896 research outputs found
Ultra-sensitive surface absorption spectroscopy using sub-wavelength diameter optical fibers
The guided modes of sub-wavelength diameter air-clad optical fibers exhibit a
pronounced evanescent field. The absorption of particles on the fiber surface
is therefore readily detected via the fiber transmission. We show that the
resulting absorption for a given surface coverage can be orders of magnitude
higher than for conventional surface spectroscopy. As a demonstration, we
present measurements on sub-monolayers of 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic
dianhydride (PTCDA) molecules at ambient conditions, revealing the
agglomeration dynamics on a second to minutes timescale.Comment: 4 pages, Fig.1a corrected y-axis, p.2 minor text changes to
facilitate the understanding of eq. 4 and
Philosophy and the Integrity of the Person: The Phenomenology of Robert Sokolowski
This chapter offers an overview of the philosophy of Robert S. Sokolowski with a focus on his account of what philosophy is, how philosophy arises out of pre-philosophical life, and how it is related back to pre-philosophical life. It also situates Sokolowsk’s achievements in articulating the relationship between Husserlian phenomenology and modern and pre-modern styles of philosophizing
Are stealth scalar fields stable?
Non-gravitating (stealth) scalar fields associated with Minkowski space in
scalar-tensor gravity are examined. Analytical solutions for both non-minimally
coupled scalar field theory and for Brans-Dicke gravity are studied and their
stability with respect to tensor perturbations is assessed using a covariant
and gauge-invariant formalism developed for alternative gravity. For
Brans-Dicke solutions, the stability with respect to homogeneous perturbations
is also studied. There are regions of parameter space corresponding to
stability and other regions corresponding to instability.Comment: 10 pages, 1 table, no figures, to appear in Phys. Rev,
Creation of the universe with a stealth scalar field
The stealth scalar field is a non-trivial configuration without any
back-reaction to geometry, which is characteristic for non-minimally coupled
scalar fields. Studying the creation probability of the de Sitter universe with
a stealth scalar field by the Hartle and Hawking's semi-classical method, we
show that the effect of the stealth field can be significant. For the class of
scalar fields we consider, creation with a stealth field is possible for a
discrete value of the coupling constant and its creation probability is always
less than that with a trivial scalar field. However, those creation rates can
be almost the same depending on the parameters of the theory.Comment: 7 pages; v2, references added; v3, creation of the open universe
adde
Brans-Dicke-type theories and avoidance of the cosmological singularity
We tudy flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmology in Brans-Dicke-type
theories of gravitation with minimal coupling between the scalar field and the
matter fields in the Einstein frame (general relativity with an extra scalar
field) for arbitrary values of the Brans-Dicke parameter . It is
shown that the cosmological singularity occuring in the Einstein frame
formulation of this theory is removed in the Jordan frame in the range
. This result is interpreted in the ligth of a
viewpoint (first presented in reference gr-qc/9905071) asserting that both
Jordan frame and Einstein frame formulations of general relativity are
physically equivalent. The implications of the obtained result for string
theory are outlined.Comment: 9 pages, LaTeX, no figures. Improved version accepted for publication
in PR
Quantum Cosmology in Scalar-Tensor Theories With Non Minimal Coupling
Quantization in the minisuperspace of non minimal scalar-tensor theories
leads to a partial differential equation which is non separable. Through a
conformal transformation we can recast the Wheeler-DeWitt equation in an
integrable form, which corresponds to the minimal coupling case, whose general
solution is known. Performing the inverse conformal transformation in the
solution so found, we can construct the corresponding one in the original
frame. This procedure can also be employed with the bohmian trajectories. In
this way, we can study the classical limit of some solutions of this quantum
model. While the classical limit of these solutions occurs for small scale
factors in the Einstein's frame, it happens for small values of the scalar
field non minimally coupled to gravity in the Jordan's frame, which includes
large scale factors.Comment: latex, 18 page
A second order minimality condition for the Mumford-Shah functional
A new necessary minimality condition for the Mumford-Shah functional is
derived by means of second order variations. It is expressed in terms of a sign
condition for a nonlocal quadratic form on , being a
submanifold of the regular part of the discontinuity set of the critical point.
Two equivalent formulations are provided: one in terms of the first eigenvalue
of a suitable compact operator, the other involving a sort of nonlocal capacity
of . A sufficient condition for minimality is also deduced. Finally, an
explicit example is discussed, where a complete characterization of the domains
where the second variation is nonnegative can be given.Comment: 30 page
First-principle study of excitonic self-trapping in diamond
We present a first-principles study of excitonic self-trapping in diamond.
Our calculation provides evidence for self-trapping of the 1s core exciton and
gives a coherent interpretation of recent experimental X-ray absorption and
emission data. Self-trapping does not occur in the case of a single valence
exciton. We predict, however, that self-trapping should occur in the case of a
valence biexciton. This process is accompanied by a large local relaxation of
the lattice which could be observed experimentally.Comment: 12 pages, RevTex file, 3 Postscript figure
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