Pseudo-Periodic Natural Higgs Inflation

Inflationary cosmology represents a well-studied framework to describe the expansion of space in the early universe, as it explains the origin of the large-scale structure of the cosmos and the isotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation. The recent detection of the Higgs boson renewed research activities based on the assumption that the inflaton could be identified with the Higgs field. At the same time, the question whether the inflationary potential can be be extended to the electroweak scale and whether it should be necessarily chosen ad hoc in order to be physically acceptable are at the center of an intense debate. Here, we perform the slow-roll analysis of the so-called Massive Natural Inflation (MNI) model which has three adjustable parameters, the explicit mass term, a Fourier amplitude u, and a frequency parameter $\beta$, in addition to a constant term of the potential. This theory has the advantage to present a structure of infinite non-degenerate minima and is amenable to an easy integration of high-energy modes. We show that, using PLANCK data, one can fix, in the large $\beta$-region, the parameters of the model in a unique way. We also demonstrate that the value for the parameters chosen at the cosmological scale does not influence the results at the electroweak scale. We argue that other models can have similar properties both at cosmological and electroweak scales, but with the MNI model one can complete the theory towards low energies and easily perform the integration of modes up to the electroweak scale, producing the correct order-of-magnitude for the Higgs mass.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, published in Nuclear Physics

Ultra-High Energy Neutrino-Nucleon Scattering and Parton Distributions at Small xx

The cross section for ultra-high energy neutrino-nucleon scattering is very sensitive to the parton distributions at very small values of Bjorken x ($x \leq 10^{-4})$. We numerically investigate the effects of modifying the behavior of the gluon distribution function at very small $x$ in the DGLAP evolution equation. We then use the Color Glass Condensate formalism to calculate the neutrino-nucleon cross section at ultra-high energies and compare the result with those based on modification of DGLAP evolution equation.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, INT-PUB-05-3

Shadowing of gluons in perturbative QCD: A comparison of different models

We investigate the different perturbative QCD-based models for nuclear shadowing of gluons. We show that in the kinematic region appropriate to RHIC experiment, all models give similar estimates for the magnitude of gluon shadowing. At scales relevant to LHC, there is a sizable difference between predictions of the different models.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Cronin Effect at Different Rapidities at RHIC

Calculations of the nuclear modification factor, R_dAu, for pi^0 production in dAu collisions at s_NN^1/2 = 200 GeV are presented. The applied pQCD-improved parton model incorporates intrinsic k_T. Nuclear multiscattering and nuclear shadowing are considered in the Au nucleus. Theoretical results are displayed for midrapidity and high pseudorapidity (eta), and compared to preliminary PHENIX and BRAHMS data.Comment: Contributed to 17th International Conference on Ultra Relativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions (Quark Matter 2004), Oakland, California, 11-17 Jan 200

Differential susceptibility to fathers’ care and involvement: The moderating effect of infant reactivity

The differential susceptibility hypothesis suggests that children differ in their susceptibility to the influence of both positive and negative environmental factors. Children with reactive temperaments are hypothesised to be particularly susceptible to environmental influences, both for better and for worse. The present study sought to investigate whether infant temperament moderates the influence of fathers on child prosocial and problem behaviours. In a large prospective population study (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children), 5064 children were followed between the ages of six and 81 months (6¾ years). Infant temperament, child behaviours, and fathers’ involvement and depression were assessed

Forward Quark Jets from Protons Shattering the Colored Glass

We consider the single-inclusive minijet cross section in pA at forward rapidity within the Color Glass Condensate model of high energy collisions. We show that the nucleus appears black to the incident quarks except for very large impact parameters. A markedly flatter p_t distribution as compared to QCD in the dilute perturbative limit is predicted for transverse momenta about the saturation scale, which could be as large as Q_s^2 ~ 10 GeV^2 for a gold nucleus boosted to rapidity ~10 (as at the BNL-RHIC).Comment: 9 pages, no figure

The initial energy density of gluons produced in very high energy nuclear collisions

In very high energy nuclear collisions, the initial energy of produced gluons per unit area per unit rapidity, $dE/L^2/d\eta$, is equal to $f(g^2\mu L) (g^2\mu)^3/g^2$, where $\mu^2$ is proportional to the gluon density per unit area of the colliding nuclei. For an SU(2) gauge theory, we perform a non--perturbative numerical computation of the function $f(g^2\mu L)$. It decreases rapidly for small $g^2\mu L$ but varies only by $\sim 25$%, from $0.208\pm 0.004$ to $0.257\pm 0.005$, for a wide range 35.36--296.98 in $g^2\mu L$, including the range relevant for collisions at RHIC and LHC. Extrapolating to SU(3), we estimate the initial energy per unit rapidity for Au-Au collisions in the central region at RHIC and LHC.Comment: 11 pages, Latex, 3 figures; revised version-includes additional numerical data; reference adde

Non-linear evolution in CCFM: The interplay between coherence and saturation

We solve the CCFM equation numerically in the presence of a boundary condition which effectively incorporates the non-linear dynamics. We retain the full dependence of the unintegrated gluon distribution on the coherence scale, and extract the saturation momentum. The resulting saturation scale is a function of both rapidity and the coherence momentum. In Deep Inelastic Scattering this will lead to a dependence of the saturation scale on the photon virtuality in addition to the usual x-Bjorken dependence. At asymptotic energies the interplay between the perturbative non-linear physics, and that of the QCD coherence, leads to an interesting and novel dynamics where the saturation momentum itself eventually saturates. We also investigate various implementations of the "non-Sudakov" form factor. It is shown that the non-linear dynamics leads to almost identical results for different form factors. Finally, different choices of the scale of the running coupling are analyzed and implications for the phenomenology are discussed.Comment: 37 pages, 21 figure