Flavor Alignment Solutions to the Strong CP Problem in Supersymmetry

An approach to solving the Strong CP Problem in supersymmetric theories is discussed which uses abelian family symmetries to align the mass matrices of the quarks and squarks. In this way both the Strong CP Problem and the characteristic flavor and CP problems of supersymmetry can be solved in a single way.Comment: 13 pages, LaTe

Candidates for a possible third-generation gravitational wave detector: comparison of ring-Sagnac and sloshing-Sagnac speedmeter interferometers

Speedmeters are known to be quantum non-demolition devices and, by potentially providing sensitivity beyond the standard quantum limit, become interesting for third generation gravitational wave detectors. Here we introduce a new configuration, the sloshing-Sagnac interferometer, and compare it to the more established ring-Sagnac interferometer. The sloshing-Sagnac interferometer is designed to provide improved quantum noise limited sensitivity and lower coating thermal noise than standard position meter interferometers employed in current gravitational wave detectors. We compare the quantum noise limited sensitivity of the ring-Sagnac and the sloshing-Sagnac interferometers, in the frequency range, from 5 Hz to 100 Hz, where they provide the greatest potential benefit. We evaluate the improvement in terms of the unweighted noise reduction below the standard quantum limit, and by finding the range up to which binary black hole inspirals may be observed. The sloshing-Sagnac was found to give approximately similar or better sensitivity than the ring-Sagnac in all cases. We also show that by eliminating the requirement for maximally-reflecting cavity end mirrors with correspondingly-thick multi-layer coatings, coating noise can be reduced by a factor of approximately 2.2 compared to conventional interferometers

Using the surface profiles of modern ice masses to inform palaeo-glacier reconstructions

Morphometric study of modern ice masses is useful because many reconstructions of glaciers traditionally draw on their shape for guidance Here we analyse data derived from the surface profiles of 200 modern ice masses-valley glaciers icefields ice caps and ice sheets with length scales from 10(0) to 10(3) km-from different parts of the world Four profile attributes are investigated relief span and two parameters C* and C that result from using Nye s (1952) theoretical parabola as a profile descriptor C* and C respectively measure each profile s aspect ratio and steepness and are found to decrease in size and variability with span This dependence quantifies the competing influences of unconstrained spreading behaviour of ice flow and bed topography on the profile shape of ice masses which becomes more parabolic as span Increases (with C* and C tending to low values of 2 5-3 3 m(1/2)) The same data reveal coherent minimum bounds in C* and C for modern ice masses that we develop into two new methods of palaeo glacier reconstruction In the first method glacial limits are known from moraines and the bounds are used to constrain the lowest palaeo ice surface consistent with modern profiles We give an example of applying this method over a three-dimensional glacial landscape in Kamchatka In the second method we test the plausibility of existing reconstructions by comparing their C* and C against the modern minimum bounds Of the 86 published palaeo ice masses that we put to this test 88% are found to be plausible The search for other morphometric constraints will help us formalise glacier reconstructions and reduce their uncertainty and subjectiveness (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserve

The Strong CP Problem and Axions

I describe how the QCD vacuum structure, necessary to resolve the $U(1)_A$ problem, predicts the presence of a P, T and CP violating term proportional to the vacuum angle $\bar{\theta}$. To agree with experimental bounds, however, this parameter must be very small $(\bar{\theta} \leq 10^{-9}$). After briefly discussing some possible other solutions to this, so-called, strong CP problem, I concentrate on the chiral solution proposed by Peccei and Quinn which has associated with it a light pseudoscalar particle, the axion. I discuss in detail the properties and dynamics of axions, focusing particularly on invisible axion models where axions are very light, very weakly coupled and very long-lived. Astrophysical and cosmological bounds on invisible axions are also briefly touched upon.Comment: 14 pages, to appear in the Lecture Notes in Physics volume on Axions, (Springer Verlag

Family Unification in Five and Six Dimensions

In family unification models, all three families of quarks and leptons are grouped together into an irreducible representation of a simple gauge group, thus unifying the Standard Model gauge symmetries and a gauged family symmetry. Large orthogonal groups, and the exceptional groups $E_7$ and $E_8$ have been much studied for family unification. The main theoretical difficulty of family unification is the existence of mirror families at the weak scale. It is shown here that family unification without mirror families can be realized in simple five-dimensional and six-dimensional orbifold models similar to those recently proposed for SU(5) and SO(10) grand unification. It is noted that a family unification group that survived to near the weak scale and whose coupling extrapolated to high scales unified with those of the Standard model would be evidence accessible in principle at low energy of the existence of small (Planckian or GUT-scale) extra dimensions.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, minor corrections, references adde

