A new gravitational wave background from the Big Bang

The reheating of the universe after hybrid inflation proceeds through the nucleation and subsequent collision of large concentrations of energy density in the form of bubble-like structures moving at relativistic speeds. This generates a significant fraction of energy in the form of a stochastic background of gravitational waves, whose time evolution is determined by the successive stages of reheating: First, tachyonic preheating makes the amplitude of gravity waves grow exponentially fast. Second, bubble collisions add a new burst of gravitational radiation. Third, turbulent motions finally sets the end of gravitational waves production. From then on, these waves propagate unimpeded to us. We find that the fraction of energy density today in these primordial gravitational waves could be significant for GUT scale models of inflation, although well beyond the frequency range sensitivity of gravitational wave observatories like LIGO, LISA or BBO. However, low-scale models could still produce a detectable signal at frequencies accessible to BBO or DECIGO. For comparison, we have also computed the analogous background from some chaotic inflation models and obtained similar results to those of other groups. The discovery of such a background would open a new observational window into the very early universe, where the details of the process of reheating could be explored. Thus, it could also serve as a new experimental tool for testing the Inflationary Paradigm.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, to appear in the Proceedings of JGRG17, Nagoya (Japan), 3-7 December 200

The Decay of the Standard Model Higgs after Inflation

We study the nonperturbative dynamics of the Standard Model (SM) after inflation, in the regime where the SM is decoupled from (or weakly coupled to) the inflationary sector. We use classical lattice simulations in an expanding box in (3+1) dimensions, modeling the SM gauge interactions with both global and Abelian-Higgs analogue scenarios. We consider different post-inflationary expansion rates. During inflation, the Higgs forms a condensate, which starts oscillating soon after inflation ends. Via nonperturbative effects, the oscillations lead to a fast decay of the Higgs into the SM species, transferring most of the energy into $Z$ and $W^{\pm}$ bosons. All species are initially excited far away from equilibrium, but their interactions lead them into a stationary stage, with exact equipartition among the different energy components. From there on the system eventually reaches equilibrium. We have characterized in detail, in the different expansion histories considered, the evolution of the Higgs and of its dominant decay products, until equipartition is established. We provide a useful mapping between simulations with different parameters, from where we derive a master formula for the Higgs decay time, as a function of the coupling constants, Higgs initial amplitude and postinflationary expansion rate.Comment: Minor changes to match the PRD published version. Modulation of the Higgs amplitude removed for $q > 200$ in Sec. V, due to improving the time resolution in the Higgs equation of motion. Results unaffecte

Gravitational wave production from the decay of the Standard Model Higgs field after inflation

During or towards the end of inflation, the Standard Model (SM) Higgs forms a condensate with a large amplitude. Following inflation, the condensate oscillates, decaying non-perturbatively into the rest of the SM species. The resulting out-of-equilibrium dynamics converts a fraction of the energy available into gravitational waves (GW). We study this process using classical lattice simulations in an expanding box, following the energetically dominant electroweak gauge bosons $W^\pm$ and $Z$. We characterize the GW spectrum as a function of the running couplings, Higgs initial amplitude, and post-inflationary expansion rate. As long as the SM is decoupled from the inflationary sector, the generation of this background is universally expected, independently of the nature of inflation. Our study demonstrates the efficiency of GW emission by gauge fields undergoing parametric resonance. The initial energy of the Higgs condensate represents however, only a tiny fraction of the inflationary energy. Consequently, the resulting background is very suppressed, with an amplitude $h^2 \Omega_{\rm GW}^{(o)} \lesssim 10^{-29}$ today. The amplitude can be boosted to $h^2 \Omega_{\rm GW}^{(o)} \lesssim 10^{-16}$, if following inflation the universe undergoes a kination-domination stage; however the background is shifted in this case to high frequencies $f_p \lesssim 10^{11} {\rm Hz}$. In all cases the signal is out of the range of current or planned GW detectors. This background will therefore remain, most likely, as a curiosity of the SM.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures. Minor changes to match version published in PR

Neruda el universitario

This article begins with a description of Santiago in the 20s decade, specially in its social, cultural and political environment. Then, it reviews the years when Neruda studied at the Instituto Pedagógico of the University of Chile and stresses the donation of books and shells done by the poet to the University

Cosmic Microwave Background temperature and polarization anisotropies from the large-N limit of global defects

We determine the full C_l spectra and correlation functions of the temperature and polarization anisotropies in the CMB, generated by a source modeled by the large N limit of spontaneously broken global O(N)-theories. We point out a problem in the standard approach of treating the radiation-matter transition by interpolating the eigenvectors of the unequal-time correlators of the source energy-momentum tensor. This affects the CMB predictions from all type of cosmic defects. We propose a method to overcome this difficulty, and find that in the large-N global model that we study, differences in the final CMB power spectra amplitudes reach up to 25%, when compared to implementations of the eigenvector interpolation technique. We discuss as well how to optimally search for the contribution in the CMB from active sources such as cosmic defects, in experiments like Planck, COrE and PRISM.Comment: 16+4 pages, 13 figures (Version 2: minor changes to match published version in PRD

