The Accelerating Pace of Star Formation

We study the temporal and spatial distribution of star formation rates in four well-studied star-forming regions in local molecular clouds(MCs): Taurus, Perseus, $\rho$ Ophiuchi, and Orion A. Using published mass and age estimates for young stellar objects in each system, we show that the rate of star formation over the last 10 Myrs has been accelerating and is (roughly) consistent with a $t^2$ power law. This is in line with previous studies of the star formation history of molecular clouds and with recent theoretical studies. We further study the clustering of star formation in the Orion Nebula Cluster(ONC). We examine the distribution of young stellar objects as a function of their age by computing an effective half-light radius for these young stars subdivided into age bins. We show that the distribution of young stellar objects is broadly consistent with the star formation being entirely localized within the central region. We also find a slow radial expansion of the newly formed stars at a velocity of $v=0.17\,{\rm km\,s}^{-1}$, which is roughly the sound speed of the cold molecular gas. This strongly suggests the dense structures that form stars persist much longer than the local dynamical time. We argue that this structure is quasi-static in nature and is likely the result of the density profile approaching an attractor solution as suggested by recent analytic and numerical analysis.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted to MNRA

Charge Asymmetric Cosmic Ray Signals From Dark Matter Decay

The PAMELA and Fermi measurements of the cosmic-ray electron and positron spectra have generated much interest over the past two years, because they are consistent with a significant component of the electron and positron fluxes between 20 GeV and 1 TeV being produced through dark matter annihilation or decay. However, since the measurements are also consistent with astrophysical interpretations, the message is unclear. In this paper, we point out that dark matter can have a more distinct signal in cosmic rays, that of a charge asymmetry. Such charge asymmetry can result if the dark matter's abundance is due to a relic asymmetry, allowing its decay to generate an asymmetry in positrons and electrons. This is analogous to the baryon asymmetry, where decaying neutrons produce electrons and not positrons. We explore benchmark scenarios where the dark matter decays into a leptophilic charged Higgs boson or electroweak gauge bosons. These models have observable signals in gamma rays and neutrinos, which can be tested by Fermi and IceCube. The most powerful test will be at AMS-02, given its ability to distinguish electron and positron charge above 100 GeV. Specifically, an asymmetry favoring positrons typically predicts a larger positron ratio and a harder (softer) high energy spectrum for positrons (electrons) than charge symmetric sources. We end with a brief discussion on how such scenarios differ from the leading astrophysical explanations.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figures, revtex; v2, additional references adde

What is the Machine Learning?

Applications of machine learning tools to problems of physical interest are often criticized for producing sensitivity at the expense of transparency. To address this concern, we explore a data planing procedure for identifying combinations of variables -- aided by physical intuition -- that can discriminate signal from background. Weights are introduced to smooth away the features in a given variable(s). New networks are then trained on this modified data. Observed decreases in sensitivity diagnose the variable's discriminating power. Planing also allows the investigation of the linear versus non-linear nature of the boundaries between signal and background. We demonstrate the efficacy of this approach using a toy example, followed by an application to an idealized heavy resonance scenario at the Large Hadron Collider. By unpacking the information being utilized by these algorithms, this method puts in context what it means for a machine to learn.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Version published in PRD, discussion adde

Measuring Top Squark Interactions With The Standard Model Through Associated Production

A new particle's interactions can be measured at colliders, by observing its associated production with Standard Model particles. We focus on the case of a collider-stable right-handed top squark and study the LHC sensitivities to its couplings to the photon, Z, and the Higgs boson. Such measurements determine the top squark's charge, mixing angle and coupling to the electroweak symmetry breaking sector. Determining these couplings can provide strong evidence for the supersymmetric solution to the hierarchy problem. Our analysis shows that the LHC has great prospects for measuring the photon and Higgs couplings, but will require a very high luminosity to measure the Z coupling.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, revtex; v2, added reference and small change