119372076
Gravitational collapse of perfect fluid in N-dimensional spherically symmetric space-times
The Riemann, Ricci and Einstein tensors for N-dimensional spherically symmetric spacetimes in various systems of coordinates are studied, and the general metric for conformally flat spacetimes is given. As an application, all the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker-like solutions for a perfect fluid with an equation of state $p = k \rho$ are found. Then, these solutions are used to model the gravitational collapse of a compact ball, by first cutting them along a timelike hypersurface and then joining them with asymptotically flat Vaidya solutions. It is found that when the collapse has continuous self-similarity, the formation of black holes always starts with zero mass, and when the collapse has no such symmetry, the formation of black holes always starts with a finite non-zero mass.
119227824
Cosmological constant and late transient acceleration of the universe in the Horava-Witten Heterotic M-Theory on S^{1}/Z_{2}
Abstract Orbifold branes are studied in the framework of the 11-dimensional Horava–Witten heterotic M-theory. It is found that the effective cosmological constant can be easily lowered to its current observational value by the mechanism of large extra dimensions. The domination of this constant over the evolution of the universe is only temporary. Due to the interaction of the bulk and the branes, the universe will be in its decelerating expansion phase again in the future, whereby all problems connected with a far future de Sitter universe are resolved.
109935503
No-Go theorem in spacetimes with two commuting spacelike killing vectors
Four-dimensional Riemannian spacetimes with two commuting spacelike Killing vectors are studied in Einstein's theory of gravity, and found that no outer apparent horizons exist, provided that the dominant energy condition holds.
119168760
Homothetic self-similar solutions of three-dimensional Brans-Dicke gravity
All homothetic self-similar solutions of the Brans-Dicke scalar field in three-dimensional spacetime with circular symmetry are found in closed form.
10393301
On the sources of static plane symmetric vacuum space-times
Abstract The sources of static vacuum plane space-times with reflection symmetry are considered. It is argued that the counterpart of the Einstein theory to the gravitational field of a massive Newtonian plane should be described by the Rindler solution, which represents also a uniform gravitational field, and the test particles moving in which have constant accelerations.
2444705
Gravitational and particle radiation from long cosmic strings
Gravitational and massless particle radiation from infinitely long cosmic strings with finite thickness is studied by constructing analytic solutions to the Einstein field equations with certain forms of energy - momentum tensor. Using Thorne's -energy arguments, it is shown that the radiation always carries away energy. As a result, the angle defect outside the string is less than that in the non-radiation case. Since the solutions are exact, the back reaction of the radiation is automatically taken into account. In fact, it is shown that because of this back reaction the spacetime is always singular on the symmetry axis. The singularity is a scalar one and not removable.
81234
Levi-Civita solutions coupled with electromagnetic fields
The local and global properties of the Levi-Civita (LC) solutions coupled with an electromagnetic field are studied and some limits to the vacuum LC solutions are given, from which the physical and geometrical interpretations of the free parameters involved in the solutions are made clear. Sources for both the LC vacuum solutions and the LC solutions coupled with an electromagnetic field are studied, and in particular it is found that all the LC vacuum solutions with σ ≥ 0 can be produced by cylindrically symmetric thin shells that satisfy all the energy conditions, weak, dominant and strong. When the electromagnetic field is present, the situation changes dramatically. In the case of a purely magnetic field, all the solutions can be produced by physically acceptable cylindrical thin shells, while in the case of a purely electric field, no such shells are found for any choice of the free parameters involved in the solutions.
117264492
Reply to Comment of Gazdzicki and Heinz on Strangeness Enhancement in $p+A$ and $S+A$
The Comment of Gazdzicki and Heinz is flawed because their assumed baryon stopping power in $pA$ is inconsistent with data and because they ignored half the analysis based on the VENUS model. The Comment continues the misleading presentation of strangeness enhancement by focusing on ratios of integrated yields. Those ratios discard essential experimental information on the rapidity dependence of produced $\Lambda$ and obscure discrepancies between different data sets. Our conclusion remains that the NA35 minimum bias data on $p+S\rightarrow\Lambda +X $ indicate an anomalous enhancement of central rapidity strangeness in few nucleon reactions that points to non-equilibrium dynamics as responsible for strangeness enhancement in nuclear reactions.
5973680
Shear-free radiating collapse and conformal flatness
Here we study some general properties of spherical shear-free collapse. Its general solution when imposing conformal atness is re-obtained (Refs. 1 and 2) and matched to the outgoing Vaidya spacetime. We propose a simple model satisfying these conditions and study its physical consequences. Special attention deserve, the role played by relaxational processes and the conspicuous link betweeen dissipation and density inhomogeneity.
881828
Search for small trans-Neptunian objects by the TAOS project
The Taiwan-America Occultation Survey (TAOS) aims to determine the number of small icy bodies in the outer reach of the Solar System by means of stellar occultation. An array of 4 robotic small (D=0.5 m), wide-field (f/1.9) telescopes have been installed at Lulin Observatory in Taiwan to simultaneously monitor some thousand of stars for such rare occultation events. Because a typical occultation event by a TNO a few km across will last for only a fraction of a second, fast photometry is necessary. A special CCD readout scheme has been devised to allow for stellar photometry taken a few times per second. Effective analysis pipelines have been developed to process stellar light curves and to correlate any possible flux changes among all telescopes. A few billion photometric measurements have been collected since the routine survey began in early 2005. Our preliminary result of a very low detection rate suggests a deficit of small TNOs down to a few km size, consistent with the extrapolation of some recent studies of larger (30-100 km) TNOs.
123099584
Cross sections and analyzing powers in the (p,d) reaction around 500 MeV
Abstract Cross sections and analyzing powers for the (p,d) reaction on 12 C, 13 C and 28 Si are measured around 500 MeV. DWBA calculations are found to reproduce the main features of the (p,d) data, when proton potentials are used which give strong oscillations in the (p,p) analyzing powers as required by the elastic data. Damping of the nuclear interior contribution is unimportant at this energy.