Constraining inverse-curvature gravity with supernovae

We show that models of generalized modified gravity, with inverse powers of the curvature, can explain the current accelerated expansion of the Universe without resorting to dark energy and without conflicting with solar system experiments. We have solved the Friedmann equations for the full dynamical range of the evolution of the Universe and performed a detailed analysis of supernovae data in the context of such models that results in an excellent fit. If we further include constraints on the current expansion of the Universe and on its age, we obtain that the matter content of the Universe is 0.07 <=omega(m)<= 0.21 (95% C.L.). Hence the inverse-curvature gravity models considered cannot explain the dynamics of the Universe just with a baryonic matter component

Resummation of Threshold, Low- and High-Energy Expansions for Heavy-Quark Correlators

With the help of the Mellin-Barnes transform, we show how to simultaneously resum the expansion of a heavy-quark correlator around q^2=0 (low-energy), q^2= 4 m^2 (threshold, where m is the quark mass) and q^2=-\infty (high-energy) in a systematic way. We exemplify the method for the perturbative vector correlator at O(alpha_s^2) and O(alpha_s^3). We show that the coefficients, Omega(n), of the Taylor expansion of the vacuum polarization function in terms of the conformal variable \omega admit, for large n, an expansion in powers of 1/n (up to logarithms of n) that we can calculate exactly. This large-n expansion has a sign-alternating component given by the logarithms of the OPE, and a fixed-sign component given by the logarithms of the threshold expansion in the external momentum q^2.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures. We fix typos in Eqs. (18), (27), (55) and (56). Results unchange

Crystal structure of methyl N-ferrocenylcarbamate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Fe(C5H5)(C7H8NO2)], contains two independent molecules consisting of a ferrocenyl moiety and a nitrogen-bound methyl carbamate. These units are almost perpendicular to each other, making dihedral angles of 87.74 (9) and 87.32 (8)°. In each independent molecule, the cyclopentadienyl rings deviate slightly from an eclipsed conformation and lie virtually parallel [dihedral angles = 1.42 (15) and 0.49 (13)°]. In the crystal, molecules are linked by N—H...O hydrogen bonds into chains along the a-axis direction

Turbulence Time Series Data Hole Filling using Karhunen-Loeve and ARIMA methods

Measurements of optical turbulence time series data using unattended instruments over long time intervals inevitably lead to data drop-outs or degraded signals. We present a comparison of methods using both Principal Component Analysis, which is also known as the Karhunen--Loeve decomposition, and ARIMA that seek to correct for these event-induced and mechanically-induced signal drop-outs and degradations. We report on the quality of the correction by examining the Intrinsic Mode Functions generated by Empirical Mode Decomposition. The data studied are optical turbulence parameter time series from a commercial long path length optical anemometer/scintillometer, measured over several hundred metres in outdoor environments.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, submitted to ICOLAD 2007, City University, London, U

Lipid membranes with an edge

Consider a lipid membrane with a free exposed edge. The energy describing this membrane is quadratic in the extrinsic curvature of its geometry; that describing the edge is proportional to its length. In this note we determine the boundary conditions satisfied by the equilibria of the membrane on this edge, exploiting variational principles. The derivation is free of any assumptions on the symmetry of the membrane geometry. With respect to earlier work for axially symmetric configurations, we discover the existence of an additional boundary condition which is identically satisfied in that limit. By considering the balance of the forces operating at the edge, we provide a physical interpretation for the boundary conditions. We end with a discussion of the effect of the addition of a Gaussian rigidity term for the membrane.Comment: 8 page