1,721,051 research outputs found
Light scalar field constraints from gravitational-wave observations of compact binaries
No full textScalar-tensor theories are among the simplest extensions of general relativity. In theories with light scalars, deviations from Einstein's theory of gravity are determined by the scalar mass m(s) and by a Brans-Dicke-like coupling parameter omega(BD). We show that gravitational-wave observations of nonspinning neutron star-black hole binary inspirals can be used to set lower bounds on omega(BD) and upper bounds on the combination m(s)/root omega(BD). We estimate via a Fisher matrix analysis that individual observations with signal-to-noise ratio rho would yield (m(s)/root omega(BD))(rho/10) less than or similar to 10(-15), 10(-16), and 10(-19) eV for Advanced LIGO, ET, and eLISA, respectively. A statistical combination of multiple observations may further improve these bounds
Gravitoelectromagnetic Perturbations of Kerr-Newman Black Holes: Stability and Isospectrality in the Slow-Rotation Limit
No full textThe most general stationary black-hole solution of Einstein-Maxwell theory in vacuum is the Kerr-Newman metric, specified by three parameters: mass M, spin J, and charge Q. Within classical general relativity, one of the most important and challenging open problems in black-hole perturbation theory is the study of gravitational and electromagnetic fields in the Kerr-Newman geometry, because of the indissoluble coupling of the perturbation functions. Here we circumvent this long-standing problem by working in the slow-rotation limit. We compute the quasinormal modes up to linear order in J for any value of Q and provide the first, fully consistent stability analysis of the Kerr-Newman metric. For scalar perturbations the quasinormal modes can be computed exactly, and we demonstrate that the method is accurate within 3% for spins J/J(max) less than or similar to 0.5, where J(max) is the maximum allowed spin for any value of Q. Quite remarkably, we find numerical evidence that the axial and polar sectors of the gravitoelectromagnetic perturbations are isospectral to linear order in the spin. The extension of our results to nonasymptotically flat space-times could be useful in the context of gauge-gravity dualities and string theory
Transformation of the multipolar components of gravitational radiation under rotations and boosts
No full textWe study the transformation of multipolar decompositions of gravitational radiation under rotations and boosts. Rotations to the remnant black hole's frame simplify the waveforms from the merger of generic spinning black hole binaries. Boosts may be important to get an accurate gravitational-wave phasing, especially for configurations leading to large recoil velocities of the remnant. As a test of the formalism we revisit the classic problem of point particles failing into a Schwarzschild black hole. Then we highlight by specific examples the importance of choosing the right frame in numerical simulations of unequal mass, spinning binary black-hole mergers
Numerical simulations of single and binary black holes in scalar-tensor theories: Circumventing the no-hair theorem
No full textScalar-tensor theories are a compelling alternative to general relativity and one of the most accepted extensions of Einstein's theory. Black holes in these theories have no hair, but could grow "wigs" supported by time-dependent boundary conditions or spatial gradients. Time-dependent or spatially varying fields lead in general to nontrivial black hole dynamics, with potentially interesting experimental consequences. We carry out a numerical investigation of the dynamics of single and binary black holes in the presence of scalar fields. In particular we study gravitational and scalar radiation from black-hole binaries in a constant scalar-field gradient, and we compare our numerical findings to analytical models. In the single black hole case we find that, after a short transient, the scalar field relaxes to static configurations, in agreement with perturbative calculations. Furthermore we predict analytically (and verify numerically) that accelerated black holes in a scalar-field gradient emit scalar radiation. For a quasicircular black-hole binary, our analytical and numerical calculations show that the dominant component of the scalar radiation is emitted at twice the binary's orbital frequency
UM Astrophysicist Joins Editorial Board of Physical Review Letters
Full text linkAPS fellow Emanuele Berti rises from featured writer to divisional associate edito
Scalar, electromagnetic, and gravitational perturbations of Kerr-Newman black holes in the slow-rotation limit
No full textIn Einstein-Maxwell theory, according to classic uniqueness theorems, the most general stationary black-hole solution is the axisymmetric Kerr-Newman metric, which is defined by three parameters: mass, spin and electric charge. The radial and angular dependence of gravitational and electromagnetic perturbations in the Kerr-Newman geometry do not seem to be separable. In this paper we circumvent this problem by studying scalar, electromagnetic and gravitational perturbations of Kerr-Newman black holes in the slow-rotation limit. We extend (and provide details of) the analysis presented in a recent Letter [P. Pani, E. Berti, and L. Gualtieri, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 241103 (2013)]. Working at linear order in the spin, we present the first detailed derivation of the axial and polar perturbation equations in the gravito-electromagnetic case, and we compute the corresponding quasinormal modes for any value of the electric charge. Our study is the first self-consistent stability analysis of the Kerr-Newman metric, and in principle it can be extended to any order in the small rotation parameter. We find numerical evidence that the axial and polar sectors are isospectral at first order in the spin and speculate on the possible implications of this result
Scholasticorum Studia: Seneca il Vecchio e la cultura retorica e letteraria della prima età imperiale
Full text linkContains fulltext :
79259.pdf (Unknown ) (Open Access)Emanuele Berti Scholasticorum Studia: Seneca il Vecchio e la cultura retorica e letteraria della prima età imperiale Pisa:Giardini ,2007 978-88-427-1477-
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
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
- …
