Novae as a Mechanism for Producing Cavities around the Progenitors of SN 2002ic and Other SNe Ia

We propose that a nova shell ejected from a recurrent nova progenitor system created the evacuated region around the explosion center of SN 2002ic. In this picture, periodic shell ejections due to nova explosions on a white dwarf sweep up the slow wind from the binary companion, creating density variations and instabilities that lead to structure in the circumstellar medium (CSM). Our model naturally explains the observed gap between the supernova explosion center and the CSM in SN 2002ic, accounts for the density variations observed in the CSM, and resolves the coincidence problem of the timing of the explosion of SN 2002ic with respect to the apparent cessation of mass-loss in the progenitor system. We also consider such nova outburst sweeping as a generic feature of Type Ia supernovae with recurrent nova progenitors.Comment: Accepted to ApJL. 11 pages, 1 tabl

A Problematic Test of the Kin Selection Hypothesis Among the Urak-Lawoi of Ko Lipe, Thailand: Commentary on Camperio Ciani, Battaglia, and Liotta (2015)

Camperio Ciani et al. argued that the Urak-Lawoi people of Ko Lipe island live in a ‘‘traditional,’’ ‘‘subsistence primitive society’’ reminiscent of the ‘‘ancestral’’ human past and that their socio-cultural situation is ‘‘remarkably similar’’ to Samoa. On this basis, they asserted that the Ko Lipe Urak-Lawoi are an appropriate population for determining the role that kin selection played in the evolution of male androphilia. The purpose of this commentary is to outline some of our concerns with this characterization and with the statistical analyses conducted by Camperio Ciani et al. in their study of the Urak-Lawoi

A Problematic Test of the Kin Selection Hypothesis Among the Urak-Lawoi of Ko Lipe, Thailand: Commentary on Camperio Ciani, Battaglia, and Liotta (2015)

Camperio Ciani et al. argued that the Urak-Lawoi people of Ko Lipe island live in a ‘‘traditional,’’ ‘‘subsistence primitive society’’ reminiscent of the ‘‘ancestral’’ human past and that their socio-cultural situation is ‘‘remarkably similar’’ to Samoa. On this basis, they asserted that the Ko Lipe Urak-Lawoi are an appropriate population for determining the role that kin selection played in the evolution of male androphilia. The purpose of this commentary is to outline some of our concerns with this characterization and with the statistical analyses conducted by Camperio Ciani et al. in their study of the Urak-Lawoi

Structure formation in the presence of dark energy perturbations

We study non-linear structure formation in the presence of dark energy. The influence of dark energy on the growth of large-scale cosmological structures is exerted both through its background effect on the expansion rate, and through its perturbations as well. In order to compute the rate of formation of massive objects we employ the Spherical Collapse formalism, which we generalize to include fluids with pressure. We show that the resulting non-linear evolution equations are identical to the ones obtained in the Pseudo-Newtonian approach to cosmological perturbations, in the regime where an equation of state serves to describe both the background pressure relative to density, and the pressure perturbations relative to the density perturbations as well. We then consider a wide range of constant and time-dependent equations of state (including phantom models) parametrized in a standard way, and study their impact on the non-linear growth of structure. The main effect is the formation of dark energy structure associated with the dark matter halo: non-phantom equations of state induce the formation of a dark energy halo, damping the growth of structures; phantom models, on the other hand, generate dark energy voids, enhancing structure growth. Finally, we employ the Press-Schechter formalism to compute how dark energy affects the number of massive objects as a function of redshift.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures. Matches published version, with caption of Fig. 6 correcte

Cosmological constraints on unparticle dark matter

In unparticle dark matter (unmatter) models the equation of state of the unmatter is given by $p=\rho/(2d_U+1)$, where $d_U$ is the scaling factor. Unmatter with such equations of state would have a significant impact on the expansion history of the universe. Using type Ia supernovae (SNIa), the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) measurements and the shift parameter of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) to place constraints on such unmatter models we find that if only the SNIa data is used the constraints are weak. However, with the BAO and CMB shift parameter data added strong constraints can be obtained. For the $\Lambda$UDM model, in which unmatter is the sole dark matter, we find that $d_U > 60$ at 95% C.L. For comparison, in most unparticle physics models it is assumed $d_U<2$. For the $\Lambda$CUDM model, in which unmatter co-exists with cold dark matter, we found that the unmatter can at most make up a few percent of the total cosmic density if $d_U<10$, thus it can not be the major component of dark matter.Comment: Replaced with revised version. BAO data is added to make a tighter constraint. Version accepted for publication on Euro.Phys.J.

