416 research outputs found
Quantum energy inequalities and local covariance II: Categorical formulation
We formulate Quantum Energy Inequalities (QEIs) in the framework of locally
covariant quantum field theory developed by Brunetti, Fredenhagen and Verch,
which is based on notions taken from category theory. This leads to a new
viewpoint on the QEIs, and also to the identification of a new structural
property of locally covariant quantum field theory, which we call Local
Physical Equivalence. Covariant formulations of the numerical range and
spectrum of locally covariant fields are given and investigated, and a new
algebra of fields is identified, in which fields are treated independently of
their realisation on particular spacetimes and manifestly covariant versions of
the functional calculus may be formulated.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX. Further discussion added. Version to appear in
General Relativity and Gravitatio
Fluctuations of an evaporating black hole from back reaction of its Hawking radiation: Questioning a premise in earlier work
This paper delineates the first steps in a systematic quantitative study of
the spacetime fluctuations induced by quantum fields in an evaporating black
hole. We explain how the stochastic gravity formalism can be a useful tool for
that purpose within a low-energy effective field theory approach to quantum
gravity. As an explicit example we apply it to the study of the
spherically-symmetric sector of metric perturbations around an evaporating
black hole background geometry. For macroscopic black holes we find that those
fluctuations grow and eventually become important when considering sufficiently
long periods of time (of the order of the evaporation time), but well before
the Planckian regime is reached. In addition, the assumption of a simple
correlation between the fluctuations of the energy flux crossing the horizon
and far from it, which was made in earlier work on spherically-symmetric
induced fluctuations, is carefully analyzed and found to be invalid. Our
analysis suggests the existence of an infinite amplitude for the fluctuations
of the horizon as a three-dimensional hypersurface. We emphasize the need for
understanding and designing operational ways of probing quantum metric
fluctuations near the horizon and extracting physically meaningful information.Comment: 10 pages, REVTeX; minor changes, a few references added and a brief
discussion of their relevance included. To appear in the proceedings of the
10th Peyresq meeting. Dedicated to Rafael Sorkin on the occasion of his 60th
birthda
A Brane World Perspective on the Cosmological Constant and the Hierarchy Problems
We elaborate on the recently proposed static brane world scenario, where the
effective 4-D cosmological constant is exponentially small when parallel
3-branes are far apart. We extend this result to a compactified model with two
positive tension branes. Besides an exponentially small effective 4-D
cosmological constant, this model incorporates a Randall-Sundrum-like solution
to the hierarchy problem. Furthermore, the exponential factors for the
hierarchy problem and the cosmological constant problem obey an inequality that
is satisfied in nature. This inequality implies that the cosmological constant
problem can be explained if the hierarchy problem is understood. The basic idea
generalizes to the multibrane world scenario. We discuss models with piecewise
adjustable bulk cosmological constants (to be determined by the 5-dimensional
Einstein equation), a key element of the scenario. We also discuss the global
structure of this scenario and clarify the physical properties of the particle
(Rindler) horizons that are present. Finally, we derive a 4-D effective theory
in which all observers on all branes not separated by particle horizons measure
the same Newton's constant and 4-D cosmological constant.Comment: revtex, 63 pages, 8 figures, one table, revised version, more
discussions on the global structure, references adde
Modeling gravitational radiation from coalescing binary black holes
With the goal of bringing theory, particularly numerical relativity, to bear
on an astrophysical problem of critical interest to gravitational wave
observers we introduce a model for coalescence radiation from binary black hole
systems. We build our model using the "Lazarus approach", a technique that
bridges far and close limit approaches with full numerical relativity to solve
Einstein equations applied in the truly nonlinear dynamical regime. We
specifically study the post-orbital radiation from a system of equal-mass
non-spinning black holes, deriving waveforms which indicate strongly circularly
polarized radiation of roughly 3% of the system's total energy and 12% of its
total angular momentum in just a few cycles. Supporting this result we first
establish the reliability of the late-time part of our model, including the
numerical relativity and close-limit components, with a thorough study of
waveforms from a sequence of black hole configurations varying from previously
treated head-on collisions to representative target for ``ISCO'' data
corresponding to the end of the inspiral period. We then complete our model
with a simple treatment for the early part of the spacetime based on a standard
family of initial data for binary black holes in circular orbit. A detailed
analysis shows strong robustness in the results as the initial separation of
the black holes is increased from 5.0 to 7.8M supporting our waveforms as a
suitable basic description of the astrophysical radiation from this system.
