arXiv subjects

Eric J. Lerner

Publications and source records attributed to Eric J. Lerner.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2018

Observations contradict galaxy size and surface brightness predictions that are based on the expanding universe hypothesis

In a non-expanding universe surface brightness is independent of distance or redshift, while in an expanding universe it decreases rapidly with both. Similarly, for objects of the same luminosity, the angular radius of an object in a non-expanding universe declines with redshift, while in an expanding universe this radius increases for redshifts z>1.25. The author and colleagues have previously shown that data for the surface brightness of disk galaxies are compatible with a static universe with redshift linearly proportional to distance at all z (SEU hypothesis). In this paper we examine the more conventional hypothesis that the universe is expanding, but that the actual radii of galaxies of a given luminosity increase with time (decrease with z), as others have proposed. We show that the radii data for both disk and elliptical galaxies are incompatible with any of the published size-evolution predictions based on an expanding universe. We find that all the physical mechanisms proposed for size evolution, such as galaxy mergers, lead to predictions that are in quantitative contradiction with either the radius data or other data sets, such as the observed rate of galaxy mergers. In addition, we find that when the effect of telescope resolution is taken into account, the r-z relationships for disk and elliptical galaxies are identical. Both are excellently fit by SEU predictions. An overall comparison of cosmological models requires examining all available data-sets, but for this data-set there is a clear contradiction of predictions based on an expanding universe hypothesis.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

UV surface brightness of galaxies from the local Universe to z ~ 5

The Tolman test for surface brightness dimming was originally proposed as a test for the expansion of the Universe. The test, which is independent of the details of the assumed cosmology,is based on comparisons of the surface brightness (SB) of identical objects at different cosmological distances. Claims have been made that the Tolman test provides compelling evidence against a static model for the Universe. In this paper we reconsider this subject by adopting a static Euclidean Universe with a linear Hubble relation at all z (which is not the standard Einstein- de Sitter model),resulting in a relation between flux and luminosity that is virtually indistinguishable from the one used for LCDM models. Based on the analysis of the UV surface brightness of luminous disk galaxies from HUDF and GALEX datasets, reaching from the local Universe to z ~ 5 we show that the surface brightness remains constant as expected in a SEU. A re-analysis of previously-published data used for the Tolman test at lower redshift, when treated within the same framework, confirms the results of the present analysis by extending our claim to elliptical galaxies. We conclude that available observations of galactic SB are consistent with a static Euclidean model of the Universe. We do not claim that the consistency of the adopted model with SB data is sufficient by itself to confirm what would be a radical transformation in our understanding of the cosmos. However, we believe this result is more than sufficient reason to examine further this combination of hypotheses.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Tolman Test from z = 0.1 to z = 5.5: Preliminary results challenge the expanding universe model

We performed the Tolman surface-brightness test for the expansion of the universe using a large UV dataset of disk galaxies in a wide range of redshifts (from 0.03 to 5.7). We combined data for low-z galaxies from GALEX observations with those for high-z objects from HST UltraDeep Field images. Starting from the data in publicly- available GALEX and UDF catalogs, we created 6 samples of galaxies with observations in a rest-frame band centered at 141 nm and 5 with data from one centered on 225 nm. These bands correspond, respectively, to the FUV and NUV bands of GALEX for objects at z = 0.1. By maintaining the same rest-frame wave-band of all observations we greatly minimized the effects of k-correction and filter transformation. Since SB depends on the absolute magnitude, all galaxy samples were then matched for the absolute magnitude range (-17.7 < M(AB) < -19.0) and for mean absolute magnitude. We performed homogeneous measurements of the magnitude and half-light radius for all the galaxies in the 11 samples, obtaining the median UV surface brightness for each sample. We compared the data with two models: 1) The LCDM expanding universe model with the widely-accepted evolution of galaxy size R prop H(z)-1 and 2) a simple, Euclidean, non-expanding (ENE) model with the distance given by d=cz/H0. We found that the ENE model was a significantly better fit to the data than the LCDM model with galaxy size evolution. While the LCDM model provides a good fit to the HUDF data alone, there is a 1.2 magnitude difference in the SB predicted from the model for the GALEX data and observations, a difference at least 5 times larger than any statistical error. The ENE provides a good fit to all the data except the two points with z>4.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2007

