The true redshift distribution of Pre-SWIFT gamma-ray bursts

SWIFT bursts appear to be more distant than previous bursts. We present the Boer & Gendre relation that link redshift and afterglow luminosities. Taking advantage of the XMM-Newton, Chandra and BeppoSAX catalogs, and using this relation, we have investigated the redshift distribution of GRBs. We find that XMM burst sources with unknown redshift appear to be more distant than those with a known redshift. We propose that this effect may be due to a selection effect of pre-SWIFT optical observations.Comment: Proceedings of the "Gamma Ray Bursts in the Swift Era" conference, 6 pages, 5 color figure

Conformal Field Theories: From Old to New

In a short review of recent work, we discuss the general problem of constructing the actions of new conformal field theories from old conformal field theories. Such a construction follows when the old conformal field theory admits new conformal stress tensors in its chiral algebra, and it turns out that the new conformal field theory is generically a new spin-two gauge theory. As an example we discuss the new spin-two gauged sigma models which arise in this fashion from the general conformal non-linear sigma model.Comment: 7 pages, LaTeX, to appear in a memorial issue of Theoretical and Mathematical Physics in memory of F.A. Lune

Indirect Dark Matter Signals from EGRET and PAMELA compared

Dark Matter annihilation (DMA) may yield an excess of gamma rays and antimatter particles, like antiprotons and positrons, above the background from cosmic ray interactions. The excess of diffuse Galactic Gamma Rays from EGRET shows all the features expected from DMA. The new precise measurements of the antiproton and positron fractions from PAMELA are compared with the EGRET excess. It is shown that the charged particles are strongly dependent on the propagation model used. The usual propagation models with isotropic propagation models are incompatible with the recently observed convection in our Galaxy. Convection leads to an order of magnitude uncertainty in the yield of charged particles from DMA, since even a rather small convection will let drift the charged particles in the halo to outer space. It is shown that such anisotropic propagation models including convection prefer a contribution from DMA for the antiprotons, but the rise in the positron fraction, as observed by PAMELA, is incompatible with DMA, if compared with the EGRET excess. A rise in the positron/electron ratio is expected, if the observed rise in the proton/electron ratio is carefully fitted in a propagation model, although the rise is slightly larger than expected, so additional local sources may contribute as well within the limited accuracy of the data.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, Contributed paper to the Eighth UCLA Symposium: Sources and Detection of Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Univers

Unification of the General Non-Linear Sigma Model and the Virasoro Master Equation

The Virasoro master equation describes a large set of conformal field theories known as the affine-Virasoro constructions, in the operator algebra (affine Lie algebra) of the WZW model, while the Einstein equations of the general non-linear sigma model describe another large set of conformal field theories. This talk summarizes recent work which unifies these two sets of conformal field theories, together with a presumable large class of new conformal field theories. The basic idea is to consider spin-two operators of the form $L_{ij} \partial x^i \partial x^j$ in the background of a general sigma model. The requirement that these operators satisfy the Virasoro algebra leads to a set of equations called the unified Einstein-Virasoro master equation, in which the spin-two spacetime field $L_{ij}$ couples to the usual spacetime fields of the sigma model. The one-loop form of this unified system is presented, and some of its algebraic and geometric properties are discussed.Comment: 18 pages, Latex. Talk presented by MBH at the NATO Workshop `New Developments in Quantum Field Theory', June 14-20, 1997, Zakopane, Polan

The luminosity of GRB afterglows as distance estimator

We investigate the clustering of afterglow light curves observed at X-ray and optical wavelengths. We have constructed a sample of 61 bursts with known distance and X-ray afterglow. GRB sources can be divided in three classes, namely optical and X-ray bright afterglows, optical and X-ray dim one s, and optically bright -X-ray dim ones. We argue that this clustering is related to the fireball total energy, the external medium density, the fraction of fireball energy going in relativistic electrons and magnetic fields. We propose a method for the estimation of the GRB source redshift based on the observe d X-ray flux one day after the burst and optical properties. We tested this method on three recently detected SWIFT GRBs with known redshift, and found it i n good agreement with the reported distance from optical spectroscopy.Comment: 6 pages, proceeding of the PCHE session at the Journees de la SF2

