Charge and Magnetic Moment of the Neutrino in the Background Field Method and in the Linear R_xi^L Gauge

We present a computation of the charge and the magnetic moment of the neutrino in the recently developed electro-weak Background Field Method and in the linear $R_{\xi}^L$ gauge. First, we deduce a formal Ward-Takahashi identity which implies the immediate cancellation of the neutrino electric charge. This Ward-Takahashi identity is as simple as that for QED. The computation of the (proper and improper) one loop vertex diagrams contributing to the neutrino electric charge is also presented in an arbitrary gauge, checking in this way the Ward-Takahashi identity previously obtained. Finally, the calculation of the magnetic moment of the neutrino, in the minimal extension of the Standard Model with massive Dirac neutrinos, is presented, showing its gauge parameter and gauge structure independence explicitly.Comment: Latex, 19 pages, 9 PS and 10 EPS figures. One reference added. Appendix B modified and Appendices C-E eliminated. To be published in Eur. Phys. J.

Empirical testing of Tsallis' Thermodynamics as a model for dark matter halos

We study a dark matter halo model from two points of view: the ``stellar polytrope'' (SP) model coming from Tsallis' thermodynamics, and the one coming from the Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) paradigm. We make an appropriate comparison between both halo models and analyzing the relations between the global physical parameters of observed galactic disks, coming from a sample of actual galaxies, with the ones of the unobserved dark matter halos, we conclude that the SP model is favored over the NFW model in such a comparison.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, To appear in the Proceedings of X Mexican Workshop on Particles and Fields, Morelia Michoac\'an, M\'exico, November 7-12, 200

Entropy considerations in constraining the mSUGRA parameter space

We explore the use of two criteria to constraint the allowed parameter space in mSUGRA models. Both criteria are based in the calculation of the present density of neutralinos as dark matter in the Universe. The first one is the usual ``abundance'' criterion which is used to calculate the relic density after the ``freeze-out'' era. To compute the relic density we used the numerical public code micrOMEGAs. The second criterion applies the microcanonical definition of entropy to a weakly interacting and self-gravitating gas evaluating then the change in the entropy per particle of this gas between the ``freeze-out'' era and present day virialized structures. An ``entropy-consistency'' criterion emerges by comparing theoretical and empirical estimates of this entropy. The main objective of our work is to determine for which regions of the parameter space in the mSUGRA model are both criteria consistent with the 2$\sigma$ bounds according to WMAP for the relic density: $0.0945<\Omega_{CDM}h^2<0.1287$. As a first result, we found that for $A_0=0$, sgn$\mu=+$, small values of tan$\beta$ are not favored; only for tan$\beta\simeq50$ are both criteria significantly consistent.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. To appear in the Proceedings of X Mexican Workshop on Particles and Fields, Morelia Michoac\'an, M\'exico, November 7-12, 200

Magnus Expansion and Three-Neutrino Oscillations in Matter

We present a semi-analytical derivation of the survival probability of solar neutrinos in the three generation scheme, based on the Magnus approximation of the evolution operator of a three level system, and assuming a mass hierarchy among neutrino mass eigenstates. We have used an exponential profile for the solar electron density in our approximation. The different interesting density regions that appear throughout the propagation are analyzed. Finally, some comments on the allowed regions in the solar neutrino parameter space are addressed.Comment: RevTex4 style, 5 pages including 5 figures. Presented at Mexican School of Astrophysics 2002, Guanajuato, Mexico, 31 Jul - 7 Aug 2002. Final version to appear in the Proceedings of IX Mexican Workshop on Particles and Fields Physics Beyond the Standard Model, Colima Col. Mexico, November 17-22, 200

Electromagnetic properties of neutrinos

A short review on electromagnetic properties of neutrinos is presented. In spite of many efforts in the theoretical and experimental studies of neutrino electromagnetic properties, they still remain one of the main puzzles related to neutrinos.Comment: The talk presented by A.Studenikin at the International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics, Rome (Italy), July 1-5, 200

Protocell Communication Through the Eyes of Synthetic Organic Chemists

The bottom-up fabrication of synthetic cells (protocells) from molecules and materials, is a major challenge of modern chemistry. A significant breakthrough has been the engineering of protocells capable of chemical communication using bio- derived molecules and ex situ stabilised cell machineries. These, however, suffer from short shelf-lives, high costs, and require mild aqueous conditions. In this Concept Article we analyse the chemistry at the heart of protocell communication to highlight new opportunities for synthetic chemists in protocell engineer- ing. Specifically, we (i) categorise the main bio-derived chemical communication machineries in enzyme cascades, DNA strand displacement, and gene-mediated communication; (ii) review the chemistries of these signal transduction machineries; and (iii) introduce new types of bio-inspired, fully synthetic artificial enzymes to replace their natural counterparts. Developing protocells that incorporate synthetic analogues of bio-derived signal transduction machineries will improve the robustness, stability, and versatility of protocells, and broaden their applications to highly strategic fields such as photocatalysis and fine chemicals production