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Showing votes from 2016-08-23 11:30 to 2016-08-26 12:30 | Next meeting is Friday Aug 15th, 11:30 am.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v536/n7617/full/nature19106.html
At a distance of 1.295 parsecs, the red dwarf Proxima Centauri (α Centauri C, GL 551, HIP 70890 or simply Proxima) is the Sun’s closest stellar neighbour and one of the best-studied low-mass stars. It has an effective temperature of only around 3,050 kelvin, a luminosity of 0.15 per cent of that of the Sun, a measured radius of 14 per cent of the radius of the Sun and a mass of about 12 per cent of the mass of the Sun. Although Proxima is considered a moderately active star, its rotation period is about 83 days and its quiescent activity levels and X-ray luminosity are comparable to those of the Sun. Here we report observations that reveal the presence of a small planet with a minimum mass of about 1.3 Earth masses orbiting Proxima with a period of approximately 11.2 days at a semi-major-axis distance of around 0.05 astronomical units. Its equilibrium temperature is within the range where water could be liquid on its surface.
This paper provides a pedagogical introduction to the physics of extra dimensions focussing on the ADD, Randall-Sundrum and DGP models. In each of these models, the familiar particles and fields of the standard model are assumed to be confined to a four dimensional space-time called the brane; the brane is a slice through a higher dimensional space-time called the bulk. The geometry of the ADD, Randall-Sundrum and DGP space-times is described and the relation between Randall-Sundrum and Anti-de-Sitter space-time is explained. The necessary differential geometry background is introduced in an appendix that presumes no greater mathematical preparation than multivariable calculus. The ordinary wave equation and the Klein-Gordon equation are briefly reviewed followed by an analysis of the propagation of scalar waves in the bulk in all three extra-dimensional models. We also calculate the scalar field produced by a static point source located on the brane for all three models. For the ADD and Randall-Sundrum models at large distances the field looks like that of a point source in four space-time dimensions but at short distances it crosses over to a form appropriate to the higher dimensional space-time. For the DGP model the field has the higher dimensional form at long distances rather than short. The scalar field results provide qualitative insights into the corresponding behavior of gravitational fields. In particular the explanation within the ADD and Randall-Sundrum model of the weakness of gravity compared to other forces is discussed as are the implications of the two models for colliders and other experiments.
We find exact solutions to Maxwell equations written in terms of four-vector potentials in non--rotating, as well as in G\"odel and Kerr spacetimes. Exact electromagnetic waves solutions are written on given gravitational field backgrounds where they evolve. We find that in non--rotating spherical symmetric spacetimes, electromagnetic plane waves travel along null geodesics. However, electromagnetic plane waves on G\"odel and Kerr spacetimes do not exhibit that behavior.