Braneworlds scenarios in a gravity model with higher order spatial three-curvature terms

In this work we study a Horava-like five-dimensional model in the context of braneworld theory. To begin with, the equations of motion of such model are obtained and, within the realm of warped geometry, we show that the model is consistent if and only if $\lambda$ takes its relativistic value 1. Furthermore, since the first derivative of the warp factor is discontinuous over the branes, we show that the elimination of problematic terms involving the square of the warp factor second order derivatives are eliminated by imposing detailed balance condition in the bulk. Afterwards, the Israel's junction conditions are computed, allowing the attainment of an effective Lagrangian in the visible brane. In particular, for a (4+1)-dimensional Horava-like model defined in the bulk without cosmological constant, we show that the resultant effective Lagrangian in the brane corresponds to a (3+1)-dimensional Horava-like model with an emergent positive cosmological constant but without detailed balance condition. Now, restoration of detailed balance condition, at this time imposed over the brane, plays an interesting role by fitting accordingly the sign of the arbitrary constant $\beta$ that labels the extra terms in the model, insuring a positive brane tension and a real energy for the graviton within its dispersion relation. To end up with, the brane consistency equations are obtained and, as a result, we show that the detailed balance condition again plays an essential role in eliminating bad behaving terms and that the model admits positive brane tensions in the compactification scheme if, and only if, $\beta$ is negative, what is in accordance with the previous result obtained for the visible brane.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure, title modifie

Bounds on the Simplest Little Higgs Model Mass Spectrum Through Z Leptonic Decay

We derive the leptonic neutral current in the simplest little Higgs model and compute the contribution of the model to the decay width $Z \to e^+e^-$. Using the precision electroweak data we obtain a strong lower bound $f\geq 5.6$ TeV at 95% C.L. on the characteristic energy scale of the model. It results in a lower bound for the new gauge bosons $W^{\prime\pm}$ and $Z^{\prime}$ as being $M_{W^{\prime\pm}}\geq 2.6$ TeV and $M_{Z^{\prime}}\geq 3.1$ TeV, respectively. We also present the allowed values of the $k=f_1/f_2$ which is the parameter relating the two vacuum expectation values of the scalar triplets in the model, and the $\mu$ parameter of a quadratic term, involving the triplets, necessary to provide an acceptable mass range for the standard Higgs boson.Comment: New references added, 13 pages. Version to be publishe

Effective lagrangian for a mass dimension one fermionic field in curved spacetime

In this work we use momentum-space techniques to evaluate the propagator $G(x,x^{\prime})$ for a spin $1/2$ mass dimension one spinor field on a curved Friedmann-Robertson-Walker spacetime. As a consequence, we built the one-loop correction to the effective lagrangian in the coincidence limit. Going further we compute the effective lagrangian in the finite temperature regime. We arrive at interesting cosmological consequences, as time-dependent cosmological `constant', fully explaining the functional form of previous cosmological models.Comment: 9 pages, 0 figure

The Left-Right SU(3)(L)xSU(3)(R)xU(1)(X) Model with Light, keV and Heavy Neutrinos

We construct a full left-right model for the electroweak interactions based on the $SU(3)_{L}\otimes SU(3)_{R}\otimes U(1)_{X}$ gauge symmetry. The fermion content of the model is such that anomaly cancellation restricts the number of families to be a multiple of three. One of the most important features of the model is the joint presence of three light active neutrinos, three additional neutrinos at keV mass scale, and six heavy ones with masses around\textbf{$10^{11}$} GeV. They form a well-motivated part of the spectrum in the sense they address challenging problems related to neutrino oscillation, warm dark matter, and baryogenesis through leptogenesis.Comment: 11 pages. Small corrections and typos fixed. Accepted for publication in PR

Shelf-Ocean material exchange influencing the Atlantic chemical composition off NW Iberian margin since the last glaciation

Rivers are the main conduit of sediment to the shelf. The basin geology, the drainage area and the discharge rate are the major factors that determine their sediment load (Milliman and Syvistski, 1992). Besides suspended particles, dissolved components may also give some information on the eroded crust. Sr isotopes in carbonate shells of biological organisms have been used to study, in the geological record, the influence exerted by the chemical weathering of the continental crust on the seawater composition (Macdougall, 1991). In this work, Sr isotope ratios obtained in tests of foraminifera representing the last 40 ka are presented and discussed in the scope of the palaeogeographical evolution of NW Iberia. This work aims to present and discuss the results of Sr isotope analyses (performed, by TIMS, in the Isotope Geology Laboratory of the University of Aveiro) of tests of two species of foraminifera, from nine samples taken along the OMEX core KC 024-19 (181 cm; 42°08’98’’N, 10°29´96’’W, and 2765m), collected in the Galicia Bank area, off Galicia. Taking into account that Sr contained in the carbonate tests is usually considered as preserving the signature of the contemporaneous seawater, one planktonic species (Globigerina bulloides) and one benthic species (Cibicides wuellerstorfi) were selected in order to try to detect Sr isotope variations both through time and between two different levels of the water column. The core age model, which records the last 40 ka, is based on a combination of oxygen isotope stratigraphy, eight AMS 14C datings and the synchronisation of the last four Heinrich Events in the Iberian Margin sedimentary records. As a whole, the obtained 87Sr/86Sr ratios vary between 0.709209 and 0.709108, with a mean 2σ error of 0.000025. These values lie within the range of modern marine Sr isotope ratios (0.70910-0.70922), as previously defined using analyses of both seawater and marine carbonates (see compilation by Faure and Mensing, 2005). Despite their small variation, the 87Sr/86Sr ratios obtained in G. bulloides seem to indicate that Sr dissolved in seawater at the KC 024-19 core site became slightly less radiogenic after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). This decrease is concomitant with diminishing amounts of the detrital components in the sediments (Fig. 1). Therefore, both the composition of dissolved Sr, as revealed by results on tests of planktonic foraminifera, and the proportions of suspended terrigenous particulate material arriving at the KC 024-19 site point to a decreasing importance of the contribution of the erosion of the Iberian Variscan crust since the Last Glacial Maximum and in the Holocene. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios measured in tests of benthic foraminifera (C. wuellerstorfi) are more erratic and no correlation can be established with palaeogeographical/palaeoclimatic constraints. The difference between the behaviour of Sr compositions in G. bulloides and C. wuellerstorfi may indicate that whilst the planktonic foraminifera should reproduce very closely the seawater composition, the benthic organisms should, in addition to the major role of seawater, also be affected by some sort of interaction with the sediments. As such, planktonic foraminifera are probably more reliable indicators of seawater composition in studies involving very small periods and corresponding very slight variations of the 87Sr/86Sr ratios. Taking into account that G. bulloides is a common planktonic species (living mostly in the first 50m of the water column), whose tests seem to be in equilibrium with sea water composition, variations in its 87Sr/86Sr ratios can be related with changes in the chemical composition of the water of the Atlantic Ocean off NW Iberian Margin. The highest 87Sr/86Sr values are contemporaneous with a period of low sea level (about -140 m; Dias et al., 2000) during the LGM. According to Dias et al. (2000) at 18 ka BP the shoreline was close to the shelf break. The summital parts of the Gerês and Estrela mountains were covered by local glaciers and close to the coast freezing occurred frequently. The river catchments, which extended far to the shelf, received more rainfall due to a longer, compared to present day conditions, wet season, which promoted both physical and chemical weathering. Higher pluviosity combined with the effect of spring ice melting maintained high river discharge and consequently caused very important sediment supply to the coastal zone. The extremely narrow shelf was a very energetic environment due to sea bottom inclination and very limited long wave refraction. Therefore, at that time, a long wet season and very competent rivers should have caused important erosion of the Variscan basement in NW Iberia. Additionally, then, the shoreline was much closer to the KC 024-19 site. The combination of all these factors favoured an important deposition of terrigenous sediments and the local slight enrichment in radiogenic Sr of the seawater. With sea level rise, after the deglaciation and during the Holocene, the river estuaries became progressively far away from the shelf break. Their competence of transport also became progressively reduced and the offshore transport of detrital sediments became progressively lower. Conversely the biogenic carbonate proportion in the sediments increased, due to lower dilution by the terrigenous particles. Simultaneously, the values of 87Sr/86Sr in the seawater at the KC 024-19 site became lower, as a consequence of a complete homogenization with the ocean global composition, which was now more effective with the increasing distance towards shoreline

Evolução do uso da terra e qualidade da água na bacia do rio Salobra, MS.

