861 research outputs found
Non-Gaussianity from Symmetry
We point out that a light scalar field fluctuating around a symmetry-enhaced
point can generate large non-Gaussianity in density fluctuations. We name such
a particle as an "ungaussiton", a scalar field dominantly produced by the
quantum fluctuations,generating sizable non-Gaussianity in the density
fluctuations. We derive a consistency relation between the bispectrum and the
trispectrum, tau_NL = 10^3 f_NL^(4/3), which can be extended to arbitrary high
order correlation functions. If such a relation is confirmed by future
observations, it will strongly support this mechanism.Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure;v2 discussion and references added. To appear in
JCA
Higher Order Corrections to the Primordial Gravitational Wave Spectrum and its Impact on Parameter Estimates for Inflation
We study the impact of the use of the power series expression for the
primordial tensor spectrum on parameter estimation from future direct detection
gravitational wave experiments. The spectrum approximated by the power series
expansion may give large deviation from the true (fiducial) value when it is
normalized at CMB scale because of the large separation between CMB and direct
detection scales. We derive the coefficients of the higher order terms of the
expansion up to the sixth order within the framework of the slow-roll
approximation and investigate how well the inclusion of higher order terms
improves the analytic prediction of the spectrum amplitude by comparing with
numerical results. Using the power series expression, we consider future
constraints on inflationary parameters expected from direct detection
experiments of the inflationary gravitational wave background and show that the
truncation of the higher order terms can lead to incorrect evaluation of the
parameters. We present two example models; a quadratic chaotic inflation model
and mixed inflaton and curvaton model with a quartic inflaton potential.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, revised version accepted by JCA
Characterization of the QUartz Photon Intensifying Detector (QUPID) for Noble Liquid Detectors
Dark Matter and Double Beta Decay experiments require extremely low
radioactivity within the detector materials. For this purpose, the University
of California, Los Angeles and Hamamatsu Photonics have developed the QUartz
Photon Intensifying Detector (QUPID), an ultra-low background photodetector
based on the Hybrid Avalanche Photo Diode (HAPD) and entirely made of
ultraclean synthetic fused silica. In this work we present the basic concept of
the QUPID and the testing measurements on QUPIDs from the first production
line. Screening of radioactivity at the Gator facility in the Laboratori
Nazionali del Gran Sasso has shown that the QUPIDs safely fulfill the low
radioactive contamination requirements for the next generation zero background
experiments set by Monte Carlo simulations. The quantum efficiency of the QUPID
at room temperature is > 30% at the xenon scintillation wavelength. At low
temperatures, the QUPID shows a leakage current less than 1 nA and a global
gain of 10^5. In these conditions, the photocathode and the anode show > 95%
linearity up to 1 uA for the cathode and 3 mA for the anode. The photocathode
and collection efficiency are uniform to 80% over the entire surface. In
parallel with single photon counting capabilities, the QUPIDs have a good
timing response: 1.8 +/- 0.1 ns rise time, 2.5 +/- 0.2 ns fall time, 4.20 +/-
0.05 ns pulse width, and 160 +/- 30 ps transit time spread. The QUPIDs have
also been tested in a liquid xenon environment, and scintillation light from
57Co and 210Po radioactive sources were observed.Comment: 15 pages, 22 figure
Closed String Tachyons and Semi-Classical Instabilities
We conjecture that the end point of bulk closed string tachyon decay at any
non-zero coupling, is the annihilation of space time by Witten's bubble of
nothing, resulting in a topological phase of the theory. In support of this we
present a variety of situations in which there is a correspondence between the
existence of perturbative tachyons in one regime and the semi-classical
annihilation of space-time. Our discussion will include many recently
investigated scenarios in string theory including Scherk-Schwarz
compactifications, Melvin magnetic backgrounds, and noncompact orbifolds. We
use this conjecture to investigate a possible web of dualities relating the
eleven-dimensional Fabinger-Horava background with nonsupersymmetric string
theories. Along the way we point out where our conjecture resolves some of the
puzzles associated with bulk closed string tachyon condensation.Comment: 31 pages, 5 figures 3 figures added, typos corrected and references
added. Discussion of Type 0/Heterotic s-duality extended and some other
points clarified Revision of discussion on Fabinger-Horava string
descendents, section on Scherk-Schwarz compactification of Horava-Witten
removed, some references adde
Non-Gaussianity from isocurvature perturbations
We develop a formalism to study non-Gaussianity in both curvature and
isocurvature perturbations. It is shown that non-Gaussianity in the
isocurvature perturbation between dark matter and photons leaves distinct
signatures in the CMB temperature fluctuations, which may be confirmed in
future experiments, or possibly, even in the currently available observational
data. As an explicit example, we consider the QCD axion and show that it can
actually induce sizable non-Gaussianity for the inflationary scale, H_{inf} =
O(10^9 - 10^{11})GeV.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures; references added; version to appear in JCA
Inhomogeneous non-Gaussianity
We propose a method to probe higher-order correlators of the primordial
density field through the inhomogeneity of local non-Gaussian parameters, such
as f_NL, measured within smaller patches of the sky. Correlators between
n-point functions measured in one patch of the sky and k-point functions
measured in another patch depend upon the (n+k)-point functions over the entire
sky. The inhomogeneity of non-Gaussian parameters may be a feasible way to
detect or constrain higher-order correlators in local models of
non-Gaussianity, as well as to distinguish between single and multiple-source
scenarios for generating the primordial density perturbation, and more
generally to probe the details of inflationary physics.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures; v2: Minor changes and references added. Matches
the published versio
Perturbative Search for Fixed Lines in Large N Gauge Theories
The logarithmic running of marginal double-trace operators is a general
feature of 4-d field theories containing scalar fields in the adjoint or
bifundamental representation. Such operators provide leading contributions in
the large N limit; therefore, the leading terms in their beta functions must
vanish for a theory to be large N conformal. We calculate the one-loop beta
functions in orbifolds of the N=4 SYM theory by a discrete subgroup Gamma of
the SU(4) R-symmetry, which are dual to string theory on AdS_5 x S^5/Gamma. We
present a general strategy for determining whether there is a fixed line
passing through the origin of the coupling constant space. Then we study in
detail some classes of non-supersymmetric orbifold theories, and emphasize the
importance of decoupling the U(1) factors. Among our examples, which include
orbifolds acting freely on the S^5, we do not find any large N
non-supersymmetric theories with fixed lines passing through the origin.
Connection of these results with closed string tachyon condensation in AdS_5 x
S^5/Gamma is discussed.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figures, latex v2: Clarifications and reference adde
A Holographic View on Matrix Model of Black Hole
We investigate a deformed matrix model proposed by Kazakov et.al. in relation
to Witten's two-dimensional black hole. The existing conjectures assert the
equivalence of the two by mapping each to a deformed c=1 theory called the
sine-Liouville theory. We point out that the matrix theory in question may be
naturally interpreted as a gauged quantum mechanics deformed by insertion of an
exponentiated Wilson loop operator, which gives us more direct and holographic
map between the two sides. The matrix model in the usual scaling limit must
correspond to the bosonic SL(2,R)/U(1) theory in genus expansion but exact in
\alpha'. We successfully test this by computing the Wilson loop expectation
value and comparing it against the bulk computation. For the latter, we employ
the \alpha'-exact geometry proposed by Dijkgraaf, Verlinde, and Verlinde, which
was further advocated by Tseytlin. We close with comments on open problems.Comment: LaTeX, 19 page
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