738 research outputs found
Multipole radiation in a collisonless gas coupled to electromagnetism or scalar gravitation
We consider the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell and Vlasov-Nordstr\"om systems
which describe large particle ensembles interacting by either electromagnetic
fields or a relativistic scalar gravity model. For both systems we derive a
radiation formula analogous to the Einstein quadrupole formula in general
relativity.Comment: 21 page
Topological Defect Densities in Type-I Superconducting Phase Transitions
We examine the consequences of a cubic term addition to the mean-field
potential of Ginzburg-Landau theory to describe first order superconductive
phase transitions. Constraints on its existence are obtained from experiment,
which are used to assess its impact on topological defect creation. We find no
fundamental changes in either the Kibble-Zurek or Hindmarsh-Rajantie
predictions.Comment: Revtex4, 1 eps figure, 6 pages. Change in title and in sections II
and III so to broaden the scope of the paper. Additional author is include
Dynamically avoiding fine-tuning the cosmological constant: the "Relaxed Universe"
We demonstrate that there exists a large class of action functionals of the
scalar curvature and of the Gauss-Bonnet invariant which are able to relax
dynamically a large cosmological constant (CC), whatever it be its starting
value in the early universe. Hence, it is possible to understand, without
fine-tuning, the very small current value of the CC as compared to its
theoretically expected large value in quantum field theory and string theory.
In our framework, this relaxation appears as a pure gravitational effect, where
no ad hoc scalar fields are needed. The action involves a positive power of a
characteristic mass parameter, M, whose value can be, interestingly enough, of
the order of a typical particle physics mass of the Standard Model of the
strong and electroweak interactions or extensions thereof, including the
neutrino mass. The model universe emerging from this scenario (the "Relaxed
Universe") falls within the class of the so-called LXCDM models of the cosmic
evolution. Therefore, there is a "cosmon" entity X (represented by an effective
object, not a field), which in this case is generated by the effective
functional and is responsible for the dynamical adjustment of the cosmological
constant. This model universe successfully mimics the essential past epochs of
the standard (or "concordance") cosmological model (LCDM). Furthermore, it
provides interesting clues to the coincidence problem and it may even connect
naturally with primordial inflation.Comment: LaTeX, 63 pp, 8 figures. Extended discussion. Version accepted in
JCA
Interaction of Low - Energy Induced Gravity with Quantized Matter and Phase Transition Induced by Curvature
At high energy scale the only quantum effect of any asymptotic free and
asymptotically conformal invariant GUT is the trace anomaly of the
energy-momentum tensor. Anomaly generates the new degree of freedom, that is
propagating conformal factor. At lower energies conformal factor starts to
interact with scalar field because of the violation of conformal invariance. We
estimate the effect of such an interaction and find the running of the
nonminimal coupling from conformal value to . Then we discuss
the possibility of the first order phase transition induced by curvature in a
region close to the stable fixed point and calculate the induced values of
Newtonian and cosmological constants.Comment: 11 pages, LaTex, KEK-TH-397-KEK Preprint 94-3
Searches for violation of fundamental time reversal and space reflection symmetries in solid state experiments
The electric dipole moment (EDM) of a particle violates both time reversal
(T) and space reflection (P) symmetries. There have been recent suggestions for
searches of the electron EDM using solid state experiments [1,2]. These
experiments could improve the sensitivity compared to present atomic and
molecular experiments by several orders of magnitude. In the present paper we
calculate the expected effect. We also suggest that this kind of experiment is
sensitive to T,P-violation in nuclear forces and calculate effects caused by
the nuclear Schiff moment.
The compounds under consideration contain magnetic Gd ions and oxygen
O ions. We demonstrate that the main mechanism for the T,P-odd effects
is related to the penetration of the Oxygen 2p-electrons to the Gd core. All
the effects are related to the deformation of the crystal lattice.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Long-distance dispersal of pigeons and doves generated new ecological opportunities for host-switching and adaptive radiation by their parasites.
