Measuring CP violation and mass ordering in joint long baseline experiments with superbeams

We propose to measure the CP phase $\delta_{\rm CP}$, the magnitude of the neutrino mixing matrix element $|U_{e3}|$ and the sign of the atmopheric scale mass--squared difference $\Delta{\rm m}^2_{31}$ with a superbeam by the joint analysis of two different long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. One is a long baseline experiment (LBL) at 300 km and the other is a very long baseline (VLBL) experiment at 2100 km. We take the neutrino source to be the approved high intensity proton synchrotron, HIPA. The neutrino beam for the LBL is the 2-degree off-axis superbeam and for the VLBL, a narrow band superbeam. Taking into account all possible errors, we evaluate the event rates required and the sensitivities that can be attained for the determination of $\delta_{\rm CP}$ and the sign of $\Delta m^2_{31}$. We arrive at a representative scenario for a reasonably precise probe of this part of the neutrino physics.Comment: 25 RevTEX pages, 16 PS figures, revised figure captions and references adde

Modeling realistic Earth matter density for CP violation in neutrino oscillation

We examine the effect of a more realistic Earth matter density model which takes into account of the local density variations along the baseline of a possi ble 2100 km very long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment. Its influence to the measurement of CP violation is investigated and a comparison with the commonly used global density models made. Significant differences are found in the comparison of the results of the different density models.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure

Lenalidomide regulates CNS autoimmunity by promoting M2 macrophages polarization

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and debilitating neurological disorder of the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by infiltration of leukocytes into CNS and subsequent demyelination. Emerging evidences have revealed the beneficial roles of M2 macrophages in ameliorating experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model for MS. Here, we identify that lenalidomide alone could promote macrophages M2 polarization to prevent the progression of EAE, which is associated with subsequent inhibition of proinflammatory Th1 and Th17 cells both in peripheral lymph system and CNS. Depletion of macrophages by pharmacology treatment of clodronate liposomes or transferring lenalidomide-induced BMDMs in EAE mice completely abolished the therapeutic effect of lenalidomide or prevented EAE development, respectively. The macrophages-derived IL10 was upregulated both in vivo and in vitro after lenalidomide treatment. Moreover, lenalidomide-treated IL10-dificient EAE mice had higher clinical scores and more severe CNS damage, and intravenous injection of lenalidomide-treated IL10BMDMs into mice with EAE at disease onset did not reverse disease severity, implying IL10 may be essential in lenalidomide-ameliorated EAE. Mechanistically, lenalidomide significantly increased expression and autocrine secretion of IL10, subsequently activated STAT3-mediated expression of Ym1. These studies facilitate the development of potential novel therapeutic application of lenalidomide for the treatment of MS

Transient Magnetic and Doppler Features Related to the White-light Flares in NOAA 10486

Rapidly moving transient features have been detected in magnetic and Doppler images of super-active region NOAA 10486 during the X17/4B flare of 28 October 2003 and the X10/2B flare of 29 October 2003. Both these flares were extremely energetic white-light events. The transient features appeared during impulsive phases of the flares and moved with speeds ranging from 30 to 50 km s$^{-1}$. These features were located near the previously reported compact acoustic \cite{Donea05} and seismic sources \cite{Zharkova07}. We examine the origin of these features and their relationship with various aspects of the flares, {\it viz.}, hard X-ray emission sources and flare kernels observed at different layers - (i) photosphere (white-light continuum), (ii) chromosphere (H$\alpha$ 6563\AA), (iii) temperature minimum region (UV 1600\AA), and (iv) transition region (UV 284\AA).Comment: 26 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Solar Physic

Quantum Isometries of the finite noncommutative geometry of the Standard Model

We compute the quantum isometry group of the finite noncommutative geometry F describing the internal degrees of freedom in the Standard Model of particle physics. We show that this provides genuine quantum symmetries of the spectral triple corresponding to M x F where M is a compact spin manifold. We also prove that the bosonic and fermionic part of the spectral action are preserved by these symmetries.Comment: 29 pages, no figures v3: minor change

