2,750 research outputs found
Penrose Limits, the Colliding Plane Wave Problem and the Classical String Backgrounds
We show how the Szekeres form of the line element is naturally adapted to
study Penrose limits in classical string backgrounds. Relating the "old"
colliding wave problem to the Penrose limiting procedure as employed in string
theory we discuss how two orthogonal Penrose limits uniquely determine the
underlying target space when certain symmetry is imposed. We construct a
conformally deformed background with two distinct, yet exactly solvable in
terms of the string theory on R-R backgrounds, Penrose limits. Exploiting
further the similarities between the two problems we find that the Penrose
limit of the gauged WZW Nappi-Witten universe is itself a gauged WZW plane wave
solution of Sfetsos and Tseytlin. Finally, we discuss some issues related to
singularity, show the existence of a large class of non-Hausdorff solutions
with Killing Cauchy Horizons and indicate a possible resolution of the problem
of the definition of quantum vacuum in string theory on these time-dependent
backgrounds.Comment: Some misprints corrected. Matches the version in print. To appear in
Classical & Quantum Gravit
An unusual initial presentation of mantle cell lymphoma arising from the lymphoid stroma of warthin tumor.
BackgroundWarthin tumors presenting concomitantly with a lymphoma is vanishingly rare with only 15 reported cases in English literature. Herein, we report an unusual initial presentation of a mantle cell lymphoma involving the lymphoid stroma of a Warthin tumor.Case presentationA seventy-seven year old otherwise healthy gentleman with a 50-pack year smoking history presents with a slowly enlarging left cheek mass. CT scan of the neck demonstrated a left parotid gland tumor measuring 3.4 cm in greatest dimension. He underwent a left superficial parotidectomy, with subsequent histopathologic examination revealing a Warthin tumor with extensive expansion of the lymphoid stroma. Flow cytometric, immunohistochemical, and cytogenetic studies of the stromal component of the tumor confirmed the presence of a mantle cell lymphoma. Clinical staging demonstrated stage IVa disease, and was considered to be at low to intermediate risk due to the slow growth of the parotid lesion. The patient is undergoing close follow up with repeat PET-CT scans at six months.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first well documented collision tumor between mantle cell lymphoma and a Warthin tumor. This case also brings to light the significance of thorough evaluation of the lymphoid component of Warthin tumor
Initial Conditions and the Structure of the Singularity in Pre-Big-Bang Cosmology
We propose a picture, within the pre-big-bang approach, in which the universe
emerges from a bath of plane gravitational and dilatonic waves. The waves
interact gravitationally breaking the exact plane symmetry and lead generically
to gravitational collapse resulting in a singularity with the Kasner-like
structure. The analytic relations between the Kasner exponents and the initial
data are explicitly evaluated and it is shown that pre-big-bang inflation may
occur within a dense set of initial data. Finally, we argue that plane waves
carry zero gravitational entropy and thus are, from a thermodynamical point of
view, good candidates for the universe to emerge from.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX, epsfig. 3 figures included. Minor changes; paragraph
added in the introduction, references added and typos corrected. Final
version published in Classical and Quantum Gravit
Gravitational Optics: Self-phase modulation and harmonic cascades
Nonlinear wave interaction of low amplitude gravitational waves in flat
space-time is considered. Analogy with optics is established. It is shown that
the flat metric space-time is equivalent to a centro-symmetric optical medium,
with no second order susceptibility. The lowest order nonlinear effects are
those due to the third order nonlinearity and include self-phase modulation and
high harmonic generation. These processes lead to an efficient energy dilution
of the gravitational wave energy over an increasingly large spectral range.Comment: 12 pages, REVTEX
The highly polarized open cluster Trumpler 27
We have carried out multicolor linear polarimetry (UBVRI) of the brightest
stars in the area of the open cluster Trumpler 27. Our data show a high level
of polarization in the stellar light with a considerable dispersion, from to . The polarization vectors of the cluster members appear to be
aligned. Foreground polarization was estimated from the data of some non-member
objects, for which two different components were resolved: the first one
associated with a dust cloud close to the Sun producing
and degrees, and a second component, the main source of
polarization for the cluster members, originated in another dust cloud, which
polarizes the light in the direction of degrees. From a detailed
analysis, we found that the two components have associated values for the first one, and for the other. Due the
difference in the orientation of both polarization vectors, almost 90 degrees
(180 degrees at the Stokes representation), the first cloud (
degrees) depolarize the light strongly polarized by the second one ( degrees).Comment: 12 Pages, 6 Figures, 2 tables (9 Pages), accepted for publication in
A
Higher education, mature students and employment goals: policies and practices in the UK
This article considers recent policies of Higher Education in the UK, which are aimed at widening participation and meeting the needs of employers. The focus is on the growing population of part-time students, and the implications of policies for this group. The article takes a critical perspective on government policies, using data from a major study of mature part-time students, conducted in two specialist institutions in the UK, a London University college and a distance learning university. Findings from this study throw doubt on the feasibility of determining a priori what kind of study pathway is most conducive for the individual in terms of employment gains and opportunities for upward social mobility. In conclusion, doubts are raised as to whether policies such as those of the present UK government are likely to achieve its aims. Such policies are not unique to the UK, and lessons from this country are relevant to most of the developed world
Exact non-singular waves in the anti-de Sitter universe
A class of radiative solutions of Einstein's field equations with a negative
cosmological constant and a pure radiation is investigated. The space-times,
which generalize the Defrise solution, represent exact gravitational waves
which interact with null matter and propagate in the anti-de Sitter universe.
Interestingly, these solutions have homogeneous and non-singular wave-fronts
for all freely moving observers. We also study properties of sandwich and
impulsive waves which can be constructed in this class of space-times.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, To appear in Gen. Rel. Gra
Interpretation of the Siklos solutions as exact gravitational waves in the anti-de Sitter universe
The Siklos class of solutions of Einstein's field equations is investigated
by analytical methods. By studying the behaviour of free particles we reach the
conclusion that the space-times represent exact gravitational waves propagating
in the anti-de Sitter universe. The presence of a negative cosmological
constant implies that the 'background' space is not asymptotically flat and
requires a 'rotating' reference frames in order to fully simplify and view the
behaviour of nearby test particles. The Kaigorodov space-time, which is the
simplest representative of the Siklos class, is analyzed in more detail. It is
argued that it may serve as a 'cosmological' analogue of the well-known
homogeneous pp-waves in the flat universe.Comment: 17 pages, to be published in Class. Quantum Gravit
Exact Einstein-scalar field solutions for formation of black holes in a cosmological setting
We consider self-interacting scalar fields coupled to gravity. Two classes of
exact solutions to Einstein's equations are obtained: the first class
corresponds to the minimal coupling, the second one to the conformal coupling.
One of the solutions is shown to describe a formation of a black hole in a
cosmological setting. Some properties of this solution are described. There are
two kinds of event horizons: a black hole horizon and cosmological horizons.
The cosmological horizons are not smooth. There is a mild curvature
singularity, which affects extended bodies but allows geodesics to be extended.
It is also shown that there is a critical value for a parameter on which the
solution depends. Above the critical point, the black hole singularity is
hidden within a global black hole event horizon. Below the critical point, the
singularity appears to be naked. The relevance to cosmic censorship is
discussed.Comment: 25 pages, 2 figure
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