HI in the Outskirts of Nearby Galaxies

The HI in disk galaxies frequently extends beyond the optical image, and can trace the dark matter there. I briefly highlight the history of high spatial resolution HI imaging, the contribution it made to the dark matter problem, and the current tension between several dynamical methods to break the disk-halo degeneracy. I then turn to the flaring problem, which could in principle probe the shape of the dark halo. Instead, however, a lot of attention is now devoted to understanding the role of gas accretion via galactic fountains. The current $\rm \Lambda$ cold dark matter theory has problems on galactic scales, such as the core-cusp problem, which can be addressed with HI observations of dwarf galaxies. For a similar range in rotation velocities, galaxies of type Sd have thin disks, while those of type Im are much thicker. After a few comments on modified Newtonian dynamics and on irregular galaxies, I close with statistics on the HI extent of galaxies.Comment: 38 pages, 17 figures, invited review, book chapter in "Outskirts of Galaxies", Eds. J. H. Knapen, J. C. Lee and A. Gil de Paz, Astrophysics and Space Science Library, Springer, in pres

New AdS non Abelian black holes with superconducting horizons

We present arguments for the existence of higher dimensional asymptotically AdS non Abelian black holes with a Ricci flat event horizon and analyze their basic properties. Unlike higher dimensional black holes with a curved horizon, of the usual Einstein-Yang-Mills system, these solutions have finite mass-energy. Below some non-zero critical temperature, they are thermodynamically preferred over the Abelian configurations.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Brane inflation and the fine-tuning problem

Brane inflation can provide a promissing framework for solving the fine-tuning problem in standard inflationary models. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the mechanism by which this can be achieved. By considering the supersymmetric two-stage inflation model it is shown that the initial fine-tuning of the coupling parameter can be considerably relaxed. SubPlanckian values of the inflaton during inflation can also be obtained.Comment: 04 pages (Revtex

A new analysis of the GJ581 extrasolar planetary system

We have done a new analysis of the available observations for the GJ581 exoplanetary system. Today this system is controversial due to choices that can be done in the orbital determination. The main ones are the ocurrence of aliases and the additional bodies - the planets f and g - announced in Vogt et al. 2010. Any dynamical study of exoplanets requires the good knowledge of the orbital elements and the investigations involving the planet g are particularly interesting, since this body would lie in the Habitable Zone (HZ) of the star GJ581. This region,for this system, is very attractive of the dynamical point of view due to several resonances of two and three bodies present there. In this work, we investigate the conditions under which the planet g may exist. We stress the fact that the planet g is intimately related with the orbital elements of the planet d; more precisely, we conclude that it is not possible to disconnect its existence from the determination of the eccentricity of the planet d. Concerning the planet f, we have found one solution with period $\approx 450$ days, but we are judicious about any affirmation concernig this body because its signal is in the threshold of detection and the high period is in a spectral region where the ocorruence of aliases is very common. Besides, we outline some dynamical features of the habitable zone with the dynamical map and point out the role played by some resonances laying there.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figure

Meridional Circulation and Global Solar Oscillations

We investigate the influence of large-scale meridional circulation on solar p-modes by quasi-degenerate perturbation theory, as proposed by \cite{lavely92}. As an input flow we use various models of stationary meridional circulation obeying the continuity equation. This flow perturbs the eigenmodes of an equilibrium model of the Sun. We derive the signatures of the meridional circulation in the frequency multiplets of solar p-modes. In most cases the meridional circulation leads to negative average frequency shifts of the multiplets. Further possible observable effects are briefly discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, submittted to Solar Physics Topical Issue "HELAS

Analysis of the doubly heavy baryons in the nuclear matter with the QCD sum rules

