127 research outputs found
Cosmological Constant, Gauge Hierarchy and Warped Geometry
It is suggested that the mechanism responsible for the resolution of the
gauge hierarchy problem within the warped geometry framework can be generalized
to provide a new explanation of the extremely tiny vacuum energy density rho_V
suggested by recent observations. We illustrate the mechanism with some 5D
examples in which the true vacuum energy is assumed to vanish, and rho_V is
associated with a false vacuum energy such that rho_V^{1/4} ~ TeV^2/M_{Pl} ~
10^{-3} eV, where M_{Pl} denotes the reduced Planck mass. We also consider a
quintessence-like solution to the dark energy problem.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 2 figures, section on quantum corrections added,
version to appear in Phys. Rev.
The dark side of curvature
Geometrical tests such as the combination of the Hubble parameter H(z) and
the angular diameter distance d_A(z) can, in principle, break the degeneracy
between the dark energy equation of state parameter w(z), and the spatial
curvature Omega_k in a direct, model-independent way. In practice, constraints
on these quantities achievable from realistic experiments, such as those to be
provided by Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) galaxy surveys in combination
with CMB data, can resolve the cosmic confusion between the dark energy
equation of state parameter and curvature only statistically and within a
parameterized model for w(z). Combining measurements of both H(z) and d_A(z) up
to sufficiently high redshifts around z = 2 and employing a parameterization of
the redshift evolution of the dark energy equation of state are the keys to
resolve the w(z)-Omega_k degeneracy.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures. Minor changes, matches version accepted in JCA
Do primordial Lithium abundances imply there's no Dark Energy?
Explaining the well established observation that the expansion rate of the
universe is apparently accelerating is one of the defining scientific problems
of our age. Within the standard model of cosmology, the repulsive 'dark energy'
supposedly responsible has no explanation at a fundamental level, despite many
varied attempts. A further important dilemma in the standard model is the
Lithium problem, which is the substantial mismatch between the theoretical
prediction for 7-Li from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the value that we observe
today. This observation is one of the very few we have from along our past
worldline as opposed to our past lightcone. By releasing the untested
assumption that the universe is homogeneous on very large scales, both apparent
acceleration and the Lithium problem can be easily accounted for as different
aspects of cosmic inhomogeneity, without causing problems for other
cosmological phenomena such as the cosmic microwave background. We illustrate
this in the context of a void model.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures. v2: minor rearrangements in the text, comments
and references expanded, results unchange
Field theory models for variable cosmological constant
Anthropic solutions to the cosmological constant problem require seemingly
unnatural scalar field potentials with a very small slope or domain walls
(branes) with a very small coupling to a four-form field. Here we introduce a
class of models in which the smallness of the corresponding parameters can be
attributed to a spontaneously broken discrete symmetry. We also demonstrate the
equivalence of scalar field and four-form models. Finally, we show how our
models can be naturally embedded into a left-right extension of the standard
model.Comment: A reference adde
Comparison of Recent SnIa datasets
We rank the six latest Type Ia supernova (SnIa) datasets (Constitution (C),
Union (U), ESSENCE (Davis) (E), Gold06 (G), SNLS 1yr (S) and SDSS-II (D)) in
the context of the Chevalier-Polarski-Linder (CPL) parametrization
, according to their Figure of Merit (FoM), their
consistency with the cosmological constant (CDM), their consistency
with standard rulers (Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and Baryon Acoustic
Oscillations (BAO)) and their mutual consistency. We find a significant
improvement of the FoM (defined as the inverse area of the 95.4% parameter
contour) with the number of SnIa of these datasets ((C) highest FoM, (U), (G),
(D), (E), (S) lowest FoM). Standard rulers (CMB+BAO) have a better FoM by about
a factor of 3, compared to the highest FoM SnIa dataset (C). We also find that
the ranking sequence based on consistency with CDM is identical with
the corresponding ranking based on consistency with standard rulers ((S) most
consistent, (D), (C), (E), (U), (G) least consistent). The ranking sequence of
the datasets however changes when we consider the consistency with an expansion
history corresponding to evolving dark energy crossing the
phantom divide line (it is practically reversed to (G), (U), (E), (S),
(D), (C)). The SALT2 and MLCS2k2 fitters are also compared and some peculiar
features of the SDSS-II dataset when standardized with the MLCS2k2 fitter are
pointed out. Finally, we construct a statistic to estimate the internal
consistency of a collection of SnIa datasets. We find that even though there is
good consistency among most samples taken from the above datasets, this
consistency decreases significantly when the Gold06 (G) dataset is included in
the sample.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Included recently released SDSS-II dataset.