Inflation, cold dark matter, and the central density problem

A problem with high central densities in dark halos has arisen in the context of LCDM cosmologies with scale-invariant initial power spectra. Although n=1 is often justified by appealing to the inflation scenario, inflationary models with mild deviations from scale-invariance are not uncommon and models with significant running of the spectral index are plausible. Even mild deviations from scale-invariance can be important because halo collapse times and densities depend on the relative amount of small-scale power. We choose several popular models of inflation and work out the ramifications for galaxy central densities. For each model, we calculate its COBE-normalized power spectrum and deduce the implied halo densities using a semi-analytic method calibrated against N-body simulations. We compare our predictions to a sample of dark matter-dominated galaxies using a non-parametric measure of the density. While standard n=1, LCDM halos are overdense by a factor of 6, several of our example inflation+CDM models predict halo densities well within the range preferred by observations. We also show how the presence of massive (0.5 eV) neutrinos may help to alleviate the central density problem even with n=1. We conclude that galaxy central densities may not be as problematic for the CDM paradigm as is sometimes assumed: rather than telling us something about the nature of the dark matter, galaxy rotation curves may be telling us something about inflation and/or neutrinos. An important test of this idea will be an eventual consensus on the value of sigma_8, the rms overdensity on the scale 8 h^-1 Mpc. Our successful models have values of sigma_8 approximately 0.75, which is within the range of recent determinations. Finally, models with n>1 (or sigma_8 > 1) are highly disfavored.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures. Minor changes made to reflect referee's Comments, error in Eq. (18) corrected, references updated and corrected, conclusions unchanged. Version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D, scheduled for 15 August 200

Exploring Flavor Structure of Supersymmetry Breaking at B factories

We investigate quark flavor signals in three different supersymmetric models, the minimal supergravity, the SU(5) SUSY GUT with right handed neutrinos, and the minimal supersymmetric standard model with U(2) flavor symmetry, in order to study physics potential of the present and future $B$ factories. We evaluate CP asymmetries in various B decay modes, $\Delta m_{B_s}$, $\Delta m_{B_d}$, and $\epsilon_K$. The allowed regions of the CP asymmetry in $B\to J/\psi K_S$ and $\Delta m_{B_s}/\Delta m_{B_d}$ are different for the three models so that precise determinations of these observables in near future experiments are useful to distinguish the three models. We also investigate possible deviations from the standard model predictions of CP asymmetries in other B decay modes. In particular, a large deviation is possible for the U(2) model. The consistency check of the unitarity triangle including $B\to \pi\pi,\rho\pi,D^{(*)}K^{(*)},D^{(*)}\pi,D^{*}\rho$, and so on, at future high luminosity $e^+e^-$ $B$ factories and hadronic $B$ experiments is therefore important to distinguish flavor structures of different supersymmetric models.Comment: revtex4, 31 pages, 7 figure

Astrophysical Axion Bounds

Axion emission by hot and dense plasmas is a new energy-loss channel for stars. Observational consequences include a modification of the solar sound-speed profile, an increase of the solar neutrino flux, a reduction of the helium-burning lifetime of globular-cluster stars, accelerated white-dwarf cooling, and a reduction of the supernova SN 1987A neutrino burst duration. We review and update these arguments and summarize the resulting axion constraints.Comment: Contribution to Axion volume of Lecture Notes in Physics, 20 pages, 3 figure

Confusing non-standard neutrino interactions with oscillations at a neutrino factory

Most neutrino mass theories contain non-standard interactions (NSI) of neutrinos which can be either non-universal (NU) or flavor-changing (FC). We study the impact of such interactions on the determination of neutrino mixing parameters at a neutrino factory using the so-called ``golden channels'' \pnu{e}\to\pnu{\mu} for the measurement of \theta_{13}. We show that a certain combination of FC interactions in neutrino source and earth matter can give exactly the same signal as oscillations arising due to \theta_{13}. This implies that information about \theta_{13} can only be obtained if bounds on NSI are available. Taking into account the existing bounds on FC interactions, this leads to a drastic loss in sensitivity in \theta_{13}, at least two orders of magnitude. A near detector at a neutrino factory offers the possibility to obtain stringent bounds on some NSI parameters. Such near site detector constitutes an essential ingredient of a neutrino factory and a necessary step towards the determination of \theta_{13} and subsequent study of leptonic CP violation.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, improved version, accepted for publication in Phs. Rev. D, references adde

Thermal leptogenesis in a model with mass varying neutrinos

In this paper we consider the possibility of neutrino mass varying during the evolution of the Universe and study its implications on leptogenesis. Specifically, we take the minimal seesaw model of neutrino masses and introduce a coupling between the right-handed neutrinos and the dark energy scalar field, the Quintessence. In our model, the right-handed neutrino masses change as the Quintessence scalar evolves. We then examine in detail the parameter space of this model allowed by the observed baryon number asymmetry. Our results show that it is possible to lower the reheating temperature in this scenario in comparison with the case that the neutrino masses are unchanged, which helps solve the gravitino problem. Furthermore, a degenerate neutrino mass patten with $m_i$ larger than the upper limit given in the minimal leptogenesis scenario is permitted.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, version to appear in PR