13,627 research outputs found
Constraining Modular Inflation in the MSSM from Giant Q-Ball Formation
We discuss constraints on which flat directions can have large vacuum
expectation values (VEVs) after inflation. We show that only flat directions
which are not charged under B-L and develop positive pressure due to
renormalization group effects can have large VEVs of order \Mp. For example,
within the MSSM only the flat direction is found to be viable. This
strongly constrains the embedding of a broad class of inflationary models in
the MSSM or some other supersymmetric extension of the SM. For flat directions
with negative pressure, the condensate fragments into very large Q-balls which
we call Q-giants. We discuss the formation, evolution and reheating of these
Q-giants and show that they decay too late. The analysis requires taking into
account new phases of the flat directions, which have been overlooked in the
formation and dynamics of the Q-balls. These constraints may be ameliorated by
invoking a short period of thermal inflation. The latter, however, is viable in
a very narrow window of parameter space and requires fine tuning.Comment: 40 pages, 3 figure
Nonthermal Supermassive Dark Matter
We discuss several cosmological production mechanisms for nonthermal
supermassive dark matter and argue that dark matter may be elementary particles
of mass much greater than the weak scale. Searches for dark matter should not
be limited to weakly interacting particles with mass of the order of the weak
scale, but should extend into the supermassive range as well.Comment: 11 page LaTeX file. No major changes. Version accepted by PR
keV sterile neutrino dark matter in gauge extensions of the standard model
It is known that a keV scale sterile neutrino is a good warm dark matter
candidate. We study how this possibility could be realized in the context of
gauge extensions of the standard model. The na\"ive expectation leads to large
thermal overproduction of sterile neutrinos in this setup. However, we find
that it is possible to use out-of-equilibrium decay of the other right-handed
neutrinos of the model to dilute the present density of the keV sterile
neutrinos and achieve the observed dark matter density. We present the
universal requirements that should be satisfied by the gauge extensions of the
standard model, containing right-handed neutrinos, to be viable models of warm
dark matter, and provide a simple example in the context of the left-right
symmetric model.Comment: RevTex, 13 pages, 5 figures; journal version (corrected typos
Elliptic Flow from a Transversally Thermalized Fireball
The agreement of elliptic flow data at RHIC at central rapidity with the
hydrodynamic model has led to the conclusion of very rapid thermalization. This
conclusion is based on the intuitive argument that hydrodynamics, which assumes
instantaneous local thermalization, produces the largest possible elliptic flow
values and that the data seem to saturate this limit. We here investigate the
question whether incompletely thermalized viscous systems may actually produce
more elliptic flow than ideal hydrodynamics. Motivated by the extremely fast
primordial longitudinal expansion of the reaction zone, we investigate a toy
model which exhibits thermalization only in the transverse directions but
undergoes collisionless free-streaming expansion in the longitudinal direction.
For collisions at RHIC energies, elliptic flow results from the model are
compared with those from hydrodynamics. With the final particle yield and
\kt-distribution fixed, the transversally thermalized model is shown not to
be able to produce the measured amount of elliptic flow. This investigation
provides further support for very rapid local kinetic equilibration at RHIC. It
also yields interesting novel results for the elliptic flow of massless
particles such as direct photons.Comment: revtex4, 15 pages + 10 embedded EPS figure
Cosmological evolution of warm dark matter fluctuations II: Solution from small to large scales and keV sterile neutrinos
We solve the cosmological evolution of warm dark matter (WDM) density
fluctuations with the Volterra integral equations of paper I. In the absence of
neutrinos, the anisotropic stress vanishes and the Volterra equations reduce to
a single integral equation. We solve numerically this equation both for DM
fermions decoupling at equilibrium and DM sterile neutrinos decoupling out of
equilibrium. We give the exact analytic solution for the density fluctuations
and gravitational potential at zero wavenumber. We compute the density contrast
as a function of the scale factor a for a wide range of wavenumbers k. At fixed
a, the density contrast grows with k for k
k_c, (k_c ~ 1.6/Mpc). The density contrast depends on k and a mainly through
the product k a exhibiting a self-similar behavior. Our numerical density
contrast for small k gently approaches our analytic solution for k = 0. For
fixed k < 1/(60 kpc), the density contrast generically grows with a while for k
> 1/(60 kpc) it exhibits oscillations since the RD era which become stronger as
k grows. We compute the transfer function of the density contrast for thermal
fermions and for sterile neutrinos in: a) the Dodelson-Widrow (DW) model and b)
