We study the Horndeski vector-tensor theory that leads to second order equations of motion and contains a non-minimally coupled abelian gauge vector field. This theory is remarkably simple and consists of only 2 terms for the vector field, namely: the standard Maxwell kinetic term and a coupling to the dual Riemann tensor. Furthermore, the vector sector respects the U(1) gauge symmetry and the theory contains only one free parameter, M 2 , that controls the strength of the non-minimal coupling. We explore the theory in a de Sitter spacetime and study the presence of instabilities and show that it corresponds to an attractor solution in the presence of the vector field. We also investigate the cosmological evolution and stability of perturbations in a general FLRW spacetime. We find that a sufficient condition for the absence of ghosts is M 2 > 0. Moreover, we study further constraints coming from imposing the absence of Laplacian instabilities. Finally, we study the stability of the theory in static and spherically symmetric backgrounds (in particular, Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordström-de Sitter). We find that the theory, quite generally, do have ghosts or Laplacian instabilities in regions of spacetime where the non-minimal interaction dominates over the Maxwell term. We also calculate the propagation speed in these spacetimes and show that superluminality is a quite generic phenomenon in this theory.
Recent progress in the theoretical understanding of hadronic jet fragnientation is reviewed, with an emphasis on those aspects that can b e treated in perturbation theory after resummation of large logarithms and on their inclusion in Monte Carlo event generators.
A cylindrical acoustic device for levitation and/or concentration of aerosols and small liquid/solid samples (up to several millimeters in diameter) in air has been developed [Kaduchak et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 73, 1332–1336]. It is inexpensive, low-power, and, in its simplest embodiment, does not require accurate alignment of a resonant cavity. It is constructed from a cylindrical PZT tube with thickness-to-radius ratio h/a∼0.03. The novelty of the device is that the lowest-order breathing mode of the tube is tuned to match a resonant mode of the interior air-filled cylindrical cavity. A high-Q cavity results that is driven very efficiently; drops of water in excess of 1-mm diameter are levitated for approximately 100 mW of input electrical power. The present research addresses modifying the different spatial configurations of the standing wave field within the cavity. By breaking the cylindrical symmetry, it is shown that pressure nodes can be localized for collection or separation of aerosolds or other particulate matter. Several different symmetry-breaking configurations are demonstrated. It is shown that experimental observations of the nodal arrangements agree with theoretical predictions.
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