609 research outputs found
Warped Fermions and Precision Tests
We analyze the behavior of Standard Model matter propagating in a slice of
AdS_5 in the presence of infrared-brane kinetic terms. Brane kinetic terms are
naturally generated through radiative corrections and can also be present at
tree level. The effect of the brane kinetic terms is to expell the heavy KK
modes from the infrared-brane, and hence to reduce their coupling to the
localized Higgs field. In a previous work we showed that sizable gauge kinetic
terms can allow KK mode masses as low as a few TeV, compatible with present
precision measurements. We study here the effect of fermion brane kinetic terms
and show that they ameliorate the behavior of the theory for third generation
fermions localized away from the infrared brane, reduce the contribution of the
third generation quarks to the oblique correction parameters and mantain a good
fit to the precision electroweak data for values of the KK masses of the order
of the weak scale.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures, latex2
Spacetime structure of the global vortex
We analyse the spacetime structure of the global vortex and its maximal
analytic extension in an arbitrary number of spacetime dimensions. We find that
the vortex compactifies space on the scale of the Hubble expansion of its
worldvolume, in a manner reminiscent of that of the domain wall. We calculate
the effective volume of this compactification and remark on its relevance to
hierarchy resolution with extra dimensions. We also consider strongly
gravitating vortices and derive bounds on the existence of a global vortex
solution.Comment: 19 pages revtex, 2 figures, minor changes, references adde
NASA/LaRC jet plume research
The following provides a summary for research being conducted by NASA/LaRC and its contractors and grantees to develop jet engine noise suppression technology under the NASA High Speed Research (HSR) program for the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). The objective of this effort is to explore new innovative concepts for reducing noise to Federally mandated guidelines with minimum compromise on engine performance both in take-off and cruise. The research program is divided into four major technical areas: (1) jet noise research on advanced nozzles; (2) plume prediction and validation; (3) passive and active control; and (4) methodology for noise prediction
Chiral Compactification on a Square
We study quantum field theory in six dimensions with two of them compactified
on a square. A simple boundary condition is the identification of two pairs of
adjacent sides of the square such that the values of a field at two identified
points differ by an arbitrary phase. This allows a chiral fermion content for
the four-dimensional theory obtained after integrating over the square. We find
that nontrivial solutions for the field equations exist only when the phase is
a multiple of \pi/2, so that this compactification turns out to be equivalent
to a T^2/Z_4 orbifold associated with toroidal boundary conditions that are
either periodic or anti-periodic. The equality of the Lagrangian densities at
the identified points in conjunction with six-dimensional Lorentz invariance
leads to an exact Z_8\times Z_2 symmetry, where the Z_2 parity ensures the
stability of the lightest Kaluza-Klein particle.Comment: 28 pages, latex. References added. Clarifying remarks included in
section 2. Minor corrections made in section
Dynamical Stability of Six-Dimensional Warped Brane-Worlds
We study a generalization of the Randall-Sundrum mechanism for generating the
weak/Planck hierarchy, which uses two rather than one warped extra dimension,
and which requires no negative tension branes. A 4-brane with one exponentially
large compact dimension plays the role of the Planck brane. We investigate the
dynamical stability with respect to graviton, graviphoton and radion modes. The
radion is shown to have a tachyonic instability for certain models of the
4-brane stress-energy, while it is stable in others, and massless in a special
case. If stable, its mass is in the milli-eV range, for parameters of the model
which solve the hierarchy problem. The radion is shown to couple to matter with
gravitational strength, so that it is potentially detectable by
submillimeter-range gravity experiments. The radion mass can be increased using
a bulk scalar field in the manner of Goldberger and Wise, but only to order
MeV, due to the effect of the large extra dimension. The model predicts a
natural scale of 10^{13} GeV on the 4-brane, making it a natural setting for
inflation from the ultraviolet brane.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figure
Selenium interactions with algae: Chemical processes at biological uptake sites, bioaccumulation, and intracellular metabolism