Planck-Scale Physics and Neutrino Masses

We discuss gravitationally induced masses and mass splittings of Majorana, Zeldovich-Konopinski-Mahmoud and Dirac neutrinos. Among other implications, these effects can provide a solution of the solar neutrino puzzle. In particular, we show how this may work in the 17 keV neutrino picture.Comment: 10 pages, IC/92/79, SISSA-83/92/EP, LMU-04/92 (the preprint number has been corrected; no other changes

The impact of the ATLAS zero-lepton, jets and missing momentum search on a CMSSM fit

Recent ATLAS data significantly extend the exclusion limits for supersymmetric particles. We examine the impact of such data on global fits of the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model (CMSSM) to indirect and cosmological data. We calculate the likelihood map of the ATLAS search, taking into account systematic errors on the signal and on the background. We validate our calculation against the ATLAS determinaton of 95% confidence level exclusion contours. A previous CMSSM global fit is then re-weighted by the likelihood map, which takes a bite at the high probability density region of the global fit, pushing scalar and gaugino masses up.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures. v2 has bigger figures and fixed typos. v3 has clarified explanation of our handling of signal systematic

Manual mapping of drumlins in synthetic landscapes to assess operator effectiveness

Mapped topographic features are important for understanding processes that sculpt the Earth's surface. This paper presents maps that are the primary product of an exercise that brought together 27 researchers with an interest in landform mapping wherein the efficacy and causes of variation in mapping were tested using novel synthetic DEMs containing drumlins. The variation between interpreters (e.g. mapping philosophy, experience) and across the study region (e.g. woodland prevalence) opens these factors up to assessment. A priori known answers in the synthetics increase the number and strength of conclusions that may be drawn with respect to a traditional comparative study. Initial results suggest that overall detection rates are relatively low (34–40%), but reliability of mapping is higher (72–86%). The maps form a reference dataset

Topics in Chiral Perturbation Theory

I consider some selected topics in chiral perturbation theory (CHPT). For the meson sector, emphasis is put on processes involving pions in the isospin zero S-wave which require multi-loop calculations. The advantages and shortcomings of heavy baryon CHPT are discussed. Some recent results on the structure of the baryons are also presented.Comment: 30 pp, TeX, Review talk, Third Workshop on High Energy Particle Physics (WHEPP III), Madras, India, January 1994. 7 figures available upon request. CRN--94/0

Probing the seesaw mechanism with neutrino data and leptogenesis

In the framework of the seesaw mechanism with three heavy right-handed Majorana neutrinos and no Higgs triplets we carry out a systematic study of the structure of the right-handed neutrino sector. Using the current low-energy neutrino data as an input and assuming hierarchical Dirac-type neutrino masses $m_{Di}$, we calculate the masses $M_i$ and the mixing of the heavy neutrinos. We confront the inferred properties of these neutrinos with the constraints coming from the requirement of a successful baryogenesis via leptogenesis. In the generic case the masses of the right-handed neutrinos are highly hierarchical: $M_i \propto m_{Di}^2$; the lightest mass is $M_1 \approx 10^3 - 10^6$ GeV and the generated baryon-to-photon ratio $\eta_B\lesssim 10^{-14}$ is much smaller than the observed value. We find the special cases which correspond to the level crossing points, with maximal mixing between two quasi-degenerate right-handed neutrinos. Two level crossing conditions are obtained: ${m}_{ee}\approx 0$ (1-2 crossing) and $d_{12}\approx 0$ (2-3 crossing), where ${m}_{ee}$ and $d_{12}$ are respectively the 11-entry and the 12-subdeterminant of the light neutrino mass matrix in the basis where the neutrino Yukawa couplings are diagonal. We show that sufficient lepton asymmetry can be produced only in the 1-2 crossing where $M_1 \approx M_2 \approx 10^{8}$ GeV, $M_3 \approx 10^{14}$ GeV and $(M_2 - M_1)/ M_2 \lesssim 10^{-5}$.Comment: 30 pages, 2 eps figures, JHEP3.cls, typos corrected, note (and references) added on non-thermal leptogenesi