A Search for Early Optical Emission from Short and Long Duration Gamma-ray Bursts

Gamma-ray bursts of short duration may harbor vital clues to the range of phenomena producing bursts. However, recent progress from the observation of optical counterparts has not benefitted the study of short bursts. We have searched for early optical emission from six gamma-ray bursts using the ROTSE-I telephoto array. Three of these events were of short duration, including GRB 980527 which is among the brightest short bursts yet observed. The data consist of unfiltered CCD optical images taken in response to BATSE triggers delivered via the GCN. For the first time, we have analyzed the entire 16 degree by 16 degree field covered for five of these bursts. In addition, we discuss a search for the optical counterpart to GRB 000201, a well-localized long burst. Single image sensitivities range from 13th to 14th magnitude around 10 s after the initial burst detection, and 14 - 15.8 one hour later. No new optical counterparts were discovered in this analysis suggesting short burst optical and gamma-ray fluxes are uncorrelated.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, subm. to ApJ Let

Prompt Optical Observations of Gamma-ray Bursts

The Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment (ROTSE) seeks to measure simultaneous and early afterglow optical emission from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). A search for optical counterparts to six GRBs with localization errors of 1 square degree or better produced no detections. The earliest limiting sensitivity is m(ROTSE) > 13.1 at 10.85 seconds (5 second exposure) after the gamma-ray rise, and the best limit is m(ROTSE) > 16.0 at 62 minutes (897 second exposure). These are the most stringent limits obtained for GRB optical counterpart brightness in the first hour after the burst. Consideration of the gamma-ray fluence and peak flux for these bursts and for GRB990123 indicates that there is not a strong positive correlation between optical flux and gamma-ray emission.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to ApJ Letter

The Cosmology of String Theoretic Axions

String theory posesses numerous axion candidates. The recent realization that the compactification radius in string theory might be large means that these states can solve the strong CP problem. This still leaves the question of the cosmological bound on the axion mass. Here we explore two schemes for accommodating such light axions in cosmology. In the first, we note that in string theory the universe is likely to be dominated early on by the coherent oscillations of some moduli. The usual moduli problem assumes that these fields have masses comparable to the gravitino. We argue that string moduli are likely to be substantially more massive, eliminating this problem. In such cosmologies the axion bound is significantly weakened. Plausible mechanisms for generating the baryon number density are described. In the second, we point out that in string theory, the axion potentials might be much larger at early times than at present. In string theory, if CP violation is described by a small parameter, the axion may sit sufficiently close to its true minimum to invalidate the bounds.Comment: 24 pages, uses harvmac. Refs corrected plus spellin

The Case for a Muon Collider Higgs Factory

We propose the construction of a compact Muon Collider Higgs Factory. Such a machine can produce up to \sim 14,000 at 8\times 10^{31} cm^-2 sec^-1 clean Higgs events per year, enabling the most precise possible measurement of the mass, width and Higgs-Yukawa coupling constants.Comment: Supporting letter for the document: "Muon Collider Higgs Factory for Smowmass 2013", A White Paper submitted to the 2013 U.S. Community Summer Study of the Division of Particles and Fields of the American Physical Society, Y. Alexahin, et. al, FERMILAB-CONF-13-245-T (July, 2013

The Vehicle, Fall 1986

Table of Contents Selling Poetry: Honesty with the InvestorPatrick Peterspage 2 Father\u27s Book, Jan. 1984 (A Fictional Autobiography)James T. Finneganpage 3 Pet Day in Afternoon KindergartenDan Von Holtenpage 7 Dental Dreams in the Bathroom MirrorDan Von Holtenpage 7 PhotographStephanie Eihlpage 8 SilenceJoe Hortonpage 8 SkullMichael Salempage 9 The TunnelJim Harrispage 10 Lindenwood CemeteryJean Chandlerpage 12 Into the SeaDan Seltzerpage 13 PhotographStephanie Eihlpage 13 WindowsJim Harrispage 14 Little Pieces of YouStuart Albertpage 18 Slicing the AppleAmy Callpage 19 Winter WalkLarry Mitchellpage 19 Komical KellyJohn Fehrmannpage 20 Thermal SueJohn Fehrmannpage 20 Death PoemBob Zordanipage 21 Venice, ItalySherry L. Clinepage 22 RoadkillPhil Simpsonpage 24 I Hate CowsLori Delzer, Joe Crites, Becky Michaelpage 32 Telephone Operators: 1942Jim Harrispage 33 Expiration Date 3/8/65Edward Schellpage 34 Desert FloorPatrick Peterspage 35 PhotographLawrence McGownpage 36 PhotographStephanie Eihlpage 37 Coping with NightStuart Albertpage 38 PhotographDan Mountpage 38 One On OnePatrick Peterspage 39 An Acquired TasteTina Wrightpage 40 PhotographStephanie Eihlpage 40 PhotographStephanie Eihlpage 41 When Children Are Alone, The Devil SpeaksTom Greenpage 41 BobChristy Denphypage 42 Gut & ScissorsDane Buczkowskipage 42 This Old HouseAmy Callpage 43 MortgageTina Wrightpage 43https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1048/thumbnail.jp

