The Golden rule expression for x-ray absorption spectra (XAS) is typically calculated within a one-particle (quasiparticle) approximation and generally leads to good agreement between theory and experiment. The fact that a quasiparticle approximation works fairly well is surprising, since it neglects satellite excitations and intrinsic losses due to a suddenly created core-hole. The resolution of this paradox requires physics beyond the independent particle approximation. This is discussed here using an effective Green's function formulation based on a quasi-boson model that (...) takes interference between inelastic losses into account. This approach shows that inelastic excitations such as multi-electron excitations tend to be suppressed, and that the XAS is given by a broadened quasiparticle particle approximation, together with weak satellite structure and edge singularity effects. (shrink)

The qigong state of bigu is believed to be supported by the absorption of qi from the universe. Gamma radiation is ubiquitous in the cosmos and, according to some, may be a possible source of energy for cellular functioning. When the concept of energy is integrated with the concept of dynamical systems, the logic leads to the theory—termed systemic memory—that predicts all systems, from the micro to macro, store information and energy to various degrees. New research indicates that the (...) human body absorbs gamma radiation from the environment and emits high-frequency X rays. There are substantial individual differences in these effects that appear to be related, in part, to the psychological state of the person. Future research can determine if bigu is associated with increased absorption of gamma radiation and/or decreased emission of high frequency X rays. The hypothesis that qi can be viewed as quality information is proposed. (shrink)

Historians have found it difficult to give a general account of the early medical use of X‐rays in medicine. While the rays were hailed by some as a miracle technology, their early medical application was patchy, often remaining subsidiary to traditional methods of diagnosis and treatment, and was of disputed value. In this essay, I argue that the selective appropriation of the new technology needs to be understood within the wider medical practice of the period. The argument is developed around (...) the case of orthopedic surgery in Germany, probably the first example in which doctors quickly made X‐rays indispensable as a medical tool. I show that value of X‐rays in this case was contingent upon an ongoing dispute, the theory and practice of surgical intervention, and the sociology of new surgical knowledge. (shrink)

The gravitational waves from a binary black hole with masses \ can be detected with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna once their orbital frequency exceeds 10\–10\ Hz. The binary separation at this stage is \R_{\mathrm{g}}\), and the orbital speed is \\). I argue that at this stage, the binary will be producing bright electromagnetic radiation via gas bound to the individual BHs. Both BHs will have their own photospheres in X-ray and possibly also in optical bands. Relativistic Doppler modulations and (...) lensing effects will inevitably imprint periodic variability in the EM light-curve, tracking the phase of the orbital motion, and serving as a template for the GW inspiral waveform. Advanced localization of the source by LISA weeks to months prior to merger will enable a measurement of this EM chirp by wide-field X-ray or optical instruments. A comparison of the phases of the GW and EM chirp signals will help break degeneracies between system parameters, and probe a fractional difference difference \ in the propagation speed of photons and gravitons as low as \. (shrink)

Werner Schuster was a doctor long before he became an artist--but it was a childhood fascination with photography that drove him to study radiology in the first place, so it's only fitting that he should now be one of the most versatile and interesting artists working with x-ray photography today. This volume presents full-color reproductions of Schuster's photographs along with those of other photographers, from the pioneering x-ray creators of 1895 to present-day artists working in the medium. An essay by (...) René Harather tells the history of x-ray photography and highlights the most important developments and proponents of the genre since its discovery. The second part of the book turns to Schuster's work, showing how he has expanded the boundaries of the medium and made creative use of the interplay between traditional and x-ray photography. A fascinating look at a stunning marriage of art and science, X-Ray is the first comprehensive representation of the history of x-ray photography. (shrink)

We present the idea of searching for X-rays as a signature of the mechanism inducing the spontaneous collapse of the wave function. Such a signal is predicted by the continuous spontaneous localization theories, which are solving the “measurement problem” by modifying the Schrödinger equation. We will show some encouraging preliminary results and discuss future plans and strategy.

The author, who shared the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physics with Owen Chamberlain, offers impressions and recollections of the development of modern physics. Rather than a chronological approach, Segre emphasizes interesting, complex personalities who often appear only in footnotes. Readers will find that this book adds considerably to their understanding of science and includes compelling topics of current interest.

During the first half of the twentieth century, the mining industry in Britain was subject to recurrent disputes about the risk to miners’ lungs from coal dust, moderated by governmental, industrial, medical and mining bodies. In this environment, precise measurements offered a way to present uncontested objective knowledge. By accessing primary source material from the National Archives, the South Wales Miners Library and the University of Bristol's Special Collections, I demonstrate the importance that the British Medical Research Council (MRC) attached (...) to standardized instrumental measures as proof of objectivity, and explore the conflict between objective and subjective measures of health. Examination of the MRC's use of spirometry in their investigation of pneumoconiosis (miner's lung) from 1936 to 1945 will shed light on this conflict and illuminate the politics inherent in attempts to quantify disability and categorize standards of health. (shrink)

This book assesses how Vatican II opened up the Catholic Church to encounter, dialogue, and engagement with other world religions. Opening with a contribution from the President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, it next explores the impact, relevance, and promise of the Declaration Nostra Aetate before turning to consider how Vatican II in general has influenced interfaith dialogue and the intellectual and comparative study of world religions in the postconciliar decades, as well as the contribution (...) of particular past and present thinkers to the formation of current interreligious and comparative theological methods. Additionally, chapters consider interreligious dialogue vis-à-vis theological anthropology in conciliar documents; openness to the spiritual practices of other faith traditions as a way of encouraging positive interreligious encounter; the role of lay and new ecclesial movements in interreligious dialogue; and the development of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. Finally, it includes a range of perspectives on the fruits and future of Vatican’s II’s opening to particular faiths such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. (shrink)