Gravity and the Newtonian limit in the Randall-Sundrum model

We point out that the gravitational evolution equations in the Randall-Sundrum model appear in a different form than hitherto assumed. As a consequence, the model yields a correct Newtonian limit in a novel manner.Comment: 9 pages, LaTeX, sign changed and references added. We have also appended a remark on the compatibility of the 4D Poincare invariant metric of Randall and Sundrum with the boundary equation

Flory Exponents from a Self-Consistent Renormalization Group

The wandering exponent $\nu$ for an isotropic polymer is predicted remarkably well by a simple argument due to Flory. By considering oriented polymers living in a one-parameter family of background tangent fields, we are able to relate the wandering exponent to the exponent in the background field through an $\epsilon$-expansion. We then choose the background field to have the same correlations as the individual polymer, thus self-consistently solving for $\nu$. We find $\nu=3/(d+2)$ for $d<4$ and $\nu=1/2$ for $d\ge 4$, which is exactly the Flory result.Comment: 11 pages, Plain Tex (macros included), IASSNS-HEP-93/1

Local Writhing Dynamics

We present an alternative local definition of the writhe of a self-avoiding closed loop which differs from the traditional non-local definition by an integer. When studying dynamics this difference is immaterial. We employ a formula due to Aldinger, Klapper and Tabor for the change in writhe and propose a set of local, link preserving dynamics in an attempt to unravel some puzzles about actin.Comment: plain TeX, harvmac + epsf, 11 pages, 1 included eps figure. Reference adde

Smectic Order in Double-Twist Cylinders

I propose a double-twist texture with local smectic order, which may have been seen in recent experiments. As in the Renn-Lubensky TGB phase, the smectic order is broken only through a lattice of screw dislocations. A melted lattice of screw dislocations can produce a double-twist texture as can an unmelted lattice. In the latter case I show that geometry only allows for certain angles between smectic regions. I discuss the possibility of connecting these double-twist tubes together to form a smectic blue phase.Comment: 12 pages, plain TeX (macros included), 5 postscript figures (included). Revised version has some more text and a new figure. To appear in J. Phys. II France (1997

Triply-Periodic Smectics

Twist-grain-boundary phases in smectics are the geometrical analogs of the Abrikosov flux lattice in superconductors. At large twist angles, the nonlinear elasticity is important in evaluating their energetics. We analytically construct the height function of a pi/2 twist-grain-boundary phase in smectic-A liquid crystals, known as Schnerk's first surface. This construction, utilizing elliptic functions, allows us to compute the energy of the structure analytically. By identifying a set of heretofore unknown defects along the pitch axis of the structure, we study the necessary topological structure of grain boundaries at other angles, concluding that there exist a set of privileged angles and that the \pi/2 and \pi/3 grain boundary structures are particularly simple.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure