301 research outputs found
Is bi-maximal mixing compatible with the large angle MSW solution of the solar neutrino problem?
It is shown that the large angle MSW solution of the solar neutrino problem
with a bi-maximal neutrino mixing matrix implies an energy-independent
suppression of the solar nu_e flux. The present solar neutrino data exclude
this solution of the solar neutrino problem at 99.6% CL.Comment: 6 pages. No figure
Generalized Froggatt-Nielsen Mechanism
In this paper, we propose a Generalized Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism in which
non-renormalizable operators involving a GUT group and non-singlet
Higgs field are introduced. Thus the GUT gauge symmetry breaking and the
generation of hierarchical flavor hierarchy have a common origin in this
mechanism. In this Generalized Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism, we propose
universality conditions for coefficients corresponding to different
contractions in the group productions. We find that the predictions in
Generalized Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism for SU(5) GUT is different to that of
ordinary Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism. Such Generalized Froggatt-Nielsen
mechanism can be used in GUT models when ordinary Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism is
no longer available. We study the application of Generalized Froggatt-Nielsen
mechanism in SO(10) model. We find that realistic standard model mass hierarchy
and mixings can be obtained both in SU(5) and SO(10) GUT models with such
Generalized Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism.Comment: 4 pages, no figure
Flipping SU(5) Towards Five Dimensional Unification
It is shown that embedding of flipped SU(5) in a five-dimensional SO(10)
enables exact unification of the gauge coupling constants. The demand for the
unification uniquely determines both the compactification scale and the cutoff
scale. These are found to be 5.5 \times 10^{14} GeV and 1.0 \times 10^{17} GeV
respectively. The theory explains the absence of d=5 proton-decay operators
through the implementation of the missing partner mechanism. On the other hand,
the presence of d=6 proton-decay operators points towards the bulk localization
of the first and the second family of matter fields.Comment: 21 pages, references added, 3 Postscript figures, ReVTeX
Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy with Cosine-Type Quintessence
We study the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies produced by
cosine-type quintessence models. In our analysis, effects of the adiabatic and
isocurvature fluctuations are both taken into account. For purely adiabatic
fluctuations with scale invariant spectrum, we obtain a stringent constraint on
the model parameters using the CMB data from COBE, BOOMERanG and MAXIMA.
Furthermore, it is shown that isocurvature fluctuations have significant
effects on the CMB angular power spectrum at low multipoles in some parameter
space, which may be detectable in future satellite experiments. Such a signal
may be used to test the cosine-type quintessence models.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figure
Obtaining the large angle MSW solution to the solar neutrino problem in models
The large mixing angle (LMA) MSW solution to the solar neutrino problem seems
favored by the data at the moment over the small mixing angle (SMA) MSW
solution and the vacuum (VAC) solution. In this paper the various main types of
models of neutrino masses and mixings are studied from the point of view of how
naturally they can give the LMA solution. Special attention is given to a very
simple type of "lopsided" SU(5) model.Comment: 29 pages, 2 Postscript figure
SO(3) Gauge Symmetry and Neutrino-Lepton Flavor Physics
Based on the SO(3) gauge symmetry for three family leptons and general
see-saw mechanism, we present a simple scheme that allows three nearly
degenerate Majorana neutrino masses needed for hot dark matter. The vacuum
structure of the spontaneous SO(3) symmetry breaking can automatically lead to
a maximal CP-violating phase. Thus the current neutrino data on both the
atmospheric neutrino anomaly and solar neutrino deficit can be accounted for
via maximal mixings without conflict with the current data on the neutrinoless
double beta decay. The model also allows rich interesting phenomena on lepton
flavor violations.Comment: 10 pages, Revtex, no figures, minor changes and references added, the
version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Bimaximal Neutrino Mixings from Lopsided Mass Matrices
Current solar and atmospheric neutrino oscillation data seem to favor a
bimaximal pattern for neutrino mixings where the matrix elements U_{e2} and
U_{\mu 3} are of order one, while U_{e3} is much smaller. We show that such a
pattern can be obtained quite easily in theories with ``lopsided'' mass
matrices for the charged leptons and the down type quarks. A relation
connecting the solar and atmospheric neutrino mixing angles is derived,
\tan^2\theta_{atm} \simeq 1+ \tan^2\theta_{sol}, which predicts \sin^2
2\theta_{atm} \simeq 0.97 corresponding to the best fit LMA solution for solar
neutrinos. Predictive schemes in SO(10) realizing these ideas are presented. A
new class of SO(10) models with lopsided mass matrices is found which makes use
of an adjoint VEV along the I_{3R} direction, rather than the traditional B-L
direction.Comment: 12 pages in LaTeX, no figure
Gastric cancer and Helicobacter pylori: a combined analysis of 12 case control studies nested within prospective cohorts
BACKGROUND: The magnitude of the association
between Helicobacter pylori and
incidence of gastric cancer is unclear. H
pylori infection and the circulating antibody
response can be lost with development
of cancer; thus retrospective studies
are subject to bias resulting from classifi-
cation of cases as H pylori negative when
they were infected in the past.
