Background effects on reconstructed WIMP couplings

In this talk, I presented effects of small, but non-negligible unrejected background events on the determinations of WIMP couplings/cross sections.Comment: 4 pages, 5 eps figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP 2011), September 5-9, 2011, Munich, German

Strong deflection gravitational lensing by a modified Hayward black hole

A modified Hayward black hole is a nonsingular black hole. It is proposed to form when the pressure generated by quantum gravity can stop matter's collapse as the matter reaches Planck density. Strong deflection gravitational lensing happening nearby its event horizon might provide some clues of these quantum effects in its central core. We investigate observables of the strong deflection lensing, including angular separations, brightness differences and time delays between its relativistic images, and estimate their values for the supermassive black hole in the Galactic center. We find that it is possible to distinguish the modified Hayward black hole from a Schwarzschild one, but it demands very high resolution beyond current stage.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur

Interpreting Quantum Mechanics in Terms of Random Discontinuous Motion of Particles

This thesis is an attempt to reconstruct the conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics. First, we argue that the wave function in quantum mechanics is a description of random discontinuous motion of particles, and the modulus square of the wave function gives the probability density of the particles being in certain locations in space. Next, we show that the linear non-relativistic evolution of the wave function of an isolated system obeys the free Schrödinger equation due to the requirements of spacetime translation invariance and relativistic invariance. Thirdly, we argue that the random discontinuous motion of particles may lead to a stochastic, nonlinear collapse evolution of the wave function. A discrete model of energy-conserved wavefunction collapse is proposed and shown to be consistent with existing experiments and our macroscopic experience. In addition, we also give a critical analysis of the de Broglie-Bohm theory, the many-worlds interpretation and dynamical collapse theories, and briefly analyze the problem of the incompatibility between quantum mechanics and special relativity