Gurses' Type (b) Transformations are Neighborhood-Isometries

Following an idea close to one given by C. G. Torre (private communication), we prove that Riemannian spaces (M,g) and (M,h) that are related by a Gurses type (b) transformation [M. Gurses, Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 367 (1993)] or, equivalently, by a Torre-Anderson generalized diffeomorphism [C. G. Torre and I. M. Anderson, Phys. Rev. Lett. xx, xxx (1993)] are neighborhood-isometric, i.e., every point x in M has a corresponding diffeomorphism phi of a neighborhood V of x onto a generally different neighborhood W of x such that phi*(h|W) = g|V.Comment: 10 pages, LATEX, FJE-93-00

EPR before EPR: a 1930 Einstein-Bohr thought experiment revisited

In 1930 Einstein argued against consistency of the time-energy uncertainty relation by discussing a thought experiment involving a measurement of mass of the box which emitted a photon. Bohr seemingly triumphed over Einstein by arguing that the Einstein's own general theory of relativity saves the consistency of quantum mechanics. We revisit this thought experiment from a modern point of view at a level suitable for undergraduate readership and find that neither Einstein nor Bohr was right. Instead, this thought experiment should be thought of as an early example of a system demonstrating nonlocal "EPR" quantum correlations, five years before the famous Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paper.Comment: 11 pages, revised, accepted for publication in Eur. J. Phy

Classification of Generalized Symmetries for the Vacuum Einstein Equations

A generalized symmetry of a system of differential equations is an infinitesimal transformation depending locally upon the fields and their derivatives which carries solutions to solutions. We classify all generalized symmetries of the vacuum Einstein equations in four spacetime dimensions. To begin, we analyze symmetries that can be built from the metric, curvature, and covariant derivatives of the curvature to any order; these are called natural symmetries and are globally defined on any spacetime manifold. We next classify first-order generalized symmetries, that is, symmetries that depend on the metric and its first derivatives. Finally, using results from the classification of natural symmetries, we reduce the classification of all higher-order generalized symmetries to the first-order case. In each case we find that the generalized symmetries are infinitesimal generalized diffeomorphisms and constant metric scalings. There are no non-trivial conservation laws associated with these symmetries. A novel feature of our analysis is the use of a fundamental set of spinorial coordinates on the infinite jet space of Ricci-flat metrics, which are derived from Penrose's ``exact set of fields'' for the vacuum equations.Comment: 57 pages, plain Te

Molecular evidence of incipient speciation within Anopheles gambiae s.s. in West Africa

We karyotyped and identified by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis Anopheles gambiae s.s. samples collected in several African countries. The data show the existence of two non-panmictic molecular forms, named S and M, whose distribution extended from forest to savannahs, Mosquitoes of the S and M forms are homosequential standard for chromosome-2 inversions in forest areas. In dry savannahs, S is characterized mainly by inversion polymorphisms typical of Savanna and Bamako chromosomal forms, while M shows chromosome-2 arrangements typical of Mopti and/or Savanna and/or Bissau, depending on its geographical origin. Chromosome-2 inversions therefore seem to be involved in ecotypic adaptation rather than in mate-recognition systems. Strong support for the reproductive isolation of S and M in Ivory Coast comes from the observation that the kdr allele is found at high frequencies in S specimens and not at all in chromosomal identical M specimens. However, the kdr allele does not segregate with molecular forms in Benin

On the Coherent State Path Integral for Linear Systems

We present a computation of the coherent state path integral for a generic linear system using ``functional methods'' (as opposed to discrete time approaches). The Gaussian phase space path integral is formally given by a determinant built from a first-order differential operator with coherent state boundary conditions. We show how this determinant can be expressed in terms of the symplectic transformation generated by the (in general, time-dependent) quadratic Hamiltonian for the system. We briefly discuss the conditions under which the coherent state path integral for a linear system actually exists. A necessary -- but not sufficient -- condition for existence of the path integral is that the symplectic transformation generated by the Hamiltonian is (unitarily) implementable on the Fock space for the system.Comment: 15 pages, plain Te

Classical and quantum time dependent solutions in string theory

Using the ontological interpretation of quantum mechanics in a particular sense, we obtain the classical behaviour of the scale factor and two scalar fields, derived from a string effective action for the FRW time dependent model. Besides, the Wheeler-DeWitt equation is solved exactly. We speculate that the same procedure could also be applied to S-branes.Comment: 11 pages, To appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Gauge-invariant Hamiltonian dynamics of cylindrical gravitational waves

The model of cylindrical gravitational waves is employed to work out and check a recent proposal in Ref. [11] how a diffeomorphism-invariant Hamiltonian dynamics is to be constructed. The starting point is the action by Ashtekar and Pierri because it contains the boundary term that makes it differentiable for non-trivial variations at infinity. With the help of parametrization at infinity, the notion of gauge transformation is clearly separated from that of asymptotic symmetry. The symplectic geometry of asymptotic symmetries and asymptotic time is described and the role of the asymptotic structures in defining a zero-motion frame for the Hamiltonian dynamics of Dirac observables is explained. Complete sets of Dirac observables associated with the asymptotic fields are found and the action of the asymptotic symmetries on them is calculated. The construction of the corresponding quantum theory is sketched: the Fock space, operators of asymptotic fields, the Hamiltonian and the scattering matrix are determined.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figur

The isolation of gravitational instantons: Flat tori V flat R^4

The role of topology in the perturbative solution of the Euclidean Einstein equations about flat instantons is examined.Comment: 15 pages, ICN-UNAM 94-1