The Vehicle, Fall 1986

Table of Contents Selling Poetry: Honesty with the InvestorPatrick Peterspage 2 Father\u27s Book, Jan. 1984 (A Fictional Autobiography)James T. Finneganpage 3 Pet Day in Afternoon KindergartenDan Von Holtenpage 7 Dental Dreams in the Bathroom MirrorDan Von Holtenpage 7 PhotographStephanie Eihlpage 8 SilenceJoe Hortonpage 8 SkullMichael Salempage 9 The TunnelJim Harrispage 10 Lindenwood CemeteryJean Chandlerpage 12 Into the SeaDan Seltzerpage 13 PhotographStephanie Eihlpage 13 WindowsJim Harrispage 14 Little Pieces of YouStuart Albertpage 18 Slicing the AppleAmy Callpage 19 Winter WalkLarry Mitchellpage 19 Komical KellyJohn Fehrmannpage 20 Thermal SueJohn Fehrmannpage 20 Death PoemBob Zordanipage 21 Venice, ItalySherry L. Clinepage 22 RoadkillPhil Simpsonpage 24 I Hate CowsLori Delzer, Joe Crites, Becky Michaelpage 32 Telephone Operators: 1942Jim Harrispage 33 Expiration Date 3/8/65Edward Schellpage 34 Desert FloorPatrick Peterspage 35 PhotographLawrence McGownpage 36 PhotographStephanie Eihlpage 37 Coping with NightStuart Albertpage 38 PhotographDan Mountpage 38 One On OnePatrick Peterspage 39 An Acquired TasteTina Wrightpage 40 PhotographStephanie Eihlpage 40 PhotographStephanie Eihlpage 41 When Children Are Alone, The Devil SpeaksTom Greenpage 41 BobChristy Denphypage 42 Gut & ScissorsDane Buczkowskipage 42 This Old HouseAmy Callpage 43 MortgageTina Wrightpage 43https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1048/thumbnail.jp

Hubble Space Telescope STIS Observations of GRB 000301C: CCD Imaging and Near-Ultraviolet MAMA Spectroscopy

We present Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations of the optical transient (OT) counterpart of the γ-ray burster GRB 000301C obtained 5 days after the burst, on 2000 March 6. CCD clear-aperture imaging reveals a R ≃ 21.50 ± 0.15 source with no apparent host galaxy. An 8000 s, 1150 Å 18 on the line of sight to the OT. This measured redshift is conservatively a lower limit to the GRB redshift. However, as all other GRBs that have deep Hubble Space Telescope images appear to lie on the stellar field of a host galaxy, and as the large H I column density measured here and in later ground-based observations is unlikely on a random line of sight, we believe we are probably seeing absorption from H I in the host galaxy. In any case, this represents the largest direct redshift determination of a γ-ray burster to date. Our data are compatible with an OT spectrum represented by a power law with an intrinsic index α = 1.2 (f_ν ∝ ν^(-α)) and no extinction in the host galaxy, or with α = 0.5 and extinction by SMC-like dust in the OT rest frame with A_V = 0.15. The large N_(H I) and the lack of a detected host are similar to the situation for damped Lyα absorbers at z > 2

Supersymmetry without R-Parity and without Lepton Number

We investigate Supersymmetric models where neither R parity nor lepton number is imposed. Neutrino masses can be kept highly suppressed compared to the electroweak scale if the $\mu$-terms in the superpotential are aligned with the SUSY-breaking bilinear $B$-terms. This situation arises naturally in the framework of horizontal symmetries. The same symmetries suppress the trilinear R parity violating terms in the superpotential to an acceptable level.Comment: 18 pages, harvma