Mixed sneutrino dark matter in light of the 2011 XENON and LHC results

In the context of supersymmetric models in which small Dirac neutrino masses are generated by supersymmetry breaking, a mainly right-handed (RH) mixed sneutrino can be an excellent cold dark matter (DM) candidate. We perform a global analysis of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM)+RH neutrino parameter space by means of Markov Chain Monte Carlo scans. We include all relevant constraints from collider and dark matter searches, paying particular attention to nuclear and astrophysical uncertainties. Two distinct cases can satisfy all constraints: heavy sneutrino DM with mass of order 100 GeV, as well as light sneutrino DM with mass of about 3-6 GeV. We discuss the implications for direct and indirect dark matter searches, as well as for SUSY and Higgs searches at the LHC for both, the light and the heavy sneutrino dark matter case. The light sneutrino case is excluded by the 125-126 GeV Higgs signal.Comment: 38 pages, 13 figures; v3: appendix added, minor corrections, note added on the 2012 XENON100 results; matches version accepted by JCA

Importance of the reconciliation method to handle experimental data in refrigeration and power cycle: application to a reversible heat pump/organic Rankine cycle unit integrated in a positive energy building

Experimental data is often the result of long and costly experimentations. Many times, measurements are used directly without (or with few) analysis and treatment. This paper therefore presents a detailed methodology to use steady-state measurements efficiently in the analysis of a thermodynamic cycle. The reconciliation method allows to correct each measurement as little as possible, taking its accuracy into account, in order to satisfy all constraints and to evaluate the most probable physical state. The reconciliation method should be used for multiple reasons. First, this method allows to close energy and mass balances exactly, which is needed for predictive models. Also, it allows determining some unknowns that are not or that cannot be measured precisely. Furthermore, it fully exploits the collected measurements with redundancy and it allows to know which sensor should be checked or replaced if necessary. An application of this method is presented in the case of a reversible HP/ORC unit. This unit is a modified heat pump which is able to work as an organic Rankine cycle by reversing its cycle. Combined with a passive house comprising a solar roof and a ground heat exchanger, it allows to get a plus energy house. In this study case, the oil mass fraction is not measured despite of its strong influence on the results. The reconciliation method allows to evaluate it. The efficiency of this method is proven by comparing the error on the outputs of steady-state models of compressor and exchangers. An example is given with the prediction of the pinch-point of an evaporator. In this case, the normalized root mean square deviation (NRMSD) is decreased from 14.3 % to 4.1 % when using the reconciliation method. This paper proves the efficiency of the method and also that the method should be considered more often when dealing with experimentation

Experimental investigation of a Scroll unit used as a compressor and as an expander in a Heat Pump/ORC reversible unit

This paper presents an innovative system comprising a heat pump connected to a solar roof and a geothermal heat exchanger. This heat pump is able to invert its cycle and operate as an ORC. By using the whole rooftop (hereunder called “absorber”) as a heat source, a large amount of heat is generated throughout the year. This heat is used in priority to cover the building annual heating needs, while the surplus heat (mainly during summer months) is utilized to generate electricity in the so-called HP/ORC module. The same module can be used in winter time as an efficient heat pump which radically simplifies the complexity of the total system compared to competitive products. The main advantage of the proposed technology is related to the reversibility of scroll machines, which have proven to operate efficiently both as a compressor and as an expander. This paper focuses on three aspects: design of the prototype, results from experiments and validation of models based on the experimental data. To size the unit, the expander and the different exchangers are modeled thanks to semi-empirical correlations calibrated on experimental data. The sizing of the prototype is based on yearly simulations with a simulation step of one hour. The algorithm optimizes the operating mode based on the domestic heat demand, the meteorological conditions and the available heat in the storage. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of such a prototype with promizing experimentally-achieved performance (4.1% overall efficiency in ORC mode and a COP of 4.2 in HP mode

A Bayesian view of the Higgs sector with higher dimensional operators

We investigate the possibilities of New Physics affecting the Standard Model (SM) Higgs sector. An effective Lagrangian with dimension-six operators is used to capture the effect of New Physics. We carry out a global Bayesian inference analysis, considering the recent LHC data set including all available correlations, as well as results from Tevatron. Trilinear gauge boson couplings and electroweak precision observables are also taken into account. The case of weak bosons tensorial couplings is closely examined and NLO QCD corrections are taken into account in the deviations we predict. We consider two scenarios, one where the coefficients of all the dimension-six operators are essentially unconstrained, and one where a certain subset is loop suppressed. In both scenarios, we find that large deviations from some of the SM Higgs couplings can still be present, assuming New Physics arising at 3 TeV. In particular, we find that a significantly reduced coupling of the Higgs to the top quark is possible and slightly favored by searches on Higgs production in association with top quark pairs. The total width of the Higgs boson is only weakly constrained and can vary between 0.7 and 2.7 times the Standard Model value within 95% Bayesian credible interval (BCI). We also observe sizeable effects induced by New Physics contributions to tensorial couplings. In particular, the Higgs boson decay width into $Z\gamma$ can be enhanced by up to a factor 12 within 95% BCI.Comment: 37 pages, 10 figures, references added, published in JHE

Online Measurement Of The Working Fluid Mass Repartition In A Small-Scale Organic Rankine Cycle Power System

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the working fluid charge repartition in a 2kWe ORC (organic Rankine cycle) test bench. To this end, an online measurement apparatus is built and fully calibrated to evaluate the charge enclosed in the three heat exchangers and the liquid receiver of the ORC unit. By changing all the system boundary conditions (including the charge enclosed in the test rig), an experimental database of 304 steady-state points is gathered and post-treated. The charge inventories obtained by online measurements demonstrate promising results on average but experience high uncertainties when considering each point individually (i.e. the uncertainty on the global inventory is around ± 2.5 kg for a total charge of 31.2 kg). Deviations of the evaporator mass measurements are identified at high temperature of the heat source and discussed in details. A reconciliation method is applied to the raw measurements in order to retrieve consistent charge inventories while accounting for the different sources of uncertainty. Ultimately, the paper analyses the impact of increasing the charge in the ORC and how this parameter influences the thermodynamic state of the system

Design of a small-scale organic Rankine cycle engine used in a solar power plant

peer reviewedUnder the economic and political pressure due to the depletion of fossil fuels and global warming concerns, it is necessary to develop more sustainable techniques to provide electrical power. In this context, the present study aims at designing, building and testing a small-scale organic Rankine cycle (ORC) solar power plant ( 3 kWe) in order to define and optimize control strategies that could be applied to larger systems. This paper presents a first step of the design of the solar power plant and focuses more specifically on the ORC engine. This design is defined on the basis of simulation models of the ORC engine and takes into account some technical limitations such as the allowed operating ranges and the technical maturity of the components. The final configuration includes a diaphragm pump, two plate heat exchangers for the regenerator and the evaporator, an air-cooled condenser, two hermetic scroll expanders in series and R245fa as the working fluid. Simulations indicate that an efficiency close to 12% for the ORC engine can be reached for evaporating and condensing temperatures of 140 and 358C, respectively

Non-invasive Brain Stimulation as a Set of Research Tools in NeuroIS: Opportunities and Methodological Considerations

NeuroIS is a growing field that builds on neuroscience to improve the understanding of human interaction with information technologies and information systems. One can investigate causal relationships between brain activity patterns, cognitive processes, and behavior in a non-invasive way via using non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) tools, but researchers in the neuroIS community have yet to do so. We introduce NIBS, show how it can address caveats found in current research, describe the implementation of a NIBS protocol, and assess what these tools can bring to the neuroIS field