599 research outputs found
Field equations and cosmology for a class of nonlocal metric models of MOND
We consider a class of nonlocal, pure-metric modified gravity models which
were developed to reproduce the Tully-Fisher relation without dark matter and
without changing the amount of weak lensing predicted by general relativity.
Previous work gave only the weak field limiting form of the field equations
specialized to a static and spherically symmetric geometry. Here we derive the
full field equations and specialize them to a homogeneous, isotropic and
spatially flat geometry. We also discuss the problem of fitting the free
function to reproduce the expansion history. Results are derived for models in
which the MOND acceleration a_0 ~ 1.2 x 10^{-10} m/s^{2} is a fundamental
constant and for the more phenomenologically interesting case in which the MOND
acceleration changes with the cosmological expansion rate.Comment: 15 pages, no figures, uses revtex4, dedicated to Stanley Deser on the
occasion of his 83rd birthda
COMPASS: a 2.6m telescope for CMBR polarization studies
COMPASS (COsmic Microwave Polarization at Small Scale) is an experiment devoted to measuring the polarization of the CMBR. Its design and characteristics are presented
Quantum effects and superquintessence in the new age of precision cosmology
Recent observations of Type Ia supernova at high redshifts establish that the
dark energy component of the universe has (a probably constant) ratio between
pressure and energy density . The
conventional quintessence models for dark energy are restricted to the range
, with the cosmological constant corresponding to .
Conformally coupled quintessence models are the simplest ones compatible with
the marginally allowed superaccelerated regime (). However, they are
known to be plagued with anisotropic singularities.
We argue here that the extension of the classical approach to the
semiclassical one, with the inclusion of quantum counterterms necessary to
ensure the renormalization, can eliminate the anisotropic singularities
preserving the isotropic behavior of conformally coupled superquintessence
models. Hence, besides of having other interesting properties, they are
consistent candidates to describe the superaccelerated phases of the universe
compatible with the present experimental data.Comment: 7 pages. Essay selected for "Honorable Mention" in the 2004 Awards
for Essays on Gravitation, Gravity Research Foundatio
Semiclassical zero-temperature corrections to Schwarzschild spacetime and holography
Motivated by the quest for black holes in AdS braneworlds, and in particular
by the holographic conjecture relating 5D classical bulk solutions with 4D
quantum corrected ones, we numerically solve the semiclassical Einstein
equations (backreaction equations) with matter fields in the (zero temperature)
Boulware vacuum state. In the absence of an exact analytical expression for
in four dimensions we work within the s-wave approximation. Our
results show that the quantum corrected solution is very similar to
Schwarzschild till very close to the horizon, but then a bouncing surface for
the radial function appears which prevents the formation of an event horizon.
We also analyze the behavior of the geometry beyond the bounce, where a
curvature singularity arises. In the dual theory, this indicates that the
corresponding 5D static classical braneworld solution is not a black hole but
rather a naked singularity.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figures; revised version (title changed, conclusions
shortened), published as Phys. Rev. D73, 104023 (2006
Model-Independent Comparisons of Pulsar Timings to Scalar-Tensor Gravity
Observations of pulsar timing provide strong constraints on scalar-tensor
theories of gravity, but these constraints are traditionally quoted as limits
on the microscopic parameters (like the Brans-Dicke coupling, for example) that
govern the strength of scalar-matter couplings at the particle level in
particular models. Here we present fits to timing data for several pulsars
directly in terms of the phenomenological couplings (masses, scalar charges,
moment of inertia sensitivities and so on) of the stars involved, rather than
to the more microscopic parameters of a specific model. For instance, for the
double pulsar PSR J0737-3039A/B we find at the 68% confidence level that the
masses are bounded by 1.28 < m_A/m_sun < 1.34 and 1.19 < m_B/m_sun < 1.25,
while the scalar-charge to mass ratios satisfy |a_A| < 0.21, |a_B| < 0.21 and
|a_B - a_A| < 0.002$. These constraints are independent of the details of the
scalar tensor model involved, and of assumptions about the stellar equations of
state. Our fits can be used to constrain a broad class of scalar tensor
theories by computing the fit quantities as functions of the microscopic
parameters in any particular model. For the Brans-Dicke and quasi-Brans-Dicke
models, the constraints obtained in this manner are consistent with those
quoted in the literature.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure
Static quantum corrections to the Schwarzschild spacetime
We study static quantum corrections of the Schwarzschild metric in the
Boulware vacuum state. Due to the absence of a complete analytic expression for
the full semiclassical Einstein equations we approach the problem by
considering the s-wave approximation and solve numerically the associated
backreaction equations. The solution, including quantum effects due to pure
vacuum polarization, is similar to the classical Schwarzschild solution up to
the vicinity of the classical horizon. However, the radial function has a
minimum at a time-like surface close to the location of the classical event
horizon. There the g_{00} component of the metric reaches a very small but
non-zero value. The analysis unravels how a curvature singularity emerges
beyond this bouncing point. We briefly discuss the physical consequences of
these results by extrapolating them to a dynamical collapsing scenario.Comment: 10 pages; Talk given at QG05, Cala Gonone (Italy), September 200
Mapping the CMB Sky: The BOOMERANG experiment
We describe the BOOMERanG experiment, a stratospheric balloon telescope
intended to measure the Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy at angular
scales between a few degrees and ten arcminutes. The experiment has been
optimized for a long duration (7 to 14 days) flight circumnavigating Antarctica
at the end of 1998. A test flight was performed on Aug.30, 1997 in Texas. The
level of performance achieved in the test flight was satisfactory and
compatible with the requirements for the long duration flight.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
The BOOMERANG North America Instrument: a balloon-borne bolometric radiometer optimized for measurements of cosmic background radiation anisotropies from 0.3 to 4 degrees
We describe the BOOMERANG North America (BNA) instrument, a balloon-borne
bolometric radiometer designed to map the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)
radiation with 0.3 deg resolution over a significant portion of the sky. This
receiver employs new technologies in bolometers, readout electronics,
millimeter-wave optics and filters, cryogenics, scan and attitude
reconstruction. All these subsystems are described in detail in this paper. The
system has been fully calibrated in flight using a variety of techniques which
are described and compared. It has been able to obtain a measurement of the
first peak in the CMB angular power spectrum in a single balloon flight, few
hours long, and was a prototype of the BOOMERANG Long Duration Balloon (BLDB)
experiment.Comment: 40 pages, 22 figures, submitted to Ap
New Measurements of Fine-Scale CMB Polarization Power Spectra from CAPMAP at Both 40 and 90 GHz
We present new measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB)
polarization from the final season of the Cosmic Anisotropy Polarization MAPper
(CAPMAP). The data set was obtained in winter 2004-2005 with the 7 m antenna in
Crawford Hill, New Jersey, from 12 W-band (84-100 GHz) and 4 Q-band (36-45 GHz)
correlation polarimeters with 3.3' and 6.5' beamsizes, respectively. After
selection criteria were applied, 956 (939) hours of data survived for analysis
of W-band (Q-band) data. Two independent and complementary pipelines produced
results in excellent agreement with each other. A broad suite of null tests as
well as extensive simulations showed that systematic errors were minimal, and a
comparison of the W-band and Q-band sky maps revealed no contamination from
galactic foregrounds. We report the E-mode and B-mode power spectra in 7 bands
in the range 200 < l < 3000, extending the range of previous measurements to
higher l. The E-mode spectrum, which is detected at 11 sigma significance, is
in agreement with cosmological predictions and with previous work at other
frequencies and angular resolutions. The BB power spectrum provides one of the
best limits to date on B-mode power at 4.8 uK^2 (95% confidence).Comment: 19 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Ap
First Estimations of Cosmological Parameters From BOOMERANG
The anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation contains
information about the contents and history of the universe. We report new
limits on cosmological parameters derived from the angular power spectrum
measured in the first Antarctic flight of the BOOMERANG experiment. Within the
framework of inflation-motivated adiabatic cold dark matter models, and using
only weakly restrictive prior probabilites on the age of the universe and the
Hubble expansion parameter , we find that the curvature is consistent with
flat and that the primordial fluctuation spectrum is consistent with scale
invariant, in agreement with the basic inflation paradigm. We find that the
data prefer a baryon density above, though similar to, the
estimates from light element abundances and big bang nucleosynthesis. When
combined with large scale structure observations, the BOOMERANG data provide
clear detections of both dark matter and dark energy contributions to the total
energy density , independent of data from high redshift
supernovae.Comment: As submitted to PRD, revised longer version with an additional figur
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