Improved presentation. Main results unchanged. The mathematica files and
datasets used for the production of the figures may be downloaded from
http://leandros.physics.uoi.gr/datacomp
Bartonella Adhesin A Mediates a Proangiogenic Host Cell Response
Bartonella henselae causes vasculoproliferative disorders in humans. We identified a nonfimbrial adhesin of B. henselae designated as Bartonella adhesin A (BadA). BadA is a 340-kD outer membrane protein encoded by the 9.3-kb badA gene. It has a modular structure and contains domains homologous to the Yersinia enterocolitica nonfimbrial adhesin (Yersinia adhesin A). Expression of BadA was restored in a BadA-deficient transposon mutant by complementation in trans. BadA mediates the binding of B. henselae to extracellular matrix proteins and to endothelial cells, possibly via β1 integrins, but prevents phagocytosis. Expression of BadA is crucial for activation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 in host cells by B. henselae and secretion of proangiogenic cytokines (e.g., vascular endothelial growth factor). BadA is immunodominant in B. henselae–infected patients and rodents, indicating that it is expressed during Bartonella infections. Our results suggest that BadA, the largest characterized bacterial protein thus far, is a major pathogenicity factor of B. henselae with a potential role in the induction of vasculoproliferative disorders
Early Dark Energy at High Redshifts: Status and Perspectives
Early dark energy models, for which the contribution to the dark energy
density at high redshifts is not negligible, influence the growth of cosmic
structures and could leave observable signatures that are different from the
standard cosmological constant cold dark matter (CDM) model. In this
paper, we present updated constraints on early dark energy using geometrical
and dynamical probes. From WMAP five-year data, baryon acoustic oscillations
and type Ia supernovae luminosity distances, we obtain an upper limit of the
dark energy density at the last scattering surface (lss), (95% C.L.). When we include higher redshift
observational probes, such as measurements of the linear growth factors,
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and Lyman- forest (\lya), this limit improves
significantly and becomes (95%
C.L.). Furthermore, we find that future measurements, based on the
Alcock-Paczy\'nski test using the 21cm neutral hydrogen line, on GRBs and on
the \lya forest, could constrain the behavior of the dark energy component and
distinguish at a high confidence level between early dark energy models and
pure CDM. In this case, the constraints on the amount of early dark
energy at the last scattering surface improve by a factor ten, when compared to
present constraints. We also discuss the impact on the parameter , the
growth rate index, which describes the growth of structures in standard and in
modified gravity models.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures and 4 table
Dynamics of Void and its Shape in Redshift Space
We investigate the dynamics of a single spherical void embedded in a
Friedmann-Lema\^itre universe, and analyze the void shape in the redshift
space. We find that the void in the redshift space appears as an ellipse shape
elongated in the direction of the line of sight (i.e., an opposite deformation
to the Kaiser effect). Applying this result to observed void candidates at the
redshift z~1-2, it may provide us with a new method to evaluate the
cosmological parameters, in particular the value of a cosmological constant.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figure
The Cosmic Microwave Background in an Inhomogeneous Universe - why void models of dark energy are only weakly constrained by the CMB
The dimming of Type Ia supernovae could be the result of Hubble-scale
inhomogeneity in the matter and spatial curvature, rather than signaling the
presence of a dark energy component. A key challenge for such models is to fit
the detailed spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We present a
detailed discussion of the small-scale CMB in an inhomogeneous universe,
focusing on spherically symmetric `void' models. We allow for the dynamical
effects of radiation while analyzing the problem, in contrast to other work
which inadvertently fine tunes its spatial profile. This is a surprisingly
important effect and we reach substantially different conclusions. Models which
are open at CMB distances fit the CMB power spectrum without fine tuning; these
models also fit the supernovae and local Hubble rate data which favours a high
expansion rate. Asymptotically flat models may fit the CMB, but require some
extra assumptions. We argue that a full treatment of the radiation in these
models is necessary if we are to understand the correct constraints from the
CMB, as well as other observations which rely on it, such as spectral
distortions of the black body spectrum, the kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect
or the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations.Comment: 23 pages with 14 figures. v2 has considerably extended discussion and
analysis, but the basic results are unchanged. v3 is the final versio
Pure kinetic k-essence as the cosmic speed-up
In this paper, we consider three types of k-essence. These k-essence models
were presented in the parametric forms. The exact analytical solutions of the
corresponding equations of motion are found. It is shown that these k-essence
models for the presented solutions can give rise to cosmic acceleration.Comment: 10 pages, typos corrected, main results remain the same, minor
changes to match IJTP accepted versio
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