In this article, we study the doubly heavy baryon states $\Xi_{cc}$, $\Omega_{cc}$, $\Xi_{bb}$ and $\Omega_{bb}$ in the nuclear matter using the QCD sum rules, and derive three coupled QCD sum rules for the masses, vector self-energies and pole residues. The predictions for the mass-shifts in the nuclear matter $\Delta M_{\Xi_{cc}}=-1.11\,\rm{GeV}$, $\Delta M_{\Omega_{cc}}=-0.33\,\rm{GeV}$, $\Delta M_{\Xi_{bb}}=-3.37\,\rm{GeV}$ and $\Delta M_{\Omega_{bb}}=-1.05\,\rm{GeV}$ can be confronted with the experimental data in the future.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Drumlin sedimentology in a hard-bed, lowland setting, Connemara, western Ireland: implications for subglacial bedform generation in areas of sparse till cover

Cores of coastal drumlins in Connemara contain stratified diamictons that interdigitate with gravelly clinoforms and finer grained rhythmites. The diamictons are interpreted as subaqueous mud apron deposits delivered by subglacial till advection to continuously failing subaqueous ice-contact fans, whose strata were being syn-depositionally over-steepened by glacitectonic deformation. The localized nature of the stratified sediments reflects the emergence of subglacial deforming tills and meltwater deposits in a glacilacustrine environment to produce interdigitated mass flow diamictons and grounding line fans/wedges. These depo-centres became glacitectonized and subglacially streamlined during glacier overriding and hence regional drumlin sedimentology reflects the varying degrees of inheritance of pre-existing glacigenic deposits and suggests that drumlin production relates more to the position of localized sediment accumulations at the glacier bed than full-depth till deformation processes (e.g. instability mechanisms) within the same drumlin field. Till cored drumlins give way down ice to stratified cored drumlins with till caps and then to stratified drumlins. This zonation is compatible with the increased lateral variability in drumlin composition that would arise from the occurrence of linear assemblages of glacifluvial (esker) and subaqueous (grounding line) sediments in an otherwise marginal-thickening till sheet

Study of KS KL Coupled Decays and KL -Be Interactions with the CMD-2 Detector at VEPP-2M Collider

The integrated luminosity about 4000 inverse nanobarn of around phi meson mass ( 5 millions of phi mesons) has been collected with the CMD-2 detector at the VEPP-2M collider. A latest analysis of the KS KL coupled decays based on 30 % of available data is presented in this paper. The KS KL pairs from phi meson decays were reconstructed in the drift chamber when both kaons decayed into two charged particles. From a sample of 1423 coupled decays a selection of candidates to the CP violating KL into pi+ pi- decay was performed. CP violating decays were not identified because of the domination of events with a KL regenerating at the Be beam pipe into KS and a background from KL semileptonic decays. The regeneration cross section of 110 MeV/c KL mesons was found to be 53 +- 17 mb in agreement with theoretical expectations. The angular distribution of KS mesons after regeneration and the total cross section of KL for Be have been measured.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure

The Cerenkov effect revisited: from swimming ducks to zero modes in gravitational analogs

We present an interdisciplinary review of the generalized Cerenkov emission of radiation from uniformly moving sources in the different contexts of classical electromagnetism, superfluid hydrodynamics, and classical hydrodynamics. The details of each specific physical systems enter our theory via the dispersion law of the excitations. A geometrical recipe to obtain the emission patterns in both real and wavevector space from the geometrical shape of the dispersion law is discussed and applied to a number of cases of current experimental interest. Some consequences of these emission processes onto the stability of condensed-matter analogs of gravitational systems are finally illustrated.Comment: Lecture Notes at the IX SIGRAV School on "Analogue Gravity" in Como, Italy from May 16th-21th, 201

Recurrent duplications of the annexin A1 gene (ANXA1) in autism spectrum disorders

Validating the potential pathogenicity of copy number variants (CNVs) identified in genome-wide studies of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) requires detailed assessment of case/control frequencies, inheritance patterns, clinical correlations, and functional impact. Here, we characterize a small recurrent duplication in the annexin A1 (ANXA1) gene, identified by the Autism Genome Project (AGP) study