A bacia hidrográfica é uma unidade básica para planejamento, dado que seus elementos naturais e antrópicos estão conectados pela água. Sendo assim as alterações ocorridas na sua superfície podem se refletir nos cursos d´água. Nesse sentido este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a relação do uso da terra com possíveis alterações causadas na qualidade da água na bacia hidrográfica do rio Salobra, um importante afluente do Rio Miranda que drena o Pantanal. Foi usado o mapa existente de uso da terra de 1994 e elaborado o mapa de uso para 2007, utilizando imagens CBERS-2 e verificações a campo. Tais dados foram organizados no SIG Spring e, em seguida, comparados com dados da qualidade da água do rio Salobra. O desmatamento ocorre em 35% de sua área, sendo a pastagem plantada para pecuária de corte o principal uso. O desmatamento quase dobrou no período analisado, mas a qualidade da água se manteve boa, chegando a ótima em junho de 2001. Na análise individual dos parâmetros do IQA, observaram-se alterações em junho e agosto/1998, dez/1998 e nov/2001, sendo associadas a chuvas acima da média. O uso de imagens de satélite e trabalhos de campo permitiram detalhar o mapeamento de uso existente, mas a utilização de um único ponto de coleta e análise da qualidade da água não demonstrou nenhuma relação de impacto causado pelo aumento do desmatamento e forma de uso da bacia. Dessa forma sugere-se o aumento de pontos de coleta e análise da qualidade da água na bacia do rio Salobra.Geopantanal 2010

Trace fossils from the Desejosa Formation (Schist and Greywacke Complex, Douro Group, NE Portugal): new Cambrian age constraints

Trace fossils from a new locality in the Desejosa Formation, Freixo de Espada à Cinta area, northeast Portugal, are described, including Teichichnus rectus and the first Cambrian record from Iberia of the ichnogenus Rosselia, identified as R. cf. socialis. A literary review of the Cambrian record of Rosselia reveals no occurrences older than Cambrian Age 3. The occurrence of Rosselia in the Desejosa Formation therefore adds evidence to that of earlier reports on trilobite remains from the upper part of the Desejosa Formation for a Cambrian age of this unit. Both Rosselia and Teichichnus are zindicative of the Cruziana ichnofacies, which is representative of a shallow-marine depositional environment, consistent with earlier interpretations for the depositional conditions of the upper part of the Desejosa Formation in this sector, and in the equivalent Cambrian units in Spain

Complexity and predictability of daily precipitation in a semi-arid region: an application to Ceará, Brazil

International audienceComplexity and predictability of daily precipitation in a tropical semi-arid region (Ceará State, Brazil) is assessed by applying entropy concepts. Precipitation regimes in that region depend on several dynamical forcings, the most important being the displacement and activity of the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone in the Atlantic Ocean. Topography is another important factor that influences the spatial distribution of rainfall in the region. A hierarchical approach based on sequences of events of different lengths is used to estimate complexity of daily precipitation records. It is shown that precipitation in Ceará exhibit more random than periodic sequences, which indicates a large degree of complexity. Nevertheless, there is indication of potentially inherent rules in the precipitation time-series that could ultimately improve prediction on time-scales between 9?11 days. It is suggested that synoptic-scale disturbances (1?8 days) represent important sources of rules in the precipitation regimes in this region

Dynamically Induced Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking in 3-3-1 Models

We show that in SU(3)_C X SU(3)_L X U(1)_N (3-3-1) models embedded with a singlet scalar playing the role of the axion, after imposing scale invariance, dynamical symmetry breaking of Peccei-Quinn symmetry occurs through the one-loop effective potential for the singlet field. We, then, analyze the structure of spontaneous symmetry breaking by studying the new scalar potential for the model, and verify that electroweak symmetry breaking is tightly connected to the 3-3-1 breaking by the strong constraints among their vacuum expectation values. This offers a valuable guide to write down the correct pattern of symmetry breaking for multi-scalar theories. We also obtained that the accompanying massive pseudo-scalar, instead of acquiring mass of order of Peccei-Quinn scale as we would expect, develops a mass at a much lower scale, a consequence solely of the dynamical breaking.Comment: 12 pages, typos corrected, improved text, conclusions unchange