CMB Polarization and Theories of Gravitation with Massive Gravitons

We study in this paper three different theories of gravitation with massive gravitons - the modified Fierz-Pauli (FP) model, Massive Gravity and the bimetric theory proposed by Visser - in linear perturbation theory around a Minkowski and a flat FRW background. For the TT tensor perturbations we show that the three theories give rise to the same dynamical equations and to the same form of the Boltzmann equations for the radiative transfer in General Relativity (GR). We then analyze vector perturbations in these theories and show that they do not give the same results as in the previous case. We first show that vector perturbations in Massive Gravity present the same form as found in General Relativity, whereas in the modified FP theory the vector gravitational-wave (GW) polarization modes ($\Psi_{3}$ amplitudes in the Newman-Penrose (NP) formalism) do not decay too fast as it happens in the former case. Rather, we show that such $\Psi_{3}$ polarization modes give rise to an unusual vector Sachs-Wolfe effect, leaving a signature in the quadrupole form $Y_{2,\pm 1}(\theta,\varphi)$ on the CMB polarization. We then derive the details for the Thomson scattering of CMB photons for these $\Psi_{3}$ modes, and then construct the correspondent Boltzmann equations. Based upon these results we then qualitatively show that $\Psi_{3}$-mode vector signatures - if they do exist - could clearly be distinguished on the CMB polarization from the usual $\Psi_4$ tensor modes.Comment: To appear in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Status Report Of The Schenberg Gravitational Wave Antenna

Here we present a status report of the Schenberg antenna. In the past three years it has gone to a radical upgrading operation, in which we have been installing a 1K pot dilution refrigerator, cabling and amplifiers for nine transducer circuits, designing a new suspension and vibration isolation system for the microstrip antennas, and developing a full set of new transducers, microstrip antennas, and oscillators. We are also studying an innovative approach, which could transform Schenberg into a broadband gravitational wave detector.3631Aguiar, O.D., (2002) Class. Quantum Grav., 19, p. 1949Aguiar, O.D., (2004) Class. Quantum Grav., 21, pp. S457Aguiar, O.D., (2005) Class. Quantum Grav., 22, pp. S209Aguiar, O.D., (2006) Class. Quantum Grav., 23, pp. S239Aguiar, O.D., (2008) Class. Quantum Grav., 25, p. 114042Costa, C.A., (2008) Class. Quantum Grav., 25, p. 184002Johnson, W.W., Merkowitz, S.M., (1993) Phys. Rev. Lett., 70, p. 2367Coccia, E., Lobo, J.A., Ortega, J.A., (1995) Phys. Rev. D, 52, p. 3735Thorne, K.S., (1978) Phys. Rev. Lett., 40, p. 667Tobar, M.E., Ivanov, E.N., Blair, D.G., (2000) Gen. Rel. Grav., 32, p. 1799De Waard, (2005) Class. Quantum Grav., 22, pp. S215Vinet, J.-Y., (2010) Research in Astron Astrophys., 10, p. 956Costa, C.A., Aguiar, O.D., Magalhães, N.S., (2004) Class. Quantum Grav., 21, pp. S827Forward, R.L., (1971) Gen. Rel. Grav., 2, p. 149Eardley, D.M., Lee, D.L., Lightman, A.P., Wagoner, R.V., Will, C.M., (1973) Phys. Rev. Lett., 30, p. 884Bianchi, M., Coccia, E., Colacino, C.N., Fafone, V., Fucito, F., (1996) Class. Quantum Grav., 13, p. 2865Andrade, L.A., (2009) Microwave and Optical Tech. Lett., 51, p. 1120Furtado, S.R., (2012), in preparationIvanov, E.N., Hartnett, J.G., Tobar, M.E., (2000) IEEE Trans. Ultrason., Ferroelect., Freq. Contr., 47, p. 1526Pimentel, G.L., (2008) J. Phys. Conf. Series, 122, p. 012028Aguiar, (2009) Int. J. Modern Phys. D, 18, p. 2317Furtado, S.R., (2009), Ph.D. Thesis at INPE, not publishedBraginsky, V.B., Vorontsov, Y.I., Thorne, K.S., (1980) Science, 209, p. 547Thorne, K.S., The Quantum Limit for Gravitational-Wave Detectors and Methods of Circumventing It (1979) Sources of Gravitational Waves, p. 49. , ed. L L Smarr, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, US

Nuove ricerche nell’insediamento sull’istmo di Filo Braccio a Filicudi. Nota preliminare sugli scavi 2009.

