2,255 research outputs found
Neutron Stars as Dark Matter Probes
We examine whether the accretion of dark matter onto neutron stars could ever
have any visible external effects. Captured dark matter which subsequently
annihilates will heat the neutron stars, although it seems the effect will be
too small to heat close neutron stars at an observable rate whilst those at the
galactic centre are obscured by dust. Non-annihilating dark matter would
accumulate at the centre of the neutron star. In a very dense region of dark
matter such as that which may be found at the centre of the galaxy, a neutron
star might accrete enough to cause it to collapse within a period of time less
than the age of the Universe. We calculate what value of the stable dark
matter-nucleon cross section would cause this to occur for a large range of
masses.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
Archaeological identification of fragmented nuts and fruits from key Asia-Pacific economic tree species using anatomical criteria: comparative analysis of Canarium, Pandanus and Terminalia
The fats, protein and carbohydrates afforded by tree nuts and fruits are key resources for communities from Southeast Asia, through Melanesia, Australia and across Oceania. They are important in long-distance marine trade networks, large-scale ceremonial gatherings, and are core resources in a wide range of subsistence economies, including foraging systems, horticulture and swidden agriculture. Recent archaeobotanical evidence has also shown their deep-time importance, being amongst the earliest foods used in the colonisation of novel environments in Australia and New Guinea, as well as the later colonisation of Near and Remote Oceania. The archaeobotanical methods used to identify fruit and nut-derived plant macrofossils have been largely limited to use of morphological characters of near whole or exceptionally preserved remains, most commonly endocarps, the hard, nutshell-like interior layer of the fruit protecting the seed. Here we detail how anatomical characteristics of endocarps, visible in light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), can be used with surviving morphological features to identify confidently the use of key Asia-Pacific economic trees, in this case, Canarium, Pandanus and Terminalia. Systematic anatomical description allows the identification of these important economic taxa, and separation from the remains of others such as Aleurites and Cocos, when found in a range of archaeological assemblages. This includes the often highly fragmented charred assemblages that can be recovered routinely from most sites with appropriate fine-sieving and flotation methods. These methods provide the basis for a more representative and nuanced understanding of ancient plant use, economy and social systems operating in the region and, being particularly useful in tropical regions, will broaden the archaeobotanical database on ancient foods globally.Introduction Background - Definition of tree fruits and nuts - Structure and use of Canarium - Structure and use of Pandanus - Structure and use of Terminalia - Archaeological visibility Methods - Archaeobotanical analysis of modern comparative material - Archaeobotanical analysis of archaeological material Results - Canarium - Pandanus - Terminalia Discussion Conclusio
Voids as Alternatives to Dark Energy and the Propagation of Gamma Rays through the Universe
We test the opacity of a void Universe to TeV energy gamma rays having
obtained the extra-galactic background light in that Universe using a simple
model and the observed constraints on the star formation rate history. We find
that the void Universe has significantly more opacity than a Lambda-CDM
Universe, putting it at odds with observations of BL-Lac objects. We argue that
while this method of distinguishing between the two cosmologies contains
uncertainties, it circumvents any debates over fine-tuning.Comment: 4 pages 4 figure
Extended matter coupled to BF theory
Recently, a topological field theory of membrane-matter coupled to BF theory
in arbitrary spacetime dimensions was proposed [1]. In this paper, we discuss
various aspects of the four-dimensional theory. Firstly, we study classical
solutions leading to an interpretation of the theory in terms of strings
propagating on a flat spacetime. We also show that the general classical
solutions of the theory are in one-to-one correspondence with solutions of
Einstein's equations in the presence of distributional matter (cosmic strings).
Secondly, we quantize the theory and present, in particular, a prescription to
regularize the physical inner product of the canonical theory. We show how the
resulting transition amplitudes are dual to evaluations of Feynman diagrams
coupled to three-dimensional quantum gravity. Finally, we remove the regulator
by proving the topological invariance of the transition amplitudes.Comment: 27 pages, 7 figure
Photon-axion mixing and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays from BL Lac type objects -- Shining light through the Universe
Photons may convert into axion like particles and back in the magnetic field
of various astrophysical objects, including active galaxies, clusters of
galaxies, intergalactic space and the Milky Way. This is a potential
explanation for the candidate neutral ultra-high-energy (E>10^18 eV) particles
from distant BL Lac type objects which have been observed by the High
Resolution Fly's Eye experiment. Axions of the same mass and coupling may
explain also TeV photons detected from distant blazars.Comment: Revtex 10 pages, 6 figures. V.2: QED dispersion effects taken into
account; principal results unchanged. V3: misprints and sqrt(4*pi) factors in
Gauss to eV conversion corrected; conclusions unchange
Relaxing Cosmological Constraints on Large Extra Dimensions
We reconsider cosmological constraints on extra dimension theories from the
excess production of Kaluza-Klein gravitons. We point out that, if the normalcy
temperature is above 1 GeV, then graviton states produced at this temperature
will decay early enough that they do not affect the present day dark matter
density, or the diffuse gamma ray background. We rederive the relevant
cosmological constraints for this scenario.Comment: 17 pages, latex, revtex4; added a short discussion of other
constraints, reference
Observables in 3d spinfoam quantum gravity with fermions
We study expectation values of observables in three-dimensional spinfoam
quantum gravity coupled to Dirac fermions. We revisit the model introduced by
one of the authors and extend it to the case of massless fermionic fields. We
introduce observables, analyse their symmetries and the corresponding proper
gauge fixing. The Berezin integral over the fermionic fields is performed and
the fermionic observables are expanded in open paths and closed loops
associated to pure quantum gravity observables. We obtain the vertex amplitudes
for gauge-invariant observables, while the expectation values of gauge-variant
observables, such as the fermion propagator, are given by the evaluation of
particular spin networks.Comment: 32 pages, many diagrams, uses psfrag
- …