13,686 research outputs found
Matter and dynamics in closed cosmologies
To systematically analyze the dynamical implications of the matter content in
cosmology, we generalize earlier dynamical systems approaches so that perfect
fluids with a general barotropic equation of state can be treated. We focus on
locally rotationally symmetric Bianchi type IX and Kantowski-Sachs orthogonal
perfect fluid models, since such models exhibit a particularly rich dynamical
structure and also illustrate typical features of more general cases. For these
models, we recast Einstein's field equations into a regular system on a compact
state space, which is the basis for our analysis. We prove that models expand
from a singularity and recollapse to a singularity when the perfect fluid
satisfies the strong energy condition. When the matter source admits Einstein's
static model, we present a comprehensive dynamical description, which includes
asymptotic behavior, of models in the neighborhood of the Einstein model; these
results make earlier claims about ``homoclinic phenomena and chaos'' highly
questionable. We also discuss aspects of the global asymptotic dynamics, in
particular, we give criteria for the collapse to a singularity, and we describe
when models expand forever to a state of infinite dilution; possible initial
and final states are analyzed. Numerical investigations complement the
analytical results.Comment: 23 pages, 24 figures (compressed), LaTe
Testing the Hubble Law with the IRAS 1.2 Jy Redshift Survey
We test and reject the claim of Segal et al. (1993) that the correlation of
redshifts and flux densities in a complete sample of IRAS galaxies favors a
quadratic redshift-distance relation over the linear Hubble law. This is done,
in effect, by treating the entire galaxy luminosity function as derived from
the 60 micron 1.2 Jy IRAS redshift survey of Fisher et al. (1995) as a distance
indicator; equivalently, we compare the flux density distribution of galaxies
as a function of redshift with predictions under different redshift-distance
cosmologies, under the assumption of a universal luminosity function. This
method does not assume a uniform distribution of galaxies in space. We find
that this test has rather weak discriminatory power, as argued by Petrosian
(1993), and the differences between models are not as stark as one might expect
a priori. Even so, we find that the Hubble law is indeed more strongly
supported by the analysis than is the quadratic redshift-distance relation. We
identify a bias in the the Segal et al. determination of the luminosity
function, which could lead one to mistakenly favor the quadratic
redshift-distance law. We also present several complementary analyses of the
density field of the sample; the galaxy density field is found to be close to
homogeneous on large scales if the Hubble law is assumed, while this is not the
case with the quadratic redshift-distance relation.Comment: 27 pages Latex (w/figures), ApJ, in press. Uses AAS macros,
postscript also available at
http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~library/preprints/pop682.ps.g
Rotation and activity of pre-main-sequence stars
We present a study of rotation (vsini) and chromospheric activity (Halpha EW)
based on an extensive set of high-resolution optical spectra obtained with MIKE
on the 6.5m Magellan Clay telescope. Our targets are 74 F-M dwarfs in the young
stellar associations Eta Cha, TW Hydrae, Beta Pic, and Tuc-Hor, spanning ages
from 6 to 30 Myr. While the Halpha EW for most F and G stars are consistent
with pure photospheric absorption, most K and M stars show chromospheric
emission. By comparing Halpha EW in our sample to results in the literature, we
see a clear evolutionary sequence: Chromospheric activity declines steadily
from the T Tauri phase to the main sequence. Using activity as an age
indicator, we find a plausible age range for the Tuc-Hor association of 10-40
Myr. Between 5 and 30 Myr, we do not see evidence for rotational braking in the
total sample, thus angular momentum is conserved, in contrast to younger stars.
This difference indicates a change in the rotational regulation at 5-10 Myr,
possibly because disk braking cannot operate longer than typical disk
lifetimes, allowing the objects to spin up. The rotation-activity relation is
flat in our sample; in contrast to main-sequence stars, there is no linear
correlation for slow rotators. We argue that this is because young stars
generate their magnetic fields in a fundamentally different way from
main-sequence stars, and not just the result of a saturated solar-type dynamo.
By comparing our rotational velocities with published rotation periods for a
subset of stars, we determine ages of 13 (7-20) Myr and 9 (7-17} Myr for the
Eta Cha and TWA associations, respectively, consistent with previous estimates.
Thus we conclude that stellar radii from evolutionary models by Baraffe et al.
(1998) are in agreement with the observed radii within +-15%. (abridged)Comment: 40 pages, 8 figures, ApJ, in pres
Self-adjoint Lyapunov variables, temporal ordering and irreversible representations of Schroedinger evolution
In non relativistic quantum mechanics time enters as a parameter in the
Schroedinger equation. However, there are various situations where the need
arises to view time as a dynamical variable. In this paper we consider the
dynamical role of time through the construction of a Lyapunov variable - i.e.,
a self-adjoint quantum observable whose expectation value varies monotonically
as time increases. It is shown, in a constructive way, that a certain class of
models admit a Lyapunov variable and that the existence of a Lyapunov variable
implies the existence of a transformation mapping the original quantum
mechanical problem to an equivalent irreversible representation. In addition,
it is proved that in the irreversible representation there exists a natural
time ordering observable splitting the Hilbert space at each t>0 into past and
future subspaces.Comment: Accepted for publication in JMP. Supercedes arXiv:0710.3604.
