411 research outputs found
Tensor-multi-scalar theories from multidimensional cosmology
Inhomogeneous multidimensional cosmological models with a higher dimensional
space-time manifold M=M_0 x M_1 x ... M_n are investigated under dimensional
reduction to tensor-multi-scalar theories. In the Einstein conformal frame,
these theories take the shape of a flat sigma-model. For the singular case
where M_0 is 2-dimensional, the dimensional reduction to dilaton gravity is
preformed with different distinguished representations of the action.Comment: 14 pages, latex, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Phenomenology of the Gowdy Universe on
Numerical studies of the plane symmetric, vacuum Gowdy universe on yield strong support for the conjectured asymptotically velocity term
dominated (AVTD) behavior of its evolution toward the singularity except,
perhaps, at isolated spatial points. A generic solution is characterized by
spiky features and apparent ``discontinuities'' in the wave amplitudes. It is
shown that the nonlinear terms in the wave equations drive the system
generically to the ``small velocity'' AVTD regime and that the spiky features
are caused by the absence of these terms at isolated spatial points.Comment: 19 pages, 21 figures, uses Revtex, psfi
Numerical Investigation of Cosmological Singularities
Although cosmological solutions to Einstein's equations are known to be
generically singular, little is known about the nature of singularities in
typical spacetimes. It is shown here how the operator splitting used in a
particular symplectic numerical integration scheme fits naturally into the
Einstein equations for a large class of cosmological models and thus allows
study of their approach to the singularity. The numerical method also naturally
singles out the asymptotically velocity term dominated (AVTD) behavior known to
be characteristic of some of these models, conjectured to describe others, and
probably characteristic of a subclass of the rest. The method is first applied
to the unpolarized Gowdy T cosmology. Exact pseudo-unpolarized solutions
are used as a code test and demonstrate that a 4th order accurate
implementation of the numerical method yields acceptable agreement. For generic
initial data, support for the conjecture that the singularity is AVTD with
geodesic velocity (in the harmonic map target space) < 1 is found. A new
phenomenon of the development of small scale spatial structure is also
observed. Finally, it is shown that the numerical method straightforwardly
generalizes to an arbitrary cosmological spacetime on with one
spacelike U(1) symmetry.Comment: 37 pp +14 figures (not included, available on request), plain Te
Endophyte Microbiome Diversity in Micropropagated Atriplex canescens and Atriplex torreyi var griffithsii
Microbial diversity associated with micropropagated Atriplex species was assessed using microscopy, isolate culturing, and sequencing. Light, electron, and confocal microscopy revealed microbial cells in aseptically regenerated leaves and roots. Clone libraries and tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing (TEFAP) analysis amplified sequences from callus homologous to diverse fungal and bacterial taxa. Culturing isolated some seed borne endophyte taxa which could be readily propagated apart from the host. Microbial cells were observed within biofilm-like residues associated with plant cell surfaces and intercellular spaces. Various universal primers amplified both plant and microbial sequences, with different primers revealing different patterns of fungal diversity. Bacterial and fungal TEFAP followed by alignment with sequences from curated databases revealed 7 bacterial and 17 ascomycete taxa in A. canescens, and 5 bacterial taxa in A. torreyi. Additional diversity was observed among isolates and clone libraries. Micropropagated Atriplex retains a complex, intimately associated microbiome which includes diverse strains well poised to interact in manners that influence host physiology. Microbiome analysis was facilitated by high throughput sequencing methods, but primer biases continue to limit recovery of diverse sequences from even moderately complex communities
Energy Density of Non-Minimally Coupled Scalar Field Cosmologies
Scalar fields coupled to gravity via in arbitrary
Friedmann-Robertson-Walker backgrounds can be represented by an effective flat
space field theory. We derive an expression for the scalar energy density where
the effective scalar mass becomes an explicit function of and the scale
factor. The scalar quartic self-coupling gets shifted and can vanish for a
particular choice of . Gravitationally induced symmetry breaking and
de-stabilization are possible in this theory.Comment: 18 pages in standard Late
Weak reaction freeze-out constraints on primordial magnetic fields
We explore constraints on the strength of the primordial magnetic field based
upon the weak reaction freeze-out in the early universe. We find that limits on
the strength of the magnetic field found in other works are recovered simply by
examining the temperature at which the rate of weak reactions drops below the
rate of universal expansion ( H). The temperature for which the
ratio at freeze-out leads to acceptable helium production implies limits
on the magnetic field. This simplifies the application of magnetic fields to
other cosmological variants of the standard big-bang. As an illustration we
also consider effects of neutrino degeneracy on the allowed limits to the
primordial magnetic field.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. D., 6 pages, 2 figure
Numerical Approaches to Spacetime Singularities
This Living Review updates a previous version which its itself an update of a
review article. Numerical exploration of the properties of singularities could,
in principle, yield detailed understanding of their nature in physically
realistic cases. Examples of numerical investigations into the formation of
naked singularities, critical behavior in collapse, passage through the Cauchy
horizon, chaos of the Mixmaster singularity, and singularities in spatially
inhomogeneous cosmologies are discussed.Comment: 51 pages, 6 figures may be found in online version: Living Rev.
Relativity 2002-1 at www.livingreviews.or
Inflation and quintessence with nonminimal coupling
The nonminimal coupling (NMC) of the scalar field to the Ricci curvature is
unavoidable in many cosmological scenarios. Inflation and quintessence models
based on nonminimally coupled scalar fields are studied, with particular
attention to the balance between the scalar potential and the NMC term in the
action. NMC makes acceleration of the universe harder to achieve for the usual
potentials, but it is beneficial in obtaining cosmic acceleration with unusual
potentials. The slow-roll approximation with NMC, conformal transformation
techniques, and other aspects of the physics of NMC are clarified.Comment: 36 pages, LaTeX. Typos in Eq. (2.5) correcte
Does accelerating universe indicates Brans-Dicke theory
The evolution of universe in Brans-Dicke (BD) theory is discussed in this
paper.
Considering a parameterized scenario for BD scalar field
which plays the role of gravitational "constant" ,
we apply the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method to investigate a global
constraints on BD theory with a self-interacting potential according to the
current observational data: Union2 dataset of type supernovae Ia (SNIa),
high-redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) data, observational Hubble data (OHD),
the cluster X-ray gas mass fraction, the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO), and
the cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. It is shown that an expanded
universe from deceleration to acceleration is given in this theory, and the
constraint results of dimensionless matter density and parameter
are, and
which is consistent with the
result of current experiment exploration, . In
addition, we use the geometrical diagnostic method, jerk parameter , to
distinguish the BD theory and cosmological constant model in Einstein's theory
of general relativity.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure
A cosmological constant from degenerate vacua
Under the hypothesis that the cosmological constant vanishes in the true
ground state with lowest possible energy density, we argue that the observed
small but finite vacuum-like energy density can be explained if we consider a
theory with two or more degenerate perturbative vacua, which are unstable due
to quantum tunneling, and if we still live in one of such states. An example is
given making use of the topological vacua in non-Abelian gauge theories.Comment: 8 pages, no figur
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