9,807 research outputs found

    Brane Cosmology and KK Gravitinos

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    The cosmology of KK gravitinos in models with extra dimensions is considered. The main result is that the production of such KK modes is not compatible with an epoch of non--standard expansion after inflation. This is so because the BBN constraint on the zero mode forces the reduced five dimensional Planck mass M5M_5 down to values much smaller than the usual four dimensional one, but this in turn implies many KK states available for a given temperature. Once these states are taken into account one finds that there is no M5M_5 for which the produced KK gravitinos satisfy BBN and overclosure constraints. This conclusion holds for both flat and warped models in which only gravity propagates in the full spacetime.Comment: 19 pages, references added, IoP styl

    Averaged null energy condition violation in a conformally flat spacetime

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    We show that the averaged null energy condition can be violated by a conformally coupled scalar field in a conformally flat spacetime in 3+1 dimensions. The violation is dependent on the quantum state and can be made as large as desired. It does not arise from the presence of anomalies, although anomalous violations are also possible. Since all geodesics in conformally flat spacetimes are achronal, the achronal averaged null energy condition is likewise violated.Comment: 11 page

    Natural extension of the Generalised Uncertainty Principle

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    We discuss a gedanken experiment for the simultaneous measurement of the position and momentum of a particle in de Sitter spacetime. We propose an extension of the so-called generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) which implies the existence of a minimum observable momentum. The new GUP is directly connected to the nonzero cosmological constant, which becomes a necessary ingredient for a more complete picture of the quantum spacetime.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, v2 with added references, revised and extended as published in CQ

    Large-Scale Magnetic Fields, Dark Energy and QCD

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    Cosmological magnetic fields are being observed with ever increasing correlation lengths, possibly reaching the size of superclusters, therefore disfavouring the conventional picture of generation through primordial seeds later amplified by galaxy-bound dynamo mechanisms. In this paper we put forward a fundamentally different approach that links such large-scale magnetic fields to the cosmological vacuum energy. In our scenario the dark energy is due to the Veneziano ghost (which solves the U(1)AU(1)_A problem in QCD). The Veneziano ghost couples through the triangle anomaly to the electromagnetic field with a constant which is unambiguously fixed in the standard model. While this interaction does not produce any physical effects in Minkowski space, it triggers the generation of a magnetic field in an expanding universe at every epoch. The induced energy of the magnetic field is thus proportional to cosmological vacuum energy: ρEMB2(α4π)2ρDE\rho_{EM}\simeq B^2 \simeq (\frac{\alpha}{4\pi})^2 \rho_{DE}, ρDE\rho_{DE} hence acting as a source for the magnetic energy ρEM\rho_{EM}. The corresponding numerical estimate leads to a magnitude in the nG range. There are two unique and distinctive predictions of our proposal: an uninterrupted active generation of Hubble size correlated magnetic fields throughout the evolution of the universe; the presence of parity violation on the enormous scales 1/H1/H, which apparently has been already observed in CMB. These predictions are entirely rooted into the standard model of particle physics.Comment: jhep style, 22 pages, v2 with updated estimates and extended discussion on parity violation, v3 as published (references updated

    The Masses Of The B-Stars In The High Galactic Latitude Eclipsing Binary IT Lib

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    A number of blue stars which appear to be similar to Population I B-stars in the star forming regions of the galactic disk are found more than 1 kpc from the galactic plane. Uncertainties about the true distances and masses of these high latitude B-stars has fueled a debate as to their origin and evolutionary status. The eclipsing binary IT Lib is composed of two B-stars, is approximately one kiloparsec above the galactic plane, and is moving back toward the plane. Observations of the light and velocity curves presented here lead to the conclusion that the B-stars in this system are massive young main-sequence stars. While there are several possible explanations, it appears most plausible that the IT Lib system formed in the disk about 30 million years ago and was ejected on a trajectory taking it to its present position.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the PASP (January 2003

    Determination of the charge carrier compensation mechanism in Te-doped GaAs by scanning tunneling microscopy.

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    We identified the charge carrier compensation mechanism in Te-doped GaAs with atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy. Three types of defects were found: tellurium donors (Te-As), Ga vacancies (V-Ga), and Ga vacancy-donor complexes (V-Ga-Te-As). We show quantitatively that the compensation in Te-doped bulk GaAs is exclusively caused by vacancy-donor complexes in contrast to Si-doped GaAs. This is explained with the Fermi-level effect as the universal mechanism leading to Ga vacancy formation in n-doped GaAs, and a Coulomb interaction leading to the formation of the complexes. The quantification of the carrier compensation yields a -3e charge state of V-Ga in bulk GaAs. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics

    Reconstruction of modified gravity with ghost dark energy models

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    In this work, we reconstruct the f(R)f(R) modified gravity for different ghost and generalized ghost dark energy models in FRW flat universe, which describe the accelerated expansion of the universe. The equation of state of reconstructed f(R)f(R) - gravity has been calculated. We show that the corresponding f(R)f(R) gravity of ghost dark energy model can behave like phantom or quintessence. We also show that the equation of state of reconstructed f(R)f(R) gravity for generalized ghost model can transit from quintessence regime to the phantom regime as indicated by recent observations.Comment: 13 pages, some references and one author are added. Accepted for publication by MPL
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