Baryogenesis from `electrogenesis' in a scalar field dominated epoch

Scalar fields can play a dominant role in the dynamics of the Universe until shortly before nucleosynthesis. Examples are provided by domination by a kinetic mode of a scalar field, which may be both the inflaton and the late time `quintessence', and also by more conventional models of reheating. The resultant modification to the pre-nucleosynthesis expansion rate can allow solely an asymmetry in right handed electrons to produce a net baryon asymmetry when reprocessed by the anomalous B+L violating processes of the standard model. The production of such a source asymmetry - what we term `electrogenesis' - requires no additional B or L violation beyond that in the standard model. We consider a specific model for its generation, by a simple perturbative out of equilibrium decay of Higgs like scalar fields with CP-violating Yukawa couplings to the standard model leptons. We show that, because of the much enhanced expansion rate, such a mechanism can easily produce an adequate asymmetry from scalars with masses as low as 1 TeV. Kinetic mode domination is strongly favoured because it evades large entropy release which dilutes the asymmetry. We also discuss briefly the effect of the abelian hypercharge anomaly.Comment: 25 pages, 2 figure

Hydrographic data from R/V endeavor cruise #90

The final cruise of the NSF sponsored Warm Core Rings Program studied a Warm Core Ring (WCR) in the Fall of 1982 as it formed from a large northward meander of the Gulf Stream. This ring, known as 82-H or the eighth ring identified in 1982, formed over the New England Seamounts near 39.5 deg N, 65 deg W. Surveys using Expendable Bathythermographs, Conductivity-Temperature-Depth-Oxygen stations and Doppler Current Profiling provide a look at the genesis of a WCR. These measurements reveal that WCR 82-H separated from the Gulf Stream sometime between October 2-5. This ring was a typical WCR with a diameter of about 200 km and speeds in the high velocity core of the 175 cm/sec. Satellite imagery of 82-H following the cruise showed that it drifted WSW in the Slope Water region at almost 9 km/day, had at least one interaction with the Gulf Stream and was last observed on February 8, 1983 at 39 deg N, 72 deg W

Force distribution in a randomly perturbed lattice of identical particles with 1/r21/r^2 pair interaction

We study the statistics of the force felt by a particle in the class of spatially correlated distribution of identical point-like particles, interacting via a $1/r^2$ pair force (i.e. gravitational or Coulomb), and obtained by randomly perturbing an infinite perfect lattice. In the first part we specify the conditions under which the force on a particle is a well defined stochastic quantity. We then study the small displacements approximation, giving both the limitations of its validity, and, when it is valid, an expression for the force variance. In the second part of the paper we extend to this class of particle distributions the method introduced by Chandrasekhar to study the force probability density function in the homogeneous Poisson particle distribution. In this way we can derive an approximate expression for the probability distribution of the force over the full range of perturbations of the lattice, i.e., from very small (compared to the lattice spacing) to very large where the Poisson limit is recovered. We show in particular the qualitative change in the large-force tail of the force distribution between these two limits. Excellent accuracy of our analytic results is found on detailed comparison with results from numerical simulations. These results provide basic statistical information about the fluctuations of the interactions (i) of the masses in self-gravitating systems like those encountered in the context of cosmological N-body simulations, and (ii) of the charges in the ordered phase of the One Component Plasma.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure

Equilibration in long-range quantum spin systems from a BBGKY perspective

The time evolution of $\ell$-spin reduced density operators is studied for a class of Heisenberg-type quantum spin models with long-range interactions. In the framework of the quantum Bogoliubov-Born-Green-Kirkwood-Yvon (BBGKY) hierarchy, we introduce an unconventional representation, different from the usual cluster expansion, which casts the hierarchy into the form of a second-order recursion. This structure suggests a scaling of the expansion coefficients and the corresponding time scales in powers of $N^{1/2}$ with the system size $N$, implying a separation of time scales in the large system limit. For special parameter values and initial conditions, we can show analytically that closing the BBGKY hierarchy by neglecting $\ell$-spin correlations does never lead to equilibration, but gives rise to quasi-periodic time evolution with at most $\ell/2$ independent frequencies. Moreover, for the same special parameter values and in the large-$N$ limit, we solve the complete recursion relation (the full BBGKY hierarchy), observing a superexponential decay to equilibrium in rescaled time $\tau=tN^{-1/2}$.Comment: 3 figure

