Stochastic group selection model for the evolution of altruism

We study numerically and analytically a stochastic group selection model in which a population of asexually reproducing individuals, each of which can be either altruist or non-altruist, is subdivided into $M$ reproductively isolated groups (demes) of size $N$. The cost associated with being altruistic is modelled by assigning the fitness $1- \tau$, with $\tau \in [0,1]$, to the altruists and the fitness 1 to the non-altruists. In the case that the altruistic disadvantage $\tau$ is not too large, we show that the finite $M$ fluctuations are small and practically do not alter the deterministic results obtained for $M \to \infty$. However, for large $\tau$ these fluctuations greatly increase the instability of the altruistic demes to mutations. These results may be relevant to the dynamics of parasite-host systems and, in particular, to explain the importance of mutation in the evolution of parasite virulence.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Domain wall description of superconductivity

In the present work we shall address the issue of electrical conductivity in superconductors in the perspective of superconducting domain wall solutions in the realm of field theory. We take our set up made out of a dynamical complex scalar field coupled to gauge field to be responsible for superconductivity and an extra scalar real field that plays the role of superconducting domain walls. The temperature of the system is interpreted through the fact that the soliton following accelerating orbits is a Rindler observer experiencing a thermal bath.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Latex. Version to appear in PL

On FRW Model in Conformal Teleparallel Gravity

In this paper we use the conformal teleparallel gravity to study an isotropic and homogeneous Universe which is settled by the FRW metric. We solve the field equations and we obtain the behavior of some cosmological parameters such as scale factor, deceleration parameter and the energy density of the perfect fluid which is the matter field of our model. The field equations, that we called modified Friedmann equations, allow us to define a dark fluid, with dark energy density and dark pressure, responsible for the acceleration in the Universe.Comment: Accepted in EPJ

Low redshift constraints on energy-momentum-powered gravity models

There has been recent interest in the cosmological consequences of energy-momentum-powered gravity models, in which the matter side of Einstein's equations is modified by the addition of a term proportional to some power, $n$, of the energy-momentum tensor, in addition to the canonical linear term. In this work we treat these models as phenomenological extensions of the standard $\Lambda$CDM, containing both matter and a cosmological constant. We also quantitatively constrain the additional model parameters using low redshift background cosmology data that are specifically from Type Ia supernovas and Hubble parameter measurements. We start by studying specific cases of these models with fixed values of $n,$ which lead to an analytic expression for the Friedmann equation; we discuss both their current constraints and how the models may be further constrained by future observations of Type Ia supernovas for WFIRST complemented by measurements of the redshift drift by the ELT. We then consider and constrain a more extended parameter space, allowing $n$ to be a free parameter and considering scenarios with and without a cosmological constant. These models do not solve the cosmological constant problem per se. Nonetheless these models can phenomenologically lead to a recent accelerating universe without a cosmological constant at the cost of having a preferred matter density of around $\Omega_M\sim0.4$ instead of the usual $\Omega_M\sim0.3$. Finally we also briefly constrain scenarios without a cosmological constant, where the single component has a constant equation of state which needs not be that of matter; we provide an illustrative comparison of this model with a more standard dynamical dark energy model with a constant equation of state.Comment: 13+2 pages, 12+1 figures; A&A (in press