in a model with sterile neutrinos produced by a scalar particle decay. The
transfer function grows with k for small k and then decreases after reaching a
maximum at k = k_c reflecting the time evolution of the density contrast. The
integral kernels in the Volterra equations are nonlocal in time and their
falloff determine the memory of the past evolution since decoupling. This
falloff is faster when DM decouples at equilibrium than when it decouples out
of equilibrium. Although neutrinos and photons can be neglected in the MD era,
they contribute in the MD era through their memory from the RD era.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures. To appear in Phys Rev
Interpretation of the variability of the <i>ÎČ</i> Cephei star <i>λ</i> Scorpii. I. The multiple character
We derive accurate values of the orbital parameters of the close binary ÎČ Cephei star λ Scorpii. Moreover, we present the first determination of the properties of the triple system to which λ Scorpii belongs. Our analysis is based on a time series of 815 high-resolution spectra, covering a timespan of 14 years. We find a close orbit of 5d.9525days (e=0.26) and a wide orbit of approximately 1082d days (e=0.23). The orbital parameters of the triple star and a spectrum synthesis lead us to conclude that the system is composed of two early-type B stars and a low-mass pre-main-sequence star rather than containing an ultra-massive white dwarf as claimed before. Our proposed configuration is compatible with population synthesis. The radial velocity variations of the primary allow us to confirm the presence of at least one pulsation mode with frequency 4.679410 c d-1 which is subject to the light-time effect in the triple system. A detailed analysis of the complex line-profile variations is described in a subsequent paper
Expression of the insulin-like growth factor-II/mannose-6-phosphate receptor in multiple human tissues during fetal life and early infancy
The insulin like growth factor-II/mannose-6-phosphate (IGF-II/M6P) receptor has been detected in many cells and tissues. In the rat, there is a dramatic developmental regulation of IGF-II/M6P receptor expression, the receptor being high in fetal and neonatal tissues and declining thereafter. We have systematically studied the expression of the human IGF-II/M6P receptor protein in tissues from 10 human fetuses and infants (age 23 weeks gestation to 24 months postnatal). We have asked 1) whether there is differential expression among different organs, and 2) whether or not the human IGF-II/M6P receptor is developmentally regulated from 23 weeks gestation to 24 months postnatal. Protein was extracted from human tissues using a buffer containing 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate and 2% Triton X-100. Aliquots of the protein extracts were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate- polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting using an anti-IGF- II/M6P receptor antiserum (no. 66416) and 125I-protein A or an immunoperoxidase stain. IGF-II/M6P receptor immunoreactivity was detected in all tissues studied with the highest amount of receptor being expressed in heart, thymus, and kidney and the lowest receptor content being measured in brain and muscle. The receptor content in ovary, testis, lung, and spleen was intermediate. The apparent molecular weight of the IGF-II/M6P receptor (220,000 kilos without reduction of disulfide bonds) varied among the different tissues: in brain the receptor was of lower molecular weight than in other organs. Immunoquantitation experiments employing 125I-protein A and protein extracts from human kidney at different ages revealed a small, albeit not significant, difference of the receptor content between fetal and postnatal tissues: as in other species, larger amounts of receptor seemed to be present in fetal than in postnatal organs. In addition, no significant difference of the receptor content between human fetal liver and early postnatal liver was measured employing 125I-protein A- immunoquantitation in three fetal and five postnatal liver tissue samples. The distribution of IGF-binding protein (IGEBP) species, another abundant and major class of IGF binding principles, was also measured in human fetal and early postnatal lung, liver, kidney, muscle, and brain using Western ligand blotting with 125I-IGF-II: as with IGF-II/M6P receptor immunoreactivity there was differential expression of the different classes of IGFBPs in the various organs
v4: A small, but sensitive observable for heavy ion collisions
Higher order Fourier coefficients of the azimuthally dependent single
particle spectra resulting from noncentral heavy ion collisions are
investigated. For intermediate to large transverse momenta, these anisotropies
are expected to become as large as 5 %, and should be clearly measurable. The
physics content of these observables is discussed from two different extreme
but complementary viewpoints, hydrodynamics and the geometric limit with
extreme energy loss.Comment: as published: typos corrected, Fig. 3 slightly improved in numerics
and presentatio
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