Advances towards pB11 Fusion with the Dense Plasma Focus

The prospects for achieving net energy production with pB11 fuel have recently considerably brightened. Studies have shown that the multi-GG field potentially obtainable with modest dense plasma focus devices have the effect of reducing the flow of energy from the ions to the electrons and thus suppressing bremsstrahlung radiation that cools the plasma. We report here on new simulations that indicate that net energy production may be achievable in high-magnetic-field devices at peak currents as low as 2.3 MA. While these simulations only model the dense plasmoid formed in the focus, new simulation techniques can allow a full particle-in-cell simulation of DPF functioning over the wide range of time and space scales needed. Such simulations will be of great value in the next round of experiments that will use pB11 fuel.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2005

Evidence for a Non-Expanding Universe: Surface Brightness Data From HUDF

Surface brightness data can distinguish between a Friedman-Robertson-Walker expanding universe and a non-expanding universe. For surface brightness measured in AB magnitudes per angular area, all FRW models, regardless of cosmological parameters, predict that surface brightness declines with redshift as (z+1)^-3, while any non-expanding model predicts that surface brightness is constant with distance and thus with z. High-z UV surface brightness data for galaxies from the Hubble Ultra Deep Field and low-z data from GALEX are used to test the predictions of these two models up to z=6. A preliminary analysis presented here of samples observed at the same at-galaxy wavelengths in the UV shows that surface brightness is constant, mu=kz^0.026+-0.15, consistent with the non-expanding model. This relationship holds if distance is linearly proportional to z at all redshifts, but seems insensitive to the particular choice of d-z relationship. Attempts to reconcile the data with FRW predictions by assuming that high-z galaxies have intrinsically higher surface brightness than low-z galaxies appear to face insurmountable problems. The intrinsic FUV surface brightness required by the FRW models for high-z galaxies exceeds the maximum FUV surface brightness of any low-z galaxy by as much as a factor of 40. Dust absorption appears to make such extremely high intrinsic FUV surface brightness physically impossible. If confirmed by further analysis, the impossibility of such high-surface-brightness galaxies would rule out all FRW expanding universe (big bang) models.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Prospects for P11B Fusion with the Dense Plasma Focus: New Results

Fusion with p11B has many advantages, including the almost complete lack of radioactivity and the possibility of direct conversion of charged particle energy to electricity, without expensive steam turbines and generators. But two major challenges must be overcome to achieve this goal: obtaining average ion energies well above 100keV and minimizing losses by bremsstrahlung x-rays. Recent experimental and theoretical work indicates that these challenges may be overcome with the dense plasma focus. DPF experiments at Texas A&M University have demonstrated ion and electron average energies above 100keV in several-micron-sized hot-spots or plasmoids. These had density-confinement-time-energy products as high as 5.0 x10^15 keVsec/cm^3. In these experiments we clearly distinguished between x-rays coming from the hot-spots and the harder radiation coming from electron beam collisions with the anode. In addition, new theoretical work shows that extremely high magnetic fields, which appear achievable in DPF plasmoids, will strongly reduce collisional energy transfer from ions to electrons. This reduction has been studied in the context of neutron stars and occurs when ion velocities are too small to efficiently excite electron transitions between Landau levels. It becomes a major effect for fields above 5 gigagauss. This effect will allow average electron energies to stay far below average ion energies and will thus reduce x-ray cooling of p11B. In this case, fusion power will very significantly exceed x-ray emitted power. While fields of only 0.4 gigagauss have so far been demonstrated with the DPF, scaling laws indicate that much higher fields can be reached.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2002

Towards Advanced-fuel Fusion: Electron, Ion Energy >100 keV in a Dense Plasma

Controlled fusion with advanced fuels requires average electron and ion energies above 100 keV (equivalent to 1.1 billion K) in a dense plasma. We have met this requirement and demonstrated electron and ion energies over 100 keV in a compact and inexpensive dense plasma focus device. We have achieved this in plasma "hot spots" or plasmoids that, in our best results, had a density-confinement-time-energy product of 5.0 x1015 keVsec/cm3, a record for any fusion experiment. We measured the electron energies with an X-ray detector instrument that demonstrated conclusively that the hard X-rays were generated by the hot spots.

physics.plasm-ph↗