Preheating and Affleck-Dine leptogenesis after thermal inflation

Previously, we proposed a model of low energy Affleck-Dine leptogenesis in the context of thermal inflation. The lepton asymmetry is generated at the end of thermal inflation, which occurs at a relatively low energy scale with the Hubble parameter somewhere in the range 1 \keV \lesssim H \lesssim 1 \MeV. Thus Hubble damping will be ineffective in bringing the Affleck-Dine field into the lepton conserving region near the origin, leaving the possibility that the lepton number could be washed out. Previously, we suggested that preheating could damp the amplitude of the Affleck-Dine field allowing conservation of the lepton number. In this paper, we demonstrate numerically that preheating does efficiently damp the amplitude of the Affleck-Dine field and that the lepton number is conserved as the result. In addition to demonstrating a crucial aspect of our model, it also opens the more general possibility of low energy Affleck-Dine baryogenesis.Comment: 38 pages, 17 figure

Quantifying and monitoring functional Photosystem II and the stoichiometry of the two photosystems in leaf segments: Approaches and approximations

Given its unique function in light-induced water oxidation and its susceptibility to photoinactivation during photosynthesis, photosystem II (PS II) is often the focus of studies of photosynthetic structure and function, particularly in environmental stress conditions. Here we review four approaches for quantifying or monitoring PS II functionality or the stoichiometry of the two photosystems in leaf segments, scrutinizing the approximations in each approach. (1) Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters are convenient to derive, but the information-rich signal suffers from the localized nature of its detection in leaf tissue. (2) The gross O2 yield per single-turnover flash in CO2-enriched air is a more direct measurement of the functional content, assuming that each functional PS II evolves one O2 molecule after four flashes. However, the gross O2 yield per single-turnover flash (multiplied by four) could overestimate the content of functional PS II if mitochondrial respiration is lower in flash illumination than in darkness. (3) The cumulative delivery of electrons from PS II to P700? (oxidized primary donor in PS I) after a flash is added to steady background far-red light is a whole-tissue measurement, such that a single linear correlation with functional PS II applies to leaves of all plant species investigated so far. However, the magnitude obtained in a simple analysis (with the signal normalized to the maximum photo-oxidizable P700 signal), which should equal the ratio of PS II to PS I centers, was too small to match the independently-obtained photosystem stoichiometry. Further, an under-estimation of functional PS II content could occur if some electrons were intercepted before reaching PS I. (4) The electrochromic signal from leaf segments appears to reliably quantify the photosystem stoichiometry, either by progressively photoinactivating PS II or suppressing PS I via photo-oxidation of a known fraction of the P700 with steady far-red light. Together, these approaches have the potential for quantitatively probing PS II in vivo in leaf segments, with prospects for application of the latter two approaches in the field

Korea’s technical assistance for better governance

노트 : - Paper for International Conference on U.S.-Korea Dialogue on Strategies for Effective Development Cooperation - Organized by Asia Foundation October 17-18, 2011 Seoul, Korea 행사명 : International Conference on U.S.-Korea Dialogue on Strategies for Effective Development Cooperatio

Three-dimensional oscillations of twenty one halo coronal mass ejections by multi-spacecraft

We investigate the 3D structure of kinematic oscillations of full halo coronal mass ejections (FHCMEs) using multi-spacecraft coronagraph data from two non-parallel lines of sight. For this, we consider 21 FHCMEs which are simultaneously observed by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory A or B, from 2010 June to 2012 August when the spacecraft were roughly in quadrature. Using sequences of running difference images, we estimate the instantaneous projected speeds of the FHCMEs at 24 different azimuthal angles in the planes of the sky of those coronagraphs. We find that all these FHCMEs have experienced kinematic oscillations characterized by quasi-periodic variations of the instantaneous projected radial velocity with periods ranging from 24 to 48 min. The oscillations detected in the analyzed events are found to show distinct azimuthal wave modes. Thirteen events (about 62%) are found to oscillate with the azimuthal wave number m = 1. The oscillating directions of the nodes of the m = 1 mode for these FHCMEs are consistent with those of their position angles (or the direction of eruption), with a mean difference of about 23°. The oscillation amplitude is found to correlate well with the projected radial speed of the CME. An estimation of Lorentz accelerations shows that they are dominant over other forces, implying that the magnetic force is responsible for the kinematic oscillations of CMEs. However, we cannot rule out other possibilities: a global layer of enhanced current around the CMEs or the nonlinear nature of its driver, for example the effect of vortex shedding

