Successful Supersymmetric Inflation

We reconsider the problems of cosmological inflation in effective supergravity theories. A singlet field in a hidden sector is demonstrated to yield an acceptable inflationary potential, without fine tuning. In the simplest such model, the requirement of generating the microwave background anisotropy measured by COBE fixes the inflationary scale to be about $10^{14}$ GeV, implying a reheat temperature of order $10^{5}$ GeV. This is low enough to solve the gravitino problem but high enough to allow baryogenesis after inflation. Such consistency requires that the generation of gravitational waves be negligible and that the spectrum of scalar density perturbations depart significantly from scale-invariance, thus improving the fit to large-scale structure in an universe dominated by cold dark matter. We also consider the problems associated with gravitino production through inflaton decay and with other weakly coupled fields such as the moduli encountered in (compactified) string theories.Comment: 27 pages (LaTeX) including 1 embedded (PostScript) figure. Revised to include a fuller discussion of initial conditions (leading to "eternal" inflation) and the role of moduli; some reordering of sections for greater clarity. Accepted for publication in Nuclear Physics

Lepton non-universality in BB decays and fermion mass structure

We consider the possibility that the neutral-current $B$ anomalies are due to radiative corrections generated by Yukawa interactions of quarks and leptons with new vector-like quark and lepton electroweak doublets and new Standard Model singlet scalars. We show that the restricted interactions needed can result from an underlying Abelian family symmetry and that the same symmetry can give rise to an acceptable pattern of quark and charged lepton masses and mixings, providing a bridge between the non-universality observed in the B-sector and that of the fermion mass matrices. We construct two simple models, one with a single singlet scalar in which the flavour changing comes from quark and lepton mixing and one with an additional scalar in which the flavour changing can come from both fermion and scalar mixing. We show that for the case the new quarks are much heavier than the new leptons and scalars the $B$ anomalies can be due to box diagrams with couplings in the perturbative regime consistent with the bounds coming from $B_s- \bar B_s$, $K- \bar K$ and $D- \bar D$ mixing as well as other lepton family number violating processes. The new states can be dark matter candidates and, in the two scalar model with a light scalar of O(60) GeV and vector-like lepton of O(100) GeV, there can be a simultaneous explanation of the B-anomalies, the muon anomalous magnetic moment and the dark matter abundance.Comment: Replacement contains few additional reference

Fast, high fidelity information transmission through spin chain quantum wires

Spin chains have been proposed as quantum wires for information transfer in solid state quantum architectures. We show that huge gains in both transfer speed and fidelity are possible using a minimalist control approach that relies only a single, local, on-off switch actuator. Effective switching time sequences can be determined using optimization techniques for both ideal and disordered chains. Simulations suggest that effective optimization is possible even in the absence of accurate models.Comment: revtex4, 4 pages, 5 figure

Research of low cost wind generator rotors

A feasibility program determined that it would be possible to significantly reduce the cost of manufacturing wind generator rotors by making them of cast urethane. Several high modulus urethanes which were structurally tested were developed. A section of rotor was also cast and tested showing the excellent aerodynamic surface which results. A design analysis indicated that a cost reduction of almost ten to one can be achieved with a small weight increase to achieve the same structural integrity as expected of current rotor systems

Investigations on transparent liquid-miscibility gap systems

Sedimentation and phase separation is a well known occurrence in monotectic or miscibility gap alloys. Previous investigations indicate that it may be possible to prepare such alloys in a low-gravity space environment but recent experiments indicate that there may be nongravity dependent phase separation processes which can hinder the formation of such alloys. Such phase separation processes are studied using transparent liquid systems and holography. By reconstructing holograms into a commercial-particle-analysis system, real time computer analysis can be performed on emulsions with diameters in the range of 5 micrometers or greater. Thus dynamic effects associated with particle migration and coalescence can be studied. Characterization studies on two selected immiscible systems including an accurate determination of phase diagrams, surface and interfacial tension measurements, surface excess and wetting behavior near critical solution temperatures completed

Reconstruction of Quark Mass Matrices with Weak Basis Texture Zeroes from Experimental Input

All quark mass matrices with texture zeroes obtained through weak basis transformations are confronted with the experimental data. The reconstruction of the quark mass matrices M_u and M_d at the electroweak scale is performed in a weak basis where the matrices are Hermitian and have a maximum of three vanishing elements. The same procedure is also accomplished for the Yukawa coupling matrices at the grand unification scale in the context of the Standard Model and its minimal supersymmetric extension as well as of the two Higgs doublet model. The analysis of all viable power structures on the quark Yukawa coupling matrices that could naturally appear from a Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism is also presented.Comment: RevTeX4, 3 tables, 21 pages; misprints corrected and one reference adde

Turbulent Supernova Shock Waves and the Sterile Neutrino Signature in Megaton Water Detectors

The signatures of sterile neutrinos in the supernova neutrino signal in megaton water Cerenkov detectors are studied. Time dependent modulation of the neutrino signal emerging from the sharp changes in the oscillation probability due to shock waves is shown to be a smoking gun for the existence of sterile neutrinos. These modulations and indeed the entire neutrino oscillation signal is found to be different for the case with just three active neutrinos and the cases where there are additional sterile species mixed with the active neutrinos. The effect of turbulence is taken into account and it is found that the effect of the shock waves, while modifed, remain significant and measurable. Supernova neutrino signals in water detectors can therefore give unambiguous proof for the existence of sterile neutrinos, the sensitivity extending beyond that for terrestial neutrino experiments. In addition the time dependent modulations in the signal due to shock waves can be used to trace the evolution of the shock wave inside the supernova.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figure

Sequential Flavour Symmetry Breaking

The gauge sector of the Standard Model (SM) exhibits a flavour symmetry which allows for independent unitary transformations of the fermion multiplets. In the SM the flavour symmetry is broken by the Yukawa couplings to the Higgs boson, and the resulting fermion masses and mixing angles show a pronounced hierarchy. In this work we connect the observed hierarchy to a sequence of intermediate effective theories, where the flavour symmetries are broken in a step-wise fashion by vacuum expectation values of suitably constructed spurion fields. We identify the possible scenarios in the quark sector and discuss some implications of this approach.Comment: 22 pages latex, no figure

Thermal gravity, black holes and cosmological entropy

Taking seriously the interpretation of black hole entropy as the logarithm of the number of microstates, we argue that thermal gravitons may undergo a phase transition to a kind of black hole condensate. The phase transition proceeds via nucleation of black holes at a rate governed by a saddlepoint configuration whose free energy is of order the inverse temperature in Planck units. Whether the universe remains in a low entropy state as opposed to the high entropy black hole condensate depends sensitively on its thermal history. Our results may clarify an old observation of Penrose regarding the very low entropy state of the universe.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, RevTex. v4: to appear in Phys. Rev.