303 research outputs found
TransverseDiff gravity is to scalar-tensor as unimodular gravity is to General Relativity
Transverse Diffeomorphism (TDiff) theories are well-motivated theories of
gravity from the quantum perspective, which are based upon a gauge symmetry
principle. The main contribution of this work is to firmly establish a
correspondence between TransverseDiff and the better-known scalar-tensor
gravity --- in its more general form ---, a relation which is completely
analogous to that between unimodular gravity and General Relativity. We then
comment on observational aspects of TDiff. In connection with this proof, we
derive a very general rule that determines under what conditions the procedure
of fixing a gauge symmetry can be equivalently applied before the variational
principle leading to the equations of motion, as opposed to the standard
procedure, which takes place afterwards; this rule applies to gauge-fixing
terms without derivatives.Comment: 10 pages; amsart style; v3: version as appeared in JCAP, redaction
improve
Comparison of LISA and Atom Interferometry for Gravitational Wave Astronomy in Space
One of the atom interferometer gravitational wave missions proposed by
Dimopoulos et al.1 in 2008 was called AGIS-Sat. 2. It had a suggested
gravitational wave sensitivity set by the atom state detection shot noise level
that started at 1 mHz, was comparable to LISA sensitivity from 1 to about 20
mHz, and had better sensitivity from 20 to 500 mHz. The separation between the
spacecraft was 1,000 km, with atom interferometers 200 m long and shades from
sunlight used at each end. A careful analysis of many error sources was
included, but requirements on the time-stability of both the laser wavefront
aberrations and the atom temperatures in the atom clouds were not investigated.
After including these considerations, the laser wavefront aberration stability
requirement to meet the quoted sensitivity level is about 1\times10-8
wavelengths, and is far tighter than for LISA. Also, the temperature
fluctuations between atom clouds have to be less than 1 pK. An alternate atom
interferometer GW mission in Earth orbit called AGIS-LEO with 30 km satellite
separation has been suggested recently. The reduction of wavefront aberration
noise by sending the laser beam through a high-finesse mode-scrubbing optical
cavity is discussed briefly, but the requirements on such a cavity are not
given. Unfortunately, such an Earth-orbiting mission seems to be considerably
more difficult to design than a non-geocentric mission and does not appear to
have comparably attractive scientific goals.Comment: Submitted to Proc. 46th Rencontres de Moriond: Gravitational Waves
and Experimental Gravity, March 20 - 27, 2011, La Thuile, Ital
Detailed study of open cluster PIS 20
The very young open cluster Pis 20 has been analyzed by employing CCD UBVR photometry. Down to V = 19 mag, new blue and faint members were found. With them we obtain a better definition of the lower cluster main sequence. Using the fitting method we situate the cluster at a distance of d = 3600 pc (Vo-Mv = 12.80). The main color excess value is = 1.24 mag. In analyzing observed characteristics and spatial positions of the bluest cluster stars we conclude that the star WR 67 has a good chance to be a cluster member. In that case the mass of its progenitor should be greater than 50 M⊙ according to evolutionary models. From isochrone fitting the age of Pis 20 is 5.1 x 10⁶ y. We discuss the cluster mass spectrum whose slope, within the observational uncertainties, appears to be similar to a Salpeter law. We notice that high WR/OB and WC/WN number ratios are present not only within the cluster itself but also in the association where Pis 20 is situated. The cluster distance derived here prevents to assume any spatial connection between Pis 20 and the supernova remnant MSH 15-52. The total cluster mass is around 600 M⊙.Asociación Argentina de Astronomí
Membranous glomerulonephritis in the mouse
Membranous glomerulonephritis in the mouse. Glomerulonephritis was induced in C57.B110 mice by a single injection of rabbit IgG against homologous, pronase-digested, renal tubular antigens. The heterologous phase was characterized by a transient increase of glomerular permeability with fixation of rabbit IgG to the capillary walls, in a linear or fine-granular pattern, and to the brush borders of the proximal tubuli. The autologous phase was marked by the immune response to the injected protein, during which subepithelial immune deposits, consisting of mouse IgG1, rabbit IgG, and mouse C3 developed. Small amounts were still present at 1 year after the injection of antiserum. The antibody response of the mice correlated with the development and resolution of the deposits. None of the mice developed a nephrotic syndrome. Control mice treated with normal rabbit IgG did not show immune deposits in their kidneys at any stage despite a comparable antibody response to rabbit IgG. Immunoelectronmicroscopy showed that the rabbit antibodies fixed directly to an antigen in the cell membrane of the glomerular visceral epithelium. It seems, therefore, likely that in situ formation of subepithelial immune complexes occurred in the autologous phase by fixation of mouse immunoglobulins to rabbit IgG already present in the glomerular wall.Glomérulonéphrite extra-membraneuse chez la souris. Une glomérulonéphrite a été induite chez des souris C57.B110 par une injection unique d'IgG de lapin contre des antigènes tubulaires rénaux homologues, digérés par de la pronase. La phase hétérologue était caractérisée par une augmentation transitoire de la perméabilité glomérulaire avec fixation d'IgG de lapin aux parois capillaires, d'une façon linéaire ou finement granuleuse, et aux bordures en brosse des tubules proximaux. La phase autologue était marquée par la réponse immune à la protéine injectée, pendant laquelle des dépôts immuns sous-épithéliaux, consistant en de l'IgG1 de souris, de l'IgG de lapin et du C3 de souris, se sont développés. Il en restait encore de faibles quantités 1 an après l'injection de l'antisérum. La réponse anticorps des souris était corrélée avec le développement et la disparition des dépôts. Aucune des souris n'a développé de syndrome néphrotique. Les souris contrôles traitées avec de l'IgG de lapin normal n'ont pas eu de dépôts immuns dans le rein à aucun stade, malgré une réponse anticorps aux IgG de lapin comparable. La microscopie immuno-électronique a montré que les anticorps de lapin se fixaient directement à un antigène situé sur la membrane des cellules de l'épithélium viscéral glomérulaire. Il semble donc probable que la formation in situ de complexes immuns sous-épithéliaux est survenue à la phase autologue par fixation d'immunoglobulines de souris à de l'IgG de lapin déjà présente dans la paroi glomérulaire
Measuring black-hole parameters and testing general relativity using gravitational-wave data from space-based interferometers
Among the expected sources of gravitational waves for the Laser
Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is the capture of solar-mass compact stars
by massive black holes residing in galactic centers. We construct a simple
model for such a capture, in which the compact star moves freely on a circular
orbit in the equatorial plane of the massive black hole. We consider the
gravitational waves emitted during the late stages of orbital evolution,
shortly before the orbiting mass reaches the innermost stable circular orbit.