The Globular Cluster System of M60 (NGC 4649). II. Kinematics of the Globular Cluster System

We present a kinematic analysis of the globular cluster (GC) system in the giant elliptical galaxy (gE) M60 in the Virgo cluster. Using the photometric and spectroscopic database of 121 GCs (83 blue GCs and 38 red GCs), we have investigated the kinematics of the GC system. We have found that the M60 GC system shows a significant overall rotation. The rotation amplitude of the blue GCs is slightly smaller than or similar to that of the red GCs, and their angles of rotation axes are similar. The velocity dispersions about the mean velocity and about the best fit rotation curve for the red GCs are marginally larger than those for the blue GCs. Comparison of observed stellar and GC velocity dispersion profiles with those calculated from the stellar mass profile shows that the mass-to-light ratio should be increased as the galactocentric distance increases, indicating the existence of an extended dark matter halo. The entire sample of GCs in M60 is found to have a tangentially biased velocity ellipsoid unlike the GC systems in other gEs. Two subsamples appear to have different velocity ellipsoids. The blue GC system has a modest tangentially biased velocity ellipsoid, while the red GC system has a modest radially biased or an isotropic velocity ellipsoid. From the comparison of the kinematic properties of the M60 GC system to those of other gEs (M87, M49, NGC 1399, NGC 5128, and NGC 4636), it is found that the velocity dispersion of the blue GC system is similar to or larger than that of the red GC system except for M60, and the rotation of the GC system is not negligible. The entire sample of each GC system shows an isotropic velocity ellipsoid except for M60, while the subsamples show diverse velocity ellipsoids. We discuss the implication of these results for the formation models of the GC system in gEs.Comment: 48 pages, 16 figures. To appear in Ap

The Globular Cluster System of M60 (NGC 4649). I. CFHT MOS Spectroscopy and Database

We present the measurement of radial velocities for globular clusters in M60, giant elliptical galaxy in the Virgo cluster. Target globular cluster candidates were selected using the Washington photometry based on the deep 16\arcmin \times 16\arcmin images taken at the KPNO 4m and using the $VI$ photometry derived from the HST/WFPC2 archive images. The spectra of the target objects were obtained using the Multi-Object Spectrograph (MOS) at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). We have measured the radial velocity for 111 objects in the field of M60: 93 globular clusters (72 blue globular clusters with $1.0\le(C-T_1)<1.7$ and 21 red globular clusters with $1.7\le(C-T_1)<2.4$), 11 foreground stars, 6 small galaxies, and the nucleus of M60. The measured velocities of the 93 globular clusters range from $\sim 500$ km s$^{-1}$ to $\sim 1600$ km s$^{-1}$, with a mean value of $1070_{-25}^{+27}$ km s$^{-1}$, which is in good agreement with the velocity of the nucleus of M60 ($v_{\rm gal}=1056$ km s$^{-1}$). Combining our results with data in the literature, we present a master catalog of radial velocities for 121 globular clusters in M60. The velocity dispersion of the globular clusters in the master catalog is found to be $234_{-14}^{+13}$ km s$^{-1}$ for the entire sample, $223_{-16}^{+13}$ km s$^{-1}$ for 83 blue globular clusters, and $258_{-31}^{+21}$ km s$^{-1}$ for 38 red globular clusters.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures. To appear in Ap

Chlorine Dioxide Gas Retain Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life of Tomato During Modified Atmosphere Packaging Storage

While surface sterilization can minimize the postharvest loss of fruits and vegetables, it depends on concentration, treatment duration, storage condition, and crops. This study was conducted to investigate the consequences of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas on post-harvest quality and shelf life of tomato fruits during the modified atmosphere packaging storage. Tomato fruits of light red maturity stage were harvested at Gangwon province in the Republic of Korea. Fruits were dipped in fungal suspension and, afterward, some of them were sterilized with NaOCl, while others were sterilized with ClO2 gas. On the final storage day, the 5 ppm ClO2 gas 12 hours treated tomato fruits showed the least carbon dioxide and ethylene, and the utmost oxygen concentration. The least fresh weight loss, prolonged shelf life and the most suppressed fungal incidence were obtained by the 5 ppm ClO2 gas 12 hours treatment. As compared to other treatments, the 5 ppm ClO2 gas 12 hours treatment yielded higher firmness, titratable acidity and vitamin C, and lower soluble solids. Therefore, the 5 ppm ClO2 gas 12 hours treatment may be useful to prevent fungal incidence as well as to retain the postharvest quality and increase the shelf life of tomato fruits

