1,720,959 research outputs found
Weak gravitational lensing in fourth order gravity
No full textFor a general class of analytic functions f(R,R αÎ2RαÎ2,R αÎ2Î3Î ́RαÎ2Î3Î ́) we discuss the gravitational lensing in the Newtonian limit of theory. From the properties of the Gauss-Bonnet invariant it is enough to consider only one curvature invariant between the Ricci tensor and the Riemann tensor. Then, we analyze the dynamics of a photon embedded in a gravitational field of a generic f(R,R αÎ2RαÎ2) gravity. The metric is time independent and spherically symmetric. The metric potentials are Schwarzschild-like, but there are two additional Yukawa terms linked to derivatives of f with respect to two curvature invariants. Considering first the case of a pointlike lens, and after the one of a generic matter distribution of the lens, we study the deflection angle and the angular position of images. Though the additional Yukawa terms in the gravitational potential modifies dynamics with respect to general relativity, the geodesic trajectory of the photon is unaffected by the modification if we consider only f(R) gravity. We find different results (deflection angle smaller than the angle of general relativity) only due to the introduction of a generic function of the Ricci tensor square. Finally, we can affirm that the lensing phenomena for all f(R) gravities are equal to the ones known for general relativity. We conclude the paper by showing and comparing the deflection angle and position of images for f(R,R αÎ2RαÎ2) gravity with respect to the gravitational lensing of general relativity. © 2012 American Physical Society
Photon frequency shift in curvature-based Extended Theories of Gravity
No full textWe study the frequency shift of photons generated by rotating gravitational sources in the framework of curvature-based Extended Theories of Gravity. The discussion is developed considering the weak-field approximation. Following a perturbative approach, we analyze the process of exchanging photons between Earth and a given satellite, and we find a general relation to constrain the free parameters of gravitational theories. Finally, we suggest the Moon as a possible laboratory to test theories of gravity by future experiments which can be, in principle, based also on other Solar System bodies
PeV IceCube signals and Dark Matter relic abundance in modified cosmologies
No full textThe discovery by the IceCube experiment of a high-energy astrophysical neutrino flux with energies of the order of PeV, has opened new scenarios in astroparticles physics. A possibility to explain this phenomenon is to consider the minimal models of Dark Matter (DM) decay, the 4-dimensional operator ∼yαχLLα ̄Hχ, which is also able to generate the correct abundance of DM in the Universe. Assuming that the cosmological background evolves according to the standard cosmological model, it follows that the rate of DM decay |yαχ|2 needed to get the correct DM relic abundance (Γχ∼ 10- 58) differs by many orders of magnitude with respect that one needed to explain the IceCube data (Γχ∼ 10- 25), making the four-dimensional operator unsuitable. In this paper we show that assuming that the early Universe evolution is governed by a modified cosmology, the discrepancy between the two the DM decay rates can be reconciled, and both the IceCube neutrino rate and relic density can be explained in a minimal model
Axion–photon mixing in quantum field theory and vacuum energy
No full textWe analyze axion–photon mixing in the framework of quantum field theory. The condensate structure of the vacuum for mixed fields induces corrections to the oscillation formulae and leads to non-zero energy of the vacuum for the component of the photon mixed with the axion. This energy generates a new effect of the vacuum polarization and it has the state equation of the cosmological constant, w=−1. This result holds for any homogeneous and isotropic curved space–time, as well as for diagonal metrics. Numerical estimates of the corrections to the oscillation formulae are presented by considering the intensity of the magnetic field available in the laboratory. Moreover, we estimate the vacuum energy density induced by axion–photon mixing in the Minkowski space–time. A value compatible with that of the energy density of the universe can be obtained for axions with a mass of (10−3–10−2) eV in the presence of the strong magnetic fields that characterize astrophysical objects such as pulsars or neutron stars. In addition, a value of the energy density less than that of the Casimir effect is obtained for magnetic fields used in experiments such as PVLAS. The vacuum polarization induced by this energy could be detected in next experiments and it might provide an indirect proof of the existence of the axion–photon mixing. The quantum field theory effects presented in this work may lead to new methods for studying axion-like particles
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Conformal transformations and weak field limit of scalar-tensor gravity
No full textThe weak-field limit of scalar-tensor theories of gravity is discussed in view of conformal transformations. Specifically, we consider how physical quantities - such as gravitational potentials derived in the Newtonian approximation for the same scalar-tensor theory - behave in the Jordan and Einstein frames. The approach allows one to discriminate features that are invariant under conformal transformations and gives contributions to the debate of how to select the true physical frame. As a particular example, the case of f(R) gravity is considered. © 2013 American Physical Society
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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