Non-perturbative QEG Corrections to the Yang-Mills Beta Function

We discuss the non-perturbative renormalization group evolution of the gauge coupling constant by using a truncated form of the functional flow equation for the effective average action of the Yang-Mills-gravity system. Our result is consistent with the conjecture that Quantum Einstein Gravity (QEG) is asymptotically safe and has a vanishing gauge coupling constant at the non-trivial fixed point.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of CORFU 200

Towards a formalism for mapping the spacetimes of massive compact objects: Bumpy black holes and their orbits

Observations have established that extremely compact, massive objects are common in the universe. It is generally accepted that these objects are black holes. As observations improve, it becomes possible to test this hypothesis in ever greater detail. In particular, it is or will be possible to measure the properties of orbits deep in the strong field of a black hole candidate (using x-ray timing or with gravitational-waves) and to test whether they have the characteristics of black hole orbits in general relativity. Such measurements can be used to map the spacetime of a massive compact object, testing whether the object's multipoles satisfy the strict constraints of the black hole hypothesis. Such a test requires that we compare against objects with the ``wrong'' multipole structure. In this paper, we present tools for constructing bumpy black holes: objects that are almost black holes, but that have some multipoles with the wrong value. The spacetimes which we present are good deep into the strong field of the object -- we do not use a large r expansion, except to make contact with weak field intuition. Also, our spacetimes reduce to the black hole spacetimes of general relativity when the ``bumpiness'' is set to zero. We propose bumpy black holes as the foundation for a null experiment: if black hole candidates are the black holes of general relativity, their bumpiness should be zero. By comparing orbits in a bumpy spacetime with those of an astrophysical source, observations should be able to test this hypothesis, stringently testing whether they are the black holes of general relativity. (Abridged)Comment: 16 pages + 2 appendices + 3 figures. Submitted to PR

Covariant anomaly and Hawking radiation from the modified black hole in the rainbow gravity theory

Recently, Banerjee and Kulkarni (R. Banerjee, S. Kulkarni, arXiv:0707.2449 [hep-th]) suggested that it is conceptually clean and economical to use only the covariant anomaly to derive Hawking radiation from a black hole. Based upon this simplified formalism, we apply the covariant anomaly cancellation method to investigate Hawking radiation from a modified Schwarzschild black hole in the theory of rainbow gravity. Hawking temperature of the gravity's rainbow black hole is derived from the energy-momentum flux by requiring it to cancel the covariant gravitational anomaly at the horizon. We stress that this temperature is exactly the same as that calculated by the method of cancelling the consistent anomaly.Comment: 5 page

Black Hole Entropy: From Shannon to Bekenstein

In this note we have applied directly the Shannon formula for information theory entropy to derive the Black Hole (Bekenstein-Hawking) entropy. Our analysis is semi-classical in nature since we use the (recently proposed [8]) quantum mechanical near horizon mode functions to compute the tunneling probability that goes in to the Shannon formula, following the general idea of [5]. Our framework conforms to the information theoretic origin of Black Hole entropy, as originally proposed by Bekenstein.Comment: 9 pages Latex, Comments are welcome; Thoroughly revised version, reference and acknowledgements sections enlarged, numerical error in final result corrected, no major changes, to appear in IJT

Anomaly analysis of Hawking radiation from Kaluza-Klein black hole with squashed horizon

Considering gravitational and gauge anomalies at the horizon, a new method that to derive Hawking radiations from black holes has been developed by Wilczek et al. In this paper, we apply this method to non-rotating and rotating Kaluza-Klein black holes with squashed horizon, respectively. For the rotating case, we found that, after the dimensional reduction, an effective U(1) gauge field is generated by an angular isometry. The results show that the gauge current and energy-momentum tensor fluxes are exactly equivalent to Hawking radiation from the event horizon.Comment: 15 pages, no figures, the improved version, accepted by Eur. Phys. J.

Horizons, Constraints, and Black Hole Entropy

Black hole entropy appears to be ``universal''--many independent calculations, involving models with very different microscopic degrees of freedom, all yield the same density of states. I discuss the proposal that this universality comes from the behavior of the underlying symmetries of the classical theory. To impose the condition that a black hole be present, we must partially break the classical symmetries of general relativity, and the resulting Goldstone boson-like degrees of freedom may account for the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. In particular, I demonstrate that the imposition of a ``stretched horizon'' constraint modifies the algebra of symmetries at the horizon, allowing the use of standard conformal field theory techniques to determine the asymptotic density of states. The results reproduce the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy without any need for detailed assumptions about the microscopic theory.Comment: 16 pages, talk given at the "Peyresq Physics 10 Meeting on Micro and Macro structures of spacetime

Neutrino masses: From fantasy to facts

Theory suggests the existence of neutrino masses, but little more. Facts are coming close to reveal our fantasy: solar and atmospheric neutrino data strongly indicate the need for neutrino conversions, while LSND provides an intriguing hint. The simplest ways to reconcile these data in terms of neutrino oscillations invoke a light sterile neutrino in addition to the three active ones. Out of the four neutrinos, two are maximally-mixed and lie at the LSND scale, while the others are at the solar mass scale. These schemes can be distinguished at neutral-current-sensitive solar & atmospheric neutrino experiments. I discuss the simplest theoretical scenarios, where the lightness of the sterile neutrino, the nearly maximal atmospheric neutrino mixing, and the generation of $\Delta {m^2}_\odot$ & $\Delta {m^2}_{atm}$ all follow naturally from the assumed lepton-number symmetry and its breaking. Although the most likely interpretation of the present data is in terms of neutrino-mass-induced oscillations, one still has room for alternative explanations, such as flavour changing neutrino interactions, with no need for neutrino mass or mixing. Such flavour violating transitions arise in theories with strictly massless neutrinos, and may lead to other sizeable flavour non-conservation effects, such as $\mu \to e + \gamma$, $\mu-e$ conversion in nuclei, unaccompanied by neutrino-less double beta decay.Comment: 33 pages, latex, 16 figures. Invited Talk at Ioannina Conference, Symmetries in Intermediate High Energy Physics and its Applications, Oct. 1998, to be published by Springer Tracts in Modern Physics. Festschrift in Honour of John Vergados' 60th Birthda

Hawking Radiation of Black Holes in Infrared Modified Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz Gravity

We study the Hawking radiation of the spherically symmetric, asymptotically flat black holes in the infrared modified Horava-Lifshitz gravity by applying the methods of covariant anomaly cancellation and effective action, as well as the approach of Damour-Ruffini-Sannan's. These black holes behave as the usual Schwarzschild ones of the general relativity when the radial distance is very large. We also extend the method of covariant anomaly cancellation to derive the Hawking temperature of the spherically symmetric, asymptotically AdS black holes that represent the analogues of the Schwarzschild AdS ones.Comment: no figures, 16 pages,accepted by EPJ

Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies

Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade. Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models, and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies, such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results