Unified Einstein-Virasoro Master Equation in the General Non-Linear Sigma Model

The Virasoro master equation (VME) describes the general affine-Virasoro construction T=L^{ab}J_aJ_b+iD^a \dif J_a in the operator algebra of the WZW model, where $L^{ab}$ is the inverse inertia tensor and $D^a$ is the improvement vector. In this paper, we generalize this construction to find the general (one-loop) Virasoro construction in the operator algebra of the general non-linear sigma model. The result is a unified Einstein-Virasoro master equation which couples the spacetime spin-two field $L^{ab}$ to the background fields of the sigma model. For a particular solution $L_G^{ab}$, the unified system reduces to the canonical stress tensors and conventional Einstein equations of the sigma model, and the system reduces to the general affine-Virasoro construction and the VME when the sigma model is taken to be the WZW action. More generally, the unified system describes a space of conformal field theories which is presumably much larger than the sum of the general affine-Virasoro construction and the sigma model with its canonical stress tensors. We also discuss a number of algebraic and geometrical properties of the system, including its relation to an unsolved problem in the theory of $G$-structures on manifolds with torsion.Comment: LaTeX, 55 pages, one postscript figure, uses epsfig.sty. contains a few minor corrections; version to be published in Int. J. Mod. Phys.

The orbifold-string theories of permutation-type: II. Cycle dynamics and target space-time dimensions

We continue our discussion of the general bosonic prototype of the new orbifold-string theories of permutation type. Supplementing the extended physical-state conditions of the previous paper, we construct here the extended Virasoro generators with cycle central charge $\hat{c}_j(\sigma)=26f_j(\sigma)$, where $f_j(\sigma)$ is the length of cycle $j$ in twisted sector $\sigma$. We also find an equivalent, reduced formulation of each physical-state problem at reduced cycle central charge $c_j(\sigma)=26$. These tools are used to begin the study of the target space-time dimension $\hat{D}_j(\sigma)$ of cycle $j$ in sector $\sigma$, which is naturally defined as the number of zero modes (momenta) of each cycle. The general model-dependent formulae derived here will be used extensively in succeeding papers, but are evaluated in this paper only for the simplest case of the "pure" permutation orbifolds.Comment: 32 page

The Orbifold-String Theories of Permutation-Type: III. Lorentzian and Euclidean Space-Times in a Large Example

To illustrate the general results of the previous paper, we discuss here a large concrete example of the orbifold-string theories of permutation-type. For each of the many subexamples, we focus on evaluation of the \emph{target space-time dimension} $\hat{D}_j(\sigma)$, the \emph{target space-time signature} and the \emph{target space-time symmetry} of each cycle $j$ in each twisted sector $\sigma$. We find in particular a gratifying \emph{space-time symmetry enhancement} which naturally matches the space-time symmetry of each cycle to its space-time dimension. Although the orbifolds of $\Z_{2}$-permutation-type are naturally Lorentzian, we find that the target space-times associated to larger permutation groups can be Lorentzian, Euclidean and even null (\hat{D}_{j}(\sigma)=0), with varying space-time dimensions, signature and symmetry in a single orbifold.Comment: 36 page

Evidence for a dual population of neutron star mergers from short Gamma-Ray Burst observations

Short duration Gamma-Ray Bursts are thought to originate from the coalescence of neutron stars in binary systems. They are detected as a brief ($<$ 2s), intense flash of gamma-ray radiation followed by a weaker, rapidly decreasing afterglow. They are expected to be detected by Advanced LIGO and Virgo when their sensitivity will be low enough. In a recent study we identified a population of short Gamma-Ray Bursts that are intrinsically faint and nearby. Here we provide evidence in favor of the existence of this new population that can hardly be reproduced with a model of field neutron star binary coalescences. We propose that these systems may be produced dynamically in globular clusters, and may result from the merger of a black hole and a neutron star. The advanced LIGO and Virgo observation of a high rate of NSBH mergers compatible with the dynamical formation in globular clusters would be a confirmation of this hypothesis and would enable for the derivation of the mass function of black holes inside globular clusters, as well as the luminosity function of faint short GRBs.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, submitted to Ap