Holographic Renormalization of general dilaton-axion gravity

We consider a very general dilaton-axion system coupled to Einstein-Hilbert gravity in arbitrary dimension and we carry out holographic renormalization for any dimension up to and including five dimensions. This is achieved by developing a new systematic algorithm for iteratively solving the radial Hamilton-Jacobi equation in a derivative expansion. The boundary term derived is valid not only for asymptotically AdS backgrounds, but also for more general asymptotics, including non-conformal branes and Improved Holographic QCD. In the second half of the paper, we apply the general result to Improved Holographic QCD with arbitrary dilaton potential. In particular, we derive the generalized Fefferman-Graham asymptotic expansions and provide a proof of the holographic Ward identities.Comment: 42 pages. v2: two references added. Version published in JHEP. v3: fixed minor typos in eqs. (1.6), (2.3), (3.20), (A.3), (B.8), (B.12) and (B.22

On the Deformation of a Hyperelastic Tube Due to Steady Viscous Flow Within

In this chapter, we analyze the steady-state microscale fluid--structure interaction (FSI) between a generalized Newtonian fluid and a hyperelastic tube. Physiological flows, especially in hemodynamics, serve as primary examples of such FSI phenomena. The small scale of the physical system renders the flow field, under the power-law rheological model, amenable to a closed-form solution using the lubrication approximation. On the other hand, negligible shear stresses on the walls of a long vessel allow the structure to be treated as a pressure vessel. The constitutive equation for the microtube is prescribed via the strain energy functional for an incompressible, isotropic Mooney--Rivlin material. We employ both the thin- and thick-walled formulations of the pressure vessel theory, and derive the static relation between the pressure load and the deformation of the structure. We harness the latter to determine the flow rate--pressure drop relationship for non-Newtonian flow in thin- and thick-walled soft hyperelastic microtubes. Through illustrative examples, we discuss how a hyperelastic tube supports the same pressure load as a linearly elastic tube with smaller deformation, thus requiring a higher pressure drop across itself to maintain a fixed flow rate.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, Springer book class; v2: minor revisions, final form of invited contribution to the Springer volume entitled "Dynamical Processes in Generalized Continua and Structures" (in honour of Academician D.I. Indeitsev), eds. H. Altenbach, A. Belyaev, V. A. Eremeyev, A. Krivtsov and A. V. Porubo

Holographic renormalization as a canonical transformation

The gauge/string dualities have drawn attention to a class of variational problems on a boundary at infinity, which are not well defined unless a certain boundary term is added to the classical action. In the context of supergravity in asymptotically AdS spaces these problems are systematically addressed by the method of holographic renormalization. We argue that this class of a priori ill defined variational problems extends far beyond the realm of holographic dualities. As we show, exactly the same issues arise in gravity in non asymptotically AdS spaces, in point particles with certain unbounded from below potentials, and even fundamental strings in flat or AdS backgrounds. We show that the variational problem in all such cases can be made well defined by the following procedure, which is intrinsic to the system in question and does not rely on the existence of a holographically dual theory: (i) The first step is the construction of the space of the most general asymptotic solutions of the classical equations of motion that inherits a well defined symplectic form from that on phase space. The requirement of a well defined symplectic form is essential and often leads to a necessary repackaging of the degrees of freedom. (ii) Once the space of asymptotic solutions has been constructed in terms of the correct degrees of freedom, then there exists a boundary term that is obtained as a certain solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation which simultaneously makes the variational problem well defined and preserves the symplectic form. This procedure is identical to holographic renormalization in the case of asymptotically AdS gravity, but it is applicable to any Hamiltonian system.Comment: 37 pages; v2 minor corrections in section 2, 2 references and a footnote on Palatini gravity added. Version to appear in JHE

Variability of disk emission in pre-main sequence and related stars. II. Variability in the gas and dust emission of the Herbig Fe star SAO 206462

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.We present 13 epochs of near-infrared (0.8-5 μm) spectroscopic observations of the pre-transitional, "gapped" disk system in SAO 206462 (=HD 135344B). In all, six gas emission lines (Brα, Brγ, Paβ, Paγ, Paδ, Paepsilon, and the 0.8446 μm line of O I) along with continuum measurements made near the standard J, H, K, and L photometric bands were measured. A mass accretion rate of approximately 2 × 10–8 M ☉ yr–1 was derived from the Brγ and Paβ lines. However, the fluxes of these lines varied by a factor of over two during the course of a few months. The continuum also varied, but by only ~30%, and even decreased at a time when the gas emission was increasing. The H I line at 1.083 μm was also found to vary in a manner inconsistent with that of either the hydrogen lines or the dust. Both the gas and dust variabilities indicate significant changes in the region of the inner gas and the inner dust belt that may be common to many young disk systems. If planets are responsible for defining the inner edge of the gap, they could interact with the material on timescales commensurate with what is observed for the variations in the dust, while other disk instabilities (thermal, magnetorotational) would operate there on longer timescales than we observe for the inner dust belt. For SAO 206462, the orbital period would likely be 1-3 years. If the changes are being induced in the disk material closer to the star than the gap, a variety of mechanisms (disk instabilities, interactions via planets) might be responsible for the changes seen. The He I feature is most likely due to a wind whose orientation changes with respect to the observer on timescales of a day or less. To further constrain the origin of the gas and dust emission will require multiple spectroscopic and interferometric observations on both shorter and longer timescales that have been sampled so far.This work was supported by NASA ADP grants NNH06CC28C and NNX09AC73G, Hubble Space Telescope grants HST-GO-10764 and HST-GO-10864, Chilean National TAC grants CNTAC-010A-064

