1,698 research outputs found
Microlensing by Cosmic Strings
We consider the signature and detectability of gravitational microlensing of
distant quasars by cosmic strings. Because of the simple image configuration
such events will have a characteristic light curve, in which a source would
appear to brighten by exactly a factor of two, before reverting to its original
apparent brightness. We calculate the optical depth and event rate, and
conclude that current predictions and limits on the total length of strings on
the sky imply optical depths of \la 10^{-8} and event rates of fewer than one
event per sources per year. Disregarding those predictions but replacing
them with limits on the density of cosmic strings from the CMB fluctuation
spectrum, leaves only a small region of parameter space (in which the sky
contains about strings with deficit angle of order 0.3
milli-arcseconds) for which a microlensing survey of exposure
source-years, spanning a 20--40-year period, might reveal the presence of
cosmic strings.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication in MNRA
Thomas-Fermi Approximation for a Condensate with Higher-order Interactions
We consider the ground state of a harmonically trapped Bose-Einstein
condensate within the Gross-Pitaevskii theory including the effective-range
corrections for a two-body zero-range potential. The resulting non-linear
Schr\"odinger equation is solved analytically in the Thomas-Fermi approximation
neglecting the kinetic energy term. We present results for the chemical
potential and the condensate profiles, discuss boundary conditions, and compare
to the usual Thomas-Fermi approach. We discuss several ways to increase the
influence of effective-range corrections in experiment with magnetically
tunable interactions. The level of tuning required could be inside experimental
reach in the near future.Comment: 8 pages, RevTex4 format, 5 figure
Gravitational wave bursts from cosmic (super)strings: Quantitative analysis and constraints
We discuss data analysis techniques that can be used in the search for
gravitational wave bursts from cosmic strings. When data from multiple
interferometers are available, we describe consistency checks that can be used
to greatly reduce the false alarm rates. We construct an expression for the
rate of bursts for arbitrary cosmic string loop distributions and apply it to
simple known solutions. The cosmology is solved exactly and includes the
effects of a late-time acceleration. We find substantially lower burst rates
than previous estimates suggest and explain the disagreement. Initial LIGO is
unlikely to detect field theoretic cosmic strings with the usual loop sizes,
though it may detect cosmic superstrings as well as cosmic strings and
superstrings with non-standard loop sizes (which may be more realistic). In the
absence of a detection, we show how to set upper limits based on the loudest
event. Using Initial LIGO sensitivity curves, we show that these upper limits
may result in interesting constraints on the parameter space of theories that
lead to the production of cosmic strings.Comment: Replaced with version accepted for publication in PR
Cosmic String Cusps with Small-Scale Structure: Their Forms and Gravitational Waveforms
We present a method for the introduction of small-scale structure into
strings constructed from products of rotation matrices. We use this method to
illustrate a range of possibilities for the shape of cusps that depends on the
properties of the small-scale structure. We further argue that the presence of
structure at cusps under most circumstances leads to the formation of loops at
the size of the smallest scales. On the other hand we show that the
gravitational waveform of a cusp remains generally unchanged; the primary
effect of small-scale structure is to smooth out the sharp waveform emitted in
the direction of cusp motion.Comment: RevTeX, 8 pages. Replaced with version accepted for publication by
PR
Gravitational-Wave Stochastic Background from Kinks and Cusps on Cosmic Strings
We compute the contribution of kinks on cosmic string loops to stochastic
background of gravitational waves (SBGW).We find that kinks contribute at the
same order as cusps to the SBGW.We discuss the accessibility of the total
background due to kinks as well as cusps to current and planned gravitational
wave detectors, as well as to the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), the cosmic
microwave background (CMB), and pulsar timing constraints. As in the case of
cusps, we find that current data from interferometric gravitational wave
detectors, such as LIGO, are sensitive to areas of parameter space of cosmic
string models complementary to those accessible to pulsar, BBN, and CMB bounds.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure
Neutrino-Nucleus Reactions and Muon Capture in 12C
The neutrino-nucleus cross section and the muon capture rate are discussed
within a simple formalism which facilitates the nuclear structure calculations.