We construct a simple model for the gravitational-wave signal, in which the
phasing of the waves plays the dominant role. The signal's behavior depends on
a number of parameters, including , the mass of the orbiting star, ,
the mass of the central black hole, and , the black hole's angular momentum.
We calculate, using our simplified model, and in the limit of large
signal-to-noise ratio, the accuracy with which these quantities can be
estimated during a gravitational-wave measurement. Our simplified model also
suggests a method for experimentally testing the strong-field predictions of
general relativity.Comment: ReVTeX, 16 pages, 5 postscript figure
Matrix theory of gravitation
A new classical theory of gravitation within the framework of general
relativity is presented. It is based on a matrix formulation of
four-dimensional Riemann-spaces and uses no artificial fields or adjustable
parameters. The geometrical stress-energy tensor is derived from a matrix-trace
Lagrangian, which is not equivalent to the curvature scalar R. To enable a
direct comparison with the Einstein-theory a tetrad formalism is utilized,
which shows similarities to teleparallel gravitation theories, but uses complex
tetrads. Matrix theory might solve a 27-year-old, fundamental problem of those
theories (sec. 4.1). For the standard test cases (PPN scheme,
Schwarzschild-solution) no differences to the Einstein-theory are found.
However, the matrix theory exhibits novel, interesting vacuum solutions.Comment: 24 page
Generalized Brans-Dicke cosmology in the presence of matter and dark energy
We study the Generalized Brans-Dicke cosmology in the presence of matter and
dark energy. Of particular interest for a constant Brans-Dicke parameter, the
de Sitter space has also been investigated.Comment: 9 page
Research of Gravitation in Flat Minkowski Space
In this paper it is introduced and studied an alternative theory of
gravitation in flat Minkowski space. Using an antisymmetric tensor, which is
analogous to the tensor of electromagnetic field, a non-linear connection is
introduced. It is very convenient for studying the perihelion/periastron shift,
deflection of the light rays near the Sun and the frame dragging together with
geodetic precession, i.e. effects where angles are involved. Although the
corresponding results are obtained in rather different way, they are the same
as in the General Relativity. The results about the barycenter of two bodies
are also the same as in the General Relativity. Comparing the derived equations
of motion for the -body problem with the Einstein-Infeld-Hoffmann equations,
it is found that they differ from the EIH equations by Lorentz invariant terms
of order .Comment: 28 page
Thermodynamic Gravity and the Schrodinger Equation
We adopt a 'thermodynamical' formulation of Mach's principle that the rest
mass of a particle in the Universe is a measure of its long-range collective
interactions with all other particles inside the horizon. We consider all
particles in the Universe as a 'gravitationally entangled' statistical ensemble
and apply the approach of classical statistical mechanics to it. It is shown
that both the Schrodinger equation and the Planck constant can be derived
within this Machian model of the universe. The appearance of probabilities,
complex wave functions, and quantization conditions is related to the
discreetness and finiteness of the Machian ensemble.Comment: Minor corrections, the version accepted by Int. J. Theor. Phy
Semi-Analytic Stellar Structure in Scalar-Tensor Gravity
Precision tests of gravity can be used to constrain the properties of
hypothetical very light scalar fields, but these tests depend crucially on how
macroscopic astrophysical objects couple to the new scalar field. We develop
quasi-analytic methods for solving the equations of stellar structure using
scalar-tensor gravity, with the goal of seeing how stellar properties depend on
assumptions made about the scalar coupling at a microscopic level. We
illustrate these methods by applying them to Brans-Dicke scalars, and their
generalization in which the scalar-matter coupling is a weak function of the
scalar field. The four observable parameters that characterize the fields
external to a spherically symmetric star (the stellar radius, R, mass, M,
scalar `charge', Q, and the scalar's asymptotic value, phi_infty) are subject
to two relations because of the matching to the interior solution, generalizing
the usual mass-radius, M(R), relation of General Relativity. We identify how
these relations depend on the microscopic scalar couplings, agreeing with
earlier workers when comparisons are possible. Explicit analytical solutions
are obtained for the instructive toy model of constant-density stars, whose
properties we compare to more realistic equations of state for neutron star
models.Comment: 39 pages, 9 figure
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