Harmonic Analysis of Linear Fields on the Nilgeometric Cosmological Model

To analyze linear field equations on a locally homogeneous spacetime by means of separation of variables, it is necessary to set up appropriate harmonics according to its symmetry group. In this paper, the harmonics are presented for a spatially compactified Bianchi II cosmological model -- the nilgeometric model. Based on the group structure of the Bianchi II group (also known as the Heisenberg group) and the compactified spatial topology, the irreducible differential regular representations and the multiplicity of each irreducible representation, as well as the explicit form of the harmonics are all completely determined. They are also extended to vector harmonics. It is demonstrated that the Klein-Gordon and Maxwell equations actually reduce to systems of ODEs, with an asymptotic solution for a special case.Comment: 28 pages, no figures, revised version to appear in JM

The Efroimsky formalism adapted to high-frequency perturbations

The Efroimsky perturbation scheme for consistent treatment of gravitational waves and their influence on the background is summarized and compared with classical Isaacson's high-frequency approach. We demonstrate that the Efroimsky method in its present form is not compatible with the Isaacson limit of high-frequency gravitational waves, and we propose its natural generalization to resolve this drawback.Comment: 7 pages, to appear in Class. Quantum Gra

Lensing Properties of Lightlike Current Carrying Cosmic Strings

The lensing properties of superconducting cosmic strings endowed with a time dependent pulse of lightlike current are investigated. The metric outside the core of the string belongs to the $pp$--wave class, with a deficit angle. We study the field theoretic bosonic Witten model coupled to gravity, and we show that the full metric (both outside and inside the core) is a Taub-Kerr-Shild generalization of that for the static string with no current. It is shown that the double image due to the deficit angle evolves in an unambiguous way as a pulse of lightlike current passes between the source and the observer. Observational consequences of this signature of the existence of cosmic strings are briefly discussed.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX-REVTeX, 7 figures available upon request, preprint # DAMTP-R94/1

Recent developments in biosensing methods for extracellular vesicle protein characterization

Research into extracellular vesicles (EVs) has grown significantly over the last few decades with EVs being widely regarded as a source of biomarkers for human health and disease with massive clinical potential. Secreted by every cell type in the body, EVs report on the internal cellular conditions across all tissue types. Their presence in readily accessible biofluids makes the potential of EV biosensing highly attractive as a noninvasive diagnostic platform via liquid biopsies. However, their small size (50-250 nm), inherent heterogeneity, and the complexity of the native biofluids introduce challenges for effective characterization, thus, limiting their clinical utility. This has led to a surge in the development of various novel EV biosensing techniques, with capabilities beyond those of conventional methods that have been directly transferred from cell biology. In this review, key detection principles used for EV biosensing are summarized, with a focus on some of the most recent and fundamental developments in the field over the last 5 years. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > Biosensing Diagnostic Tools > In Vitro Nanoparticle-Based Sensing

General Gauss-Bonnet brane cosmology

We consider 5-dimensional spacetimes of constant 3-dimensional spatial curvature in the presence of a bulk cosmological constant. We find the general solution of such a configuration in the presence of a Gauss-Bonnet term. Two classes of non-trivial bulk solutions are found. The first class is valid only under a fine tuning relation between the Gauss-Bonnet coupling constant and the cosmological constant of the bulk spacetime. The second class of solutions are static and are the extensions of the AdS-Schwarzchild black holes. Hence in the absence of a cosmological constant or if the fine tuning relation is not true, the generalised Birkhoff's staticity theorem holds even in the presence of Gauss-Bonnet curvature terms. We examine the consequences in brane world cosmology obtaining the generalised Friedmann equations for a perfect fluid 3-brane and discuss how this modifies the usual scenario.Comment: 20 pages, no figures, typos corrected, refs added, section IV changed yielding novel result

Two-Dimensional Black Holes and Planar General Relativity

The Einstein-Hilbert action with a cosmological term is used to derive a new action in 1+1 spacetime dimensions. It is shown that the two-dimensional theory is equivalent to planar symmetry in General Relativity. The two-dimensional theory admits black holes and free dilatons, and has a structure similar to two-dimensional string theories. Since by construction these solutions also solve Einstein's equations, such a theory can bring two-dimensional results into the four-dimensional real world. In particular the two-dimensional black hole is also a black hole in General Relativity.Comment: 11 pages, plainte

Charged null fluid collapse in anti-de Sitter spacetimes and naked singularities

We investigate the occurrence of naked singularities in the spherically symmetric, plane symmetric and cylindrically symmetric collapse of charged null fluid in an anti-de Sitter background. The naked singularities are found to be strong in Tipler's sense and thus violate the cosmic censorship conjecture, but not hoop conjecture.Comment: 8 pages, No figure

Ultrahigh Vacuum Chamber for Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction from Films Adsorbed on Single-crystal Surfaces

An ultrahigh vacuum chamber has been developed for structural analysis of adsorbed films and single‐crystal surfaces using synchrotron x‐ray diffraction. It is particularly well suited for investigations of physisorbed and other weakly bound films. The chamber is small enough to transport and mount directly on a standard four‐axis diffractometer and can also be used independently of the x‐ray diffractometer. A low‐current, pulse‐counting, low‐energy electron diffraction/Auger spectroscopy system with a position‐sensitive detector enables in situ characterization of the film and substrate while the sample is located at the x‐ray scattering position. A closed‐cycle He refrigerator and electron bombardment heater provide controlled substrate temperatures from 30 to 1300 K. The chamber is also equipped with an ion sputter gun, a quadrupole mass spectrometer, and a gas handling system. Details of the design and operation of the instrument are described. To demonstrate the performance of the instrument, we present some preliminary results of a study of Xe physisorbed on the Ag(111) surface

Kerr-Schild Symmetries

We study continuous groups of generalized Kerr-Schild transformations and the vector fields that generate them in any n-dimensional manifold with a Lorentzian metric. We prove that all these vector fields can be intrinsically characterized and that they constitute a Lie algebra if the null deformation direction is fixed. The properties of these Lie algebras are briefly analyzed and we show that they are generically finite-dimensional but that they may have infinite dimension in some relevant situations. The most general vector fields of the above type are explicitly constructed for the following cases: any two-dimensional metric, the general spherically symmetric metric and deformation direction, and the flat metric with parallel or cylindrical deformation directions.Comment: 15 pages, no figures, LaTe