31,258 research outputs found
Coupled quintessence and vacuum decay
We discuss observational consequences of a class of cosmological models
characterized by the dilution of pressureless matter attenuated with respect to
the usual scaling due to the decay of vacuum energy. We carry out a
joint statistical analysis of observational data from the new \emph{gold}
sample of 182 SNe Ia, recent estimates of the CMB shift parameter, and BAO
measurements from the SDSS to show that such models favor the decay of vacuum
only into the dark matter sector, and that the separately conserved baryons
cannot be neglected. In order to explore ways to more fundamentally motivated
models, we also derive a coupled scalar field version for this general class of
vacuum decay scenarios.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, LaTe
Gauge fields in a string-cigar braneworld
In this work we investigate the properties of an Abelian gauge vector field
in a thin and in a smoothed string-like braneworld, the so-called string-cigar
model. This thick brane scenario satisfies the regularity conditions and it can
be regarded as an interior and exterior string-like solution. The source
undergoes a geometric Ricci flow which is connected to a variation of the bulk
cosmological constant. The Ricci flow changes the width and amplitude of the
massless mode at the brane core and recover the usual thin string-like behavior
at large distances. By numerical means we obtain the Kaluza-Klein (KK) spectrum
for both the thin brane and the string-cigar. It turns out that both models
exhibit a mass gap between the massless and the massive modes and between the
high and the low mass regimes. The KK modes are smooth near the brane and their
amplitude are enhanced by the string-cigar core. The analogue Schr\"odinger
potential is also tuned by the geometric flow.Comment: The discussion about the Kaluza-Klein spectrum of the gauge field was
improved. Numerical analysis was adapted to the conventional notation on
Kaluza-Klein number. Some graphics were modified for considering other
notation. Results unchanged. References added. Corrected typos. 17 pages. 6
figures. To match version to appears in Physics Letters
An interacting model for the cosmological dark sector
We discuss a new interacting model for the cosmological dark sector in which
the attenuated dilution of cold dark matter scales as , where f(a)
is an arbitrary function of the cosmic scale factor . From thermodynamic
arguments, we show that f(a) is proportional to entropy source of the particle
creation process. In order to investigate the cosmological consequences of this
kind of interacting models, we expand f(a) in a power series and viable
cosmological solutions are obtained. Finally, we use current observational data
to place constraints on the interacting function f(a).Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Phys. Rev. D (in press
Chalk cliff retreat in East Sussex and Kent 1870s to 2001
The retreat of chalk cliffs fringing the eastern English Channel contributes shingle to the beaches which helps to protect the cliffs and slow down erosion. Conversely, cliff retreat endangers settlements and infrastructure on the clifftop. Rates of retreat have been calculated by a variety of methods over the past century, but no attempt has been made to provide a complete coverage that allows for a true comparison of retreat rates over the entire coastline. Using historic maps and recent orthophotos, cliff retreat rates have been calculated for consecutive 50 m sections of chalk cliff along the English side of the entire eastern English Channel for a period of 125 years. The chalk cliffs of East Sussex erode at an average rate of 0.25 - 0.3 m y−1 while those in Kent at a rate of 0.1 m y−1
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