Adaptive radiation is an important mechanism of organismal diversification and can be triggered by new ecological opportunities. Although poorly studied in this regard, parasites are an ideal group in which to study adaptive radiations because of their close associations with host species. Both experimental and comparative studies suggest that the ectoparasitic wing lice of pigeons and doves have adaptively radiated, leading to differences in body size and overall coloration. Here, we show that long-distance dispersal by dove hosts was central to parasite diversification because it provided new ecological opportunities for parasites to speciate after host-switching. We further show that among extant parasite lineages host-switching decreased over time, with cospeciation becoming the more dominant mode of parasite speciation. Taken together, our results suggest that host dispersal, followed by host-switching, provided novel ecological opportunities that facilitated adaptive radiation by parasites
Why Does Inflation Start at the Top of the Hill?
We show why the universe started in an unstable de Sitter state. The quantum
origin of our universe implies one must take a `top down' approach to the
problem of initial conditions in cosmology, in which the histories that
contribute to the path integral, depend on the observable being measured. Using
the no boundary proposal to specify the class of histories, we study the
quantum cosmological origin of an inflationary universe in theories like trace
anomaly driven inflation in which the effective potential has a local maximum.
We find that an expanding universe is most likely to emerge in an unstable de
Sitter state, by semiclassical tunneling via a Hawking-Moss instanton. Since
the top down view is forced upon us by the quantum nature of the universe, we
argue that the approach developed here should still apply when the framework of
quantum cosmology will be based on M-Theory.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figur
Challenges of open innovation: the paradox of firm investment in open-source software
Open innovation is a powerful framework encompassing the generation, capture, and employment of intellectual property at the firm level. We identify three fundamental challenges for firms in applying the concept of open innovation: finding creative ways to exploit internal innovation, incorporating external innovation into internal development, and motivating outsiders to supply an ongoing stream of external innovations. This latter challenge involves a paradox, why would firms spend money on R&D efforts if the results of these efforts are available to rival firms? To explore these challenges, we examine the activity of firms in opensource software to support their innovation strategies. Firms involved in open-source software often make investments that will be shared with real and potential rivals. We identify four strategies firms employ – pooled R&D/product development, spinouts, selling complements and attracting donated complements – and discuss how they address the three key challenges of open innovation. We conclude with suggestions for how similar strategies may apply in other industries and offer some possible avenues for future research on open innovation
Renormalization-group running of the cosmological constant and the fate of the universe
For a generic quantum field theory we study the role played by the
renormalization-group (RG) running of the cosmological constant (CC) in
determining the ultimate fate of the universe. We consider the running of the
CC of generic origin (the vacuum energy of quantum fields and the potential
energy of classical fields), with the RG scale proportional to the (total
energy density as the most obvious identification. Starting from
the present-era values for cosmological parameters we demonstrate how the
running can easily provide a negative cosmological constant, thereby changing
the fate of the universe, at the same time rendering compatibility with
critical string theory. We also briefly discuss the recent past in our
scenario.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, revtex4; version to appear in PR
Tkachenko waves, glitches and precession in neutron star
Here I discuss possible relations between free precession of neutron stars,
Tkachenko waves inside them and glitches. I note that the proposed precession
period of the isolated neutron star RX J0720.4-3125 (Haberl et al. 2006) is
consistent with the period of Tkachenko waves for the spin period 8.4s. Based
on a possible observation of a glitch in RX J0720.4-3125 (van Kerkwijk et al.
2007), I propose a simple model, in which long period precession is powered by
Tkachenko waves generated by a glitch. The period of free precession,
determined by a NS oblateness, should be equal to the standing Tkachenko wave
period for effective energy transfer from the standing wave to the precession
motion. A similar scenario can be applicable also in the case of the PSR
B1828-11.Comment: 6 pages, no figures, accepted to Ap&S
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