Modular Cosmology, Thermal Inflation, Baryogenesis and Predictions for Particle Accelerators

Modular cosmology is plagued by overproduction of unwanted relics, gravitinos and especially moduli, at relatively low energy scales. Thermal inflation provides a compelling solution to this moduli problem, but invalidates most baryogenesis scenarios. We propose a simple model in which the MSSM plus neutrino mass term $(LH_u)^2$ is supplemented by a minimal flaton sector to drive the thermal inflation, and make two crucial assumptions: the flaton vacuum expectation value generates the $\mu$-term of the MSSM and $m_L^2 + m_{H_u}^2 < 0$. The second assumption is particularly interesting in that it violates a well known constraint, implying that there exists a nearby deep non-MSSM vacuum, and provides a clear signature of our model which can be tested at future particle accelerators. We show that our model leads to thermal inflation followed by Affleck-Dine leptogenensis along the $LH_u$ flat direction. A key feature of our leptogenesis scenario is that the $H_uH_d$ flat direction is also induced to temporarily acquire a large value, playing a crucial role in the leptogenesis, as well as dynamically shielding the field configuration from the deep non-MSSM minimum, ensuring that the fields relax into our MSSM vacuum.Comment: v3; 19 pages, 3 figures; added a reference for section

Microlensing Detections of Planets in Binary Stellar Systems

We demonstrate that microlensing can be used for detecting planets in binary stellar systems. This is possible because in the geometry of planetary binary systems where the planet orbits one of the binary component and the other binary star is located at a large distance, both planet and secondary companion produce perturbations at a common region around the planet-hosting binary star and thus the signatures of both planet and binary companion can be detected in the light curves of high-magnification lensing events. We find that identifying planets in binary systems is optimized when the secondary is located in a certain range which depends on the type of the planet. The proposed method can detect planets with masses down to one tenth of the Jupiter mass in binaries with separations <~ 100 AU. These ranges of planet mass and binary separation are not covered by other methods and thus microlensing would be able to make the planetary binary sample richer.Comment: 5 pages, two figures in JPG forma

Estimating remineralized phosphate and its remineralization rate in the northern East China Sea during Summer 1997 : a snapshot study before Three-Gorges Dam construction

© The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Terrestrial, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 27 (2016): 955-963, doi:10.3319/TAO.2016.01.24.01(Oc).The northern East China Sea (a.k.a., “The South Sea”) is a dynamic zone that exerts a variety of effects on the marine ecosystem due to Three-Gorges Dam construction. As the northern East China Sea region is vulnerable to climate forcing and anthropogenic impacts, it is important to investigate how the remineralization rate in the northern East China Sea has changed in response to such external forcing. We used an historical hydrographic dataset from August 1997 to obtain a baseline for future comparison. We estimate the amount of remineralized phosphate by decomposing the physical mixing and biogeochemical process effect using water column measurements (temperature, salinity, and phosphate). The estimated remineralized phosphate column inventory ranged from 0.8 to 42.4 mmol P m-2 (mean value of 15.2 ± 12.0 mmol P m-2). Our results suggest that the Tsushima Warm Current was a strong contributor to primary production during the summer of 1997 in the study area. The estimated summer (June - August) remineralization rate in the region before Three-Gorges Dam construction was 18 ± 14 mmol C m-2 d-1.T. Lee was supported by 2-Year Research Grant of Pusan National University. H.-C. Kim was partly supported by KOPRI project (PG15010). I.-N. Kim was partly supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIP) (No. 2015R1C1A1A01052051). K.-T. Park was partly supported by KOPRI project (PE17010). J.-H. Kim was partly supported by the program of “Management of Marine Organisms Causing Ecological Disturbance and Harmful Effects” funded by KIMST/MOF. A.M. Macdonald’s contribution was supported by NOAA grant: #NA110AR4310063 and NSF grant: #OCE-1059881