Accreting Protoplanets in the LkCa 15 Transition Disk

Exoplanet detections have revolutionized astronomy, offering new insights into solar system architecture and planet demographics. While nearly 1900 exoplanets have now been discovered and confirmed, none are still in the process of formation. Transition discs, protoplanetary disks with inner clearings best explained by the influence of accreting planets, are natural laboratories for the study of planet formation. Some transition discs show evidence for the presence of young planets in the form of disc asymmetries or infrared sources detected within their clearings, as in the case of LkCa 15. Attempts to observe directly signatures of accretion onto protoplanets have hitherto proven unsuccessful. Here we report adaptive optics observations of LkCa 15 that probe within the disc clearing. With accurate source positions over multiple epochs spanning 2009 - 2015, we infer the presence of multiple companions on Keplerian orbits. We directly detect H{\alpha} emission from the innermost companion, LkCa 15 b, evincing hot (~10,000 K) gas falling deep into the potential well of an accreting protoplanet.Comment: 35 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, 9 extended data item

Cosmogenic neutron production at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

Neutrons produced in nuclear interactions initiated by cosmic-ray muons present an irreducible background to many rare-event searches, even in detectors located deep underground. Models for the production of these neutrons have been tested against previous experimental data, but the extrapolation to deeper sites is not well understood. Here we report results from an analysis of cosmogenically produced neutrons at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. A specific set of observables are presented, which can be used to benchmark the validity of geant4 physics models. In addition, the cosmogenic neutron yield, in units of 10-4 cm2/(g·μ), is measured to be 7.28±0.09(stat)-1.12+1.59(syst) in pure heavy water and 7.30±0.07(stat)-1.02+1.40(syst) in NaCl-loaded heavy water. These results provide unique insights into this potential background source for experiments at SNOLAB

Projected WIMP sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment

LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a next-generation dark matter direct detection experiment that will operate 4850 feet underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, USA. Using a two-phase xenon detector with an active mass of 7 tonnes, LZ will search primarily for low-energy interactions with weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), which are hypothesized to make up the dark matter in our galactic halo. In this paper, the projected WIMP sensitivity of LZ is presented based on the latest background estimates and simulations of the detector. For a 1000 live day run using a 5.6-tonne fiducial mass, LZ is projected to exclude at 90% confidence level spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross sections above 1.4×10-48 cm2 for a 40 GeV/c2 mass WIMP. Additionally, a 5σ discovery potential is projected, reaching cross sections below the exclusion limits of recent experiments. For spin-dependent WIMP-neutron(-proton) scattering, a sensitivity of 2.3×10-43 cm2 (7.1×10-42 cm2) for a 40 GeV/c2 mass WIMP is expected. With underground installation well underway, LZ is on track for commissioning at SURF in 2020

Survival Rate, Fracture Strength and Failure Mode of Ceramic Implant Abutments After Chewing Simulation

The aim of this study was to compare titanium-reinforced ZrO2 and pure Al2O3 abutments regarding their outcome after chewing simulation and static loading. Forty-eight standard diameter implants with an external hexagon were divided into three groups of 16 implants each and restored with three different types of abutments (group A: ZrO2 abutments with titanium inserts; group B: densely sintered high-purity Al2O3 abutments; group C: titanium abutments). All abutments were fixated on the implants with gold-alloy screws at 32 Ncm torque, and metal crowns were adhesively cemented onto the abutments. The specimens were exposed to 1.2 million cycles in a chewing simulator. Surviving specimens were subsequently loaded until fracture in a static testing device. Fracture loads (N) and fracture modes were recorded. A Wilcoxon Rank test to compare fracture loads among the 3 groups and a Fisher exact test to detect group differences in fracture modes were used for statistical evaluation (

Circumstellar disks and planets. Science cases for next-generation optical/infrared long-baseline interferometers

We present a review of the interplay between the evolution of circumstellar disks and the formation of planets, both from the perspective of theoretical models and dedicated observations. Based on this, we identify and discuss fundamental questions concerning the formation and evolution of circumstellar disks and planets which can be addressed in the near future with optical and infrared long-baseline interferometers. Furthermore, the importance of complementary observations with long-baseline (sub)millimeter interferometers and high-sensitivity infrared observatories is outlined.Comment: 83 pages; Accepted for publication in "Astronomy and Astrophysics Review"; The final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.co

Modeling Trap-Awareness and Related Phenomena in Capture-Recapture Studies

Trap-awareness and related phenomena whereby successive capture events are not independent is a feature of the majority of capture-recapture studies. This phenomenon was up to now difficult to incorporate in open population models and most authors have chosen to neglect it although this may have damaging consequences. Focusing on the situation where animals exhibit a trap response at the occasion immediately following one where they have been trapped but revert to their original naïve state if they are missed once, we show that trap-dependence is more naturally viewed as a state transition and is amenable to the current models of capture-recapture. This approach has the potential to accommodate lasting or progressively waning trap effects