Noncommutative General Relativity

We define a theory of noncommutative general relativity for canonical noncommutative spaces. We find a subclass of general coordinate transformations acting on canonical noncommutative spacetimes to be volume-preserving transformations. Local Lorentz invariance is treated as a gauge theory with the spin connection field taken in the so(3,1) enveloping algebra. The resulting theory appears to be a noncommutative extension of the unimodular theory of gravitation. We compute the leading order noncommutative correction to the action and derive the noncommutative correction to the equations of motion of the weak gravitation field.Comment: v2: 10 pages, Discussion on noncommutative coordinate transformations has been changed. Corresponding changes have been made throughout the pape

Gravity-Yang-Mills-Higgs unification by enlarging the gauge group

We revisit an old idea that gravity can be unified with Yang-Mills theory by enlarging the gauge group of gravity formulated as gauge theory. Our starting point is an action that describes a generally covariant gauge theory for a group G. The Minkowski background breaks the gauge group by selecting in it a preferred gravitational SU(2) subgroup. We expand the action around this background and find the spectrum of linearized theory to consist of the usual gravitons plus Yang-Mills fields charged under the centralizer of the SU(2) in G. In addition, there is a set of Higgs fields that are charged both under the gravitational and Yang-Mills subgroups. These fields are generically massive and interact with both gravity and Yang-Mills sector in the standard way. The arising interaction of the Yang-Mills sector with gravity is also standard. Parameters such as the Yang-Mills coupling constant and Higgs mass arise from the potential function defining the theory. Both are realistic in the sense explained in the paper.Comment: 61 pages, no figures (v2) some typos correcte

On the Trace-Free Einstein Equations as a Viable Alternative to General Relativity

The quantum field theoretic prediction for the vacuum energy density leads to a value for the effective cosmological constant that is incorrect by between 60 to 120 orders of magnitude. We review an old proposal of replacing Einstein's Field Equations by their trace-free part (the Trace-Free Einstein Equations), together with an independent assumption of energy--momentum conservation by matter fields. While this does not solve the fundamental issue of why the cosmological constant has the value that is observed cosmologically, it is indeed a viable theory that resolves the problem of the discrepancy between the vacuum energy density and the observed value of the cosmological constant. However, one has to check that, as well as preserving the standard cosmological equations, this does not destroy other predictions, such as the junction conditions that underlie the use of standard stellar models. We confirm that no problems arise here: hence, the Trace-Free Einstein Equations are indeed viable for cosmological and astrophysical applications.Comment: Substantial changes from v1 including added author, change of title and emphasis of the paper although all original results of v1. remai

Vortices in fermion droplets with repulsive dipole-dipole interactions

Vortices are found in a fermion system with repulsive dipole-dipole interactions, trapped by a rotating quasi-two-dimensional harmonic oscillator potential. Such systems have much in common with electrons in quantum dots, where rotation is induced via an external magnetic field. In contrast to the Coulomb interactions between electrons, the (externally tunable) anisotropy of the dipole-dipole interaction breaks the rotational symmetry of the Hamiltonian. This may cause the otherwise rotationally symmetric exact wavefunction to reveal its internal structure more directly.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

The Effects of Next-Nearest-Neighbor Interactions on the Orientation Dependence of Step Stiffness: Reconciling Theory with Experiment for Cu(001)

Within the solid-on-solid (SOS) approximation, we carry out a calculation of the orientational dependence of the step stiffness on a square lattice with nearest and next-nearest neighbor interactions. At low temperature our result reduces to a simple, transparent expression. The effect of the strongest trio (three-site, non pairwise) interaction can easily be incorporated by modifying the interpretation of the two pairwise energies. The work is motivated by a calculation based on nearest neighbors that underestimates the stiffness by a factor of 4 in directions away from close-packed directions, and a subsequent estimate of the stiffness in the two high-symmetry directions alone that suggested that inclusion of next-nearest-neighbor attractions could fully explain the discrepancy. As in these earlier papers, the discussion focuses on Cu(001).Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Alternative derivation of the relativistic contribution to perihelic precession

An alternative derivation of the first-order relativistic contribution to perihelic precession is presented. Orbital motion in the Schwarzschild geometry is considered in the Keplerian limit, and the orbit equation is derived for approximately elliptical motion. The method of solution makes use of coordinate transformations and the correspondence principle, rather than the standard perturbative approach. The form of the resulting orbit equation is similar to that derived from Newtonian mechanics and includes first-order corrections to Kepler's orbits due to general relativity. The associated relativistic contribution to perihelic precession agrees with established first-order results. The reduced radius for the circular orbit is in agreement to first-order with that calculated from the Schwarzschild effective potential. The method of solution is understandable by undergraduate students.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in the American Journal of Physic

Cosmological Constant and Noncommutative Spacetime

We show that the cosmological constant appears as a Lagrange multiplier if nature is described by a canonical noncommutative spacetime. It is thus an arbitrary parameter unrelated to the action and thus to vacuum fluctuations. The noncommutative algebra restricts general coordinate transformations to four-volume preserving noncommutative coordinate transformations. The noncommutative gravitational action is thus an unimodular noncommutative gravity. We show that spacetime noncommutativity provides a very natural justification to an unimodular gravity solution to the cosmological problem. We obtain the right order of magnitude for the critical energy density of the universe if we assume that the scale for spacetime noncommutativity is the Planck scale.Comment: 7 page

Rotational dynamics and friction in double-walled carbon nanotubes

We report a study of the rotational dynamics in double-walled nanotubes using molecular dynamics simulations and a simple analytical model reproducing very well the observations. We show that the dynamic friction is linear in the angular velocity for a wide range of values. The molecular dynamics simulations show that for large enough systems the relaxation time takes a constant value depending only on the interlayer spacing and temperature. Moreover, the friction force increases linearly with contact area, and the relaxation time decreases with the temperature with a power law of exponent $-1.53 \pm 0.04$.Comment: submitted to PR

Einstein's fluctuation formula. A historical overview

A historical overview is given on the basic results which appeared by the year 1926 concerning Einstein's fluctuation formula of black-body radiation, in the context of light-quanta and wave-particle duality. On the basis of the original publications (from Planck's derivation of the black-body spectrum and Einstein's introduction of the photons up to the results of Born, Heisenberg and Jordan on the quantization of a continuum) a comparative study is presented on the first line of thoughts that led to the concept of quanta. The nature of the particle-like fluctuations and the wave-like fluctuations are analysed by using several approaches. With the help of the classical probability theory, it is shown that the infinite divisibility of the Bose distribution leads to the new concept of classical poissonian photo-multiplets or to the binary photo-multiplets of fermionic character. As an application, Einstein's fluctuation formula is derived as a sum of fermion type fluctuations of the binary photo-multiplets.Comment: 34 page