressure of the intracluster medium (ICM). The galaxy has a
line-of-sight velocity of 1300 km/sec with respect to the mean Virgo cluster
velocity, and thus is expected to experience a strong interaction with the
intracluster gas. The existence of HII regions apparently located above the
disk plane suggests that star formation is occuring in the stripped gas, and
that newly formed stars will enter the galaxy halo and/or intracluster space.
The absence of HII regions in the disk beyond 0.35R(25), and the existence of
HII regions in the stripped gas suggest that even molecular gas has been
effectively removed from the disk of the galaxy.Comment: to appear in The Astronomical Journal, 16 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl
A closed expression for the UV-divergent parts of one-loop tensor integrals in dimensional regularization
Starting from the general definition of a one-loop tensor N-point function,
we use its Feynman parametrization to calculate the UV-divergent part of an
arbitrary tensor coefficient in the framework of dimensional regularization. In
contrast to existing recursion schemes, we are able to present a general
analytic result in closed form that enables direct determination of the
UV-divergent part of any one-loop tensor N-point coefficient independent from
UV-divergent parts of other one-loop tensor N-point coefficients. Simplified
formulas and explicit expressions are presented for A-, B-, C-, D-, E-, and
F-functions.Comment: 19 pages (single column), the result of previous versions is further
evaluated leading to a closed analytic expression for the UV-divergent part
of an arbitrary one-loop tensor coefficient, title is modified accordingly, a
sign error in the appendix (C_{00000000}) has been corrected, a mathematica
notebook containing an implementation of the newly derived formula is
attache
Mass for Plasma Photons from Gauge Symmetry Breaking
We derive the effective masses for photons in unmagnetized plasma waves using
a quantum field theory with two vector fields (gauge fields). In order to
properly define the quantum field degrees of freedom we re-derive the classical
wave equations on light-front gauge. This is needed because the usual scalar
potential of electromagnetism is, in quantum field theory, not a physical
degree of freedom that renders negative energy eigenstates. We also consider a
background local fluid metric that allows for a covariant treatment of the
problem. The different masses for the longitudinal (plasmon) and transverse
photons are in our framework due to the local fluid metric. We apply the
mechanism of mass generation by gauge symmetry breaking recently proposed by
the authors by giving a non-trivial vacuum-expectation-value to the second
vector field (gauge field). The Debye length is interpreted as an
effective compactification length and we compute an explicit solution for the
large gauge transformations that correspond to the specific mass eigenvalues
derived here. Using an usual quantum field theory canonical quantization we
obtain the usual results in the literature. Although none of these ingredients
are new to physicist, as far as the authors are aware it is the first time that
such constructions are applied to Plasma Physics. Also we give a physical
interpretation (and realization) for the second vector field in terms of the
plasma background in terms of known physical phenomena.
Addendum: It is given a short proof that equation (10) is wrong, therefore
equations (12-17) are meaningless. The remaining results are correct being
generic derivations for nonmagnetized plasmas derived in a covariant QFT
framework.Comment: v1: 1+6 pages v2: Several discussions rewritten; Abstract rewritten;
References added; v3: includes Addendu
Helicity-Rotation-Gravity Coupling for Gravitational Waves
The consequences of spin-rotation-gravity coupling are worked out for linear
gravitational waves. The coupling of helicity of the wave with the rotation of
a gravitational-wave antenna is investigated and the resulting modifications in
the Doppler effect and aberration are pointed out for incident high-frequency
gravitational radiation. Extending these results to the case of a
gravitomagnetic field via the gravitational Larmor theorem, the rotation of
linear polarization of gravitational radiation propagating in the field of a
rotating mass is studied. It is shown that in this case the linear polarization
state rotates by twice the Skrotskii angle as a consequence of the spin-2
character of linear gravitational waves.Comment: 11 pages, no figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D; v2: a
few minor typos correcte
Adaptive Optics Discovery of Supernova 2004ip in the Nuclear Regions of the Luminous Infrared Galaxy IRAS 18293-3413
We report a supernova discovery in Ks-band images from the NAOS CONICA
adaptive optics (AO) system on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). The images
were obtained as part of a near-infrared search for highly-obscured supernovae
in the nuclear regions of luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies. SN
2004ip is located within a circumnuclear starburst at 1.4 arcsec (or 500 pc)
projected distance from the K-band nucleus of the luminous infrared galaxy IRAS
18293-3413. The supernova luminosity and light curve are consistent with a
core-collapse event suffering from a host galaxy extinction of up to about 40
magnitudes in V-band which is as expected for a circumnuclear starburst
environment. This is the first supernova to be discovered making use of AO
correction and demonstrates the potential of the current 8-meter class
telescopes equipped with AO in discovering supernovae from the innermost
nuclear regions of luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, ApJ Letters (accepted
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