Hunting for Isocurvature Modes in the CMB non-Gaussianities

We investigate new shapes of local primordial non-Gaussianities in the CMB. Allowing for a primordial isocurvature mode along with the main adiabatic one, the angular bispectrum is in general a superposition of six distinct shapes: the usual adiabatic term, a purely isocurvature component and four additional components that arise from correlations between the adiabatic and isocurvature modes. We present a class of early Universe models in which various hierarchies between these six components can be obtained, while satisfying the present upper bound on the isocurvature fraction in the power spectrum. Remarkably, even with this constraint, detectable non-Gaussianity could be produced by isocurvature modes. We finally discuss the prospects of detecting these new shapes with the Planck satellite.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Bulk gravitons from a cosmological brane

We investigate the emission of gravitons by a cosmological brane into an Anti de Sitter five-dimensional bulk spacetime. We focus on the distribution of gravitons in the bulk and the associated production of `dark radiation' in this process. In order to evaluate precisely the amount of dark radiation in the late low-energy regime, corresponding to standard cosmology, we study numerically the emission, propagation and bouncing off the brane of bulk gravitons.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures, minor corrections. Final versio

Scalar Kaluza-Klein modes in a multiply warped braneworld

The Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes of a massive scalar field on a 3-brane embedded in six dimensional multiply warped spacetime are determined. Due to the presence of warping along both the extra dimensions the KK mass spectrum splits into two closely spaced branches which is a distinct feature of this model compared to the five dimensional Randall-Sundrum model. This new cluster of the KK mode spectrum is expected to have interesting phenomenological implications for the upcoming collider experiments. Such a scenario may also be extended for even larger number of orbifolded extra dimensions.Comment: 10 pages, Revte

Can transvaginal ultrasound detect endometrial disease among asymptomatic postmenopausal patients?

Transvaginal ultrasound should not replace endometrial biopsy for detection of endometrial disease among asymptomatic postmenopausal patients. Endometrial biopsy has been considered a standard for the clinical diagnosis of endometrial disease among asymptomatic patients, but it is invasive, may be uncomfortable, and may not be able to be performed for some patients with cervical stenosis. Ultrasound evaluation is less invasive and more comfortable and can be performed for patients with cervical stenosis. The positive predictive value of ultrasound is not adequate to allow it to replace endometrial biopsy for screening of asymptomatic women (strength of recommendation: B, based on cohort studies)

Massive scalar states localized on a de Sitter brane

We consider a brane scenario with a massive scalar field in the five-dimensional bulk. We study the scalar states that are localized on the brane, which is assumed to be de Sitter. These localized scalar modes are massive in general, their effective four-dimensional mass depending on the mass of the five-dimensional scalar field, on the Hubble parameter in the brane and on the coupling between the brane tension and the bulk scalar field. We then introduce a purely four-dimensional approach based on an effective potential for the projection of the scalar field in the brane, and discuss its regime of validity. Finally, we explore the quasi-localized scalar states, which have a non-zero width that quantifies their probability of tunneling from the brane into the bulk.Comment: 14 pages; 5 figure

Gauss-Bonnet brane gravity with a confining potential

A brane scenario is envisaged in which the $m$-dimensional bulk is endowed with a Gauss-Bonnet term and localization of matter on the brane is achieved by means of a confining potential. The resulting Friedmann equations on the brane are modified by various extra terms that may be interpreted as the X-matter, providing a possible phenomenological explanation for the accelerated expansion of the universe. The age of the universe in this scenario is studied and shown to be consistent with the present observational data.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, to appear in PR

Cosmology in a brane-universe

This contribution presents the cosmological models with extra dimensions that have been recently elaborated, which assume that ordinary matter is confined on a surface, called brane, embedded in a higher dimensional spacetime.Comment: 12 pages; Invited review talk at the JENAM 2002 workshop on "The cosmology of extra dimensions and varying fundamental constants", Porto, Portugal, September 200

Bulk inflaton shadows of vacuum gravity

We introduce a $(5+m)$-dimensional vacuum description of five-dimensional bulk inflaton models with exponential potentials that makes analysis of cosmological perturbations simple and transparent. We show that various solutions, including the power-law inflation model recently discovered by Koyama and Takahashi, are generated from known $(5+m)$-dimensional vacuum solutions of pure gravity. We derive master equations for all types of perturbations, and each of them becomes a second order differential equation for one master variable supplemented by simple boundary conditions on the brane. One exception is the case for massive modes of scalar perturbations. In this case, there are two independent degrees of freedom, and in general it is difficult to disentangle them into two separate sectors.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures, revtex; v2: references adde

Models for the Brane-Bulk Interaction: Toward Understanding Braneworld Cosmological Perturbation

Using some simple toy models, we explore the nature of the brane-bulk interaction for cosmological models with a large extra dimension. We are in particular interested in understanding the role of the bulk gravitons, which from the point of view of an observer on the brane will appear to generate dissipation and nonlocality, effects which cannot be incorporated into an effective (3+1)-dimensional Lagrangian field theoretic description. We explicitly work out the dynamics of several discrete systems consisting of a finite number of degrees of freedom on the boundary coupled to a (1+1)-dimensional field theory subject to a variety of wave equations. Systems both with and without time translation invariance are considered and moving boundaries are discussed as well. The models considered contain all the qualitative feature of quantized linearized cosmological perturbations for a Randall-Sundrum universe having an arbitrary expansion history, with the sole exception of gravitational gauge invariance, which will be treated in a later paper.Comment: 47 pages, RevTeX (or Latex, etc) with 5 eps figure

(1+3) Covariant Dynamics of Scalar Perturbations in Braneworlds

We discuss the dynamics of linear, scalar perturbations in an almost Friedmann-Robertson-Walker braneworld cosmology of Randall-Sundrum type II using the 1+3 covariant approach. We derive a complete set of frame-independent equations for the total matter variables, and a partial set of equations for the non-local variables which arise from the projection of the Weyl tensor in the bulk. The latter equations are incomplete since there is no propagation equation for the non-local anisotropic stress. We supplement the equations for the total matter variables with equations for the independent constituents in a cold dark matter cosmology, and provide solutions in the high and low-energy radiation-dominated phase under the assumption that the non-local anisotropic stress vanishes. These solutions reveal the existence of new modes arising from the two additional non-local degrees of freedom. Our solutions should prove useful in setting up initial conditions for numerical codes aimed at exploring the effect of braneworld corrections on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum. As a first step in this direction, we derive the covariant form of the line of sight solution for the CMB temperature anisotropies in braneworld cosmologies, and discuss possible mechanisms by which braneworld effects may remain in the low-energy universe.Comment: 22 pages replaced with additional references and minor corrections in Revtex4, and accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.