We assess the prospects for attaining steady nuclear flow equilibrium in expanding r-process environments where beta decay and/or neutrino capture determine the nuclear charge-changing rates. For very rapid expansions, we find that weak steady flow equilibrium normally cannot be attained. However, even when neutron capture processes freeze out in such nonequilibrium conditions, abundance ratios...

The constrained Hamiltonian formalism is recommended as a means for getting a grip on the concepts of gauge and gauge transformation. This formalism makes it clear how the gauge concept is relevant to understanding Newtonian and classical relativistic theories as well as the theories of elementary particle physics; it provides an explication of the vague notions of “local” and “global” gauge tr...

We develop theory leading to an ability to catalog types of elementary particles. The resulting catalog provides for known interaction-mediating bosons, non-traditional interactioncarrying bosons, and fermions. Ratios of theoretical numbers of analogs of various types of particles match observed ratios of densities for baryonic matter, dark matter, and dark energy.

For example, if for some input x of length len(x) = n, an algorithm requires 2 computational steps, then for an input of a reasonable length n ≈ 300, we would need 2 computational steps. Even if we use a hypothetical computer for which each step takes the smallest physically possible time (the time during which light passes through the smallest known elementary particle), we would still need mo...

Uncovering the origin of flavor mixing and CP violation is one of the main goals in elementary particle physics today. As part of this program, the constraining of the CKM unitarity triangle through the redundant measurement of its angles and sides plays a central rôle. The aim of the present summary is to review the state of the art regarding the measurement of the sides |Vub| and |Vcb|, as it...

Allowed beta decay is studied using the elementary particle approach including all second forbidden terms. Model independent forms are given for various spectrum and correlation effects with parent polarization and/or orientation and for delayed particle emission correlations. The restrictions due to various symmetry assumptions are analyzed, as well as the problem of Coulomb corrections. We co...

16 WINTER 1999 YMMETRY IS A FAMILIAR CONCEPT in art and design. In daily conversation, it usually refers to transformations in space, such as rotations of an object about an axis. In science, the word has a more general meaning and a profound significance, because its role in understanding the laws of Nature has been one of the dominant themes in physics. It figured heavily, for example, in muc...

The dynamics of the universe may be dominated by novel weakly interacting elementary particles, by baryons in an invisible form, by black holes, and globally by vacuum energy. The main arguments for and against such hypotheses are reviewed.

In the context of the fact that the existence of dark energy causing the accelerated expansion of the universe has been confirmed by the WMAP and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we reexamine gravitation itself, starting with the formulation of Sakharov and show that it is possible to obtain gravitation in terms of the electromagnetic charge of elementary particles, once the ZPF and its effects at...

Pre-white dwarf (PWD) evolution can be driven by energy losses from neutrino interactions in the core. Unlike solar neutrinos, these are not the by-product of nuclear fusion, but instead result from electron scattering processes in the hot, dense regions of the PWD core. We show that the observed rate of period change in cool PWD pulsators will constrain neutrino emission in their cores, and we...