Gravitational Excitons as Dark Matter

In earlier work it was pointed out that for warped product spacetimes the conformal (geometrical moduli) excitations of the internal compactified factor spaces should be observable as massive scalar fields in the external spacetime. Here we show that these scalar fields (gravitational excitons) describe weakly interacting particles and can be considered as dark matter component. Masses of the gravexcitons are defined by the form of the effective potential of the theory and the stabilization scales of the internal space. This implies that different stabilization scales result in different types of DM. An essential role is played by the effective potential. On the one hand, its minima fix possible stabilization scales of the internal spaces; on the other hand, they provide possible values for the effective cosmological constant.Comment: CAPP 2000 talk, 5 pages, LaTeX2

Stable compactification and gravitational excitons from extra dimensions

We study inhomogeneous multidimensional cosmological models with a higher dimensional space-time manifold under dimensional reduction. Stability due to different types of effective potentials is analyzed for specific configurations of internal spaces. Necessary restrictions on the parameters of the models are found and masses of gravitational excitons (small inhomogeneous excitations of the scale factors of the internal spaces near minima of effective potentials) are calculated.Comment: 42 pages, Latex. Extended version of a lecture given at the conference "Modern Modified Theories of Gravitation and Cosmology", Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel, June 29-30 199

A paradigmatic model of Earth's magnetic field reversals

The irregular polarity reversals of the Earth's magnetic field have attracted much interest during the last decades. Despite the fact that recent numerical simulations of the geodynamo have shown nice polarity transitions, the very reason and the basic mechanism of reversals are far from being understood. Using a paradigmatic mean-field dynamo model with a spherically symmetric helical turbulence parameter alpha we attribute the essential features of reversals to the magnetic field dynamics in the vicinity of an exceptional point of the spectrum of the non-selfadjoint dynamo operator. At such exceptional (branch) points of square root type two real eigenvalues coalesce and continue as a complex conjugated pair of eigenvalues. Special focus is laid on the comparison of numerically computed time series with paleomagnetic observations. It is shown that the considered dynamo model with high supercriticality can explain the observed time scale and the asymmetric shape of reversals with a slow decay and a fast field recovery.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Magnetohydrodynamic

Comment on stability of atoms and nuclei in multidimensional TeV scale gravity

We discuss the stability of atoms and nucleons in the presence of multidimensional gravity characterized by the unified energy scale 1TeV. We point out that the multidimensional gravitational attraction can create additional bound states deep inside of atomic and nucleon constituents. These states would be characterized by sizes comparable to the TeV scale distance. We show that shallow gravity induced bound states between an electron and a quark are ruled out, because collapse processes in atoms to such bound states would occur on time scales which are in contradiction to current data on the stability of ordinary matter. The gravitational attraction may also produce diquark states, which should be considered in addition to those discussed in the literature. The estimates indicate that, for TeV scale gravity, the problem of UV divergencies and UV renormalization is crucial. Some universal renormalization mechanism should exist, which stabilizes atoms in the presence of multidimensional gravity.Comment: 5 pages, Revte

On stable compactification with Casimir-like potential

Multidimensional cosmological models with a higher dimensional space-time manifold are investigated under dimensional reduction. In the Einstein conformal frame, the effective potential for the internal scale factors is obtained. The stable compactification of the internal spaces is achieved due to the Casimir effect. In the case of more than one internal space a Casimir-like ansatz for the energy density of the massless scalar field fluctuations is proposed. Stable configurations with respect to the internal scale factor excitations are found in the cases of one and two internal spaces.Comment: 17 pages, Latex2e, submitted to Gravitation and Cosmology, slightly revised Appendix

Asymptotical AdS from non-linear gravitational models with stabilized extra dimensions

We consider non-linear gravitational models with a multidimensional warped product geometry. Particular attention is payed to models with quadratic scalar curvature terms. It is shown that for certain parameter ranges, the extra dimensions are stabilized if the internal spaces have negative constant curvature. In this case, the 4-dimensional effective cosmological constant as well as the bulk cosmological constant become negative. As a consequence, the homogeneous and isotropic external space is asymptotically AdS. The connection between the D-dimensional and the 4-dimensional fundamental mass scales sets a restriction on the parameters of the considered non-linear models.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX2e, minor changes, improved references, to appear in PR