L’insediamento di Filo Braccio nell’isola di Filicudi (Isole Eolie - ME) della facies di Capo Graziano fu oggetto di una prima campagna di scavi nel 1959 (Meligunis Lipara VI) in cui furono scoperte la capanna C con gli spazi A e B e le capanne D e E. Nel 2009 sono state svolte nuove indagini che hanno messo in luce nuove strutture chiuse e aperte, adibite a spazi abitativi, di lavoro, di conservazione di derrate e ricovero di animali domestici. Verranno presentati in modo preliminare i primi dati della ricerca sulle capanne F e G, il silo, e lo spazio all’aperto L. Le strutture hanno conservato oltre alle ceramiche e resti di pasto (ovicaprini, maiale, bue, pesci e molluschi), numerosi resti archeobotanici composti da semi di orzo, lenticchie, Vitis vinifera. Sono state effettuate 21 datazioni radiocarboniche dal Centro Datazioni dell’Università del Salento - CEDAD.Per quanto riguarda i materiali ceramici e litici, essendo in corso il loro studio, si considerano solo alcuni elementi più caratterizzanti e soprattutto il rinvenimento di una tazza con decorazione incisa sulla quale è stata rappresentata una scena raffigurante, in maniera sti- lizzata, il ricordo di un evento importante legato all’uomo e al mare nel contesto insulare

Biological responses in pesticide exposed lizards (Podarcis siculus)

The release of contaminants as herbicides, fungicides and insecticides into the environment has been listed as one of the six major contributors to the global decline of reptiles. Although reptiles may face severe risk from contaminants due to their ecology and physiology, they are currently less studied than other vertebrate groups. In the present work, we investigated if and how different types of field treatment (conventional and organic) affected the health status of Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) individuals in central Italy. We chose a multi-biomarker approach that evaluated the biological responses of lizards to the treatment by means of AChE activity in the nervous system, biotransformation enzymes activities and oxidative stress in the liver, micronuclei frequency measured in the erythrocytes, and rate of intestinal parasitic infection. Our findings showed evidence of effects of treatment in conventional areas and between sexes with significant oxidative stress due to hydroxyl radicals, that caused DNA damage. No difference of intestinal parasite infections was found among treatments. Podarcis siculus seems to be a good bioindicator in ecotoxicological studies and potentially in risk assessment of pesticides, although further analyses in laboratory and in the field are needed to achieve more accurate quantification of specific pesticide effects in relation to known exposure history and to understand if other mechanisms were involved in the toxicity and detoxification process of pesticides for this species

Mitochondrial ghost lineages blur phylogeography and taxonomy of Natrix helvetica and N. natrix in Italy and Corsica

Grass snakes are widely distributed across the Western Palearctic. Recent phylogeographic studies provided evidence that three distinct parapatric species exist. Two of these occur in Italy, Natrix helvetica and N. natrix, and a contact zone between both taxa has been suggested for north-eastern Italy. Moreover, previous investigations revealed for the Italian Peninsula a complex phylogeographic structure. Using mtDNA sequences and microsatellite loci, we examined the situation for mainland Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. Our study confirmed the occurrence of N. natrix in north-eastern Italy. Cline analyses revealed limited gene flow between N. helvetica and N. natrix across a narrow hybrid zone. Within N. helvetica, conflicting patterns of mitochondrial and nuclear genomic differentiation were revealed. Three nuclear genomic clusters were found; one of them corresponded to no fewer than five distinct and, in part, deeply divergent and ancient mitochondrial lineages from mainland Italy and Sicily. This cluster was paraphyletic with respect to the two remaining mitochondrial lineages, each of which matched with another nuclear genomic cluster (one from Corsica plus Sardinia and another one from western Europe north of the Alps). This unexpected pattern most likely results from mainly male-mediated gene flow and female philopatry combined with population-density-dependent processes such as ‘high-density blocking’. With respect to taxonomy, we propose to synonymize N. h. lanzai Kramer, 1970 with N. h. sicula (Cuvier, 1829), acknowledging their lacking nuclear genomic differentiation. The studied hybrid zone of N. h. helvetica and N. h. sicula in Italy is wide, with a smooth cline for nuclear markers, supporting their subspecies status. We found no evidence for the distinctiveness of the two subspecies from Corsica (N. h. corsa) and Sardinia (N. h. cetti), suggesting their synonymy, but refrain from taxonomic conclusions because of small sample sizes and the endangered status of the Sardinian taxon

The Status Of The Brazilian Spherical Detector

The first phase of the Brazilian Graviton Project is the construction and operation of the gravitational wave detector Mario Schenberg at the Physics Institute of the University of São Paulo. This gravitational wave spherical antenna is planned to feature a sensitivity better than h = 10 -21Hz-1/2 at the 3.0-3.4 kHz bandwidth, and to work not only as a detector, but also as a testbed for the development of new technologies. Here we present the status of this detector.19719491953Forward, R.L., (1971) Gen. Rel. Grav., 2, p. 149Wagoner, R.V., Paik, H.-J., (1977) Proc. Academia Nationale dei Lincei, Int. Symp. on Experimental Gravitation, (Pavia, Italy, Sept. 1976), p. 257Johnson, W.W., Merkowitz, S.M., (1993) Phys. Rev. Lett., 70, p. 2367Coccia, E., (1997) 14th Int. Conf. on General Relativity and Gravitational (Florence, 1995), p. 103. , Singapore: World ScientificWaard, A., Frossati, G., (2000) AIP Conf. Proc. Vol 523, 523, p. 268. , Proc. 3rd Edoardo Amaldi Conf. on Gravitational Waves (Pasadena, CA, 1999) (New York: American Institute of Physics)Frossati, G., (1997) Proc. 1st Int. Workshop of Omnidirectional Gravitational Radiation Observatory (São José dos Campos, Brazil, May 26-31, 1996), p. 179. , ed W F Velloso O D Aguiar and N S Magalhães (Singapore: World Scientific)(2000) AIP Conf. Proc. Vol 523, 523. , Proc. 3rd Edoardo Amaldi Conf. on Gravitational Waves (Pasadena, CA, 1999) (New York: American Institute of Physics) (2000)De Waard, A., Gottardi, L., Frossati, G., (2002) Class. Quantum Grav., 19, p. 1935Wagoner, R.V., (1984) Astrophys. J., 278, p. 345Schutz, B.F., (1997) Relativistic Astrophysics and Gravitational Radiation, , ed J-A Marck and J-P Lasota (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)Anderson, N., Kokkotas, K.D., (1996) Phys. Rev. Lett., 77, p. 4134Anderson, N., Araújo, M.E., Schutz, B.F., (1993) Class. Quantum Grav., 10, p. 757Friedman, J.L., Ipser, J.R., Parker, L., (1989) Phys. Rev. Lett., 62, p. 3015Haensel, P., Lasota, J.P., Zdunik, J.L., 1999 Preprint astro-ph/9905036Nakamura, T., Sasaki, M., Tanaka, T., Thorne, K.S., (1997) Astrophys. J., 487, pp. L139Thorne, K.S., (1987) 300 Years of Gravitation, p. 330. , ed S Hawking and W Israel (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)Harry, G.M., Stevenson, T.R., Paik, H.-J., (1996) Phys. Rev. D, 54, p. 2409De Araújo, J.C.N., Miranda, O.D., Aguiar, O.D., (2001) Astrophys. J., 550, p. 368Meliani, M.T., De Araújo, J.C.N., Aguiar, O.D., (2000) Astron. Astrophys., 358, p. 417De Araújo, J.C.N., Miranda, O.D., Aguiar, O.D., (2000) Phys. Rev. D, 61, p. 124015Novello, M., Lorenci, V.A., Freitas, L., Aguiar, O.D., (1999) Phys. Lett. A, 254, p. 245Mosquera Cuesta, H.J., De Araújo, J.C.N., Aguiar, O.D., Horvath, J.E., (1998) Phys. Rev. Lett., 80, p. 2988Velloso W.F., Jr., Melo, J.L., Aguiar, O.D., (2000) Rev. Sci. Instrum., 71, p. 2552Magalhães, N.S., Aguiar, O.D., Frajuca, C., Marinho R.M., Jr., (2001) Nucl. Instrum. Methods A, 457, p. 175Magalhães, N.S., Johnson, W.W., Frajuca, C., Aguiar, O.D., (1997) Astrophys. J., 475, p. 462Magalhães, N.S., Aguiar, O.D., Frajuca, C., (1997) Gen. Rel. Grav., 29, p. 1511Magalhães, N.S., Johnson, W.W., Frajuca, C., Aguiar, O.D., (1995) Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 274, p. 67

The Gravitational Wave Detector "mario Schenberg": Status Of The Project

The first phase of the Brazilian Graviton Project is the construction and operation of the gravitational wave detector Mario Schenberg at the Physics Institute of the University of São Paulo. This gravitational wave spherical antenna is planned to feature a sensitivity better than h = 10-21 Hz-1/2 at the 3.0-3.4 kHz bandwidth, and to work not only as a detector, but also as a testbed for the development of new technologies. Here we present the status of this detector.324866868notenoteForward, R.L., (1971) General Relativity and Gravitation, 2, p. 149Wagoner, R.V., Paik, H.-J., (1976) Proceedings of the Academia Nazionale dei Lincei, International Symposium on Experimental Gravitation, p. 257. , Pavia, Italy, SeptJohnson, W.W., Merkowitz, S.M., (1993) Physical Review Letters, 70, p. 2367Coccia, E., (1995) 14th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitational, p. 103. , Florence, World Scientific, SingaporeWaard, A., Frossati, G., Proceedings of the third Edoardo Amaldi conference on gravitational waves (1999) AIP Conference Proceedings, 523, p. 268. , Pasadena, California. American Institute of PhysicsFrossati, G., (1996) Proceeding of the First International Workshop of Omnidirectional Gravitational Radiation Observatory, p. 179. , São José dos Campos, Brazil, May 26-31, edited by W. F. Velloso, O. D. Aguiar, and N. S. Magalhães, World Scientific, Singapore(2001), www.minigrail.nlProceedings of the third Edoardo Amaldi conference on gravitational waves (1999) AIP Conference Proceedings, 523. , Pasadena, California. American Institute of PhysicsWagoner, R.V., (1984) Ap. J., 278, p. 345Schutz, B.F., (1997) Relativistic Astrophysics and Gravitational Radiation, , eds. J-A. Marck and J-P. Lasota, Cambridge Univ. PressAnderson, N., Kokkotas, K.D., (1996) Phys. Rev. Lett., 77, p. 4134Anderson, N., Araújo, M.E., Schutz, B.F., (1993) Class. Quantum Grav., 10, p. 757Friedman, J.L., Ipser, J.R., Parker, L., (1989) Phys. Rev. Lett., 62, p. 3015Haensel, P., Lasota, J.-P., Zdunik, J.L., 1999 preprint (astro-ph/9905036)Nakamura, T., Sasaki, M., Tanaka, T., Thorne, K.S., (1997) Ap. J., 487, pp. L139Thorne, K.S., (1987) 300 Years of Gravitation, p. 330. , edited by S. Hawking and W. Israel, Cambridge Univ. Press, CambridgeHarry, G.M., Stevenson, T.R., Paik, H.-J., (1996) Phys. Rev., D54, p. 2409De Araujo, J.C.N., Miranda, O.D., Aguiar, O.D., (2001) Ap. J., 550, p. 368Meliani, M.T., De Araujo, J.C.N., Aguiar, O.D., (2000) Astron. Astrophys., 358, p. 417De Araujo, J.C.N., Miranda, O.D., Aguiar, O.D., (2000) Phys. Rev., D61, p. 124015Novelle, M., Lorenci, V.A., Freitas, L., Aguiar, O.D., (1999) Phys. Lett., A 254, p. 245Mosquera-Cuesta, H.J., De Araujo, J.C.N., Aguiar, O.D., Horvath, J.E., (1998) Phys. Rev. Lett., 80, p. 2988Velloso W.F., Jr., Melo, J.L., Aguiar, O.D., (2000) Rev. Sci. Instrum., 71, p. 2552Magalhães, N.S., Aguiar, O.D., Frajuca, C., Marinho R.M., Jr., (2001) Nucl. Instrum. Meth. Phys. Res., A457, p. 175Magalhães, N.S., Aguiar, O.D., Frajuca, C., Marinho R.M., Jr., Chiang, J., (2001) Nucl. Instrum. Meth. Phys. Res., , in pressMarinho R.M., Jr., Magalhães, N.S., Aguiar, O.D., Frajuca, C., (2001) Phys. Rev. D, , in pressMagalhẽs, N.S., Johnson, W.W., Frajuca, C., Aguiar, O.D., (1997) Ap. J., 475, p. 462Magalhães, N.S., Aguiar, O.D., Frajuca, C., (2001) Phys. Rev. D, , in pressMagalhães, N.S., Aguiar, O.D., Frajuca, C., (1997) Gen. Rel. Grav., 29, p. 1511Magalhães, N.S., Johnson, W.W., Frajuca, C., Aguiar, O.D., (1995) Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc, 274, p. 67