Collapse of 4D random geometries

We extend the analysis of the Backgammon model to an ensemble with a fixed number of balls and a fluctuating number of boxes. In this ensemble the model exhibits a first order phase transition analogous to the one in higher dimensional simplicial gravity. The transition relies on a kinematic condensation and reflects a crisis of the integration measure which is probably a part of the more general problem with the measure for functional integration over higher (d>2) dimensional Riemannian structures.Comment: 7 pages, Latex2e, 2 figures (.eps

Behavior of X-Ray Dust Scattering and Implications for X-Ray Afterglows of Gamma-Ray Bursts

The afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have commonly been assumed to be due to shocks sweeping up the circum-stellar medium. However, most GRBs have been found in dense star-forming regions where a significant fraction of the prompt X-ray emission can be scattered by dust grains. Here we revisit the behavior of dust scattering of X-rays in GRBs. We find that the features of some X-ray afterglows from minutes to days after the gamma-ray triggers are consistent with the scattering of prompt X-ray emission from GRBs off host dust grains. This implies that some of the observed X-ray afterglows (especially those without sharp rising and decaying flares) could be understood with a dust-scattering--driven emission model.Comment: ApJ, in pres

The distribution of spacings between quadratic residues

We study the distribution of spacings between squares modulo q, where q is square-free and highly composite, in the limit as the number of prime factors of q goes to infinity. We show that all correlation functions are Poissonian, which among other things, implies that the spacings between nearest neighbors, normalized to have unit mean, have an exponential distribution.Comment: 38 pages; introduction and section 6.2 revised, references updated. To appear in Duke Math. Journa

Bouncing of gravitons emitted from the brane to the bulk back to the brane

Solutions of geodesic equations describing propagation of gravitons in the bulk are studied in a cosmological model with one extra dimension. Brane with matter is embedded in the bulk. It is shown that in the period of early cosmology gravitons emitted from the brane to the bulk under certain conditions can return back to the brane. The model is discussed in two alternative approaches: (i) brane with static metric moving in the AdS space, and (ii) brane located at a fixed position in extra dimension with non-static metric. Transformation of coordinates from the one picture to another is performed. In both approaches conditions for gravitons emitted to the bulk to come back to the brane are found.Comment: LaTeX2e, 12 pages. Refs. added. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1204.235

Fast domain wall propagation under an optimal field pulse in magnetic nanowires

We investigate field-driven domain wall (DW) propagation in magnetic nanowires in the framework of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. We propose a new strategy to speed up the DW motion in a uniaxial magnetic nanowire by using an optimal space-dependent field pulse synchronized with the DW propagation. Depending on the damping parameter, the DW velocity can be increased by about two orders of magnitude compared the standard case of a static uniform field. Moreover, under the optimal field pulse, the change in total magnetic energy in the nanowire is proportional to the DW velocity, implying that rapid energy release is essential for fast DW propagation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; updated version replace