Cogeneration of Dark Matter and Baryons by Non-Standard-Model Sphalerons in Unified Models

Sphalerons of a new gauge interaction can convert a primordial asymmetry in B or L into a dark matter asymmetry. From the equilibrium conditions for the sphalerons of both the electroweak and the new interactions, one can compute the ratios of B, L, and X, where X is the dark matter number, thus determining the mass of the dark matter particle fairly precisely. Such a scenario can arise naturally in the context of unification with larger groups. An illustrative model embeddable in $SU(6) \times SU(2) \subset E_6$ is described as well as an equally simple model based on SU(7).Comment: 13 pages. Revised introduction and references, changed titl

The K\"ahler Potential of Abelian Higgs Vortices

We calculate the K\"ahler potential for the Samols metric on the moduli space of Abelian Higgs vortices on \mathbbm{R}^{2}, in two different ways. The first uses a scaling argument. The second is related to the Polyakov conjecture in Liouville field theory. The K\"ahler potential on the moduli space of vortices on \mathbbm{H}^{2} is also derived, and we are led to a geometrical reinterpretation of these vortices. Finally, we attempt to find the K\"ahler potential for vortices on \mathbbm{R}^{2} in a third way by relating the vortices to SU(2) Yang-Mills instantons on \mathbbm{R}^{2}\times S^{2}. This approach does not give the correct result, and we offer a possible explanation for this.Comment: 25 page

Prospects for transient gravitational waves at r-mode frequencies associated with pulsar glitches

t Glitches in pulsars are likely to trigger oscillation modes in the fluid interior of neutron stars. We examined these oscillations specifically at r-mode frequencies. The excited r-modes will emit gravitational waves and can have long damping time scales (minutes - days). We use simple estimates of how much energy the glitch might put into the r-mode and assess the detectability of the emitted gravitational waves with future interferometers

A Naturally Minute Quantum Correction to the Cosmological Constant Descended from the Hierarchy

We demonstrate that an extremely small but positive quantum correction, or the Casimir energy, to the cosmological constant can arise from a massive bulk fermion field in the Randall-Sundrum model. Specifically, a cosmological constant doubly descended from the Planck-electroweak hierarchy and as minute as the observed dark energy scale can be naturally achieved without fine-tuning of the bulk fermion mass. To ensure the stabilization of the system, we discuss two stabilization mechanisms under this setup. It is found that the Goldberger-Wise mechanism can be successfully introduced in the presence of a massive bulk fermion, without spoiling the smallness of the quantum correction.Comment: 5 page

Patient experiences of an ankle fracture and the most important factors in their recovery : a qualitative interview study

Objective The objective of this qualitative research study is to explore patient experiences of ankle fracture and the factors most important to them in recovery. Design Semistructured interviews exploring patient experiences of ankle fracture recovery at 16–23 weeks following injury. Interviews followed a topic guide and were recorded with an encrypted audio recorder and then transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was used to identify themes in the data. Setting Individuals were recruited from a sample of participants of a UK-based clinical trial of immobilisation methods for ankle fracture (ISRCTN15537280 at the pre-results stage at time of writing). Interviews were conducted at the participants’ own homes or on a university campus setting. Participants A purposive sample was used to account for key variables of age, gender and fracture management. Participants recruited from the clinical trial sample were adults aged 18 years or over with a closed ankle fracture. Results Ten participants were interviewed, five of whom were female and six of whom needed an operation to fix their ankle fracture. The age range of participants was 21–75 years with a mean of 51.6 years. Eight themes emerged from the data during analysis; mobility, loss of independence, healthcare, psychological effects, social and family life, ankle symptoms, sleep disturbance and fatigue, and activities of daily living. Factors of importance to participants included regaining their independence, sleep quality and quantity, ability to drive, ability to walk without walking aids or weight-bearing restrictions, and radiological union. Conclusions The results of this research demonstrates the extensive impact of ankle fracture on individuals’ lives, including social and family life, sleep, their sense of independence and psychological well-being. The results of this study will enable an increased understanding of the factors of relevance to individuals with ankle fracture, allowing collection of appropriate outcomes in clinical studies for this condition. Ultimately these results will help formulate appropriate patient-centred rehabilitation plans for these patients

An Evidence Based Time-Frequency Search Method for Gravitational Waves from Pulsar Glitches

We review and expand on a Bayesian model selection technique for the detection of gravitational waves from neutron star ring-downs associated with pulsar glitches. The algorithm works with power spectral densities constructed from overlapping time segments of gravitational wave data. Consequently, the original approach was at risk of falsely identifying multiple signals where only one signal was present in the data. We introduce an extension to the algorithm which uses posterior information on the frequency content of detected signals to cluster events together. The requirement that we have just one detection per signal is now met with the additional bonus that the belief in the presence of a signal is boosted by incorporating information from adjacent time segments.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to AMALDI 7 proceeding