String Theory and Cosmology

We discuss the main cosmological implications of considering string-loop effects and a potential for the dilaton in the lowest order string effective action. Our framework is based on the effective model arising from regarding homogeneous and isotropic dilaton, metric and Yang-Mills field configurations. The issues of inflation, entropy crisis and the Polonyi problem as well as the problem of the cosmological constant are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, plain Tex, no figure

Brane Cosmology from Heterotic String Theory

We consider brane cosmologies within the context of five-dimensional actions with O(a') higher curvature corrections. The actions are compatible with bulk string amplitude calculations from heterotic string theory. We find wrapped solutions that satisfy the field equations in an approximate but acceptable manner given their complexity, where the internal four-dimensional scale factor is naturally inflating, having an exponential De-Sitter form. The temporal dependence of the metric components is non-trivial so that this metric cannot be factored as in a conformally flat case. The effective Planck mass is finite and the brane solutions localize four-dimensional gravity, while the four-dimensional gravitational constant varies with time. The Hubble constant can be freely specified through the initial value of the scalar field, to conform with recent data.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX, Accepted for Publication in IJT

Quintessence Model and Observational Constraints

The recent observations of type Ia supernovae strongly support that the universe is accelerating now and decelerated in the recent past. By assuming a general relation between the quintessence potential and the quintessence kinetic energy, a general relation is found between the quintessence energy density and the scale factor. The potential includes both the hyperbolic and the double exponential potentials. A detailed analysis of the transition from the deceleration phase to the acceleration phase is then performed. We show that the current constraints on the transition time, the equation of state and the energy density of the quintessence field are satisfied in the model.Comment: update references,add acknowledgements and correct some errors, accepted for publication in class. and quant. gra

Herding and Anchoring in Macroeconomic Forecasts: The Case of the PMI

We test if analysts display multiple biases in forecasting the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI). We adopt a test that does not require knowledge of the forecaster’s prior information set and is robust to rational clustering, correlated forecast errors and outliers. We find that analysts forecast the PMI poorly and display multiple biases when forecasting. In particular, forecasters anti-herd and anti-anchor. Anti-herding supports a reputation-based notion that forecasters are rewarded not only for forecast accuracy but also for being the best forecast at a single point in time. Anti-anchoring is consistent with forecasters overreacting to private information. The two biases show a strong positive correlation suggesting that the incentives that elicit anti-herding also elicit anti-anchoring behavior. Both biases result in larger absolute errors, although the effect is stronger for anti-herding

Scale Factor Duality: A Quantum Cosmological Approach

We consider the minisuperspace model arising from the lowest order string effective action containing the graviton and the dilaton and study solutions of the resulting Wheeler-Dewitt equation. The scale factor duality symmetry is discussed in the context of our quantum cosmological model.Comment: 10 pages, plain tex, uses panda.tex (appended

Instabilities in neutrino-plasma density waves

One examines the interaction and possible resonances between supernova neutrinos and electron plasma waves. The neutrino phase space distribution and its boundary regions are analyzed in detail. It is shown that the boundary regions are too wide to produce non-linear resonant effects. The growth or damping rates induced by neutrinos are always proportional to the neutrino flux and $G_{{\rm F}}^{2}$.Comment: 9 pages, a few words modified to match PRD publicatio

Gravitation with superposed Gauss--Bonnet terms in higher dimensions: Black hole metrics and maximal extensions

Our starting point is an iterative construction suited to combinatorics in arbitarary dimensions d, of totally anisymmetrised p-Riemann 2p-forms (2p\le d) generalising the (1-)Riemann curvature 2-forms. Superposition of p-Ricci scalars obtained from the p-Riemann forms defines the maximally Gauss--Bonnet extended gravitational Lagrangian. Metrics, spherically symmetric in the (d-1) space dimensions are constructed for the general case. The problem is directly reduced to solving polynomial equations. For some black hole type metrics the horizons are obtained by solving polynomial equations. Corresponding Kruskal type maximal extensions are obtained explicitly in complete generality, as is also the periodicity of time for Euclidean signature. We show how to include a cosmological constant and a point charge. Possible further developments and applications are indicated.Comment: 13 pages, REVTEX. References and Note Adde

WMAP Bounds on Braneworld Tachyonic Inflation

We analyse the implications of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) results for a braneworld tachyonic model of inflation. We find that WMAP bounds on $n_s$ allow us to constrain significantly the parameter space of the model; in particular, extremely weak string coupling is required, $g_s \sim 10^{-15}$. Moreover, our analysis shows that the running of the scalar spectral index is within the bounds determined by WMAP for the allowed range of model parameters; however, it is not possible to obtain $n_s>1$ on large scales and $n_s<1$ on small scales.Comment: 15 pages, 2 eps figure

Flavour Physics and CP Violation in the Standard Model and Beyond

We present the invited lectures given at the Third IDPASC School which took place in Santiago de Compostela in January 2013. The students attending the school had very different backgrounds, some of them were doing their Ph.D. in experimental particle physics, others in theory. As a result, and in order to make the lectures useful for most of the students, we focused on basic topics of broad interest, avoiding the more technical aspects of Flavour Physics and CP Violation. We make a brief review of the Standard Model, paying special attention to the generation of fermion masses and mixing, as well as to CP violation. We describe some of the simplest extensions of the SM, emphasising novel flavour aspects which arise in their framework.Comment: Invited talk at the Third IDPASC School 2013, January 21st - February 2nd 2013, Santiago de Compostela, Galiza, Spain; 36 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables; version with few misprints correcte