Einstein-Cartan theory as a theory of defects in space-time

The Einstein-Cartan theory of gravitation and the classical theory of defects in an elastic medium are presented and compared. The former is an extension of general relativity and refers to four-dimensional space-time, while we introduce the latter as a description of the equilibrium state of a three-dimensional continuum. Despite these important differences, an analogy is built on their common geometrical foundations, and it is shown that a space-time with curvature and torsion can be considered as a state of a four-dimensional continuum containing defects. This formal analogy is useful for illustrating the geometrical concept of torsion by applying it to concrete physical problems. Moreover, the presentation of these theories using a common geometrical basis allows a deeper understanding of their foundations.Comment: 18 pages, 7 EPS figures, RevTeX4, to appear in the American Journal of Physics, revised version with typos correcte

Scaling in a continuous time model for biological aging

In this paper we consider a generalization to the asexual version of the Penna model for biological aging, where we take a continuous time limit. The genotype associated to each individual is an interval of real numbers over which Dirac $\delta$--functions are defined, representing genetically programmed diseases to be switched on at defined ages of the individual life. We discuss two different continuous limits for the evolution equation and two different mutation protocols, to be implemented during reproduction. Exact stationary solutions are obtained and scaling properties are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Nonlocality of Accelerated Systems

The conceptual basis for the nonlocality of accelerated systems is presented. The nonlocal theory of accelerated observers and its consequences are briefly described. Nonlocal field equations are developed for the case of the electrodynamics of linearly accelerated systems.Comment: LaTeX file, no figures, 9 pages, to appear in: "Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and Cosmology" (World Scientific, Singapore, 2003

A STRAINED SPACE-TIME TO EXPLAIN THE LARGE SCALEPROPERTIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Space-time can be treated as a four-dimensional material continuum. The corresponding generally curved manifold can be thought of as having been obtained, by continuous deformation, from a four-dimensional Euclidean manifold. In a three-dimensional ordinary situation such a deformation process would lead to strain in the manifold. Strain in turn may be read as half the di®erence between the actual metric tensor and the Euclidean metric tensor of the initial unstrained manifold. On the other side we know that an ordinary material would react to the attempt to introduce strain giving rise to internal stresses and one would have correspondingly a deformation energy term. Assuming the conditions of linear elasticity hold, the deformation energy is easily written in terms of the strain tensor. The Einstein-Hilbert action is generalized to include the new deformation energy term. The new action for space-time has been applied to a Friedmann-Lemaitre- Robertson-Walker universe filled with dust and radiation. The accelerated expansion is recovered, then the theory has been put through four cosmological tests: primordial isotopic abundances from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis; Acoustic Scale of the CMB; Large Scale Structure formation; luminosity/redshift relation for type Ia supernovae. The result is satisfying and has allowed to evaluate the parameters of the theor

Von-Neumann's and related scaling laws in Rock-Paper-Scissors type models

We introduce a family of Rock-Paper-Scissors type models with $Z_N$ symmetry ($N$ is the number of species) and we show that it has a very rich structure with many completely different phases. We study realizations which lead to the formation of domains, where individuals of one or more species coexist, separated by interfaces whose (average) dynamics is curvature driven. This type of behavior, which might be relevant for the development of biological complexity, leads to an interface network evolution and pattern formation similar to the ones of several other nonlinear systems in condensed matter and cosmology.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, published versio

Lie conformal algebra cohomology and the variational complex

We find an interpretation of the complex of variational calculus in terms of the Lie conformal algebra cohomology theory. This leads to a better understanding of both theories. In particular, we give an explicit construction of the Lie conformal algebra cohomology complex, and endow it with a structure of a g-complex. On the other hand, we give an explicit construction of the complex of variational calculus in terms of skew-symmetric poly-differential operators.Comment: 56 page

Four-state rock-paper-scissors games on constrained Newman-Watts networks

We study the cyclic dominance of three species in two-dimensional constrained Newman-Watts networks with a four-state variant of the rock-paper-scissors game. By limiting the maximal connection distance $R_{max}$ in Newman-Watts networks with the long-rang connection probability $p$, we depict more realistically the stochastic interactions among species within ecosystems. When we fix mobility and vary the value of $p$ or $R_{max}$, the Monte Carlo simulations show that the spiral waves grow in size, and the system becomes unstable and biodiversity is lost with increasing $p$ or $R_{max}$. These results are similar to recent results of Reichenbach \textit{et al.} [Nature (London) \textbf{448}, 1046 (2007)], in which they increase the mobility only without including long-range interactions. We compared extinctions with or without long-range connections and computed spatial correlation functions and correlation length. We conclude that long-range connections could improve the mobility of species, drastically changing their crossover to extinction and making the system more unstable.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

On the compatibility of causality and symmetry (Comments on "Analysis of causality in time-dependent density functional theory")

It is argued that there exists the only one inverse of the linear response function $\chi$, i.e. $\chi^{-1}$, which depends symmetrically of its spatial-times variables, see M.K. Harbola, and A. Banerjee, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 60}, 5101 (1999). Some brief comments on this consideration are presented. We show instead, that it is possible to construct the causal inverse also. At the same time we confirm the main statement of M.K. Harbola and A. Banerjee that in fact there is no contradiction between the symmetry and causality.Comment: 4 pages, LaTe

Spreading of families in cyclic predator-prey models

We study the spreading of families in two-dimensional multispecies predator-prey systems, in which species cyclically dominate each other. In each time step randomly chosen individuals invade one of the nearest sites of the square lattice eliminating their prey. Initially all individuals get a family-name which will be carried on by their descendants. Monte Carlo simulations show that the systems with several species (N=3,4,5) are asymptotically approaching the behavior of the voter model, i.e., the survival probability of families, the mean-size of families and the mean-square distance of descendants from their ancestor exhibit the same scaling behavior. The scaling behavior of the survival probability of families has a logarithmic correction. In case of the voter model this correction depends on the number of species, while cyclic predator-prey models behave like the voter model with infinite species. It is found that changing the rates of invasions does not change this asymptotic behavior. As an application a three-species system with a fourth species intruder is also discussed.Comment: to be published in PR