Optimized Constant Pressure Stochastic Dynamics

A recently proposed method for computer simulations in the isothermal-isobaric (NPT) ensemble, based on Langevin-type equations of motion for the particle coordinates and the ``piston'' degree of freedom, is re-derived by straightforward application of the standard Kramers-Moyal formalism. An integration scheme is developed which reduces to a time-reversible symplectic integrator in the limit of vanishing friction. This algorithm is hence expected to be quite stable for small friction, allowing for a large time step. We discuss the optimal choice of parameters, and present some numerical test results.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, submitted to J. Chem. Phy

Discovery of Long-Lived Shape Isomeric States which Decay by Strongly Retarded High-Energy Particle Radioactivity

The reaction 28Si + 181Ta has been studied at E(Lab) = 125 and 135 MeV. Coincidences between high energy particles and various X- and gamma-rays from abnormally long-lived states were observed. e.g. 7.8 - 8.6 MeV alpha-particles with gamma-rays of a superdeformed band, 5.1 - 5.5 MeV alpha-particles with X- and gamma-rays of W, Re, and Pt, and 3.88 MeV particles (interpreted as protons) with 185.8 keV gamma-rays. The data are interpreted in terms of the production of long-lived (t(1/2) of several months) high spin isomeric states in the second well of the potential in the parent nuclei, which decay to the normal states in the daughters, and in the third well of the potential, which decay to the second well.Comment: 25 pages including 11 figures and 3 table

Dance and political conflict: three comparative case studies

Can dance, as a non-verbal artform, effectively express political opinions? This paper examines three choreographic ways of dealing with controversial political issues, incorporating the works of artists in Germany, the US and UK. The pieces have been chosen to represent three of the main trouble spots of the 20th century: World War I, the bombings in Vietnam and Cambodia in the 1960s, and Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile. Kurt Jooss’s epoch-making "The Green Table", first performed in 1932, sets the tone. Based on the experiences of the First World War, it is a stark reminder of the cruelties of war and an almost uncanny foreshadow of the events of World War II. Jooss’s outspoken political stance forced him to leave Hitler's Germany for England as soon as 1933. American postmodernism is generally known for its rebellious and anti-establishment nature. The conflicts in Vietnam and Cambodia led to choreographies of protest in the 1960s and early 1970s. For instance, Steve Paxton, in his piece "Collaboration with Wintersoldier" (1971), collaborated with anti-war Vietnam veterans. Finally, the British choreographer Christopher Bruce tackled the issue of the military government in Chile. "Ghost Dances" (1981) uses an impressive image repertory and Latin-American folk tunes to deliver dramatic visual effects and a powerful political message. The paper investigates how the three choreographers deal with the challenge of translating politics into dance; and how specific national or political ideologies feed into their works. It analyses the ways dance artists depict political conflicts and how they manage to advocate their views to influence their audience. By comparing the different approaches, one might trace the development of politically-orientated Western stage dance through the 20th Century, considering the extent to which later choreographers built on or modified earlier forms of expression

Nijinsky's images of homosexuality: three case studies

Many choreographies created by the Ballets Russes defied and disrupted conventional gender norms, thus helping to redefine methods of sexual presentation on stage. Drawing on material from gender and queer theory, including Judith Butler’s work, this interdisciplinary paper explores how the male dancer, notably Nijinsky, was used to portray three different types of homoerotic imagery. Fokine’s Le Spectre de la rose, Nijinsky’s choreography for L’Après-midi d’un faune, and Fokine’s Legend of Joseph are analysed against the backdrop of early twentieth-century research in sexual science and the literary reception of the male dancer by German-speaking authors

Dying for the cause: choreographing the myths of Ulrike Meinhof and Wolfgang Grams

This paper analyses contemporary choreographic responses to the left-wing terrorist organisation Red Army Faction. It uses the Austrian Johann Kresnik’s ‘Ulrike Meinhof’ (1990/2006) alongside the Czech Pavel Mikuláštík’s ‘Tatort: The Seven Deaths of Wolfgang G.’(1994) to examine how these choreographers tackle the highly contentious subject of violent anti-state activism in their country of residence, Germany. The works centre on (in)famous members of the organisation, who died early deaths, highlighting the ideological and physical confrontation between the anarchist terrorists and police powers. The choreographies, however, apply different artistic strategies inre-evaluating RAF history and its fatal consequences from a left-wing perspective

The never-ending trembling and vomiting of the soul: Carl Sternheim's critique of the modern dance movement

German playwright Carl Sternheim’s comedy "The School of Uznach" (1926) is a caustic satire of the modern dance movement; particularly the claims of its central figures, notably Rudolf von Laban and Mary Wigman, to have achieved through their dance practice a fundamental change in social values and a new model of the human being. Set in a fictional dance academy which espouses progressive ideals of self-expression, sexual permissiveness and harmony between mental states and bodily movement, Sternheim’s play lampoons the hidden conformity, vulgarity and meaningless platitudes he sees as pervading much of his contemporary dance culture. This article considers Sternheim’s work as a literary example of the contemporary reception of the aims and methods of Ausdruckstanz; echoed for instance in the work of left-wing sociologist Siegfried Kracauer. While Laban’s and Wigman’s influences on subsequent dance developments are undeniable, Sternheim’s play sounds a cautionary note about the over-theorisation of body culture and paradoxically repressive outcomes of radical methods in (dance) pedagogy

Search for Cosmic Axions using an Optical Interferometer

A high finesse optical cavity can be used to search for cosmic axions in the mass range 10^{-6}< m_a <10^{-4} eV. Either a two-arm or a single-arm cavity is suitable and in either case the signal as resonant sidebands imposed on the carrier. Assuming for the local axion density the usual figure of 500 MeV/cm^3 [8], the KSVZ axion line [4] g/m_a = 0.4 Gev^{-2}, can be reached over the full mass range in a one year search.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figur

‘There was never anythin’ like this!!!’ Valeska Gert's performances in the context of Weimar culture

This paper explores Valeska Gert’s contributions to dance against the backdrop of Weimar Germany. The first section considers the themes of her choreographies. Eschewing both idealism and abstraction, her work presented a gritty account of the realities of contemporary quotidian life, often featuring outcasts from bourgeois society. It also reflected a growing German interest in aspects of American culture, including sport and multi-ethnicity. Whereas many expressive dancers offered bucolic images of nature, Gert fully embraced modernity, including the process of urbanisation and technological developments. The paper’s second section turns to stylistic features of Gert’s dance, using an analysis of Alfred Meyer’s poem about the dancer as a springboard for discussion. Consideration is given to the montage-like structure of many of Gert’s works, her invocation of elements of ‘lower’ culture such as the street ballad, and her association with the carnival and grotesque. Her frequently shocking body images are viewed as subverting social conventions, in particular by presenting a radical take on femininity