Fixed boundary conditions analysis of the 3d Gonihedric Ising model with κ=0\kappa=0

The Gonihedric Ising model is a particular case of the class of models defined by Savvidy and Wegner intended as discrete versions of string theories on cubic lattices. In this paper we perform a high statistics analysis of the phase transition exhibited by the 3d Gonihedric Ising model with $k=0$ in the light of a set of recently stated scaling laws applicable to first order phase transitions with fixed boundary conditions. Even though qualitative evidence was presented in a previous paper to support the existence of a first order phase transition at $k=0$, only now are we capable of pinpointing the transition inverse temperature at $\beta_c = 0.54757(63)$ and of checking the scaling of standard observables.Comment: 14 pages, 5 tables, 2 figures, uses elsart.cls packag

The cosmological Lithium problem outside the Galaxy: the Sagittarius globular cluster M54

The cosmological Li problem is the observed discrepancy between Li abundance, A(Li), measured in Galactic dwarf, old and metal-poor stars (traditionally assumed to be equal to the initial value A(Li)_0), and that predicted by standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis calculations (A(Li)_{BBN}). Here we attack the Li problem by considering an alternative diagnostic, namely the surface Li abundance of red giant branch stars that in a colour magnitude diagram populate the region between the completion of the first dredge-up and the red giant branch bump. We obtained high-resolution spectra with the FLAMES facility at the Very Large Telescope for a sample of red giants in the globular cluster M54, belonging to the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy. We obtain A(Li)=+0.93+-0.11 dex, translating -- after taking into account the dilution due to the dredge up-- to initial abundances (A(Li)_0) in the range 2.35--2.29 dex, depending on whether or not atomic diffusion is considered. This is the first measurement of Li in the Sagittarius galaxy and the more distant estimate of A(Li)_0 in old stars obtained so far. The A(Li)_0 estimated in M54 is lower by ~0.35 dex than A(Li)_{BBN}, hence incompatible at a level of ~3sigma. Our result shows that this discrepancy is a universal problem concerning both the Milky Way and extra-galactic systems. Either modifications of BBN calculations, or a combination of atomic diffusion plus a suitably tuned additional mixing during the main sequence, need to be invoked to solve the discrepancy.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS, 10 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Spectroscopy of blue horizontal branch stars in NGC 6656 (M22)

Recent investigations revealed very peculiar properties of blue horizontal branch (HB) stars in \omega Centauri, which show anomalously low surface gravity and mass compared to other clusters and to theoretical models. \omega Centauri, however, is a very unusual object, hosting a complex mix of multiple stellar populations with different metallicity and chemical abundances. We measured the fundamental parameters (temperature, gravity, and surface helium abundance) of a sample of 71 blue HB stars in M22, with the aim of clarifying if the peculiar results found in \omega Cen are unique to this cluster. M22 also hosts multiple sub-populations of stars with a spread in metallicity, analogous to \omega Cen. The stellar parameters were measured on low-resolution spectra fitting the Balmer and helium lines with a grid of synthetic spectra. From these parameters, the mass and reddening were estimated. Our results on the gravities and masses agree well with theoretical expectations, matching the previous measurements in three "normal" clusters. The anomalies found in \omega Cen are not observed among our stars. A mild mass underestimate is found for stars hotter than 14\,000 K, but an exact analogy with \omega Cen cannot be drawn. We measured the reddening in the direction of M22 with two independent methods, finding E(B-V)=0.35 \pm 0.02 mag, with semi-amplitude of the maximum variation \Delta(E(B-V))=0.06 mag, and an rms intrinsic dispersion of \sigma(E(B-V))=0.03 mag.Comment: 11 pages, 9 Postscript figure

A hot horizontal branch star with a close K-type main-sequence companion

Dynamical interactions in binary systems are thought to play a major role in the formation of extreme horizontal branch stars (EHBs) in the Galactic field. However, it is still unclear if the same mechanisms are at work in globular clusters, where EHBs are predominantly single stars. Here we report on the discovery of a unique close binary system (period ~1.61 days) in the globular cluster NGC6752, comprising an EHB and a main-sequence companion of 0.63+-0.05 Msun. Such a system has no counterpart among nearly two hundred known EHB binaries in the Galactic field. Its discovery suggests that either field studies are incomplete, missing this type of systems possibly because of selection effects, or that a particular EHB formation mechanism is active in clusters but not in the field

Production and decays of supersymmetric Higgs bosons in spontaneously broken R-parity

We study the mass spectra, production and decay properties of the lightest supersymmetric CP-even and CP-odd Higgs bosons in models with spontaneously broken R-parity (SBRP). We compare the resulting mass spectra with expectations of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), stressing that the model obeys the upper bound on the lightest CP-even Higgs boson mass. We discuss how the presence of the additional scalar singlet states affects the Higgs production cross sections, both for the Bjorken process and the "associated production". The main phenomenological novelty with respect to the MSSM comes from the fact that the spontaneous breaking of lepton number leads to the existence of the majoron, denoted J, which opens new decay channels for supersymmetric Higgs bosons. We find that the invisible decays of CP-even Higgses can be dominant, while those of the CP-odd bosons may also be sizeable.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures; minor changes, final version for publicatio

Predicting Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

We give predictions for the neutrinoless double beta decay rate in a simple variant of the A_4 family symmetry model. We show that there is a lower bound for the neutrinoless double beta decay amplitude even in the case of normal hierarchical neutrino masses, corresponding to an effective mass parameter |m_{ee}| >= 0.17 \sqrt{\Delta m^2_{ATM}}. This result holds both for the CP conserving and CP violating cases. In the latter case we show explicitly that the lower bound on |m_{ee}| is sensitive to the value of the Majorana phase. We conclude therefore that in our scheme, neutrinoless double beta decay may be accessible to the next generation of high sensitivity experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Degenerate neutrinos from a supersymmetric A_4 model

We investigate the supersymmetric A_4 model recently proposed by Babu, Ma and Valle. The model naturally gives quasi-degenerate neutrinos that are bi-largely mixed, in agreement with observations. Furthermore, the mixings in the quark sector are constrained to be small, making it a complete model of the flavor structure. Moreover, it has the interesting property that CP-violation in the leptonic sector is maximal (unless vanishing). The model exhibit a close relation between the slepton and lepton sectors and we derive the slepton spectra that are compatible with neutrino data and the present bounds on flavor-violating charged lepton decays. The prediction for the branching ratio of the decay tau -> mu gamma has a lower limit of 10^{-9}. In addition, the overall neutrino mass scale is constrained to be larger than 0.3 eV. Thus, the model will be tested in the very near future.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures. Talk given at the International Workshop on Astroparticle and High Energy Physics (AHEP), Valencia, Spain, 14-18 Oct. 200

Minimal supergravity radiative effects on the tri-bimaximal neutrino mixing pattern

We study the stability of the Harrison-Perkins-Scott (HPS) mixing pattern, assumed to hold at some high energy scale, against supersymmetric radiative corrections. We work in the framework of a reference minimal supergravity model (mSUGRA) where supersymmetry breaking is universal and flavor-blind at unification. The radiative corrections considered include both RGE running as well as threshold effects. We find that in this case the solar mixing angle can only increase with respect to the HPS reference value, while the atmospheric and reactor mixing angles remain essentially stable. Deviations from the solar angle HPS prediction towards lower values would signal novel contributions from physics beyond the simplest mSUGRA model.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures; added reference; final version for publicatio