316 research outputs found
Photon-axion conversion in intergalactic magnetic fields and cosmological consequences
Photon-axion conversion induced by intergalactic magnetic fields causes an
apparent dimming of distant sources, notably of cosmic standard candles such as
supernovae of type Ia (SNe Ia). We review the impact of this mechanism on the
luminosity-redshift relation of SNe Ia, on the dispersion of quasar spectra,
and on the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background. The original idea of
explaining the apparent dimming of distant SNe Ia without cosmic acceleration
is strongly constrained by these arguments. However, the cosmic equation of
state extracted from the SN Ia luminosity-redshift relation remains sensitive
to this mechanism. For example, it can mimic phantom energy.Comment: (14 pages, 9 eps figures) Contribution to appear in a volume of
Lecture Notes in Physics (Springer-Verlag) on Axion
Reexamining nonstandard interaction effects on supernova neutrino flavor oscillations
Several extensions of the standard electroweak model allow new four-fermion
interactions (nu_a nu_b * ff) with strength eps_ab*G_F, where (a,b) are flavor
indices. We revisit their effects on flavor oscillations of massive
(anti)neutrinos in supernovae, in order to achieve, in the region above the
protoneutron star, an analytical treatment valid for generic values of the
neutrino mixing angles (omega,phi,psi)=(theta_12,theta_13,theta_23). Assuming
that eps_ab<<1, we find that the leading effects on the flavor transitions
occurring at high (H) and low (L) density along the supernova matter profile
can be simply embedded through the replacements phi-->phi+eps_H and
omega-->omega+eps_L, respectively, where eps_H and eps_L are specific linear
combinations of the eps_ab's. Similar replacements hold for eventual
oscillations in the Earth matter. From a phenomenological point of view, the
most relevant consequence is a possible uncontrolled bias (phi-->phi+eps_H) in
the value of the mixing angle phi inferred by inversion of supernova neutrino
data. Such a drawback, however, does not preclude the discrimination of the
neutrino mass spectrum hierarchy (direct or inverse) through supernova neutrino
oscillations.Comment: Text clarified, one figure added. To appear in PR
Three-generation flavor transitions and decays of supernova relic neutrinos
If neutrinos have mass, they can also decay. Decay lifetimes of cosmological
interest can be probed, in principle, through the detection of the redshifted,
diffuse neutrino flux produced by all past supernovae--the so-called supernova
relic neutrino (SRN) flux. In this work, we solve the SRN kinetic equations in
the general case of three-generation flavor transitions followed by invisible
(nonradiative) two-body decays. We then use the general solution to calculate
observable SRN spectra in some representative decay scenarios. It is shown
that, in the presence of decay, the SRN event rate can basically span the whole
range below the current experimental upper bound--a range accessible to future
experimental projects. Radiative SRN decays are also briefly discussed.Comment: 25 pages, including 7 figure
Developing 1D nanostructure arrays for future nanophotonics
There is intense and growing interest in one-dimensional (1-D) nanostructures from the perspective of their synthesis and unique properties, especially with respect to their excellent optical response and an ability to form heterostructures. This review discusses alternative approaches to preparation and organization of such structures, and their potential properties. In particular, molecular-scale printing is highlighted as a method for creating organized pre-cursor structure for locating nanowires, as well as vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) templated growth using nano-channel alumina (NCA), and deposition of 1-D structures with glancing angle deposition (GLAD). As regards novel optical properties, we discuss as an example, finite size photonic crystal cavity structures formed from such nanostructure arrays possessing highQand small mode volume, and being ideal for developing future nanolasers
Free vibration analysis and design optimization of SMA/Graphite/Epoxy composite shells in thermal environments
Composite shells, which are being widely used in engineering applications, are often under thermal loads. Thermal loads usually bring thermal stresses in the structure which can significantly affect its static and dynamic behaviors. One of the possible solutions for this matter is embedding Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires into the structure. In the present study, thermal buckling and free vibration of laminated composite cylindrical shells reinforced by SMA wires are analyzed. Brinson model is implemented to predict the thermo-mechanical behavior of SMA wires. The natural frequencies and buckling temperatures of the structure are obtained by employing Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) method. GDQ is a powerful numerical approach which can solve partial differential equations. A comparative study is carried out to show the accuracy and efficiency of the applied numerical method for both free vibration and buckling analysis of composite shells in thermal environment. A parametric study is also provided to indicate the effects of like SMA volume fraction, dependency of material properties on temperature, lay-up orientation, and pre-strain of SMA wires on the natural frequency and buckling of Shape Memory Alloy Hybrid Composite (SMAHC) cylindrical shells. Results represent the fact that SMAs can play a significant role in thermal vibration of composite shells. The second goal of present work is optimization of SMAHC cylindrical shells in order to maximize the fundamental frequency parameter at a certain temperature. To this end, an eight-layer composite shell with four SMA-reinforced layers is considered for optimization. The primary optimization variables are the values of SMA angles in the four layers. Since the optimization process is complicated and time consuming, Genetic Algorithm (GA) is performed to obtain the orientations of SMA layers to maximize the first natural frequency of structure. The optimization results show that using an optimum stacking sequence for SMAHC shells can increase the fundamental frequency of the structure by a considerable amount
Searches for invisible decays of the Higgs boson in pp collisions at root S=7, 8, and 13 TeV
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