On properties of theories which preclude the existence of universal models

We introduce the oak property of first order theories, which is a syntactical condition that we show to be sufficient for a theory not to have universal models in cardinality ? when certain cardinal arithmetic assumptions about ? implying the failure of GCH (and close to the failure of SCH) hold. We give two examples of theories that have the oak property and show that none of these examples satisfy SOP4, not even SOP3. This is related to the question of the connection of the property SOP4 to non-universality, as was raised by the earlier work of Shelah. One of our examples is the theory View the MathML source for which non-universality results similar to the ones we obtain are already known; hence we may view our results as an abstraction of the known results from a concrete theory to a class of theories. We show that no theory with the oak property is simple

Towards a Natural Theory of Dark Energy: Supersymmetric Large Extra Dimensions

The first part of this article summarizes the evidence for Dark Energy and Dark Matter, as well as the naturalness issues which plague current theories of Dark Energy. The main point of this part is to argue why these naturalness issues should provide the central theoretical guidance for the search for a successful theory. The second part of the article describes the present status of what I regard as being the best mechanism yet proposed for addressing this issue: Six-dimensional Supergravity with submillimetre-sized Extra Dimensions (Supersymmetric Large Extra Dimensions, or SLED for short). Besides summarizing the SLED proposal itself, this section also describes the tests which this model has passed, the main criticisms which have been raised, and the remaining challenges which remain to be checked. The bottom line is that the proposal survives the tests which have been completed to date, and predicts several distinctive experimental signatures for cosmology, tests of gravity and for accelerator-based particle physics.Comment: 33 page

Symmetric Dependence

Metaphysical orthodoxy maintains that the relation of ontological dependence is irreflexive, asymmetric, and transitive. The goal of this paper is to challenge that orthodoxy by arguing that ontological dependence should be understood as non- symmetric, rather than asymmetric. If we give up the asymmetry of dependence, interesting things follow for what we can say about metaphysical explanation— particularly for the prospects of explanatory holism

Implications of a scalar dark force for terrestrial experiments

A long-range intergalactic force between dark matter (DM) particles, mediated by an ultralight scalar, is tightly constrained by galactic dynamics and large scale structure formation. We examine the implications of such a ‘‘dark force” for several terrestrial experiments, including Eötvös tests of the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP), direct-detection DM searches, and collider studies. The presence of a dark force implies a nonvanishing effect in Eötvös tests that could be probed by current and future experiments depending on the DM model. For scalar DM that is a singlet under the standard model gauge groups, a dark force of astrophysically relevant magnitude is ruled out in large regions of parameter space by the DM relic density and WEP constraints. WEP tests also imply constraints on the Higgs-exchange contributions to the spin-independent (SI) DM-nucleus direct-detection cross section. For WIMP scenarios, these considerations constrain Higgs-exchange contributions to the SI cross section to be subleading compared to gauge-boson mediated contributions. In multicomponent DM scenarios, a dark force would preclude large shifts in the rate for Higgs decay to two photons associated with DM-multiplet loops that might otherwise lead to measurable deviations at the LHC or a future linear collider. The combination of observations from galactic dynamics, large scale structure formation, Eötvös experiments, DM-direct-detection experiments, and colliders can further constrain the size of new long-range forces in the dark sector

Universal Structures

We deal with the existence of universal members in a given cardinality for several classes. First we deal with classes of Abelian groups, specifically with the existence of universal members in cardinalities which are strong limit singular of countable cofinality. Second, we deal with (variants of) the oak property (from a work of Dzamonja and the author), a property of complete first order theories, sufficient for the non-existence of universal models under suitable cardinal assumptions. Third, we prove that the oak property holds for the class of groups (naturally interpreted, so for quantifier free formulas) and deal more with the existence of universals

On the relation between modality and tense

ABSTRACT We critically review two extant paradigms for understanding the systematic interaction between modality and tense, as well as their respective modifications designed to do justice to the contingency of time’s structure and composition. We show that on either type of theory, as well as their respective modifications, some principles prove logically valid whose truth might sensibly be questioned on metaphysical grounds. These considerations lead us to devise a more general logical framework that allows accommodation of those metaphysical views that its predecessors rule out by fiat

Classical Opacity

Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, EarlyView