The corresponding formulae only depend on four types of nuclear matrix
elements, which are currently used in the nuclear beta decay. We have also
considered the non-locality effects arising from the velocity-dependent terms
in the hadronic current. We show that for both observables in 12C the higher
order relativistic corrections are of the order of ~5 only, and therefore do
not play a significant role. As nuclear model framework we use the projected
QRPA (PQRPA) and show that the number projection plays a crucial role in
removing the degeneracy between the proton-neutron two quasiparticle states at
the level of the mean field. Comparison is done with both the experimental data
and the previous shell model calculations. Possible consequences of the present
study on the determination of the neutrino oscillation
probability are briefly addressed.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figures, Revtex4. Several changes were made to the
previous manuscript, the results and final conclusions remain unalterable. It
has been accepted for publication as a Regular Article in Physical Review
Reconstructing the calibrated strain signal in the Advanced LIGO detectors
Advanced LIGO's raw detector output needs to be calibrated to compute
dimensionless strain h(t). Calibrated strain data is produced in the time
domain using both a low-latency, online procedure and a high-latency, offline
procedure. The low-latency h(t) data stream is produced in two stages, the
first of which is performed on the same computers that operate the detector's
feedback control system. This stage, referred to as the front-end calibration,
uses infinite impulse response (IIR) filtering and performs all operations at a
16384 Hz digital sampling rate. Due to several limitations, this procedure
currently introduces certain systematic errors in the calibrated strain data,
motivating the second stage of the low-latency procedure, known as the
low-latency gstlal calibration pipeline. The gstlal calibration pipeline uses
finite impulse response (FIR) filtering to apply corrections to the output of
the front-end calibration. It applies time-dependent correction factors to the
sensing and actuation components of the calibrated strain to reduce systematic
errors. The gstlal calibration pipeline is also used in high latency to
recalibrate the data, which is necessary due mainly to online dropouts in the
calibrated data and identified improvements to the calibration models or
filters.Comment: 20 pages including appendices and bibliography. 11 Figures. 3 Table
Critical Temperature for the Nuclear Liquid-Gas Phase Transition
The charge distribution of the intermediate mass fragments produced in p (8.1
GeV) + Au collisions is analyzed in the framework of the statistical
multifragmentation model with the critical temperature for the nuclear
liquid-gas phase transition as a free parameter. It is found that
MeV (90% CL).Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, published in Phys. Rev.
Non-Markovian large amplitude motion and nuclear fission
The general problem of dissipation in macroscopic large-amplitude collective
motion and its relation to energy diffusion of intrinsic degrees of freedom of
a nucleus is studied. By applying the cranking approach to the nuclear many
body system, a set of coupled dynamical equations for the collective classical
variables and the quantum mechanical occupancies of the intrinsic nuclear
states is derived. Different dynamical regimes of the intrinsic nuclear motion
and its consequences on time properties of collective dissipation are
discussed. The approach is applied to the descant of the nucleus from the
fission barrier.Comment: 9 pages and 3 figure
Stochastic Backgrounds of Gravitational Waves from Cosmological Sources: Techniques and Applications to Preheating
Several mechanisms exist for generating a stochastic background of
gravitational waves in the period following inflation. These mechanisms are
generally classical in nature, with the gravitational waves being produced from
inhomogeneities in the fields that populate the early universe and not quantum
fluctuations. The resulting stochastic background could be accessible to next
generation gravitational wave detectors. We develop a framework for computing
such a background analytically and computationally. As an application of our
framework, we consider the stochastic background of gravitational waves
generated in a simple model of preheating.Comment: Replaced with published version: Phys. Rev. D 78, 063541 (2008
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