A Classical Solution in Six-dimensional Gauge Theory with Higher Derivative Coupling

We show that the spin connection of the standard metric on a six-dimensional sphere gives an exact solution to the generalized self-dual equations suggested by Tchrakian some years ago. We work on an SO(6) gauge theory with a higher-derivative coupling term. The model consists of vector fields only. The pseudo-energy is bound from below by a topological charge which is proportional to the winding number of spatial S^5 around the internal space SO(6). The fifth homotopy group of SO(6) is, indeed, Z. The coupling constant of higher derivative term is quadratic in the radius of the underlying space S^6.Comment: 7 pages, comments and a reference added, typos correcte

The role of binaries in the enrichment of the early Galactic halo. II. Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor Stars - CEMP-no stars

The detailed composition of most metal-poor halo stars has been found to be very uniform. However, a fraction of 20-70% (increasing with decreasing metallicity) exhibit dramatic enhancements in their abundances of carbon - the so-called carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. A key question for Galactic chemical evolution models is whether this non-standard composition reflects that of the stellar natal clouds, or is due to local, post-birth mass transfer of chemically processed material from a binary companion; CEMP stars should then all be members of binary systems. Our aim is to determine the frequency and orbital parameters of binaries among CEMP stars with and without over-abundances of neutron-capture elements - CEMP-s and CEMP-no stars, respectively - as a test of this local mass-transfer scenario. This paper discusses a sample of 24 CEMP-no stars, while a subsequent paper will consider a similar sample of CEMP-s stars. Most programme stars exhibit no statistically significant radial-velocit variation over this period and appear to be single, while four are found to be binaries with orbital periods of 300-2,000 days and normal eccentricity; the binary frequency for the sample is 17+-9%. The single stars mostly belong to the recently-identified ``low-C band'', while the binaries have higher absolute carbon abundances. We conclude that the nucleosynthetic process responsible for the strong carbon excess in these ancient stars is unrelated to their binary status; the carbon was imprinted on their natal molecular clouds in the early Galactic ISM by an even earlier, external source, strongly indicating that the CEMP-no stars are likely bona fide second-generation stars. We discuss potential production sites for carbon and its transfer across interstellar distances in the early ISM, and implications for the composition of high-redshift DLA systems. Abridged.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Boosted Top Quark Signals for Heavy Vector Boson Excitations in a Universal Extra Dimension Model

In view of the fact that the $n = 1$ Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes in a model with a Universal Extra Dimension (UED), could mimic supersymmetry signatures at the LHC, it is necessary to look for the $n = 2$ KK modes, which have no analogues in supersymmetry. We discuss the possibility of searching for heavy $n = 2$ vector boson resonances -- especially the $g_2$ -- through their decays to a highly-boosted top quark-antiquark pair using recently-developed top-jet tagging techniques in the hadronic channel. It is shown that $t\bar{t}$ signals from the $n = 2$ gluon resonance are as efficient a discovery mode at the LHC as dilepton channels from the $\gamma_2$ and $Z_2$ resonances.Comment: 22 pages, 8 embedded figure

Target detection in insects: optical, neural and behavioral optimizations.

This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier via https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2016.09.001Motion vision provides important cues for many tasks. Flying insects, for example, may pursue small, fast moving targets for mating or feeding purposes, even when these are detected against self-generated optic flow. Since insects are small, with size-constrained eyes and brains, they have evolved to optimize their optical, neural and behavioral target visualization solutions. Indeed, even if evolutionarily distant insects display different pursuit strategies, target neuron physiology is strikingly similar. Furthermore, the coarse spatial resolution of the insect compound eye might actually be beneficial when it comes to detection of moving targets. In conclusion, tiny insects show higher than expected performance in target visualization tasks.Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Grant ID: FA9550-15-1-0188

Particle Physics Probes Of Extra Spacetime Dimensions

The possibility that spacetime is extended beyond the familiar 3+1-dimensions has intrigued physicists for a century. Indeed, the consequences of a dimensionally richer spacetime would be profound. Recently, new theories with higher dimensional spacetimes have been developed to resolve the hierarchy problem in particle physics. These scenarios make distinct predictions which allow for experiment to probe the existence of extra dimensions in new ways. We review the conceptual framework of these scenarios, their implications in collider and short-range gravity experiments, their astrophysical and cosmological effects, as well as the constraints placed on these models from present data.Comment: Submitted to Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science, 29 page

Asymptotically cylindrical 7-manifolds of holonomy G_2 with applications to compact irreducible G_2-manifolds

We construct examples of exponentially asymptotically cylindrical Riemannian 7-manifolds with holonomy group equal to G_2. To our knowledge, these are the first such examples. We also obtain exponentially asymptotically cylindrical coassociative calibrated submanifolds. Finally, we apply our results to show that one of the compact G_2-manifolds constructed by Joyce by desingularisation of a flat orbifold T^7/\Gamma can be deformed to one of the compact G_2-manifolds obtainable as a generalized connected sum of two exponentially asymptotically cylindrical SU(3)-manifolds via the method given by the first author (math.DG/0012189).Comment: 36 pages; v2: corrected trivial typos; v3: some arguments corrected and improved; v4: a number of improvements on presentation, paritularly in sections 4 and 6, including an added picture

