The Nonlinear Field Space Theory

In recent years the idea that not only the configuration space of particles, i.e. spacetime, but also the corresponding momentum space may have nontrivial geometry has attracted significant attention, especially in the context of quantum gravity. The aim of this letter is to extend this concept to the domain of field theories, by introducing field spaces (i.e. phase spaces of field values) that are not affine spaces. After discussing the motivation and general aspects of our approach we present a detailed analysis of the prototype (quantum) Nonlinear Field Space Theory of a scalar field on the Minkowski background. We show that the nonlinear structure of a field space leads to numerous interesting predictions, including: non-locality, generalization of the uncertainty relations, algebra deformations, constraining of the maximal occupation number, shifting of the vacuum energy and renormalization of the charge and speed of propagation of field excitations. Furthermore, a compact field space is a natural way to implement the "Principle of Finiteness" of physical theories, which once motivated the Born-Infeld theory. Thus the presented framework has a variety of potential applications in the theories of fundamental interactions (e.g. quantum gravity), as well as in condensed matter physics (e.g. continuous spin chains), and can shed new light on the issue of divergences in quantum field theories.Comment: 7 pages, v2 additional content and references added, title changed, presentation improve

Deformed Carroll particle from 2+1 gravity

We consider a point particle coupled to 2+1 gravity, with de Sitter gauge group SO(3,1). We observe that there are two contraction limits of the gauge group: one resulting in the Poincare group, and the second with the gauge group having the form AN(2) \ltimes \an(2)^*. The former case was thoroughly discussed in the literature, while the latter leads to the deformed particle action with de Sitter momentum space, like in the case of kappa-Poincare particle. However, the construction forces the mass shell constraint to have the form p_0^2 = m^2, so that the effective particle action describes the deformed Carroll particle.Comment: 10 page

Beyond Fock space in three dimensional semiclassical gravity

Quantization of relativistic point particles coupled to three-dimensional Einstein gravity naturally leads to field theories living on the Lorentz group in their momentum representation. The Lie group structure of momentum space can be traced back to the classical phase space of the particles coupled to topological gravity. In this work we show how the non-trivial structure of momentum space leads to an unusual description of Fock space. The latter is reflected in a deformed algebra of creation and annihilation operators which reduces to the ordinary algebra when momentum space "flattens" to Minkowski space in the limit in which the three-dimensional Newton's constant vanishes. The construction is covariant under the action of relativistic symmetries acting on the Lorentz group-momentum space. This shows how it is possible to build a Fock space on a group manifold momentum space in a way consistent with the underlying (deformed) relativistic symmetries.Comment: 11 pages, v2 typos corrected and presentation improve

Addressing Theoretical Gaps in Positive Youth Development for Diverse Youth

One in a series of fact sheets for 4-H and youth development professionals to use when designing a program to increase diversity in program participation

Diffusion on κ\kappa-Minkowski space

We study the spectral dimension associated with diffusion processes on Euclidean $\kappa$-Minkowski space. We start by describing a geometric construction of the "Euclidean" momentum group manifold related to $\kappa$-Minkowski space. On such space we identify various candidate Laplacian functions, i.e. deformed Casimir invariants, and calculate the corresponding spectral dimension for each case. The results obtained show a variety of running behaviours for the spectral dimension according to the choice of deformed Laplacian, from dimensional reduction to super-diffusion.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures; v2 short comments and references adde

Parental Co‐Construction of 5‐ to 13‐Year‐Olds\u27 Global Self‐Esteem Through Reminiscing About Past Events

The current study explored parental processes associated with children\u27s global self‐esteem development. Eighty 5‐ to 13‐year‐olds and one of their parents provided qualitative and quantitative data through questionnaires, open‐ended questions, and a laboratory‐based reminiscing task. Parents who included more explanations of emotions when writing about the lowest points in their lives were more likely to discuss explanations of emotions experienced in negative past events with their child, which was associated with child attachment security. Attachment was associated with concurrent self‐esteem, which predicted relative increases in self‐esteem 16 months later, on average. Finally, parent support also predicted residual increases in self‐esteem. Findings extend prior research by including younger ages and uncovering a process by which two theoretically relevant parenting behaviors impact self‐esteem development

Mentalizing Deficits Constrain Belief in a Personal God

Religious believers intuitively conceptualize deities as intentional agents with mental states who anticipate and respond to human beliefs, desires and concerns. It follows that mentalizing deficits, associated with the autistic spectrum and also commonly found in men more than in women, may undermine this intuitive support and reduce belief in a personal God. Autistic adolescents expressed less belief in God than did matched neuro-typical controls (Study 1). In a Canadian student sample (Study 2), and two American national samples that controlled for demographic characteristics and other correlates of autism and religiosity (Study 3 and 4), the autism spectrum predicted reduced belief in God, and mentalizing mediated this relationship. Systemizing (Studies 2 and 3) and two personality dimensions related to religious belief, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness (Study 3), failed as mediators. Mentalizing also explained the robust and well-known, but theoretically debated, gender gap in religious belief wherein men show reduced religious belief (Studies 2–4)

Volunteerism in Youth Development Programs: Editors' Note

Youth development programs are varied and diverse. Some rely on paid staff to deliver programming, but many rely on volunteers. While there is quite a bit of research on volunteers and volunteerism in general, there is little that goes in depth covering the nuances of volunteers in youth development organizations. The editors of this special issue introduce the articles, which cover themes of understanding the impacts of volunteers, volunteer competencies and skill development, support and motivation of volunteers, and evaluation of programs. In addition, a book review and a closing reflection are included. Finally, the editors close with their thoughts about exciting directions for the future of volunteer development research and practice