Selenium (Se) uptake by primary producers is the most variable and important step in determining Se concentrations at higher trophic levels in aquatic food webs. We gathered data available about the Se bioaccumulation at the base of aquatic food webs and analyzed its relationship with Se concentrations in water. This important dataset was separated into lotic and lentic systems to provide a reliable model to estimate Se in primary producers from aqueous exposure. We observed that lentic systems had higher organic selenium and selenite concentrations than in lotic systems and selenate concentrations were higher in lotic environments. Selenium uptake by algae is mostly driven by Se concentrations, speciation and competition with other anions, and is as well influenced by pH. Based on Se species uptake by algae in the laboratory, we proposed an accurate mechanistic model of competition between sulfate and inorganic Se species at algal uptake sites. Intracellular Se transformations and incorporation into selenoproteins as well as the mechanisms through which Se can induce toxicity in algae has also been reviewed. We provided a new tool for risk assessment strategies to better predict accumulation in primary consumers and consequently to higher trophic levels, and we identified some research needs that could fill knowledge gaps
Scalar Hair of Global Defect and Black Brane World
We consider a complex scalar field in (p+3)-dimensional bulk with a negative
cosmological constant and study global vortices in two extra-dimensions. We
reexamine carefully the coupled scalar and Einstein equations, and show that
the boundary value of scalar amplitude at infinity of the extra-dimensions
should be smaller than vacuum expectation value. The brane world has a
cigar-like geometry with an exponentially decaying warp factor and a flat thick
p-brane is embedded. Since a coordinate transformation identifies the obtained
brane world as a black p-brane world bounded by a horizon, this strange
boundary condition of the scalar amplitude is understood as existence of a
short scalar hair.Comment: 26 pages, 2 figure
Charting the Landscape of Modified Gravity
We explore brane induced gravity on a 3-brane in six locally flat dimensions.
To regulate the short distance singularities in the brane core, we resolve the
thin brane by a cylindrical 4-brane, with the geometry of 4D Minkowski
a circle, which has an axion flux to cancel the vacuum pressure in the compact
direction. We discover a large diversity of possible solutions controlled by
the axion flux, as governed by its boundary conditions. Hence brane induced
gravity models really give rise to a {\it landscape} of vacua, at least
semiclassically. For sub-critical tensions, the crossover scale, below which
gravity may look 4D, and the effective 4D gravitational coupling are sensitive
to vacuum energy. This shows how the vacuum energy problem manifests in brane
induced gravity: instead of tuning the 4D curvature, generically one must tune
the crossover scale. On the other hand, in the near-critical limit, branes live
inside very deep throats which efficiently compactify the angular dimension. In
there, 4D gravity first changes to , and only later to . The crossover
scale saturates at the gravitational see-saw scale, independent of the tension.
Using the fields of static loops on a wrapped brane, we check the perturbative
description of long range gravity below the crossover scale. In sub-critical
cases the scalars are strongly coupled already at the crossover scale even in
the vacuum, because the brane bending is turned on by the axion flux. Near the
critical limit, linearized perturbation theory remains under control below the
crossover scale, and we find that linearized gravity around the vacuum looks
like a scalar-tensor theory.Comment: 47 LaTeX pages, 3 .eps figures, typos fixed to match the published
versio
The Universal Real Projective Plane: LHC phenomenology at one Loop
The Real Projective Plane is the lowest dimensional orbifold which, when
combined with the usual Minkowski space-time, gives rise to a unique model in
six flat dimensions possessing an exact Kaluza Klein (KK) parity as a relic
symmetry of the broken six dimensional Lorentz group. As a consequence of this
property, any model formulated on this background will include a stable Dark
Matter candidate. Loop corrections play a crucial role because they remove mass
degeneracy in the tiers of KK modes and induce new couplings which mediate
decays. We study the full one loop structure of the corrections by means of
counter-terms localised on the two singular points. As an application, the
phenomenology of the (2,0) and (0,2) tiers is discussed at the LHC. We identify
promising signatures with single and di-lepton, top antitop and 4 tops: in the
dilepton channel, present data from CMS and ATLAS may already exclude KK masses
up to 250 GeV, while by next year they may cover the whole mass range preferred
by WMAP data.Comment: 45 pages, 3 figure
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