Comparison of the EPIC Physical Activity Questionnaire with combined heart rate and movement sensing in a nationally representative sample of older British adults

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Aspects of Axion Phenomenology in a slice of AdS_5

Motivated by multi-throat considerations, we study the phenomenological implications of a bulk axion in a slice of AdS_5 with a large extra dimension: k~0.01 eV, kR > 1. In particular, we compare axion physics with a warped geometry to axions in flat compactifications. As in flat compactification scenarios, we find that the mass of the axion can become independent from the underlying Peccei-Quinn scale. Surprisingly, we find that in warped extra dimensions the axion's invisibility, cosmological viability, and basic phenomenology remain essentially unaltered in comparison to axions in flat compactifications.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure

Cosmological constraints on neutrino plus axion hot dark matter: Update after WMAP-5

We update our previous constraints on two-component hot dark matter (axions and neutrinos), including the recent WMAP 5-year data release. Marginalising over sum m_nu provides m_a < 1.02 eV (95% C.L.) for the axion mass. In the absence of axions we find sum m_nu < 0.63 eV (95% C.L.).Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, uses iopart.cls; v2 matches published versio

Simple predictions from ALCOR_c for rehadronisation of charmed quark matter

We study the production of charmed hadrons with the help of ALCOR_c, the algebraic coalescence model for rehadronisation of charmed quark matter. Mesonic ratios are introduced as factors connecting various antibaryon to baryon ratios. The resulting simple relations could serve as tests of quark matter formation and coalescence type rehadronization in heavy ion collisions.Comment: 7 pages in Latex, 1 PS figur

CP violation in the secluded U(1)'-extended MSSM

We study the Higgs sector of the secluded $U(1)'$-extended MSSM (sMSSM) focusing on CP violation. Using the one-loop effective potential that includes contributions from quarks and squarks in the third generation, we search for the allowed region under theoretical and experimental constraints. It is found that the possible region for the electroweak vacuum to exist is quite limited, depending on the parameters in the model. The masses and couplings of the Higgs bosons are calculated with/without CP violation. Even at the tree level, CP violation is possible by complex soft SUSY breaking masses. Similar to the CPX scenario in the MSSM, the scalar-pseudoscalar mixing enables the lightest Higgs boson mass to become smaller than the $Z$ boson mass while the coupling with the $Z$ boson is sufficiently suppressed to avoid the LEP experimental constraints. However, unlike the CPX scenario, large $\mu$ and $A$ are not required for the realization of large CP violation. The typical spectrum of the SUSY particles is thus different. We also investigate the possible upper bound of the lightest Higgs boson in the case of spontaneous CP violation. The maximal value of it can reach above 100 GeV with maximal CP-violating phases.Comment: 28 pages, 16 figures, JHEP styl

Exploring improved holographic theories for QCD: Part II

This paper is a continuation of ArXiv:0707.1324 where improved holographic theories for QCD were set up and explored. Here, the IR confining geometries are classified and analyzed. They all end in a "good" (repulsive) singularity in the IR. The glueball spectra are gaped and discrete, and they favorably compare to the lattice data. Quite generally, confinement and discrete spectra imply each other. Asymptotically linear glueball masses can also be achieved. Asymptotic mass ratios of various glueballs with different spin also turn out to be universal. Mesons dynamics is implemented via space filling D4-anti-D4 brane pairs. The associated tachyon dynamics is analyzed and chiral symmetry breaking is shown. The dynamics of the RR axion is analyzed, and the non-perturbative running of the QCD theta-angle is obtained. It is shown to always vanish in the IR.Comment: 65+18 pages, 20 figures (v3) Some modifications in Appendix E explaining in more detail the issue of initial conditions; typos corrected. Published versio

Leptonic CP violation: zero, maximal or between the two extremes

Discovery of the CP-violation in the lepton sector is one of the challenges of the particle physics. We search for possible principles, symmetries and phenomenological relations that can lead to particular values of the CP-violating Dirac phase, $\delta$. In this connection we discuss two extreme cases: the zero phase, $\delta = 0$, and the maximal CP-violation, $\delta = \pm \pi/2$, and relate them to the peculiar pattern of the neutrino mixing. The maximal CP-violation can be related to the $\nu_\mu - \nu_\tau$ reflection symmetry. We study various aspects of this symmetry and introduce a generalized reflection symmetry that can lead to an arbitrary phase that depends on the parameter of the symmetry transformation. The generalized reflection symmetry predicts a simple relation between the Dirac and Majorana phases. We also consider the possibility of certain relations between the CP-violating phases in the quark and lepton sectors.Comment: 34 pages, no figures; v3: version appeared in JHE

Antihyperon-Production in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collision

Recently it has been shown that the observed antiproton yield in heavy-ion collisions at CERN-SpS energies can be understood by multi-pionic interactions which enforce local chemical equilibrium of the antiprotons with the nucleons and pions. Here we show that antihyperons are driven towards local chemical equilibrium with pions, nucleons and kaons on a timescale of less than 3 fm/c when applying a similar argument for the antihyperons by considering the inverse channel of annihilation reactions anti-Y + p to pions + kaons. These multi-mesonic reactions easily explain the antihyperon yields at CERN-SpS energies as advertised in pure thermal, hadronic models without the need of a quark gluon plasma phase. In addition, the argument also applies for AGS energies.Comment: 4 pages using RevTeX, 1 eps figur

Theoretical predictions for the direct detection of neutralino dark matter in the NMSSM

We analyse the direct detection of neutralino dark matter in the framework of the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. After performing a detailed analysis of the parameter space, taking into account all the available constraints from LEPII, we compute the neutralino-nucleon cross section, and compare the results with the sensitivity of detectors. We find that sizable values for the detection cross section, within the reach of dark matter detectors, are attainable in this framework. For example, neutralino-proton cross sections compatible with the sensitivity of present experiments can be obtained due to the exchange of very light Higgses with m_{h_1^0}\lsim 70 GeV. Such Higgses have a significant singlet composition, thus escaping detection and being in agreement with accelerator data. The lightest neutralino in these cases exhibits a large singlino-Higgsino composition, and a mass in the range 50\lsim m_{\tilde\chi_1^0}\lsim 100 GeV.Comment: Final version to appear in JHEP. References added. LaTeX, 53 pages, 23 figure

Fragmentation of exotic oxygen isotopes

Abrasion-ablation models and the empirical EPAX parametrization of projectile fragmentation are described. Their cross section predictions are compared to recent data of the fragmentation of secondary beams of neutron-rich, unstable 19,20,21O isotopes at beam energies near 600 MeV/nucleon as well as data for stable 17,18O beams