Offspring Production among the Extended Relatives of Samoan Men and Fa'afafine

Androphilia refers to sexual attraction to adult males, whereas gynephilia refers to sexual attraction to adult females. Male androphilia is an evolutionary paradox. Its development is at least partially influenced by genetic factors, yet male androphiles exhibit lower reproductive output, thus raising the question of how genetic factors underlying its development persist. The sexual antagonism hypothesis posits that the fitness costs associated with genetic factors underlying male androphilia are offset because these same factors lead to elevated reproduction on the part of the female relatives of androphilic males. Western samples drawn from low fertility populations have yielded inconsistent results when testing this hypothesis. Some studies documented elevated reproduction among the matrilineal female kin of androphilic males, whereas others found such effects in the paternal line. Samoa is a high-fertility population in which individuals reproduce closer to their maximum capacities. This study compared the reproductive output of the paternal and maternal line grandmothers, aunts, and uncles of 86 Samoan androphilic males, known locally as fa'afafine, and 86 Samoan gynephilic males. Reproductive output was elevated in the paternal and maternal line grandmothers, but not aunts or uncles, of fa'afafine. These findings are consistent with the sexual antagonism hypothesis and suggest that male androphilia is associated with elevated reproduction among extended relatives in both the maternal and paternal line. Discussion focuses on how this study, in conjunction with the broader literature, informs various models for the evolution of male androphilia via elevated reproduction on the part of female kin

Hubble Residuals of Nearby Type Ia Supernovae Are Correlated with Host Galaxy Masses

From Sloan Digital Sky Survey u'g'r'i'z' imaging, we estimate the stellar masses of the host galaxies of 70 low redshift SN Ia (0.015 < z < 0.08) from the hosts' absolute luminosities and mass-to-light ratios. These nearby SN were discovered largely by searches targeting luminous galaxies, and we find that their host galaxies are substantially more massive than the hosts of SN discovered by the flux-limited Supernova Legacy Survey. Testing four separate light curve fitters, we detect ~2.5{\sigma} correlations of Hubble residuals with both host galaxy size and stellar mass, such that SN Ia occurring in physically larger, more massive hosts are ~10% brighter after light curve correction. The Hubble residual is the deviation of the inferred distance modulus to the SN, calculated from its apparent luminosity and light curve properties, away from the expected value at the SN redshift. Marginalizing over linear trends in Hubble residuals with light curve parameters shows that the correlations cannot be attributed to a light curve-dependent calibration error. Combining 180 higher-redshift ESSENCE, SNLS, and HigherZ SN with 30 nearby SN whose host masses are less than 10^10.8 solar masses in a cosmology fit yields 1+w=0.22 +0.152/-0.143, while a combination where the 30 nearby SN instead have host masses greater than 10^10.8 solar masses yields 1+w=-0.03 +0.217/-0.108. Progenitor metallicity, stellar population age, and dust extinction correlate with galaxy mass and may be responsible for these systematic effects. Host galaxy measurements will yield improved distances to SN Ia.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, published in ApJ, minor change

Precision measurements of large scale structure with future type Ia supernova surveys

Type Ia supernovae are currently the best known standard candles at cosmological distances. In addition to providing a powerful probe of dark energy they are an ideal source of information about the peculiar velocity field of the local universe. Even with the very small number of supernovae presently available it has been possible to measure the dipole and quadrupole of the local velocity field out to z~0.025. With future continuous all-sky surveys like the LSST project the luminosity distances of tens of thousands of nearby supernovae will be measured accurately. This will allow for a determination of the local velocity structure of the universe as a function of redshift with unprecedented accuracy, provided the redshifts of the host galaxies are known. Using catalogues of mock surveys we estimate that future low redshift supernova surveys will be able to probe sigma-8 to a precision of roughly 5% at 95% C.L. This is comparable to the precision in future galaxy and weak lensing surveys and with a relatively modest observational effort it will provide a crucial cross-check on future measurements of the matter power spectrum.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, submitted to JCA