47 research outputs found
Cosmological and astrophysical limits on brane fluctuations
We consider a general brane-world model parametrized by the brane tension
scale and the branon mass . For low tension compared to the fundamental
gravitational scale, we calculate the relic branon abundance and its
contribution to the cosmological dark matter. We compare this result with the
current observational limits on the total and hot dark matter energy densities
and derive the corresponding bounds on and . Using the nucleosynthesis
bounds on the number of relativistic species, we also set a limit on the number
of light branons in terms of the brane tension. Finally, we estimate the bounds
coming from the energy loss rate in supernovae explosions due to massive branon
emission.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures, LaTeX. Final version with minor corrections. To
appear in Phys. Rev.
Focusing of geodesic congruences in an accelerated expanding Universe
We study the accelerated expansion of the Universe through its consequences
on a congruence of geodesics. We make use of the Raychaudhuri equation which
describes the evolution of the expansion rate for a congruence of timelike or
null geodesics. In particular, we focus on the space-time geometry contribution
to this equation. By straightforward calculation from the metric of a
Robertson-Walker cosmological model, it follows that in an accelerated
expanding Universe the space-time contribution to the Raychaudhuri equation is
positive for the fundamental congruence, favoring a non-focusing of the
congruence of geodesics. However, the accelerated expansion of the present
Universe does not imply a tendency of the fundamental congruence to diverge. It
is shown that this is in fact the case for certain congruences of timelike
geodesics without vorticity. Therefore, the focusing of geodesics remains
feasible in an accelerated expanding Universe. Furthermore, a negative
contribution to the Raychaudhuri equation from space-time geometry which is
usually interpreted as the manifestation of the attractive character of gravity
is restored in an accelerated expanding Robertson-Walker space-time at high
speeds.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures. Final version changed to match published version
in JCAP. References updated. Conclusions unchange
Brane oscillations and the cosmic coincidence problem
We show that, under general assumptions, in six-dimensional brane-world
models with compactified large extra dimensions, the energy density of brane
oscillations scales as that of cold dark matter and its present value is
compatible with observations. Such value is obtained from the only dimensional
scale in the theory, namely, the fundamental scale of gravity in six dimensions
TeV, without any fine-tuning or the introduction of additional mass
scales apart from the large size of the extra dimensions. It has been suggested
that the same kind of models could provide also the correct magnitude of the
cosmological constant. This observation can be relevant for the resolution of
the cosmic coincidence problem in the brane-world scenario.Comment: 5 pages, RevTeX. Comments on the renormalization of the branon mass
included. Final version to appear in Phys.Rev.D (R
Bound states between dark matter particles and emission of gravitational radiation
Bound states of two weakly interactive massive particles are studied. It is
assumed that the WIMPonium is formed due to the gravitational interaction,
since the weak interaction can sometimes be repulsive. The lifetimes of the
spontaneous emission of gravitational radiation and of the WIMPs annihilation
into a pair of gravitons are computed, and are shown to be many orders of
magnitude larger than the age of the universe.Comment: Accepted for publication in GER
A Theory of a Spot
We present a simple inflationary scenario that can produce arbitrarily large
spherical underdense or overdense regions embedded in a standard Lambda cold
dark matter paradigm, which we refer to as bubbles. We analyze the effect such
bubbles would have on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). For super-horizon
sized bubble in the vicinity of the last scattering surface, a signal is
imprinted onto CMB via a combination of Sach-Wolfe and an early integrated
Sach-Wolfe (ISW) effects. Smaller, sub-horizon sized bubbles at lower redshifts
(during matter domination and later) can imprint secondary anisotropies on the
CMB via Rees-Sciama, late-time ISW and Ostriker-Vishniac effects. Our scenario,
and arguably most similar inflationary models, produce bubbles which are
over/underdense in potential: in density such bubbles are characterized by
having a distinct wall with the interior staying at the cosmic mean density. We
show that such models can potentially, with only moderate fine tuning, explain
the \emph{cold spot}, a non-Gaussian feature identified in the Wilkinson
Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data by several authors. However, more
detailed comparisons with current and future CMB data are necessary to confirm
(or rule out) this scenario.Comment: 19 pages, 19 figures, added references and explanations, JCAP in
pres
On the non-attractive character of gravity in f(R) theories
Raychaudhuri equation is found provided that particular energy conditions are assumed and regardless the considered solution of the Einstein's equations. This fact is usually interpreted as a manifestation of the attractive character of gravity. Nevertheless, a positive contribution to Raychaudhuri equation from space-time geometry should occur since this is the case in an accelerated expanding Robertson-Walker model for congruences followed by fundamental observers. Modified gravity theories provide the possibility of a positive contribution although the standard energy conditions are assumed. We address this important issue in the context of f(R) theories, deriving explicit upper bounds for the contribution of space-time geometry to the Raychaudhuri equation. Then, we examine the parameter constraints for some paradigmatic f(R) models in order to ensure a positive contribution to this equation. Furthermore, we consider the implications of these upper bounds in the equivalent formulation of f(R) theories as a Brans-Dicke model
Modified f(R) gravity from scalar-tensor theory and inhomogeneous EoS dark energy
The reconstruction of f(R)-gravity is showed by using an auxiliary scalar
field in the context of cosmological evolution, this development provide a way
of reconstruct the form of the function f (R) for a given evolution of the
Hubble parameter. In analogy, f(R)-gravity may be expressed by a perfect fluid
with an inhomogeneous equation of state that depends on the Hubble parameter
and its derivatives. This mathematical equivalence that may confuse about the
origin of the mechanism that produces the current acceleration, and possibly
the whole evolution of the Hubble parameter, is shown here.Comment: 8 page
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Toward high precision higgs-boson measurements at the international linear e+ e- collider
Report of the 2005 Snowmass Top/QCD Working Group
This report discusses several topics in both top quark physics and QCD at an
International Linear Collider (ILC). Issues such as measurements at the
threshold, including both theoretical and machine requirements, and
the determination of electroweak top quark couplings, are reviewed. New results
concerning the potential of a 500 GeV collider for measuring
couplings and the top quark Yukawa coupling are presented. The status of higher
order QCD corrections to jet production cross sections, heavy quark form
factors, and longitudinal gauge boson scattering, needed for percent-level
studies at the ILC, are reviewed. A new study of the measurement of the
hadronic structure of the photon at a collider is presented. The
effects on top quark properties from several models of new physics, including
composite models, Little Higgs theories, and CPT violation, are studied.Comment: 39 pages, many figs; typos fixed and refs added. Contributed to the
2005 International Linear Collider Physics and Detector Workshop and 2nd ILC
Accelerator Workshop, Snowmass, Colorado, 14-27 Aug 200