Current driven magnetization dynamics in helical spin density waves

A mechanism is proposed for manipulating the magnetic state of a helical spin density wave using a current. In this paper, we show that a current through a bulk system with a helical spin density wave induces a spin transfer torque, giving rise to a rotation of the order parameter.The use of spin transfer torque to manipulate the magnetization in bulk systems does not suffer from the obstacles seen for magnetization reversal using interface spin transfer torque in multilayered systems. We demonstrate the effect by a quantitative calculation of the current induced magnetization dynamics of Erbium. Finally we propose a setup for experimental verification.Comment: In the previous version of this paper was a small numerical mistake made when evaluating equation 3 and 9. The number of digits given in the calculation of the torque current tensor is reduced to better represent the accuracy of the calculation. A slightly modified paper have been published in Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 256601 (2006) 4 pages 3 figure

Abundances and kinematics of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo*; A new classification scheme based on Sr and Ba

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars span a wide range of stellar populations, from bona fide second-generation stars to later forming stars that provide excellent probes of, e.g., binary mass transfer. Here we analyse 11 metal-poor stars of which 10 are CEMP stars. Based on high signal-to-noise (SNR) X-Shooter spectra, we derive abundances of 20 elements (C, N, O, Na, Mg, Ca, Sc, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Sr, Y, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Eu). From the high SNR spectra, we trace the chemical contribution of the rare earth elements (REE) from various production sites, finding a preference for metal-poor low-mass AGB stars of 1.5Mo in CEMP-s stars, while CEMP-r/s stars may indicate a more massive AGB contribution (2-5Mo). A contribution from the r-process - possibly from neutron star mergers (NSM), is also detectable in the REE abundances, especially in the CEMP-r/s. Combining spectra with Gaia DR2 astrometric data indicates that all but one star in our sample (and most literature stars) belong to the Galactic halo. They exhibit a median orbital eccentricity of 0.7, and are found on both pro- and retrograde orbits. The orbital parameters of CEMP-no and CEMP4s stars are remarkably similar in the 98 stars we study. A special CEMP-no star, with very low Sr and Ba content, possesses the most eccentric orbit among the stars in our sample, passing close to the Galactic centre. Finally, we propose an improved scheme to sub-classify the CEMP stars, making use of the Sr$/$Ba ratio, which can also be used to separate very metal-poor stars from CEMP stars in 93 stars in the metallicity range $-4.2<$[Fe/H]$<-2$. The Sr/Ba ratio can also be used for distinguishing CEMP-s,-r/s and -no stars. The Sr/Ba ratio is also a powerful astro-nuclear indicator, as AGB stars exhibit very different Sr/Ba ratios, compared to fast rotating massive stars and NSM, and it is fairly unbiased by NLTE and 3D corrections.(abridged)Comment: 15 pages, 4 pages appendix, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Electrically charged fluids with pressure in Newtonian gravitation and general relativity in d spacetime dimensions: theorems and results for Weyl type systems

Previous theorems concerning Weyl type systems, including Majumdar-Papapetrou systems, are generalized in two ways, namely, we take these theorems into d spacetime dimensions (${\rm d}\geq4$), and we also consider the very interesting Weyl-Guilfoyle systems, i.e., general relativistic charged fluids with nonzero pressure. In particular within Newton-Coulomb theory of charged gravitating fluids, a theorem by Bonnor (1980) in three-dimensional space is generalized to arbitrary $({\rm d}-1)>3$ space dimensions. Then, we prove a new theorem for charged gravitating fluid systems in which we find the condition that the charge density and the matter density should obey. Within general relativity coupled to charged dust fluids, a theorem by De and Raychaudhuri (1968) in four-dimensional spacetimes in rendered into arbitrary ${\rm d}>4$ dimensions. Then a theorem, new in ${\rm d}=4$ and ${\rm d}>4$ dimensions, for Weyl-Guilfoyle systems, is stated and proved, in which we find the condition that the charge density, the matter density, the pressure, and the electromagnetic energy density should obey. This theorem comprises, as particular cases, a theorem by Gautreau and Hoffman (1973) and results in four dimensions by Guilfoyle (1999). Upon connection of an interior charged solution to an exterior Tangherlini solution (i.e., a Reissner-Nordstr\"om solution in d-dimensions), one is able to give a general definition for gravitational mass for this kind of relativistic systems and find a mass relation with the several quantities of the interior solution. It is also shown that for sources of finite extent the mass is identical to the Tolman mass.Comment: 27 page

Universal properties of Fermi gases in arbitrary dimensions

We consider spin-1/2 Fermi gases in arbitrary, integer or non-integer spatial dimensions, interacting via a Dirac delta potential. We first generalize the method of Tan's distributions and implement short-range boundary conditions to arbitrary dimension and we obtain a set of universal relations for the Fermi gas. Three-dimensional scattering under very general conditions of transversal confinement is described by an effectively reduced-dimensional scattering length, which we show depends on the three-dimensional scattering length in a universal way. Our formula for non-integer dimensions interpolates between the known results in integer dimensions 1, 2 and 3. Without any need to solve the associated multichannel scattering problem, we find that confinement-induced resonances occur in all dimensions different from D=2, while reduced-dimensional contacts, related to the tails of the momentum distributions, are connected to the three-dimensional contact by a correction factor of purely geometric origin.Comment: 6 pages, 0 figure