Discussion expanded to include the case of Hamiltonians with an infinitely
degenerate spectru
Excitation Thresholds for Nonlinear Localized Modes on Lattices
Breathers are spatially localized and time periodic solutions of extended
Hamiltonian dynamical systems. In this paper we study excitation thresholds for
(nonlinearly dynamically stable) ground state breather or standing wave
solutions for networks of coupled nonlinear oscillators and wave equations of
nonlinear Schr\"odinger (NLS) type. Excitation thresholds are rigorously
characterized by variational methods. The excitation threshold is related to
the optimal (best) constant in a class of discr ete interpolation inequalities
related to the Hamiltonian energy. We establish a precise connection among ,
the dimensionality of the lattice, , the degree of the nonlinearity
and the existence of an excitation threshold for discrete nonlinear
Schr\"odinger systems (DNLS).
We prove that if , then ground state standing waves exist if
and only if the total power is larger than some strictly positive threshold,
. This proves a conjecture of Flach, Kaldko& MacKay in
the context of DNLS. We also discuss upper and lower bounds for excitation
thresholds for ground states of coupled systems of NLS equations, which arise
in the modeling of pulse propagation in coupled arrays of optical fibers.Comment: To appear in Nonlinearit
Participatory Militias: An Analysis of an Armed Movement's Online Audience
Armed groups of civilians known as "self-defense forces" have ousted the
powerful Knights Templar drug cartel from several towns in Michoacan. This
militia uprising has unfolded on social media, particularly in the "VXM"
("Valor por Michoacan," Spanish for "Courage for Michoacan") Facebook page,
gathering more than 170,000 fans. Previous work on the Drug War has documented
the use of social media for real-time reports of violent clashes. However, VXM
goes one step further by taking on a pro-militia propagandist role, engaging in
two-way communication with its audience. This paper presents a descriptive
analysis of VXM and its audience. We examined nine months of posts, from VXM's
inception until May 2014, totaling 6,000 posts by VXM administrators and more
than 108,000 comments from its audience. We describe the main conversation
themes, post frequency and relationships with offline events and public
figures. We also characterize the behavior of VXM's most active audience
members. Our work illustrates VXM's online mobilization strategies, and how its
audience takes part in defining the narrative of this armed conflict. We
conclude by discussing possible applications of our findings for the design of
future communication technologies.Comment: Participatory Militias: An Analysis of an Armed Movement's Online
Audience. Saiph Savage, Andres Monroy-Hernandez. CSCW: ACM Conference on
Computer-Supported Cooperative Work 201
The 157 nm Photodissociation of OCS
The photodissociation of OCS at 157 nm has been investigated by using tunable vacuum ultraviolet radiation to probe the CO and S photoproducts. Sulfur is produced almost entirely in the 1S state, while CO is produced in its ground electronic state and in vibrational levels from v=0-3 in the appropriate ratio (v=0):(v=1):(v=2):(v=3) = (1.0):(1.0):(0.5):(0.3). The rotational distribution for each vibrational level is found to be near Boltzmann, with temperatures that decrease from 1350 K for v=0 to 780 K for v=3. Measurements of the CO Doppler profiles demonstrate that the dissociation takes place from a transition of predominantly parallel character (β=1.8±0.2) and that the CO velocity and angular momentum vectors are perpendicular to one another
Control-volume representation of molecular dynamics
A Molecular Dynamics (MD) parallel to the Control Volume (CV) formulation of
fluid mechanics is developed by integrating the formulas of Irving and
Kirkwood, J. Chem. Phys. 18, 817 (1950) over a finite cubic volume of molecular
dimensions. The Lagrangian molecular system is expressed in terms of an
Eulerian CV, which yields an equivalent to Reynolds' Transport Theorem for the
discrete system. This approach casts the dynamics of the molecular system into
a form that can be readily compared to the continuum equations. The MD
equations of motion are reinterpreted in terms of a
Lagrangian-to-Control-Volume (\CV) conversion function , for
each molecule . The \CV function and its spatial derivatives are used to
express fluxes and relevant forces across the control surfaces. The
relationship between the local pressures computed using the Volume Average (VA,
Lutsko, J. Appl. Phys 64, 1152 (1988)) techniques and the Method of Planes
(MOP, Todd et al, Phys. Rev. E 52, 1627 (1995)) emerges naturally from the
treatment. Numerical experiments using the MD CV method are reported for
equilibrium and non-equilibrium (start-up Couette flow) model liquids, which
demonstrate the advantages of the formulation. The CV formulation of the MD is
shown to be exactly conservative, and is therefore ideally suited to obtain
macroscopic properties from a discrete system.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figure
Cognitive and attitudinal impacts of a university AIDS course: interdisciplinary education as a public health intervention.
This paper describes an interdisciplinary, variable credit-bearing university course on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) that enrolled 429 students. Pre- and post-course questionnaries were used to assess knowledge and attitudes relative to AIDS and these were compared to National Health Interview Survey findings. Considerable cognitive and attitudinal changes occurred over the course period. University courses, taught annually, were found to be an efficient mechanism for educating large numbers of future community leaders and professionals about AID
Quantum Interaction : the Construction of Quantum Field defined as a Bilinear Form
We construct the solution of the quantum wave equation
as a bilinear form which can
be expanded over Wick polynomials of the free -field, and where
is defined as the normal ordered product with
respect to the free -field. The constructed solution is correctly defined
as a bilinear form on , where is a
dense linear subspace in the Fock space of the free -field. On
the diagonal Wick symbol of this bilinear form
satisfies the nonlinear classical wave equation.Comment: 32 pages, LaTe
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