Description and evaluation of the Acoustic Profiling of Ocean Currents (APOC) system used on R. V. Oceanus cruise 96 on 11-22 May 1981

The underway current profiling system which consists of a microprocessor controlled data logger that collects and formats data from a four beam Ametek-Straza 300 kHz acoustic Doppler current profiler, heading from the ship's gyrocompass, and navigation information from a Loran-C receiver and a satellite navigation unit is discussed. Data are recorded on magnetic tape and real time is calculated. Time averaging is required to remove effects of ship motion. An intercomparison is made with a moored vector measuring current meter (VMCM). The mean difference in hourly averaged APOC and VMCM currents over the four hour intercomparison is a few mm s minus including: two Gulf Stream crossings, a warm core ring survey, and shallow water in a frontal zone to the east of Nantucket Shoals

Abnormal negative feedback processing in first episode schizophrenia: evidence from an oculomotor rule switching task

Background. Previous studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia are impaired on executive tasks, where positive and negative feedbacks are used to update task rules or switch attention. However, research to date using saccadic tasks has not revealed clear deficits in task switching in these patients. The present study used an oculomotor ‘ rule switching ’ task to investigate the use of negative feedback when switching between task rules in people with schizophrenia. Method. A total of 50 patients with first episode schizophrenia and 25 healthy controls performed a task in which the association between a centrally presented visual cue and the direction of a saccade could change from trial to trial. Rule changes were heralded by an unexpected negative feedback, indicating that the cue-response mapping had reversed. Results. Schizophrenia patients were found to make increased errors following a rule switch, but these were almost entirely the result of executing saccades away from the location at which the negative feedback had been presented on the preceding trial. This impairment in negative feedback processing was independent of IQ. Conclusions. The results not only confirm the existence of a basic deficit in stimulus–response rule switching in schizophrenia, but also suggest that this arises from aberrant processing of response outcomes, resulting in a failure to appropriately update rules. The findings are discussed in the context of neurological and pharmacological abnormalities in the conditions that may disrupt prediction error signalling in schizophrenia

A New Source for Electroweak Baryogenesis in the MSSM

One of the most experimentally testable explanations for the origin of the baryon asymmetry of the universe is that it was created during the electroweak phase transition, in the minimal supersymmetric standard model. Previous efforts have focused on the current for the difference of the two Higgsino fields, $H_1-H_2$, as the source of biasing sphalerons to create the baryon asymmetry. We point out that the current for the orthogonal linear combination, $H_1+H_2$, is larger by several orders of magnitude. Although this increases the efficiency of electroweak baryogenesis, we nevertheless find that large CP-violating angles $\ge 0.15$ are required to get a large enough baryon asymmetry.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; numerical error corrected, which implies that large CP violation is needed to get observed baryon asymmetry. We improved solution of diffusion equations, and computed more accurate values for diffusion coefficient and damping rate

Executive function in first-episode schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis that schizophrenia is primarily a frontostriatal disorder by examining executive function in first-episode patients. Previous studies have shown either equal decrements in many cognitive domains or specific deficits in memory. Such studies have grouped test results or have used few executive measures, thus, possibly losing information. We, therefore, measured a range of executive ability with tests known to be sensitive to frontal lobe function. METHODS: Thirty first-episode schizophrenic patients and 30 normal volunteers, matched for age and NART IQ, were tested on computerized test of planning, spatial working memory and attentional set shifting from the Cambridge Automated Neuropsychological Test Battery. Computerized and traditional tests of memory were also administered for comparison. RESULTS: Patients were worse on all tests but the profile was non-uniform. A componential analysis indicated that the patients were characterized by a poor ability to think ahead and organize responses but an intact ability to switch attention and inhibit prepotent responses. Patients also demonstrated poor memory, especially for free recall of a story and associate learning of unrelated word pairs. CONCLUSIONS: In contradistinction to previous studies, schizophrenic patients do have profound executive impairments at the beginning of the illness. However, these concern planning and strategy use rather than attentional set shifting, which is generally unimpaired. Previous findings in more chronic patients, of severe attentional set shifting impairment, suggest that executive cognitive deficits are progressive during the course of schizophrenia. The finding of severe mnemonic impairment at first episode suggests that cognitive deficits are not restricted to one cognitive domain