Semi-analytical approach for the Vaidya metric in double-null coordinates

We reexamine here a problem considered in detail before by Waugh and Lake: the solutions of spherically symmetric Einstein's equations with a radial flow of unpolarized radiation (the Vaidya metric) in double-null coordinates. This problem is known to be not analytically solvable, the only known explicit solutions correspond to the constant mass case (Schwarzschild solution in Kruskal-Szekeres form) and the linear and exponential mass functions originally discovered by Waugh and Lake. We present here a semi-analytical approach that can be used to discuss some qualitative and quantitative aspects of the Vaidya metric in double-null coordinates for generic mass functions. We present also a new analytical solution corresponding to $(1/v)$-mass function.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Equal-Spin Pairing State of Superfluid 3^3He in Aerogel

The equal-spin pairing (ESP) state, the so-called A-like phase, of superfluid $^3$He in aerogels is studied theoretically in the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) region by examining thermodynamics, and the resulting equilibrium phase diagram is mapped out. We find that, among the ABM, planar, and robust pairing states, the ABM state with presumably quasi long-ranged superfluid order is the best candidate of the A-like phase with a strange lowering of the polycritical point (PCP) observed experimentally.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, one reference added, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Spin melting and refreezing driven by uniaxial compression on a dipolar hexagonal plate

We investigate freezing characteristics of a finite dipolar hexagonal plate by the Monte Carlo simulation. The hexagonal plate is cut out from a piled triangular lattice of three layers with FCC-like (ABCABC) stacking structure. In the present study an annealing simulation is performed for the dipolar plate uniaxially compressed in the direction of layer-piling. We find spin melting and refreezing driven by the uniaxial compression. Each of the melting and refreezing corresponds one-to-one with a change of the ground states induced by compression. The freezing temperatures of the ground-state orders differ significantly from each other, which gives rise to the spin melting and refreezing of the present interest. We argue that these phenomena are originated by a finite size effect combined with peculiar anisotropic nature of the dipole-dipole interaction.Comment: Proceedings of the Highly Frustrated Magnetism (HFM2006) conference. To appear in a special issue of J. Phys. Condens. Matte

Linguistics

Contains reports on one research project.U. S. Air Force (Electronics Systems Division) under Contract AF 19(628)-2487Joint Services Electronics Programs (U. S. Army, U. S. Navy, and U. S. Air Force) under Contract DA 36-039-AMC-03200(E)National Science Foundation (Grant GK-835)National Institutes of Health (Grant 2 PO1 MH-04737-06)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NsG-496

Interspecific differences in the larval performance of Pieris butterflies (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) are associated with differences in the glucosinolate profiles of host plants

The tremendous diversity of plants and herbivores has arisen from a coevolutionary relationship characterized by plant defense and herbivore counter adaptation. Pierid butterfly species feed on Brassicales plants that produce glucosinolates as a chemical deterrent against herbivory. In turn, the larvae of pierids have nitrile specifier proteins (NSPs) that are expressed in their gut and disarm glucosinolates. Pierid butterflies are known to have diversified in response to glucosinolate diversification in Brassicales. Therefore, each pierid species is expected to have a spectrum of host plants characterized by specific glucosinolate profiles. In this study, we tested whether the larval performance of different Pieris species, a genus in Pieridae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), was associated with plant defense traits of putative host plants. We conducted feeding assays using larvae of three Pieris species and 10 species of the Brassicaceae family possessing different leaf physical traits and glucosinolate profile measurements. The larvae of Pieris rapae responded differently in the feeding assays compared with the other two Pieris species. This difference was associated with differences in glucosinolate profiles but not with variations in physical traits of the host plants. This result suggests that individual Pieris species are adapted to a subset of glucosinolate profiles within the Brassicaceae. Our results support the idea that the host ranges of Pieris species depend on larval responses to glucosinolate diversification in the host species, supporting the hypothesis of coevolution between butterflies and host plants mediated by the chemical arms race

High field electro-thermal transport in metallic carbon nanotubes

We describe the electro-thermal transport in metallic carbon nanotubes (m-CNTs) by a semi-classical approach that takes into account the high-field dynamical interdependence between charge carrier and phonon populations. Our model is based on the self-consistent solution of the Boltzmann transport equation and the heat equation mediated by a phonon rate equation that accounts for the onset of non-equilibrium (optical) phonons in the high-field regime. Given the metallic nature of the nanostructures, a key ingredient of the model is the assumption of local thermalization of charge carriers. Our theory remarkably reproduces the room temperature electrical characteristics of m-CNTs on substrate and free standing (suspended), shedding light on charge-heat transport in these one dimensional nanostructures. In particular, the negative differential resistance observed in suspended m-CNTs under electric stress is attributed to inhomogeneous field profile induced by self-heating rather than the presence of hot phonons.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure

The importance of diazotrophic cyanobacteria as primary producers during Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 2

In Livello Bonarelli black shale deposited during Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE-2, ca.&nbsp;94 Ma), nitrogen isotopic compositions of bulk sediments are mostly in a narrow range from &ndash;2.7 to &ndash;0.7&permil;. We also determined molecular distribution and nitrogen isotopic compositions of geoporphyrins extracted from the black shale. The nitrogen isotopic compositions of C₃₂ Ni deoxophylloerythroetioporphyrin (DPEP) and total Ni porphyrins are &ndash;3.5 and &ndash;3.3&permil;, respectively, leading us to the estimation that the mean nitrogen isotopic composition of photoautotrophic cells were around +1&permil; during the formation of Bonarelli black shale. This value is suggestive of N₂-fixation, a dominant process for these photoautotrophs when assimilating nitrogen. Furthermore, Ni-chelated C₃₂ DPEP, derived mainly from chlorophyll <i>a</i> had the highest concentration. Based on this evidence, we conclude that diazotrophic cyanobacteria were major primary producers during that time. Cyanobacteria may be key photoautotrophs during the formation of black shale type sediments intermittently observed throughout the later half of the Earth&apos;s history, and hence may have played a crucial role in the evolution of geochemical cycles even in the later half of the Earth&apos;s history