8,757 research outputs found
Strong Gravitational Lensing and Dark Energy Complementarity
In the search for the nature of dark energy most cosmological probes measure
simple functions of the expansion rate. While powerful, these all involve
roughly the same dependence on the dark energy equation of state parameters,
with anticorrelation between its present value w_0 and time variation w_a.
Quantities that have instead positive correlation and so a sensitivity
direction largely orthogonal to, e.g., distance probes offer the hope of
achieving tight constraints through complementarity. Such quantities are found
in strong gravitational lensing observations of image separations and time
delays. While degeneracy between cosmological parameters prevents full
complementarity, strong lensing measurements to 1% accuracy can improve
equation of state characterization by 15-50%. Next generation surveys should
provide data on roughly 10^5 lens systems, though systematic errors will remain
challenging.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Like vs. Like: Strategy and Improvements in Supernova Cosmology Systematics
Control of systematic uncertainties in the use of Type Ia supernovae as
standardized distance indicators can be achieved through contrasting subsets of
observationally-characterized, like supernovae. Essentially, like supernovae at
different redshifts reveal the cosmology, and differing supernovae at the same
redshift reveal systematics, including evolution not already corrected for by
the standardization. Here we examine the strategy for use of empirically
defined subsets to minimize the cosmological parameter risk, the quadratic sum
of the parameter uncertainty and systematic bias. We investigate the optimal
recognition of subsets within the sample and discuss some issues of
observational requirements on accurately measuring subset properties.
Neglecting like vs. like comparison (i.e. creating only a single Hubble
diagram) can cause cosmological constraints on dark energy to be biased by
1\sigma or degraded by a factor 1.6 for a total drift of 0.02 mag. Recognition
of subsets at the 0.016 mag level (relative differences) erases bias and
reduces the degradation to 2%.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Shifting the Universe: Early Dark Energy and Standard Rulers
The presence of dark energy at high redshift influences both the cosmic sound
horizon and the distance to last scattering of the cosmic microwave background.
We demonstrate that through the degeneracy in their ratio, early dark energy
can lie hidden in the CMB temperature and polarization spectra, leading to an
unrecognized shift in the sound horizon. If the sound horizon is then used as a
standard ruler, as in baryon acoustic oscillations, then the derived
cosmological parameters can be nontrivially biased. Fitting for the absolute
ruler scale (just as supernovae must be fit for the absolute candle magnitude)
removes the bias but decreases the leverage of the BAO technique by a factor 2.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Reversal and Termination of Current-Induced Domain Wall Motion via Magnonic Spin-Transfer Torque
We investigate the domain wall dynamics of a ferromagnetic wire under the
combined influence of a spin-polarized current and magnonic spin-transfer
torque generated by an external field, taking also into account Rashba
spin-orbit coupling interactions. It is demonstrated that current-induced
motion of the domain wall may be completely reversed in an oscillatory fashion
by applying a magnonic spin-transfer torque as long as the spin-wave velocity
is sufficiently high. Moreover, we show that the motion of the domain wall may
be fully terminated by means of the generation of spin-waves, suggesting the
possibility to pin the domain-walls to predetermined locations. We also discuss
how strong spin-orbit interactions modify these results.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
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