Finally, a simple fitting of the plunge waveforms is introduced as a first
attempt to facilitate the task of analyzing data from gravitational wave
detectors.Comment: 23 pages, 36 figures, RevTeX
Detector Description and Performance for the First Coincidence Observations between LIGO and GEO
For 17 days in August and September 2002, the LIGO and GEO interferometer
gravitational wave detectors were operated in coincidence to produce their
first data for scientific analysis. Although the detectors were still far from
their design sensitivity levels, the data can be used to place better upper
limits on the flux of gravitational waves incident on the earth than previous
direct measurements. This paper describes the instruments and the data in some
detail, as a companion to analysis papers based on the first data.Comment: 41 pages, 9 figures 17 Sept 03: author list amended, minor editorial
change
Measurements of branching fraction ratios and CP-asymmetries in suppressed B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)K^- and B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)pi^- decays
We report the first reconstruction in hadron collisions of the suppressed
decays B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)K^- and B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)pi^-, sensitive to the
CKM phase gamma, using data from 7 fb^-1 of integrated luminosity collected by
the CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider. We reconstruct a signal for the
B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)K^- suppressed mode with a significance of 3.2 standard
deviations, and measure the ratios of the suppressed to favored branching
fractions R(K) = [22.0 \pm 8.6(stat)\pm 2.6(syst)]\times 10^-3, R^+(K) =
[42.6\pm 13.7(stat)\pm 2.8(syst)]\times 10^-3, R^-(K)= [3.8\pm 10.3(stat)\pm
2.7(syst]\times 10^-3, as well as the direct CP-violating asymmetry A(K) =
-0.82\pm 0.44(stat)\pm 0.09(syst) of this mode. Corresponding quantities for
B^- -> D(-> K^+ pi^-)pi^- decay are also reported.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, accepted by Phys.Rev.D Rapid Communications for
Publicatio
Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV
A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The
analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC
from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an
integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross
section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected
exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the
standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The
analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model
Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The
largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is
observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance
of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local
significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is
estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of
this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters
Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset
corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected
during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV.
The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the
couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and
right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary
mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b,
leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing
transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W'
boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to
the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for
masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC
data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed
coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant
improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe
Measurement of isolated photon production in pp and PbPb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV
Isolated photon production is measured in proton-proton and lead-lead
collisions at nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energies of 2.76 TeV in the
pseudorapidity range |eta|<1.44 and transverse energies ET between 20 and 80
GeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The measured ET spectra are found to be
in good agreement with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions. The
ratio of PbPb to pp isolated photon ET-differential yields, scaled by the
number of incoherent nucleon-nucleon collisions, is consistent with unity for
all PbPb reaction centralities.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters
Measurement of the Lambda(b) cross section and the anti-Lambda(b) to Lambda(b) ratio with Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda decays in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
The Lambda(b) differential production cross section and the cross section
ratio anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) are measured as functions of transverse momentum
pt(Lambda(b)) and rapidity abs(y(Lambda(b))) in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7
TeV using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurements are
based on Lambda(b) decays reconstructed in the exclusive final state J/Psi
Lambda, with the subsequent decays J/Psi to an opposite-sign muon pair and
Lambda to proton pion, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated
luminosity of 1.9 inverse femtobarns. The product of the cross section times
the branching ratio for Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda versus pt(Lambda(b)) falls
faster than that of b mesons. The measured value of the cross section times the
branching ratio for pt(Lambda(b)) > 10 GeV and abs(y(Lambda(b))) < 2.0 is 1.06
+/- 0.06 +/- 0.12 nb, and the integrated cross section ratio for
anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) is 1.02 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.09, where the uncertainties are
statistical and systematic, respectively.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters
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