Discrete Symmetries of Off-Shell Electromagnetism

We discuss the discrete symmetries of the Stueckelberg-Schrodinger relativistic quantum theory and its associated 5D local gauge theory, a dynamical description of particle/antiparticle interactions, with monotonically increasing Poincare-invariant parameter. In this framework, worldlines are traced out through the parameterized evolution of spacetime events, advancing or retreating with respect to the laboratory clock, with negative energy trajectories appearing as antiparticles when the observer describes the evolution using the laboratory clock. The associated gauge theory describes local interactions between events (correlated by the invariant parameter) mediated by five off-shell gauge fields. These gauge fields are shown to transform tensorially under under space and time reflections, unlike the standard Maxwell fields, and the interacting quantum theory therefore remains manifestly Lorentz covariant. Charge conjugation symmetry in the quantum theory is achieved by simultaneous reflection of the sense of evolution and the fifth scalar field. Applying this procedure to the classical gauge theory leads to a purely classical manifestation of charge conjugation, placing the CPT symmetries on the same footing in the classical and quantum domains. In the resulting picture, interactions do not distinguish between particle and antiparticle trajectories -- charge conjugation merely describes the interpretation of observed negative energy trajectories according to the laboratory clock.Comment: 26 page

Occam's razor meets WMAP

Using a variety of quantitative implementations of Occam's razor we examine the low quadrupole, the ``axis of evil'' effect and other detections recently made appealing to the excellent WMAP data. We find that some razors {\it fully} demolish the much lauded claims for departures from scale-invariance. They all reduce to pathetic levels the evidence for a low quadrupole (or any other low $\ell$ cut-off), both in the first and third year WMAP releases. The ``axis of evil'' effect is the only anomaly examined here that survives the humiliations of Occam's razor, and even then in the category of ``strong'' rather than ``decisive'' evidence. Statistical considerations aside, differences between the various renditions of the datasets remain worrying

Phase analysis of the cosmic microwave background from an incomplete sky coverage

Phases of the spherical harmonic analysis of full-sky cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature data contain useful information complementary to the ubiquitous angular power spectrum. In this letter we present a new method of phase analysis on incomplete sky maps. It is based on Fourier phases of equal-latitude pixel rings of the map, which are related to the mean angle of the trigonometric moments from the full-sky phases. They have an advantage for probing regions of interest without tapping polluted Galactic plane area, and can localize non-Gaussian features and departure from statistical isotropy in the CMB.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures submitted to MNRAS Letters, replaced with minor change

Organizing otherwise: translating anarchism in a voluntary sector organization

Although foundational texts in Critical Management Studies (CMS) pointed to the empirical significance of anarchism as an inspiration for alternative ways of organizing (Burrell, 1992), relatively little work of substance has been undertaken within CMS to explore how anarchists organize or how anarchist principles of organization might fare in other contexts. This paper addresses this gap by reporting on the experiences of a UK Voluntary Sector Organization (VSO) seeking to adopt non-hierarchical working practices inspired by anarchism. The paper analyses this process of organizational change by examining how ideas and practices are translated and transformed as they travel from one context (direct action anarchism) to another (the voluntary sector). Whilst the onset of austerity and funding cuts created the conditions of possibility for this change, it was the discursive translation of 'anarchism' into 'non-hierarchical organizing' that enabled these ideas to take hold. The concept of 'non-hierarchical' organization constituted an open space that was defined by negation and therefore capable of containing a multiplicity of meanings. Rather than having to explicitly embrace anarchism, members were able to find common ground on what they did not want (hierarchy) and create a discursive space for democratically determining what might replace it

Non-Gaussianity detections in the Bianchi VIIh corrected WMAP 1-year data made with directional spherical wavelets

Many of the current anomalies reported in the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) 1-year data disappear after `correcting' for the best-fit embedded Bianchi type VII_h component (Jaffe et al. 2005), albeit assuming no dark energy component. We investigate the effect of this Bianchi correction on the detections of non-Gaussianity in the WMAP data that we previously made using directional spherical wavelets (McEwen et al. 2005a). As previously discovered by Jaffe et al. (2005), the deviations from Gaussianity in the kurtosis of spherical Mexican hat wavelet coefficients are eliminated once the data is corrected for the Bianchi component. This is due to the reduction of the cold spot at Galactic coordinates (l,b)=(209^\circ,-57\circ), which Cruz et al. (2005) claim to be the source of non-Gaussianity introduced in the kurtosis. Our previous detections of non-Gaussianity observed in the skewness of spherical wavelet coefficients are not reduced by the Bianchi correction. Indeed, the most significant detection of non-Gaussianity made with the spherical real Morlet wavelet at a significant level of 98.4% remains (using a very conservative method to estimate the significance). We make our code to simulate Bianchi induced temperature fluctuations publicly available.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, replaced to match version accepted by MNRA