AIMS: To combine data from all case control
studies nested within prospective
cohorts to assess more reliably the relative
risk of gastric cancer associated with H
pylori infection.To investigate variation in
relative risk by age, sex, cancer type and
subsite, and interval between blood sampling
and cancer diagnosis.
METHODS: Studies were eligible if blood
samples for H pylori serology were collected
before diagnosis of gastric cancer in
cases. Identified published studies and two
unpublished studies were included. Individual
subject data were obtained for
each. Matched odds ratios (ORs) and 95%
confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated
for the association between H pylori
and gastric cancer.
RESULTS: Twelve studies with 1228 gastric
cancer cases were considered. The association
with H pylori was restricted to noncardia
cancers (OR 3.0; 95% CI 2.3â3.8)
and was stronger when blood samples for
H pylori serology were collected 10+ years
before cancer diagnosis (5.9; 3.4â10.3). H
pylori infection was not associated with an
altered overall risk of cardia cancer (1.0;
0.7â1.4).
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that
5.9 is the best estimate of the relative risk
of non-cardia cancer associated with H
pylori infection and that H pylori does not
increase the risk of cardia cancer. They
also support the idea that when H pylori
status is assessed close to cancer diagnosis,
the magnitude of the non-cardia
association may be underestimated
Magnetic fields in protoplanetary disks
Magnetic fields likely play a key role in the dynamics and evolution of
protoplanetary discs. They have the potential to efficiently transport angular
momentum by MHD turbulence or via the magnetocentrifugal acceleration of
outflows from the disk surface, and magnetically-driven mixing has implications
for disk chemistry and evolution of the grain population. However, the weak
ionisation of protoplanetary discs means that magnetic fields may not be able
to effectively couple to the matter. I present calculations of the ionisation
equilibrium and magnetic diffusivity as a function of height from the disk
midplane at radii of 1 and 5 AU. Dust grains tend to suppress magnetic coupling
by soaking up electrons and ions from the gas phase and reducing the
conductivity of the gas by many orders of magnitude. However, once grains have
grown to a few microns in size their effect starts to wane and magnetic fields
can begin to couple to the gas even at the disk midplane. Because ions are
generally decoupled from the magnetic field by neutral collisions while
electrons are not, the Hall effect tends to dominate the diffusion of the
magnetic field when it is able to partially couple to the gas.
For a standard population of 0.1 micron grains the active surface layers have
a combined column of about 2 g/cm^2 at 1 AU; by the time grains have aggregated
to 3 microns the active surface density is 80 g/cm^2. In the absence of grains,
x-rays maintain magnetic coupling to 10% of the disk material at 1 AU (150
g/cm^2). At 5 AU the entire disk thickness becomes active once grains have
aggregated to 1 micron in size.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figs, aastex.cls. Accepted for publication in
Astrophysics & Space Science. v3 corrects bibliograph
Quark and Lepton Mass Matrices in the SO(10) Grand Unified Theory with Generation Flipping
We investigate the SO(10) grand unified model with generation flipping. The
model contains one extra matter multiplet and it mixes with the
usual matter multiplets when the SO(10) is broken down to SU(5).
We find the parameter region of the model in which the observed quark masses
and mixings are well reproduced. The resulting parameter region is consistent
with the observation that only have a source of hierarchies and
indicates that the mixing between second and third generations tends to be
large in the lepton sector, which is consistent with the observed maximal
mixing of the atmospheric neutrino oscillation. We also show that the model can
accommodate MSW and vacuum oscillation solutions to the solar neutrino deficit
depending on the form of the Majorana mass matrix for the right-handed
neutrinos.Comment: 28 pages, Late
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