The Operator Product Expansion for Wilson Loops and Surfaces in the Large N Limit

The operator product expansion for ``small'' Wilson loops in {\cal N}=4, d=4 SYM is studied. The OPE coefficients are calculated in the large N and g_{YM}^2 N limit by exploiting the AdS/CFT correspondence. We also consider Wilson surfaces in the (0,2), d=6 superconformal theory. In this case, we find that the UV divergent terms include a term proportional to the rigid string action.Comment: 22 pages LaTeX2e, using utarticle.cls (included) and AMS-LaTeX macro

An experimental study of the feasibility of phase‐based video magnification for damage detection and localisation in operational deflection shapes

Optical measurements from high‐speed, high‐definition video recordings can be used to define the full‐field dynamics of a structure. By comparing the dynamic responses resulting from both damaged and undamaged elements, structural health monitoring can be carried out, similarly as with mounted transducers. Unlike the physical sensors, which provide point‐wise measurements and a limited number of output channels, high‐quality video recording allows very spatially dense information. Moreover, video acquisition is a noncontact technique. This guarantees that any anomaly in the dynamic behaviour can be more easily correlated to damage and not to added mass or stiffness due to the installed sensors. However, in real‐life scenarios, the vibrations due to environmental input are often so small that they are indistinguishable from measurement noise if conventional image‐based techniques are applied. In order to improve the signal‐to‐noise ratio in low‐amplitude measurements, phase‐based motion magnification has been recently proposed. This study intends to show that model‐based structural health monitoring can be performed on modal data and time histories processed with phase‐based motion magnification, whereas unamplified vibrations would be too small for being successfully exploited. All the experiments were performed on a multidamaged box beam with different damage sizes and angles

Bosonic Quadratic Actions for 11D Supergravity on AdS_7/4 x S_4/7

We determine from 11D supergravity the quadratic bulk action for the physical bosonic fields relevant for the computation of correlation functions of normalized chiral operators in D=6, N=(0,2) and D=3, N=8 supersymmetric CFT in the large N limit, as dictated by the AdS/CFT duality conjecture.Comment: 16 pages, Plain TeX, no figures, requires AMS font files amssym.def and amssym.tex, a few typos correcte

A pp-Wave With 26 Supercharges

A pp-wave solution to 11-dimensional supergravity is given with precisely 26 supercharges. Its uniqueness and the absence of 11-dimensional pp-waves which preserve (precisely) 28 or 30 supercharges is discussed. Compactification on a spacelike circle gives a IIA configuration with all 26 of the supercharges. For this compactification, D0 brane charge does not appear in the supersymmetry algebra. Indeed, the 26 supercharge IIA background does not admit any supersymmetric D-branes. In an appendix, a 28 supercharge IIB pp-wave is presented along with its supersymmetry algebra.Comment: 18 pages REVTeX 4 and AMSLaTeX. v3: Equations (III.17) and (III.18) corrected. Reference added. v4: more typos corrected and references adde

Some Cubic Couplings in Type IIB Supergravity on AdS5×S5AdS_5\times S^5 and Three-point Functions in SYM_4 at Large N

All cubic couplings in type IIB supergravity on $AdS_5\times S^5$ that involve two scalar fields $s^I$ that are mixtures of the five form field strength on $S^5$ and the trace of the graviton on $S^5$ are derived by using the covariant equations of motion and the quadratic action for type IIB supergravity on $AdS_5\times S^5$. All corresponding three-point functions in SYM$_4$ are calculated in the supergravity approximation. It is pointed out that the scalars $s^I$ correspond not to the chiral primary operators in the ${\cal N}=4$ SYM but rather to a proper extension of the operators.Comment: Latex, 24p, misprints are correcte

A radiation-like era before inflation

We show that the semiclassical approximation to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation for the minisuperspace of a minimally coupled scalar field in the spatially flat de Sitter Universe prompts the existence of an initial power-law evolution driven by non-adiabatic terms from the gravitational wavefunction which act like radiation. This simple model hence describes the onset of inflation from a previous radiation-like expansion during which the cosmological constant is already present but subleading.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, no figures; final version to be published in JCA

IC 4406: a radio-infrared view

IC 4406 is a large (about 100'' x 30'') southern bipolar planetary nebula, composed of two elongated lobes extending from a bright central region, where there is evidence for the presence of a large torus of gas and dust. We show new observations of this source performed with IRAC (Spitzer Space Telescope) and the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The radio maps show that the flux from the ionized gas is concentrated in the bright central region and originates in a clumpy structure previously observed in H_alpha, while in the infrared images filaments and clumps can be seen in the extended nebular envelope, the central region showing toroidal emission. Modeling of the infrared emission leads to the conclusion that several dust components are present in the nebula.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal; v.2 has changes in both figures and content; preprint forma

Penrose limits and Green-Schwarz strings

We discuss the Green-Schwarz action for type IIB strings in general plane-wave backgrounds obtained as Penrose limits from any IIB supergravity solutions with vanishing background fermions. Using the normal-coordinate expansion in superspace, we prove that the light-cone action is necessarily quadratic in the fermionic coordinates. This proof is valid for more general pp-wave backgrounds under certain conditions. We also write down the complete quadratic action for general bosonic on-shell backgrounds in a form in which its geometrical meaning is manifest both in the Einstein and string frames. When the dilaton and 1-form field strength are vanishing, and the other field strengths are constant, our string-frame action reduces, up to conventions, to the one which has been written down using the supercovariant derivative.Comment: 18 pages, latex, no figures; (v2) relation to ref.14 clarified; (v3) typos corrected, minor change

Abnormal ECG Findings in Athletes: Clinical Evaluation and Considerations.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Pre-participation cardiovascular evaluation with electrocardiography is normal practice for most sporting bodies. Awareness about sudden cardiac death in athletes and recognizing how screening can help identify vulnerable athletes have empowered different sporting disciplines to invest in the wellbeing of their athletes. RECENT FINDINGS: Discerning physiological electrical alterations due to athletic training from those representing cardiac pathology may be challenging. The mode of investigation of affected athletes is dependent on the electrical anomaly and the disease(s) in question. This review will highlight specific pathological ECG patterns that warrant assessment and surveillance, together with an in-depth review of the recommended algorithm for evaluation