On prospects for dark matter indirect detection in the Constrained MSSM

In the framework of the Constrained MSSM we derive the most probable ranges of the diffuse gamma radiation flux from the direction of the Galactic center and of the positron flux from the Galactic halo due to neutralino dark matter annihilation. We find that, for a given halo model, and assuming flat priors, the 68% probability range of the integrated gamma-ray flux spans about one order of magnitude, while the 95% probability range can be much larger and extend over four orders of magnitude (even exceeding five for a tiny region at small neutralino mass). The detectability of the signal by GLAST depending primarily on the cuspiness of the halo profile. The positron flux, on the other hand, appears to be too small to be detectable by PAMELA, unless the boost factor is at least of order ten and/or the halo profile is extremely cuspy. We also briefly discuss the sensitivity of our results to the choice of priors

Narrow-line Seyfert 1 Galaxies and the M_BH - sigma Relation

We have studied the location of narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies and broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLS1) galaxies on the M_BH - sigma relation of non-active galaxies. We find that NLS1 galaxies as a class - as well as the BLS1 galaxies of our comparison sample - do follow the M_BH-sigma relation of non-active galaxies if we use the width of the [SII]6716,6731 emission lines as surrogate for stellar velocity dispersion, sigma_*. We also find that the width of [OIII]5007 is a good surrogate for sigma_*, but only after (a) removal of asymmetric blue wings, and, more important, after (b) excluding core [OIII] lines with strong blueshifts (i.e., excluding galaxies which have their [OIII] velocity fields dominated by radial motions, presumably outflows). The same galaxies which are extreme outliers in [OIII] still follow the M_BH - sigma relation in [SII]. We confirm previous findings that NLS1 galaxies are systematically off-set from the M_BH - sigma relation if the full [OIII] profile is used to measure sigma. We systematically investigate the influence of several parameters on the NSL1 galaxies' location on the M_BH - sigma plane: [OIII]_core blueshift, L/L_Edd, intensity ratio FeII/H_beta, NLR density, and absolute magnitude. Implications for NLS1 models and for their evolution along the M_BH - sigma relation are discussed.Comment: ApJ Letters, in press (3 figures, one in colour

A possible contribution to CMB anisotropies at high l from primordial voids

We present preliminary results of an analysis into the effects of primordial voids on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We show that an inflationary bubble model of void formation predicts excess power in the CMB angular power spectrum that peaks between 2000 < l < 3000. Therefore, voids that exist on or close to the last scattering surface at the epoch of decoupling can contribute significantly to the apparent rise in power on these scales recently detected by the Cosmic Background Imager (CBI).Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. MNRAS accepted versio

The AGN-starburst connection, Galactic superwinds, and M_BH - sigma

Recent observations of young galaxies at redshifts z ~ 3 have revealed simultaneous AGN and starburst activity, as well as galaxy-wide superwinds. I show that there is probably a close connection between these phenomena by extending an earlier treatment of the M_BH - sigma relation (King, 2003). As the black hole grows, an outflow drives a shell into the surrounding gas. This stalls after a dynamical time at a size determined by the hole's current mass and thereafter grows on the Salpeter timescale. The gas trapped inside this bubble cools and forms stars and is recycled as accretion and outflow. The consequent high metallicity agrees with that commonly observed in AGN accretion. Once the hole reaches a critical mass this region attains a size such that the gas can no longer cool efficiently. The resulting energy-driven flow expels the remaining gas as a superwind, fixing both the M_BH - sigma relation and the total stellar bulge mass at values in good agreement with observation. Black hole growth thus produces starbursts and ultimately a superwind.Comment: ApJ, in press, 4 page

Improvement of Pheromone Trapping in Low Density Populations of \u3ci\u3eChoristoneura Pinus Pinus\u3c/i\u3e (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Pheromone baited bucket traps (e.g., Multipher) are popular as a monitoring tool for the jack pine budworm, Choristoneura pinus pinus Freeman (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in Canada. However, there is no evidence to support their use when budworm populations are low. We therefore evaluated the capture rate of bucket traps at two placement heights (2 vs 6 m) in two jack pine forests in 2011, having low (≤5 fifth instars per mfoliated branch length) budworm populations. Compared to wing traps (e.g., Pherocon 1C), the trap design used initially to evaluate efficacy of the C. pinus pheromone, bucket traps caught fewer C. pinus and capture rates of both trap designs did not differ significantly between the two heights tested. Loss of bucket traps at 2 m, due to black bears, suggested that higher placement of traps was warranted to maintain the integrity of the array. However, wing traps are recommended due to their ability to consistently catch more moths when C. pinus populations are low

Constraining our Universe with X-ray & Optical Cluster Data

We have used recent X-ray and optical data in order to impose some constraints on the cosmology and cluster scaling relations. Generically two kind of hypotheses define our model. First we consider that the cluster population is well described by the standard Press-Schechter (PS) formalism, and second, these clusters are supposed to follow scaling relations with mass: Temperature-Mass (T-M) and X-ray Luminosity-Mass (L_x - M). As a difference with many other authors we do not assume specific scaling relations to model cluster properties such as the usual $T-M$ virial relation or one observational determination of the $L_x-T$ relation. Instead we consider general free parameter scaling relations. With the previous model (PS plus scalings) we fit our free parameters to several X-ray and optical data with the advantage over many other works that we consider all the data sets at the same time. This prevents us from being inconsistent with some of the available observations. Among other interesting conclusions, we find that only low-density universes are compatible with all the data considered and that the degeneracy between $\Omega_m$ and $\sigma_8$ is broken. Also we obtain interesting limits on the parameters characterizing the scaling relations.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. MNRAS accepted versio

Reionization Constraints on the Contribution of Primordial Compact Objects to Dark Matter

Many lines of evidence suggest that nonbaryonic dark matter constitutes roughly 30% of the critical closure density, but the composition of this dark matter is unknown. One class of candidates for the dark matter is compact objects formed in the early universe, with typical masses M between 0.1 and 1 solar masses to correspond to the mass scale of objects found with microlensing observing projects. Specific candidates of this type include black holes formed at the epoch of the QCD phase transition, quark stars, and boson stars. Here we show that accretion onto these objects produces substantial ionization in the early universe, with an optical depth to Thomson scattering out to z=1100 of approximately tau=2-4 [f_CO\epsilon_{-1}(M/Msun)]^{1/2} (H_0/65)^{-1}, where \epsilon_{-1} is the accretion efficiency \epsilon\equiv L/{\dot M}c^2 divided by 0.1 and f_CO is the fraction of matter in the compact objects. The current upper limit to the scattering optical depth, based on the anisotropy of the microwave background, is approximately 0.4. Therefore, if accretion onto these objects is relatively efficient, they cannot be the main component of nonbaryonic dark matter.Comment: 12 pages including one figure, uses aaspp4, submitted to Ap

A SuperMassive Black Hole Fundamental Plane for Ellipticals

We obtain the coefficients of a new fundamental plane for supermassive black holes at the centers of elliptical galaxies, involving measured central black hole mass and photometric parameters which define the light distribution. The galaxies are tightly distributed around this mass fundamental plane, with improvement in the rms residual over those obtained from the \mbh-\sigma and \mbh-L relations. This implies a strong multidimensional link between the central massive black hole formation and global photometric properties of elliptical galaxies and provides an improved estimate of black hole mass from galaxy data.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter