Spectrum of the Y=2 Pentaquarks

By assuming a mass formula for the spectrum of the Y=2 pentaquarks, where the chromo-magnetic interaction plays a main role, and identifying the lightest state with the Theta^+(1540), we predict a spectrum in good agreement with the few I=0 and I=1 candidates proposed in the past.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, LaTe

Effects of anisotropic dynamics on cosmic strings

The dynamics of cosmic strings is considered in anisotropic backgrounds. In particular, the behaviour of infinitely long straight cosmic strings and of cosmic string loops is determined. Small perturbations of a straight cosmic string are calculated. The relevance of these results is discussed with respect to the possible observational imprints of an anisotropic phase on the behaviour of a cosmic string network.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures; matches version published in JCA

Non-detection of a statistically anisotropic power spectrum in large-scale structure

We search a sample of photometric luminous red galaxies (LRGs) measured by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) for a quadrupolar anisotropy in the primordial power spectrum, in which P(\vec{k}) is an isotropic power spectrum P(k) multiplied by a quadrupolar modulation pattern. We first place limits on the 5 coefficients of a general quadrupole anisotropy. We also consider axisymmetric quadrupoles of the form P(\vec{k}) = P(k){1 + g_*[(\hat{k}\cdot\hat{n})^2-1/3]} where \hat{n} is the axis of the anisotropy. When we force the symmetry axis \hat{n} to be in the direction (l,b)=(94 degrees,26 degrees) identified in the recent Groeneboom et al. analysis of the cosmic microwave background, we find g_*=0.006+/-0.036 (1 sigma). With uniform priors on \hat{n} and g_* we find that -0.41<g_*<+0.38 with 95% probability, with the wide range due mainly to the large uncertainty of asymmetries aligned with the Galactic Plane. In none of these three analyses do we detect evidence for quadrupolar power anisotropy in large scale structure.Comment: 23 pages; 10 figures; 3 tables; replaced with version published in JCAP (added discussion of scale-varying quadrupolar anisotropy

Surface Roughness and Effective Stick-Slip Motion

The effect of random surface roughness on hydrodynamics of viscous incompressible liquid is discussed. Roughness-driven contributions to hydrodynamic flows, energy dissipation, and friction force are calculated in a wide range of parameters. When the hydrodynamic decay length (the viscous wave penetration depth) is larger than the size of random surface inhomogeneities, it is possible to replace a random rough surface by effective stick-slip boundary conditions on a flat surface with two constants: the stick-slip length and the renormalization of viscosity near the boundary. The stick-slip length and the renormalization coefficient are expressed explicitly via the correlation function of random surface inhomogeneities. The effective stick-slip length is always negative signifying the effective slow-down of the hydrodynamic flows by the rough surface (stick rather than slip motion). A simple hydrodynamic model is presented as an illustration of these general hydrodynamic results. The effective boundary parameters are analyzed numerically for Gaussian, power-law and exponentially decaying correlators with various indices. The maximum on the frequency dependence of the dissipation allows one to extract the correlation radius (characteristic size) of the surface inhomogeneities directly from, for example, experiments with torsional quartz oscillators.Comment: RevTeX4, 14 pages, 3 figure

Large lepton asymmetry from Q-balls

We propose a scenario which can explain large lepton asymmetry and small baryon asymmetry simultaneously. Large lepton asymmetry is generated through Affleck-Dine (AD) mechanism and almost all the produced lepton numbers are absorbed into Q-balls (L-balls). If the lifetime of the L-balls is longer than the onset of electroweak phase transition but shorter than the epoch of big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), the large lepton asymmetry in the L-balls is protected from sphaleron effects. On the other hand, small (negative) lepton numbers are evaporated from the L-balls due to thermal effects, which are converted into the observed small baryon asymmetry by virtue of sphaleron effects. Large and positive lepton asymmetry of electron type is often requested from BBN. In our scenario, choosing an appropriate flat direction in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), we can produce positive lepton asymmetry of electron type but totally negative lepton asymmetry.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, ReVTeX

