Fast wavelength-tunable ultra-violet laser source for confocal Fura-2AM imaging

We report a novel wavelength-flexible laser source for three-dimensional ultra-violet imaging. Based on supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fiber, the resultant broadband laser source extended from A = 331 nm into the visible region of the spectrum. Using an electronically-controlled filter wheel and filter set with a response time of approximately 50 ins, rapid wavelength selection was performed. The described scheme is capable of exciting the current range of ultra-violet-excited fluorophores and the simple and rapid wavelength control also provides a new approach for fast ratiometric imaging of Fura-2AM, facilitating an easy method of performing quantitative intracellular calcium concentration measurements

Boundary Operators in Quantum Field Theory

The fundamental laws of physics can be derived from the requirement of invariance under suitable classes of transformations on the one hand, and from the need for a well-posed mathematical theory on the other hand. As a part of this programme, the present paper shows under which conditions the introduction of pseudo-differential boundary operators in one-loop Euclidean quantum gravity is compatible both with their invariance under infinitesimal diffeomorphisms and with the requirement of a strongly elliptic theory. Suitable assumptions on the kernel of the boundary operator make it therefore possible to overcome problems resulting from the choice of purely local boundary conditions.Comment: 23 pages, plain Tex. The revised version contains a new section, and the presentation has been improve

Radiation Induced Fermion Resonance

The Dirac equation is solved for two novel terms which describe the interaction energy between the half integral spin of a fermion and the classical, circularly polarized, electromagnetic field. A simple experiment is suggested to test the new terms and the existence of radiation induced fermion resonance.Comment: latex, 4 pages, no figure

Baryon asymmetry in the Universe resulting from Lorentz violation

We analyze the phenomenological consequences of a Lorentz violating energy-momentum dispersion relation in order to give a simple explanation for the baryon asymmetry in the Universe. By assuming very few hypotheses, we propose a straightforward mechanism for generating the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry which entails a Lorentz-breakdown energy scale of the order of the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cut-off.Comment: 7 page

Fermi, Majorana and the statistical model of atoms

We give an account of the appearance and first developments of the statistical model of atoms proposed by Thomas and Fermi, focusing on the main results achieved by Fermi and his group in Rome. Particular attention is addressed to the unknown contribution to this subject by Majorana, anticipating some important results reached later by leading physicists.Comment: Latex, 16 pages, 2 figure

Spectral asymptotics of Euclidean quantum gravity with diff-invariant boundary conditions

A general method is known to exist for studying Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theories, as well as Euclidean quantum gravity, at one-loop level on manifolds with boundary. In the latter case, boundary conditions on metric perturbations h can be chosen to be completely invariant under infinitesimal diffeomorphisms, to preserve the invariance group of the theory and BRST symmetry. In the de Donder gauge, however, the resulting boundary-value problem for the Laplace type operator acting on h is known to be self-adjoint but not strongly elliptic. The latter is a technical condition ensuring that a unique smooth solution of the boundary-value problem exists, which implies, in turn, that the global heat-kernel asymptotics yielding one-loop divergences and one-loop effective action actually exists. The present paper shows that, on the Euclidean four-ball, only the scalar part of perturbative modes for quantum gravity are affected by the lack of strong ellipticity. Further evidence for lack of strong ellipticity, from an analytic point of view, is therefore obtained. Interestingly, three sectors of the scalar-perturbation problem remain elliptic, while lack of strong ellipticity is confined to the remaining fourth sector. The integral representation of the resulting zeta-function asymptotics is also obtained; this remains regular at the origin by virtue of a spectral identity here obtained for the first time.Comment: 25 pages, Revtex-4. Misprints in Eqs. (5.11), (5.14), (5.16) have been correcte

A generalization of the Ginzburg-Landau theory to p-wave superconductors

We succeed to build up a straightforward theoretical model for spin-triplet p-wave superconductors by introducing in Ginzburg-Landau theory a second order parameter and a suitable interaction between the two mean fields.Comment: RevTeX, 4 pages, no figure

Type IIB orientifolds with discrete torsion

We consider compact four-dimensional ${\bf Z_N}\times {\bf Z_M}$ type IIB orientifolds, for certain values of $N$ and $M$. We allow the additional feature of discrete torsion and discuss the modification of the consistency conditions arising from tadpole cancellation. We point out the differences between the cases with and without discrete torsion.Comment: 4 pages LaTeX. Write-up of talk at DPF2000, Columbus, OH, August 10, 2000. References adde