The local B-polarization of the CMB: a very sensitive probe of cosmic defects

We present a new and especially powerful signature of cosmic strings and other topological or non-topological defects in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We show that even if defects contribute 1% or less in the CMB temperature anisotropy spectrum, their signature in the local $\tilde{B}$-polarization correlation function at angular scales of tens of arc minutes is much larger than that due to gravitational waves from inflation, even if the latter contribute with a ratio as big as $r\simeq 0.1$ to the temperature anisotropies. We show that when going from non-local to local $\tilde{B}$-polarization, the ratio of the defect signal-to-noise with respect to the inflationary value increases by about an order of magnitude. Proposed B-polarization experiments, with a good sensitivity on arcminute scales, may either detect a contribution from topological defects produced after inflation or place stringent limits on them. Even Planck should be able to improve present constraints on defect models by at least an order of magnitude, to the level of \ep <10^{-7}. A future full-sky experiment like CMBpol, with polarization sensitivities of the order of $1\mu$K-arcmin, will be able to constrain the defect parameter \ep=Gv^2 to a few $\times10^{-9}$, depending on the defect model.Comment: Version Published in Physics Letters

The Shadow Banking System: Un análisis Post-Mortem

Explican este singular término del argot económico y analizan el rol que tuvo en la crisis financiera internacional.

Dynamical Functional Artificial Neural Network: Use of Efficient Piecewise Linear Functions

A nonlinear adaptive time series predictor has been developed using a new type of piecewise linear (PWL) network for its underlying model structure. The PWL Network is a D-FANN (Dynamical Functional Artificial Neural Network) the activation functions of which are piecewise linear. The new realization is presented with the associated training algorithm. Properties and characteristics are discussed. This network has been successfully used to model and predict an important class of highly dynamic and nonstationary signals, namely speech signals.Fil: Figueroa, Jose Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Eléctrica "Alfredo Desages". Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y de Computadoras. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Eléctrica "Alfredo Desages"; ArgentinaFil: Cousseau, Juan Edmundo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Eléctrica "Alfredo Desages". Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y de Computadoras. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Eléctrica "Alfredo Desages"; Argentin

Comparación entre el Índice de Yager y el Centroide para Reducción de tipo de un Número Difuso Tipo-2 de Intervalo

Context: There is a need for ranking and defuzzification of Interval Type-2 fuzzy sets (IT2FS), in particular Interval Type-2 fuzzy numbers (IT2FN). To do so, we use the classical Yager Index Rank (YIR) for fuzzy sets to IT2FNs in order to find an alternative to the centroid of an IT2FN.Method: We use a simulation strategy to compare the results of the centroid and the YIR of an IT2FN. This way, we simulate 1000 IT2FNs of the following three kinds: gaussian, triangular, and non symmetrical in order to compare their centroids and YIRs.Results: After performing the simulations, we compute some statistics about its behavior such as the degree of subsethood, equality and the size of the Footprint of Uncertainty (FOU) of an IT2FN. A description of the obtained results shows that the YIR is less wide than centroid of an IT2FN.Conclusions: In general, YIR is less complex to obtain than the centroid of an IT2FN, which is highly desirable in practical applications such as fuzzy decision making and control. Some other properties regarding its size and location are also discussed.Contexto: Hay una necesidad por defuzzificar y rankear Conjuntos Difusos Tipo-2 de Intervalo (IT2FS), en particular Números Difusos Tipo-2 de Intervalo (IT2FN). Para ello, usamos el Índice de Yager (YIR) para conjuntos difusos aplicado a IT2FNs con el fin de encontrar una alternativa al centroide de un IT2FN.Método: Usamos una estrategia de simulación para comparar los resultados del centroide y del YIR de un IT2FN. Así pues, simulamos 1000 IT2FNs de cada uno de los siguientes tres tipos: gausianos, triangulares y asimétricos para comparar sus centroides y YIRs.Resultados: Después de realizar las simulaciones, se calculan algunas estadísticas de su comportamiento como el grado de cobertura y de igualdad relativas del YIR respecto al centroide así como el tamaño de la Huella de Incertidumbre (FOU) de un IT2FN. La descripción de los resultados obtenidos muestra que el YIR es menos amplio que el centroide.Conclusiones: En general, el YIR es menos complejo de obtener que el centroide de un IT2FN, lo cual es altamente deseable en aplicaciones prácticas como toma de decisiones y control. Otras propiedades relacionadas con su tamaño y ubicación también son discutidas