Broken Symmetry as a Stabilizing Remnant

The Goldberger-Wise mechanism enables one to stabilize the length of the warped extra dimension employed in Randall-Sundrum models. In this work we generalize this mechanism to models with multiple warped throats sharing a common ultraviolet brane. For independent throats this generalization is straight forward. If the throats possess a discrete interchange symmetry like Z_n the stabilizing dynamics may respect the symmetry, resulting in equal throat lengths, or they may break it. In the latter case the ground state of an initially symmetric configuration is a stabilized asymmetric configuration in which the throat lengths differ. We focus on two- (three-) throat setups with a Z_2 (Z_3) interchange symmetry and present stabilization dynamics suitable for either breaking or maintaining the symmetry. Though admitting more general application, our results are relevant for existing models in the literature, including the two throat model with Kaluza-Klein parity and the three throat model of flavor based on a broken Z_3 symmetry.Comment: 23 pages; v2 minor cosmetic chang

Modelling the alumina abundance of oxygen-rich evolved stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud

In order to determine the composition of the dust in the circumstellar envelopes of oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars we have computed a grid of modust radiative-transfer models for a range of dust compositions, mass-loss rates, dust shell inner radii and stellar parameters. We compare the resulting colours with the observed oxygen-rich AGB stars from the SAGE-Spec Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) sample, finding good overall agreement for stars with a mid-infrared excess. We use these models to fit a sample of 37 O-rich AGB stars in the LMC with optically thin circumstellar envelopes, for which 5$-$35-$\mu$m Spitzer infrared spectrograph (IRS) spectra and broadband photometry from the optical to the mid-infrared are available. From the modelling, we find mass-loss rates in the range $\sim 8\times10^{-8}$ to $5\times10^{-6}$ M$_{\odot}\ \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$, and we show that a grain mixture consisting primarily of amorphous silicates, with contributions from amorphous alumina and metallic iron provides a good fit to the observed spectra. Furthermore, we show from dust models that the AKARI [11]$-$[15] versus [3.2]$-$[7] colour-colour diagram, is able to determine the fractional abundance of alumina in O-rich AGB stars.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, accepted MNRA

How to measure redshift-space distortions without sample variance

We show how to use multiple tracers of large-scale density with different biases to measure the redshift-space distortion parameter beta=f/b=(dlnD/dlna)/b (where D is the growth rate and a the expansion factor), to a much better precision than one could achieve with a single tracer, to an arbitrary precision in the low noise limit. In combination with the power spectrum of the tracers this allows a much more precise measurement of the bias-free velocity divergence power spectrum, f^2 P_m - in fact, in the low noise limit f^2 P_m can be measured as well as would be possible if velocity divergence was observed directly, with rms improvement factor ~[5.2(beta^2+2 beta+2)/beta^2]^0.5 (e.g., ~10 times better than a single tracer for beta=0.4). This would allow a high precision determination of f D as a function of redshift with an error as low as 0.1%. We find up to two orders of magnitude improvement in Figure of Merit for the Dark Energy equation of state relative to Stage II, a factor of several better than other proposed Stage IV Dark Energy surveys. The ratio b_2/b_1 will be determined with an even greater precision than beta, producing, when measured as a function of scale, an exquisitely sensitive probe of the onset of non-linear bias. We also extend in more detail previous work on the use of the same technique to measure non-Gaussianity. Currently planned redshift surveys are typically designed with signal to noise of unity on scales of interest, and are not optimized for this technique. Our results suggest that this strategy may need to be revisited as there are large gains to be achieved from surveys with higher number densities of galaxies.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figure

11 W narrow linewidth laser source at 780nm for laser cooling and manipulation of Rubidium

We present a narrow linewidth continuous laser source with over 11 Watts of output power at 780nm, based on single-pass frequency doubling of an amplified 1560nm fibre laser with 36% efficiency. This source offers a combination of high power, simplicity, mode quality and stability. Without any active stabilization, the linewidth is measured to be below 10kHz. The fibre seed is tunable over 60GHz, which allows access to the D2 transitions in 87Rb and 85Rb, providing a viable high-power source for laser cooling as well as for large-momentum-transfer beamsplitters in atom interferometry. Sources of this type will pave the way for a new generation of high flux, high duty-cycle degenerate quantum gas experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Role of anisotropy in the spin-dimer compound BaCuSi2O6

We present results of magnetisation and electron paramagnetic resonance experiments on the spin-dimer system BaCuSi2O6. Evidence indicates that the origin of anisotropic terms in the spin Hamiltonian is from magnetic dipolar interactions. Axial symmetry-breaking is on a very small energy scale of ~11 mK, confirming Bose Einstein condensation critical scaling over an extended temperature range in the vicinity of the quantum critical point.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

The Role of Body Image on Psychosocial Outcomes in People With Diabetes and People With an Amputation

IntroductionResearch indicates that body image disturbance is associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes for individuals with physical health conditions, with poorest body image reported for individuals with visible bodily changes. Using White's (2000) theoretical model of body image the present paper aimed to examine the nature of these relationships in two distinct groups: individuals with an amputation and individuals with diabetes. It was hypothesized that body image disturbance would be associated with psychosocial outcomes and would mediate the relationships between self-ideal discrepancy and personal investment in psychosocial outcomes.MethodsIndividuals with diabetes (N = 212) and individuals with an amputation (N = 227) provided details regarding their medical condition, and completed measures assessing body image, investment, self-ideal discrepancy, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Structural equation and invariance modeling were used to test the model paths and the invariance of the model.ResultsAs hypothesized, body image disturbance was found to mediate the relationships between personal investment and psychosocial outcome, and between self-ideal discrepancy and psychosocial outcome. The predicted paths were invariant across groups, although the model accounted for more variance in people with an amputation than people with diabetes.ConclusionBody image disturbance, personal investment, and self-ideal discrepancy are important factors contributing to psychosocial outcome for individuals with diabetes and individuals with an amputation. These findings not only confirm the validity of the model in these two groups, but they emphasize the importance of targeting body image in future psychological interventions for individuals with a health condition

Output functions and fractal dimensions in dynamical systems

We present a novel method for the calculation of the fractal dimension of boundaries in dynamical systems, which is in many cases many orders of magnitude more efficient than the uncertainty method. We call it the Output Function Evaluation (OFE) method. The OFE method is based on an efficient scheme for computing output functions, such as the escape time, on a one-dimensional portion of the phase space. We show analytically that the OFE method is much more efficient than the uncertainty method for boundaries with $D<0.5$, where $D$ is the dimension of the intersection of the boundary with a one-dimensional manifold. We apply the OFE method to a scattering system, and compare it to the uncertainty method. We use the OFE method to study the behavior of the fractal dimension as the system's dynamics undergoes a topological transition.Comment: Uses REVTEX; to be published in Phys. Rev. Let