Towards a High Energy Theory for the Higgs Phase of Gravity

Spontaneous Lorentz violation due to a time-dependent expectation value for a massless scalar has been suggested as a method for dynamically generating dark energy. A natural candidate for the scalar is a Goldstone boson arising from the spontaneous breaking of a U(1) symmetry. We investigate the low-energy effective action for such a Goldstone boson in a general class of models involving only scalars, proving that if the scalars have standard kinetic terms then at the {\em classical} level the effective action does not have the required features for spontaneous Lorentz violation to occur asymptotically $(t \to \infty)$ in an expanding FRW universe. Then we study the large $N$ limit of a renormalizable field theory with a complex scalar coupled to massive fermions. In this model an effective action for the Goldstone boson with the properties required for spontaneous Lorentz violation can be generated. Although the model has shortcomings, we feel it represents progress towards finding a high energy completion for the Higgs phase of gravity.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures;fixed typos and added reference

Assessment of blue swimmer crab recruitment and breeding stock levels in the Peel-Harvey Estuary and status of the Mandurah to Bunbury Developing Crab Fishery

Two projects were funded to investigate iconic blue swimmer crab stocks in the Peel-Harvey Estuary and Mandurah to Bunbury Developing Crab Fishery. One was a four year project (2007 – 2011) to undertake the following: i) determine recruitment and spawning stock levels of the crab population in the Peel-Harvey Estuary and whether the status of stocks has changed considerably in the past decade, ii) establish a commercial monitoring program to assess the length frequency and sex ratio of crabs captured by commercial fishers, and iii) develop a commercial monitoring program in the Mandurah to Bunbury Developing Crab Fishery and South West Trawl Managed Fishery. A fishery-independent study was conducted at 15 sites throughout the estuary per month between December 2007 and December 2011. Sites chosen were identical to those surveyed between 1995 and 1998, to allow historical comparisons. Additional trap sites were sampled outside the Peel-Harvey Estuary monthly from August 2008 to December 2011 to understand crab abundance, composition and movement between estuarine and oceanic waters. A second project was a 12-month recreational survey in the Peel-Harvey Estuary between November 2007 and October 2008 to provide an estimate of recreational catch and effort

Realization of a semiconductor-based cavity soliton laser

The realization of a cavity soliton laser using a vertical-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor gain structure coupled to an external cavity with a frequency-selective element is reported. All-optical control of bistable solitonic emission states representing small microlasers is demonstrated by injection of an external beam. The control scheme is phase-insensitive and hence expected to be robust for all-optical processing applications. The motility of these structures is also demonstrated

Light bullets in quadratic media with normal dispersion at the second harmonic

Stable two- and three-dimensional spatiotemporal solitons (STSs) in second-harmonic-generating media are found in the case of normal dispersion at the second harmonic (SH). This result, surprising from the theoretical viewpoint, opens a way for experimental realization of STSs. An analytical estimate for the existence of STSs is derived, and full results, including a complete stability diagram, are obtained in a numerical form. STSs withstand not only the normal SH dispersion, but also finite walk-off between the harmonics, and readily self-trap from a Gaussian pulse launched at the fundamental frequency.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, accepted to Phys. Rev. Let

Remark on Charm Quark Fragmentation to D∗∗D^{**} Mesons

The observed $D^{**}$ mesons have $c\bar q$ flavor quantum numbers and spin-parity of the light degrees of freedom $s_\ell^{\pi_{\ell}} = 3/2^+$. In the $m_c \rightarrow \infty$ limit the spin of the charm quark is conserved and the $c \rightarrow D^{**}$ fragmentation process is characterized by the probability for the charm quark to fragment to a $D^{**}$ meson with a given helicity for the light degrees of freedom. We consider the calculated $b \rightarrow B_c^{**}$ fragmentation functions in the limit $m_c/m_b \rightarrow 0$ as a qualitative model for the $c \rightarrow D^{**}$ fragmentation functions. We find that in this model charm quark fragmentation to $s_\ell^{\pi_{\ell}} = 3/2^+$ light degrees of freedom with helicities $\pm 1/2$ is favored over fragmentation to $s_\ell^{\pi_{\ell}} = 3/2^+$ light degrees of freedom with helicities $\pm 3/2$.Comment: 6 pages, CALT-68-192

An Analysis of the Decay B→D∗XℓνˉℓB \rightarrow D^* X \ell \bar\nu_\ell with Predictions from Heavy Quark and Chiral Symmetry

This paper considers the implications of the heavy quark and chiral symmetries for the semi-leptonic decay $B \rightarrow D^* X \ell \bar \nu_\ell$. The general kinematic analysis for decays of the form {\sl pseudoscalar meson $\rightarrow$ vector meson $+$ pseudoscalar meson $+$ lepton $+$ anti-lepton} is presented. This formalism is applied to the above exclusive decay which allows the differential decay rate to be expressed in a form that is ideally suited for the experimental determination of the different form factors for the process through angular distribution measurements. Heavy quark and chiral symmetry predictions for the form factors are presented, and the differential decay rate is calculated in the kinematic region where chiral perturbation theory is valid.Comment: 15 pages, uses jytex.tex and tables.tex; 3 figures not included but available on reques

A Deep Chandra Observation of the AGN Outburst and Merger in Hickson Compact Group 62

We report on an analysis of new Chandra data of the galaxy group HCG 62, well known for possessing cavities in its intragroup medium (IGM) that were inflated by the radio lobes of its central active galactic nucleus (AGN). With the new data, a factor of three deeper than previous Chandra data, we re-examine the energetics of the cavities and determine new constraints on their contents. We confirm that the ratio of radiative to mechanical power of the AGN outburst that created the cavities is less than 10^-4, among the lowest of any known cavity system, implying that the relativistic electrons in the lobes can supply only a tiny fraction of the pressure required to support the cavities. This finding implies additional pressure support in the lobes from heavy particles (e.g., protons) or thermal gas. Using spectral fits to emission in the cavities, we constrain any such volume-filling thermal gas to have a temperature kT > 4.3 keV. For the first time, we detect X-ray emission from the central AGN, with a luminosity of L(2-10 keV) = (1.1 +/- 0.4) x 10^39 erg s^-1 and properties typical of a low-luminosity AGN. Lastly, we report evidence for a recent merger from the surface brightness, temperature, and metallicity structure of the IGM.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS, 14 pages, 9 figure

Modulus Stabilization with Bulk Fields

We propose a mechanism for stabilizing the size of the extra dimension in the Randall-Sundrum scenario. The potential for the modulus field that sets the size of the fifth dimension is generated by a bulk scalar with quartic interactions localized on the two 3-branes. The minimum of this potential yields a compactification scale that solves the hierarchy problem without fine tuning of parameters.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX; minor typo correcte

QCD Corrections and the Endpoint of the Lepton Spectrum in Semileptonic B Decays

Recently, Neubert has suggested that a certain class of nonperturbative corrections dominates the shape of the electron spectrum in the endpoint region of semileptonic $B$ decay. Perturbative QCD corrections are important in the endpoint region. We study the effects of these corrections on Neubert's proposal. The connection between the endpoint of the electron spectrum in semileptonic $B$ decay and the photon spectrum in $b\rightarrow s\gamma$ is outlined.Comment: 18 pages, uses REVTeX, UCSD/PTH 93-38, CALT-68-1910, JHU-TIPAC-930029 (some changes to the discussion of subleading radiative corrections, and minor typos fixed