Inflation-Produced Magnetic Fields in Nonlinear Electrodynamics

We study the generation of primeval magnetic fields during inflation era in nonlinear theories of electrodynamics. Although the intensity of the produced fields strongly depends on characteristics of inflation and on the form of electromagnetic Lagrangian, our results do not exclude the possibility that these fields could be astrophysically interesting.Comment: 6 page

The critical velocity effect as a cause for the H\alpha emission from the Magellanic stream

Observations show significant H\alpha-emissions in the Galactic halo near the edges of cold gas clouds of the Magellanic Stream. The source for the ionization of the cold gas is still a widely open question. In our paper we discuss the critical velocity effect as a possible explanation for the observed H\alpha-emission. The critical velocity effect can yield a fast ionization of cold gas if this neutral gas passes through a magnetized plasma under suitable conditions. We show that for parameters that are typical for the Magellanic Stream the critical velocity effect has to be considered as a possible ionization source of high relevance.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures. accepted, to appear in The Astrophysical Journa

Magnetic field structure due to the global velocity field in spiral galaxies

We present a set of global, self-consistent N-body/SPH simulations of the dynamic evolution of galactic discs with gas and including magnetic fields. We have implemented a description to follow the evolution of magnetic fields with the ideal induction equation in the SPH part of the Vine code. Results from a direct implementation of the field equations are compared to a representation by Euler potentials, which pose a div(B)-free description, an constraint not fulfilled for the direct implementation. All simulations are compared to an implementation of magnetic fields in the Gadget code which includes also cleaning methods for div(B). Starting with a homogeneous seed field we find that by differential rotation and spiral structure formation of the disc the field is amplified by one order of magnitude within five rotation periods of the disc. The amplification is stronger for higher numerical resolution. Moreover, we find a tight connection of the magnetic field structure to the density pattern of the galaxy in our simulations, with the magnetic field lines being aligned with the developing spiral pattern of the gas. Our simulations clearly show the importance of non-axisymmetry for the evolution of the magnetic field.Comment: 17 pages, 18 figure

Simulating magnetic fields in the Antennae galaxies

We present self-consistent high-resolution simulations of NGC4038/4039 (the "Antennae galaxies") including star formation, supernova feedback and magnetic fields performed with the N-body/SPH code Gadget, in which magnetohydrodynamics are followed with the SPH method. We vary the initial magnetic field in the progenitor disks from 1 nG to 100 muG. At the time of the best match with the central region of the Antennae system the magnetic field has been amplified by compression and shear flows to an equilibrium field of approximately 10 muG, independent of the initial seed field. These simulations are a proof of the principle that galaxy mergers are efficient drivers for the cosmic evolution of magnetic fields. We present a detailed analysis of the magnetic field structure in the central overlap region. Simulated radio and polarization maps are in good morphological and quantitative agreement with the observations. In particular, the two cores with the highest synchrotron intensity and ridges of regular magnetic fields between the cores and at the root of the southern tidal arm develop naturally in our simulations. This indicates that the simulations are capable of realistically following the evolution of the magnetic fields in a highly non-linear environment. We also discuss the relevance of the amplification effect for present day magnetic fields in the context of hierarchical structure formation.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures, accepte

Serotonin transporter gene hypomethylation predicts impaired antidepressant treatment response

Variation in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT; SERT; SLC6A4) has been suggested to pharmacogenetically drive interindividual differences in antidepressant treatment response. In the present analysis, a 'pharmaco-epigenetic' approach was applied by investigating the influence of DNA methylation patterns in the 5-HTT transcriptional control region on antidepressant treatment response. Ninety-four patients of Caucasian descent with major depressive disorder (MDD) (f = 61) were analysed for DNA methylation status at nine CpG sites in the 5-HTT transcriptional control region upstream of exon 1A via direct sequencing of sodium bisulfite treated DNA extracted from blood cells. Patients were also genotyped for the functional 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 polymorphisms. Clinical response to treatment with escitalopram was assessed by intra-individual changes of HAM-D-21 scores after 6 wk of treatment. Lower average 5-HTT methylation across all nine CpGs was found to be associated with impaired antidepressant treatment response after 6 wk (p = 0.005). This effect was particularly conferred by one individual 5-HTT CpG site (CpG2 (GRCh37 build, NC_000017.10 28.563.102; p = 0.002). 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 haplotype was neither associated with 5-HTT DNA methylation nor treatment response. This analysis suggests that DNA hypomethylation of the 5-HTT transcriptional control region - possibly via increased serotonin transporter expression and consecutively decreased serotonin availability - might impair antidepressant treatment response in Caucasian patients with MDD. This pharmaco-epigenetic approach could eventually aid in establishing epigenetic biomarkers of treatment response and thereby a more personalized treatment of MDD.Katharina Domschke, Nicola Tidow, Kathrin Schwarte, Jürgen Deckert, Klaus-Peter Lesch, Volker Arolt, Peter Zwanzger and Bernhard T. Baun

