596 research outputs found
Thermal gravity, black holes and cosmological entropy
Taking seriously the interpretation of black hole entropy as the logarithm of
the number of microstates, we argue that thermal gravitons may undergo a phase
transition to a kind of black hole condensate. The phase transition proceeds
via nucleation of black holes at a rate governed by a saddlepoint configuration
whose free energy is of order the inverse temperature in Planck units. Whether
the universe remains in a low entropy state as opposed to the high entropy
black hole condensate depends sensitively on its thermal history. Our results
may clarify an old observation of Penrose regarding the very low entropy state
of the universe.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, RevTex. v4: to appear in Phys. Rev.
Minimum Length from Quantum Mechanics and Classical General Relativity
We derive fundamental limits on measurements of position, arising from
quantum mechanics and classical general relativity. First, we show that any
primitive probe or target used in an experiment must be larger than the Planck
length, . This suggests a Planck-size {\it minimum ball} of uncertainty in
any measurement. Next, we study interferometers (such as LIGO) whose precision
is much finer than the size of any individual components and hence are not
obviously limited by the minimum ball. Nevertheless, we deduce a fundamental
limit on their accuracy of order . Our results imply a {\it device
independent} limit on possible position measurements.Comment: 8 pages, latex, to appear in the Physical Review Letter
Monsters, black holes and the statistical mechanics of gravity
We review the construction of monsters in classical general relativity.
Monsters have finite ADM mass and surface area, but potentially unbounded
entropy. From the curved space perspective they are objects with large proper
volume that can be glued on to an asymptotically flat space. At no point is the
curvature or energy density required to be large in Planck units, and quantum
gravitational effects are, in the conventional effective field theory
framework, small everywhere. Since they can have more entropy than a black hole
of equal mass, monsters are problematic for certain interpretations of black
hole entropy and the AdS/CFT duality.
In the second part of the paper we review recent developments in the
foundations of statistical mechanics which make use of properties of
high-dimensional (Hilbert) spaces. These results primarily depend on kinematics
-- essentially, the geometry of Hilbert space -- and are relatively insensitive
to dynamics. We discuss how this approach might be adopted as a basis for the
statistical mechanics of gravity. Interestingly, monsters and other highly
entropic configurations play an important role.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, revtex; invited Brief Review to be published in
Modern Physics Letters
National Seismic System Science Plan
Recent developments in digital communication and seismometry
are allowing seismologists to propose revolutionary
new ways to reduce vulnerability from earthquakes, volcanoes,
and tsunamis, and to better understand these
phenomena as well as the basic structure and dynamics of the
Earth. This document provides a brief description of some of
the critical new problems that can be addressed using modem
digital seismic networks. It also provides an overview of existing
seismic networks and suggests ways to integrate these
together into a National Seismic System.
A National Seismic System will consist of a number of
interconnected regional networks (such as southern California,
central and northern California, northeastern United
States, northwestern United States, and so on) that are jointly
operated by Federal, State, and private seismological research
institutions. Regional networks will provide vital information
concerning the hazards of specific regions. Parts of these networks
will be linked to provide uniform rapid response on a
national level (the National Seismic Network).
A National Seismic System promises to significantly
reduce societal risk to earthquake losses and to open new areas
of fundamental basic research. The following is a list of some
of the uses of a National Seismic System
The TIGA technique for detecting gravitational waves with a spherical antenna
We report the results of a theoretical and experimental study of a spherical
gravitational wave antenna. We show that it is possible to understand the data
from a spherical antenna with 6 radial resonant transducers attached to the
surface in the truncated icosahedral arrangement. We find that the errors
associated with small deviations from the ideal case are small compared to
other sources of error, such as a finite signal-to-noise ratio. An in situ
measurement technique is developed along with a general algorithm that
describes a procedure for determining the direction of an external force acting
on the antenna, including the force from a gravitational wave, using a
combination of the transducer responses. The practicality of these techniques
was verified on a room-temperature prototype antenna.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Physical Review
Radiative multipole moments of integer-spin fields in curved spacetime
Radiative multipole moments of scalar, electromagnetic, and linearized
gravitational fields in Schwarzschild spacetime are computed to third order in
v in a weak-field, slow-motion approximation, where v is a characteristic
velocity associated with the motion of the source. To zeroth order in v, a
radiative moment of order l is given by the corresponding source moment
differentiated l times with respect to retarded time. At second order in v,
additional terms appear inside the spatial integrals. These are near-zone
corrections which depend on the detailed behavior of the source. At third order
in v, the correction terms occur outside the spatial integrals, so that they do
not depend on the detailed behavior of the source. These are wave-propagation
corrections which are heuristically understood as arising from the scattering
of the radiation by the spacetime curvature surrounding the source. Our
calculations show that the wave-propagation corrections take a universal form
which is independent of multipole order and field type. We also show that in
general relativity, temporal and spatial curvatures contribute equally to the
wave-propagation corrections.Comment: 34 pages, ReVTe
Aquilegia, Vol. 18 No. 4, July-August 1994: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society
https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1072/thumbnail.jp
Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays: The state of the art before the Auger Observatory
In this review we discuss the important progress made in recent years towards
understanding the experimental data on cosmic rays with energies \agt 10^{19}
eV. We begin with a brief survey of the available data, including a description
of the energy spectrum, mass composition, and arrival directions. At this point
we also give a short overview of experimental techniques. After that, we
introduce the fundamentals of acceleration and propagation in order to discuss
the conjectured nearby cosmic ray sources. We then turn to theoretical notions
of physics beyond the Standard Model where we consider both exotic primaries
and exotic physical laws. Particular attention is given to the role that
TeV-scale gravity could play in addressing the origin of the highest energy
cosmic rays. In the final part of the review we discuss the potential of future
cosmic ray experiments for the discovery of tiny black holes that should be
produced in the Earth's atmosphere if TeV-scale gravity is realized in Nature.Comment: Final version. To be published in Int. J. Mod. Phys.
Overall and cancer related mortality among patients with ocular inflammation treated with immunosuppressive drugs: retrospective cohort study
Context Whether immunosuppressive treatment adversely affects survival is unclear
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