Old and new parton distribution and fragmentation functions

A short review of problems with parton distribution functions in nucleons, non-polarized and polarized, is given. The main part is devoted to the transversity distribution its possible measurement and its first experimental probe via spin asymmetry in semi-inclusive DIS. It is argued that the proton transversity distribution could be successfully measured in future DIS experiments with {\it longitudinally} polarized target.Comment: 9 pages, latex, czjphys2.sty, 4 eps figures. Submitted at 35-th Rancontre de Moriond, March 2000 and at Praha-SPIN-2000, July 2000. To be published in Czechoslovak J. Phys. (Suppl) 51 (2001

SN1A data and the CMB of Modified Curvature at short and long distances

The SN1a data, although inconclusive, when combined with other observations makes a strong case that our universe is presently dominated by dark energy. We investigate the possibility that large distance modifications of the curvature of the universe would perhaps offer an alternative explanation of the observation. Our calculations indicate that a universe made up of no dark energy but instead, with a modified curvature at large scales, is not scale-invariant, therefore quite likely it is ruled out by the CMB observations. The sensitivity of the CMB spectrum is checked for the whole range of mode modifications of large or short distance physics. The spectrum is robust against modifications of short-distance physics and the UV cutoff when: the initial state is the adiabatic vacuum, and the inflationary background space is de Sitter.Comment: 13 pages, 2 eps figures, typos corrected, references added; to appear in Phys. Rev.

Spectral quark model and low-energy hadron phenomenology

We propose a spectral quark model which can be applied to low energy hadronic physics. The approach is based on a generalization of the Lehmann representation of the quark propagator. We work at the one-quark-loop level. Electromagnetic and chiral invariance are ensured with help of the gauge technique which provides particular solutions to the Ward-Takahashi identities. General conditions on the quark spectral function follow from natural physical requirements. In particular, the function is normalized, its all positive moments must vanish, while the physical observables depend on negative moments and the so-called log-moments. As a consequence, the model is made finite, dispersion relations hold, chiral anomalies are preserved, and the twist expansion is free from logarithmic scaling violations, as requested of a low-energy model. We study a variety of processes and show that the framework is very simple and practical. Finally, incorporating the idea of vector-meson dominance, we present an explicit construction of the quark spectral function which satisfies all the requirements. The corresponding momentum representation of the resulting quark propagator exhibits only cuts on the physical axis, with no poles present anywhere in the complex momentum space. The momentum-dependent quark mass compares very well to recent lattice calculations. A large number of predictions and relations can be deduced from our approach for such quantities as the pion light-cone wave function, non-local quark condensate, pion transition form factor, pion valence parton distribution function, etc.Comment: revtex, 24 pages, 3 figure

Search for a strongly decaying neutral charmed pentaquark

We present a search for a charmed pentaquark decaying strongly to $D^{(*)-}p$. Finding no evidence for such a state, we set limits on the cross section times branching ratio relative to $D^{*-}$ and $D^-$ under particular assumptions about the production mechanism.Comment: To be published in Physics Letters

Measuring CMB Polarization with BOOMERANG

BOOMERANG is a balloon-borne telescope designed for long duration (LDB) flights around Antarctica. The second LDB Flight of BOOMERANG took place in January 2003. The primary goal of this flight was to measure the polarization of the CMB. The receiver uses polarization sensitive bolometers at 145 GHz. Polarizing grids provide polarization sensitivity at 245 and 345 GHz. We describe the BOOMERANG telescope noting changes made for 2003 LDB flight, and discuss some of the issues involved in the measurement of polarization with bolometers. Lastly, we report on the 2003 flight and provide an estimate of the expected results.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, To be published in the proceedings of "The Cosmic Microwave Background and its Polarization", New Astronomy Reviews, (eds. S. Hanany and K.A. Olive). Fixed typos, and reformatted citation