The genetic contribution of the NO system at the glutamatergic post-synapse to schizophrenia : further evidence and meta-analysis

NO is a pleiotropic signaling molecule and has an important role in cognition and emotion. In the brain, NO is produced by neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS-I, encoded by NOS1) coupled to the NMDA receptor via PDZ. interactions; this protein-protein interaction is disrupted upon binding of NOS1 adapter protein (encoded by NOS1AP) to NOS-I. As both NOS1 and NOS1AP were associated with schizophrenia, we here investigated these genes in greater detail by genotyping new samples and conducting a meta-analysis of our own and published data. In doing so, we confirmed association of both genes with schizophrenia and found evidence for their interaction in increasing risk towards disease. Our strongest finding was the NOS1 promoter SNP rs41279104, yielding an odds ratio of 1.29 in the meta-analysis. As findings from heterologous cell systems have suggested that the risk allele decreases gene expression, we studied the effect of the variant on NOS1 expression in human post-mortem brain samples and found that the risk allele significantly decreases expression of NOS1 in the prefrontal cortex. Bioinformatic analyses suggest that this might be due the replacement of six transcription factor binding sites by two new binding sites as a consequence of proxy SNPs. Taken together, our data argue that genetic variance in NOS1 resulting in lower prefrontal brain expression of this gene contributes to schizophrenia liability, and that NOS1 interacts with NOS1AP in doing so. The NOS1-NOS1AP PDZ interface may thus well constitute a novel target for small molecules in at least some forms of schizophrenia. PostprintPeer reviewe

Zeta function regularization for a scalar field in a compact domain

We express the zeta function associated to the Laplacian operator on $S^1_r\times M$ in terms of the zeta function associated to the Laplacian on $M$, where $M$ is a compact connected Riemannian manifold. This gives formulas for the partition function of the associated physical model at low and high temperature for any compact domain $M$. Furthermore, we provide an exact formula for the zeta function at any value of $r$ when $M$ is a $D$-dimensional box or a $D$-dimensional torus; this allows a rigorous calculation of the zeta invariants and the analysis of the main thermodynamic functions associated to the physical models at finite temperature.Comment: 19 pages, no figures, to appear in J. Phys.

Magnetogenesis from Cosmic String Loops

Large-scale coherent magnetic fields are observed in galaxies and clusters, but their ultimate origin remains a mystery. We reconsider the prospects for primordial magnetogenesis by a cosmic string network. We show that the magnetic flux produced by long strings has been overestimated in the past, and give improved estimates. We also compute the fields created by the loop population, and find that it gives the dominant contribution to the total magnetic field strength on present-day galactic scales. We present numerical results obtained by evolving semi-analytic models of string networks (including both one-scale and velocity-dependent one-scale models) in a Lambda-CDM cosmology, including the forces and torques on loops from Hubble redshifting, dynamical friction, and gravitational wave emission. Our predictions include the magnetic field strength as a function of correlation length, as well as the volume covered by magnetic fields. We conclude that string networks could account for magnetic fields on galactic scales, but only if coupled with an efficient dynamo amplification mechanism.Comment: 10 figures; v3: small typos corrected to match published version. MagnetiCS, the code described in paper, is available at http://markcwyman.com/ and http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/dhw22/code/index.htm

Gamma-ray Luminosity and Death Lines of Pulsars with Outer Gaps

We re-examine the outer gap size by taking the geometry of the dipole magnetic field into account. Furthermore, we also consider that instead of taking the gap size at half of the light cylinder radius to represent the entire outer gap it is more appropriate to average the entire outer gap size over the distance. When these two factors are considered, the derived outer gap size f is not only the function of period P and magnetic field B of the neutron star, but also the function of the average radial distance to the neutron star . We use this new outer gap model to study $\gamma$-ray luminosity of pulsars, and to study the death lines of $\gamma$-ray emission of the pulsars. Our model can predict the $\gamma$-ray luminosity of individual pulsar if its $P, B$ and $\alpha$ are known. Since different pulsars have different $\alpha$, this explains why some $\gamma$-ray pulsars have very similar $P$ and $B$ but have very different $\gamma$-ray luminosities. In determining the death line of $\gamma$-ray pulsars, we have used a new criterion based on concrete physical reason. In estimate of the fractional size of the outer gap, two possible X-ray fields are considered: (i) X-rays are produced by the neutron star cooling and polar cap heating, and (ii)X-rays are produced by the bombardment of the relativistic particles from the outer gap on the stellar surface. Since it is very difficult to measure $\alpha$ in general, we use a Monte Carlo method to simulate the properties of $\gamma$-ray pulsars in our galaxy. We find that this new outer gap model predicts many more weak $\gamma$-ray pulsars. For all simulated $\gamma$-ray pulsars with self-sustained outer gaps, $\gamma$-ray luminosity $L_{\gamma}$ satisfies $L_{\gamma}\propto L^{\delta}_{sd}$; where the value of $\delta$ depends on the ensitivity of the $\gamma$-ray detector.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap