GHOSTS I: A New Faint very Isolated Dwarf Galaxy at D = 12 +/- 2 Mpc

We report the discovery of a new faint dwarf galaxy, GHOSTS I, using HST/ACS data from one of our GHOSTS (Galaxy Halos, Outer disks, Substructure, Thick disk, and Star clusters) fields. Its detected individual stars populate an approximately one magnitude range of its luminosity function (LF). Using synthetic color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) to compare with the galaxy's CMD, we find that the colors and magnitudes of GHOSTS I's individual stars are most consistent with being young helium-burning and asymptotic giant branch stars at a distance of 12 +/- 2 Mpc. Morphologically, GHOSTS I appears to be actively forming stars, so we tentatively classify it as a dwarf irregular (dIrr) galaxy, although future HST observations deep enough to resolve a larger magnitude range in its LF are required to make a more secure classification. GHOSTS I's absolute magnitude is $M_V = -9.85^{+ 0.40}_{- 0.33}$, making it one of the least luminous dIrr galaxies known, and its metallicity is lower than [Fe/H] =-1.5 dex. The half-light radius of GHOSTS I is 226 +/- 38 pc and its ellipticity is 0.47 +/- 0.07, similar to Milky Way and M31 dwarf satellites at comparable luminosity. There are no luminous massive galaxies or galaxy clusters within ~ 4 Mpc from GHOSTS I that could be considered as its host, making it a very isolated dwarf galaxy in the Local Universe.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Irreducible Antifield Analysis of pp-Form Gauge Theories

The irreducible antifield formalism for $p$-form gauge theories with gauge invariant interaction terms is exposed. The ghosts of ghosts do not appear. The acyclicity of the Koszul-Tate operator is ensured without introducing antifields at resolution degrees higher that two.Comment: 11 pag, latex 2.09, no figure

On the Quantization of Reducible Gauge Systems

Reducible gauge theories with constraints linear in the momenta are quantized. The equivalence of the reduced phase space quantization, Dirac quantization and BRST quantization is established. The ghosts of ghosts are found to play a crucial role in the equivalence proof.Comment: 41 pages, Plain Tex file, ULB-PMIF\92-07, GTCRG/92-0

The Diagonal Ghost Equation Ward Identity for Yang-Mills Theories in the Maximal Abelian Gauge

A BRST perturbative analysis of SU(N) Yang-Mills theory in a class of maximal Abelian gauges is presented. We point out the existence of a new nonintegrated renormalizable Ward identity which allows to control the dependence of the theory from the diagonal ghosts. This identity, called the diagonal ghost equation, plays a crucial role for the stability of the model under radiative corrections implying, in particular, the vanishing of the anomalous dimension of the diagonal ghosts. Moreover, the Ward identity corresponding to the Abelian Cartan subgroup is easily derived from the diagonal ghost equation. Finally, a simple proof of the fact that the beta function of the gauge coupling can be obtained from the vacuum polarization tensor with diagonal gauge fields as external legs is given. A possible mechanism for the decoupling of the diagonal ghosts at low energy is also suggested.Comment: 1+17 pages, LaTeX2

N=2 SYM Action as a BRST Exact Term, Topological Yang Mills and Instantons

By constructing a nilpotent extended BRST operator \bs that involves the N=2 global supersymmetry transformations of one chirality, we show that the standard N=2 off-shell Super Yang Mills Action can be represented as an exact BRST term \bs \Psi, if the gauge fermion $\Psi$ is allowed to depend on the inverse powers of supersymmetry ghosts. By using this nonanalytical structure of the gauge fermion (via inverse powers of supersymmetry ghosts), we give field redefinitions in terms of composite fields of supersymmetry ghosts and N=2 fields and we show that Witten's topological Yang Mills theory can be obtained from the ordinary Euclidean N=2 Super Yang Mills theory directly by using such field redefinitions. In other words, TYM theory is obtained as a change of variables (without twisting). As a consequence it is found that physical and topological interpretations of N=2 SYM are intertwined together due to the requirement of analyticity of global SUSY ghosts. Moreover, when after an instanton inspired truncation of the model is used, we show that the given field redefinitions yield the Baulieu-Singer formulation of Topological Yang Mills.Comment: Latex, 1+15 pages. Published versio

Effects of Monovalent and Divalent Cations on Ca2+ Fluxes Across Chromaffin Secretory Membrane Vesicles

Abstract: Bovine chromaffin secretory vesicle ghosts loaded with Na+ were found to take up Ca2+ when incubated in K+ media or in sucrose media containing micromolar concentrations of free Ca2+. Li+- or choline+loaded ghosts did not take up Ca2+. The Ca2+ accumulated by Na+-loaded ghosts could be released by the Ca2+ ionophore A23187, but not by EGTA. Ca2+ uptake was inhibited by external Sr2+, Na +, Li +, or choline +. All the 45Ca2+ accumulated by Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake could be released by external Na +, indicating that both Ca2+ influx and efflux occur in a Na+-dependent manner. Na + -dependent Ca2+ uptake and release were only slightly inhibited by Mg2+. In the presence of the Na+ ionophore Monensin the Ca2+ uptake by Na +-loaded ghosts was reduced. Ca2+ sequestered by the Na+-dependent mechanism could also be released by external Ca2+ or Sr2+ but not by Mg2+, indicating the presence of a Ca2+/Ca2+ exchange activity in secretory membrane vesicles. This Ca2+/Ca2+ exchange system is inhibited by Mg2+, but not by Sr2+. The Na + -dependent Ca2+ uptake system in the presence of Mg2+ is a saturable process with an apparent Km of 0.28 μM and a Vmax= 14.5 nmol min−1 mg protein−1. Ruthenium red inhibited neither the Na+/Ca2+ nor the Ca2+/Ca2+ exchange, even at high concentrations

Ghosts of ghosts for second class constraints

When one uses the Dirac bracket, second class constraints become first class. Hence, they are amenable to the BRST treatment characteristic of ordinary first class constraints. This observation is the starting point of a recent investigation by Batalin and Tyutin, in which all the constraints are put on the same footing. However, because second class constraints identically vanish as operators in the quantum theory, they are quantum-mechanically reducible and require therefore ghosts of ghosts. Otherwise, the BRST cohomology would not yield the correct physical spectrum. We discuss how to incorporate this feature in the formalism and show that it leads to an infinite tower of ghosts of ghosts. An alternative treatment, in which the brackets of the ghosts are modified, is also mentioned.Comment: 7 pages in LaTex, ULB-PMIF/93-0