17,484 research outputs found
Collide and Conquer: Constraints on Simplified Dark Matter Models using Mono-X Collider Searches
The use of simplified models as a tool for interpreting dark matter collider
searches has become increasingly prevalent, and while early Run II results are
beginning to appear, we look to see what further information can be extracted
from the Run I dataset. We consider three `standard' simplified models that
couple quarks to fermionic singlet dark matter: an -channel vector mediator
with vector or axial-vector couplings, and a -channel scalar mediator. Upper
limits on the couplings are calculated and compared across three alternate
channels, namely mono-jet, mono- (leptonic) and mono- (hadronic). The
strongest limits are observed in the mono-jet channel, however the
computational simplicity and absence of significant -channel model width
effects in the mono-boson channels make these a straightforward and competitive
alternative. We also include a comparison with relic density and direct
detection constraints.Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures; v2: minor changes, conclusion unchanged, matches
published versio
Particle Production of Vector Fields: Scale Invariance is Attractive
In a model of an Abelian vector boson with a Maxwell kinetic term and non-negative mass-squared it is demonstrated that, under fairly general conditions during inflation, a scale-invariant spectrum of perturbations for the components of a vector field, massive or not, whose kinetic function (and mass) is modulated by the inflaton field is an attractor solution. If the field is massless, or if it remains light until the end of inflation, this attractor solution also generates anisotropic stress, which can render inflation weakly anisotropic. The above two characteristics of the attractor solution can source (independently or combined together) significant statistical anisotropy in the curvature perturbation, which may well be observable in the near future
High resolution spectroscopy of single NV defects coupled with nearby C nuclear spins in diamond
We report a systematic study of the hyperfine interaction between the
electron spin of a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect in diamond and nearby
C nuclear spins, by using pulsed electron spin resonance spectroscopy.
We isolate a set of discrete values of the hyperfine coupling strength ranging
from 14 MHz to 400 kHz and corresponding to C nuclear spins placed at
different lattice sites of the diamond matrix. For each lattice site, the
hyperfine interaction is further investigated through nuclear spin polarization
measurements and by studying the magnetic field dependence of the hyperfine
splitting. This work provides informations that are relevant for the
development of nuclear-spin based quantum register in diamond.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Magnetic imaging with an ensemble of Nitrogen Vacancy centers in diamond
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color center in diamond is an atom-like system in
the solid-state which specific spin properties can be efficiently used as a
sensitive magnetic sensor. An external magnetic field induces Zeeman shifts of
the NV center levels which can be measured using Optically Detected Magnetic
Resonance (ODMR). In this work, we exploit the ODMR signal of an ensemble of NV
centers in order to quantitatively map the vectorial structure of a magnetic
field produced by a sample close to the surface of a CVD diamond hosting a thin
layer of NV centers. The reconstruction of the magnetic field is based on a
maximum-likelihood technique which exploits the response of the four intrinsic
orientations of the NV center inside the diamond lattice. The sensitivity
associated to a 1 {\mu}m^2 area of the doped layer, equivalent to a sensor
consisting of approximately 10^4 NV centers, is of the order of 2
{\mu}T/sqrt{Hz}. The spatial resolution of the imaging device is 400 nm,
limited by the numerical aperture of the optical microscope which is used to
collect the photoluminescence of the NV layer. The versatility of the sensor is
illustrated by the accurate reconstruction of the magnetic field created by a
DC current inside a copper wire deposited on the diamond sample.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, figure 4 added, results unchange
Gamma-ray emission from dark matter wakes of recoiled black holes
A new scenario for the emission of high-energy gamma-rays from dark matter
annihilation around massive black holes is presented. A black hole can leave
its parent halo, by means of gravitational radiation recoil, in a merger event
or in the asymmetric collapse of its progenitor star. A recoiled black hole
which moves on an almost-radial orbit outside the virial radius of its central
halo, in the cold dark matter background, reaches its apapsis in a finite time.
Near or at the apapsis passage, a high-density wake extending over a large
radius of influence, forms around the black hole. It is shown that significant
gamma-ray emission can result from the enhancement of neutralino annihilation
in these wakes. At its apapsis passage, a black hole is shown to produce a
flash of high-energy gamma-rays whose duration is determined by the mass of the
black hole and the redshift at which it is ejected. The ensemble of such black
holes in the Hubble volume is shown to produce a diffuse high-energy gamma-ray
background whose magnitude is compared to the diffuse emission from dark matter
haloes alone.Comment: version to appear in Astrophysical Journal letters (labels on Fig. 3
corrected
Magnetic-field-dependent photodynamics of single NV defects in diamond: Application to qualitative all-optical magnetic imaging
Magnetometry and magnetic imaging with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects in
diamond rely on the optical detection of electron spin resonance (ESR).
However, this technique is inherently limited to magnetic fields that are weak
enough to avoid electron spin mixing. Here we focus on the high off-axis
magnetic field regime for which spin mixing alters the NV defect spin dynamics.
We first study in a quantitative manner the dependence of the NV defect optical
properties on the magnetic field vector B. Magnetic-field-dependent
time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements are compared to a seven-level
model of the NV defect that accounts for field-induced spin mixing. The model
reproduces the decreases in (i) ESR contrast, (ii) PL intensity and (iii)
excited level lifetime with an increasing off-axis magnetic field. We next
demonstrate that those effects can be used to perform all-optical magnetic
imaging in the high off-axis magnetic field regime. Using a scanning NV defect
microscope, we map the stray field of a magnetic hard disk through both PL and
fluorescence lifetime imaging. This all-optical method for high magnetic field
imaging at the nanoscale might be of interest in the field of nanomagnetism,
where samples producing fields in excess of several tens of milliteslas are
typical
Perfect preferential orientation of nitrogen-vacancy defects in a synthetic diamond sample
We show that the orientation of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects in diamond can
be efficiently controlled through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth on a
(111)-oriented diamond substrate. More precisely, we demonstrate that
spontaneously generated NV defects are oriented with a ~ 97 % probability along
the [111] axis, corresponding to the most appealing orientation among the four
possible crystallographic axes. Such a nearly perfect preferential orientation
is explained by analyzing the diamond growth mechanism on a (111)-oriented
substrate and could be extended to other types of defects. This work is a
significant step towards the design of optimized diamond samples for quantum
information and sensing applications.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
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