Multidimensional cosmology and asymptotical AdS

A non-linear gravitational model with a multidimensional geometry and quadratic scalar curvature is considered. For certain parameter ranges, the extra dimensions are stabilized if the internal spaces have negative curvature. As a consequence, the 4-dimensional effective cosmological constant as well as the bulk cosmological constant become negative. The homogeneous and isotropic external space is asymptotically AdS. The connection between the D-dimensional and the 4-dimensional fundamental mass scales sets an additional restriction on the parameters of the considered non-linear models.Comment: 6 pages, kluwer.sty; Conf. Proc., 11th EAS Meeting: "JENAM 2002: The Unsolved Universe", Porto, Portuga

MN Lup: X-rays from a weakly accreting T Tauri star

Young T Tauri stars (TTS) are surrounded by an accretion disk, which over time disperses due to photoevaporation, accretion, and possibly planet formation. The accretion shock on the central star produces an UV/optical veiling continuum, line emission, and X-ray signatures. As the accretion rate decreases, the impact on the central star must change. In this article we study MN Lup, a young star where no indications of a disk are seen in IR observations. We present XMM-Newton and VLT/UVES observations, some of them taken simultaneously. The X-ray data show that MN Lup is an active star with L_X/L_bol close to the saturation limit. However, we find high densities (n_e > 3e10 /cm^3) in the X-ray grating spectrum. This can be well fitted using an accretion shock model with an accretion rate of 2e-11 M_sun/yr. Despite the simple Halpha line profile which has a broad component, but no absorption signatures as typically seen on accreting TTS, we find rotational modulation in Ca II K and in photospheric absorption lines. In the Halpha line we see a prominence in absorption about 2R_* above the stellar surface - the first of its kind on a TTS. MN Lup is also the only TTS where accretion is seen, but no dust disk is detected that could fuel it. We suggest that MN Lup presents a unique and short-lived state in the disk evolution. It may have lost its dust disk only recently and is now accreting the remaining gas at a very low rate.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Ap

A non-Hermitian PT−PT-symmetric Bose-Hubbard model: eigenvalue rings from unfolding higher-order exceptional points

We study a non-Hermitian $PT-$symmetric generalization of an $N$-particle, two-mode Bose-Hubbard system, modeling for example a Bose-Einstein condensate in a double well potential coupled to a continuum via a sink in one of the wells and a source in the other. The effect of the interplay between the particle interaction and the non-Hermiticity on characteristic features of the spectrum is analyzed drawing special attention to the occurrence and unfolding of exceptional points (EPs). We find that for vanishing particle interaction there are only two EPs of order $N+1$ which under perturbation unfold either into $[(N+1)/2]$ eigenvalue pairs (and in case of $N+1$ odd, into an additional zero-eigenvalue) or into eigenvalue triplets (third-order eigenvalue rings) and $(N+1)\mod 3$ single eigenvalues, depending on the direction of the perturbation in parameter space. This behavior is described analytically using perturbational techniques. More general EP unfoldings into eigenvalue rings up to $(N+1)$th order are indicated.Comment: minor change

NAHUAL: A cool spectrograph for planets of ultra-cool objects

We present the status of an ongoing study to built a a high resolution near infrared Echelle spectrograph (NAHUAL) for the 10.4-m-Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) which will be especially optimised for planet searches by means of high precision radial velocity measurements. We show that infrared radial velocity programs are particularly suitable to search for planets very low mass stars and brown dwarfs, as well as active stars. The goal of NAHUAL is to reach an accuracy of the radial velocity measurement of a few m/s, which would allow the detection of planets with a few earth-masses orbiting low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. It is planed that NAHUAL covers simultaneously the full wavelength range in the J, H, and K-band, and will also serve as a general purpose high resolution near infrared spectrograph of the GTC. The planed instrument will have a resolution of R=50,000 with a 0.175 arcsec slit, and an AO-system. An absorption cell will serve as a simultaneous wavelength reference.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, conferenc