271 research outputs found
The Minimal Supersymmetric Fat Higgs Model
We present a calculable supersymmetric theory of a composite ``fat'' Higgs
boson. Electroweak symmetry is broken dynamically through a new gauge
interaction that becomes strong at an intermediate scale. The Higgs mass can
easily be 200-450 GeV along with the superpartner masses, solving the
supersymmetric little hierarchy problem. We explicitly verify that the model is
consistent with precision electroweak data without fine-tuning. Gauge coupling
unification can be maintained despite the inherently strong dynamics involved
in electroweak symmetry breaking. Supersymmetrizing the Standard Model
therefore does not imply a light Higgs mass, contrary to the lore in the
literature. The Higgs sector of the minimal Fat Higgs model has a mass spectrum
that is distinctly different from the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, REVTe
The mass-to-light ratio of rich star clusters
We point out a strong time-evolution of the mass-to-light conversion factor
eta commonly used to estimate masses of unresolved star clusters from observed
cluster spectro-photometric measures. We present a series of gas-dynamical
models coupled with the Cambridge stellar evolution tracks to compute
line-of-sight velocity dispersions and half-light radii weighted by the
luminosity. We explore a range of initial conditions, varying in turn the
cluster mass and/or density, and the stellar population's IMF. We find that
eta, and hence the estimated cluster mass, may increase by factors as large as
3 over time-scales of 50 million years. We apply these results to an hypothetic
cluster mass distribution function (d.f.) and show that the d.f. shape may be
strongly affected at the low-mass end by this effect. Fitting truncated
isothermal (Michie-King) models to the projected light profile leads to
over-estimates of the concentration parameter c of delta c ~ 0.3 compared to
the same functional fit applied to the projected mass density.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the "Young
massive star clusters", Granada, Spain, September 200
Asymmetric Dark Matter and Dark Radiation
Asymmetric Dark Matter (ADM) models invoke a particle-antiparticle asymmetry,
similar to the one observed in the Baryon sector, to account for the Dark
Matter (DM) abundance. Both asymmetries are usually generated by the same
mechanism and generally related, thus predicting DM masses around 5 GeV in
order to obtain the correct density. The main challenge for successful models
is to ensure efficient annihilation of the thermally produced symmetric
component of such a light DM candidate without violating constraints from
collider or direct searches. A common way to overcome this involves a light
mediator, into which DM can efficiently annihilate and which subsequently
decays into Standard Model particles. Here we explore the scenario where the
light mediator decays instead into lighter degrees of freedom in the dark
sector that act as radiation in the early Universe. While this assumption makes
indirect DM searches challenging, it leads to signals of extra radiation at BBN
and CMB. Under certain conditions, precise measurements of the number of
relativistic species, such as those expected from the Planck satellite, can
provide information on the structure of the dark sector. We also discuss the
constraints of the interactions between DM and Dark Radiation from their
imprint in the matter power spectrum.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, to be published in JCAP, minor changes to match
version to be publishe
Conformal Invariance, Dark Energy, and CMB Non-Gaussianity
In addition to simple scale invariance, a universe dominated by dark energy
naturally gives rise to correlation functions possessing full conformal
invariance. This is due to the mathematical isomorphism between the conformal
group of certain 3 dimensional slices of de Sitter space and the de Sitter
isometry group SO(4,1). In the standard homogeneous isotropic cosmological
model in which primordial density perturbations are generated during a long
vacuum energy dominated de Sitter phase, the embedding of flat spatial sections
in de Sitter space induces a conformal invariant perturbation spectrum and
definite prediction for the shape of the non-Gaussian CMB bispectrum. In the
case in which the density fluctuations are generated instead on the de Sitter
horizon, conformal invariance of the horizon embedding implies a different but
also quite definite prediction for the angular correlations of CMB
non-Gaussianity on the sky. Each of these forms for the bispectrum is intrinsic
to the symmetries of de Sitter space and in that sense, independent of specific
model assumptions. Each is different from the predictions of single field slow
roll inflation models which rely on the breaking of de Sitter invariance. We
propose a quantum origin for the CMB fluctuations in the scalar gravitational
sector from the conformal anomaly that could give rise to these
non-Gaussianities without a slow roll inflaton field, and argue that conformal
invariance also leads to the expectation for the relation n_S-1=n_T between the
spectral indices of the scalar and tensor power spectrum. Confirmation of this
prediction or detection of non-Gaussian correlations in the CMB of one of the
bispectral shape functions predicted by conformal invariance can be used both
to establish the physical origins of primordial density fluctuations and
distinguish between different dynamical models of cosmological vacuum dark
energy.Comment: 73 pages, 9 figures. Final Version published in JCAP. New Section 4
added on linearized scalar gravitational potentials; New Section 8 added on
gravitational wave tensor perturbations and relation of spectral indices n_T
= n_S -1; Table of Contents added; Eqs. (3.14) and (3.15) added to clarify
relationship of bispectrum plotted to CMB measurements; Some other minor
modification
A supernova constraint on bulk majorons
In models with large extra dimensions all gauge singlet fields can in
principle propagate in the extra dimensional space. We have investigated
possible constraints on majoron models of neutrino masses in which the majorons
propagate in extra dimensions. It is found that astrophysical constraints from
supernovae are many orders of magnitude stronger than previous accelerator
bounds. Our findings suggest that unnatural types of the "see-saw" mechanism
for neutrino masses are unlikely to occur in nature, even in the presence of
extra dimensions.Comment: Minor changes, matches the version to appear in PR
The evolution of galaxy groups and of galaxies therein
Properties of groups of galaxies depend sensitively on the algorithm for
group selection, and even the most recent catalogs of groups built from
redshift-space selection should suffer from projections and infalling galaxies.
The cosmo-dynamical evolution of groups from initial Hubble expansion to
collapse and virialization leads to a fundamental track (FT) in
virial-theorem-M/L vs crossing time. The increased rates of mergers, both
direct and after dynamical friction, in groups relative to clusters, explain
the higher fraction of elliptical galaxies at given local number density in
X-ray selected groups, relative to clusters, even when the hierarchical
evolution of groups is considered. Galaxies falling into groups and clusters
should later travel outwards to typically 2 virial radii, which is somewhat
less than the outermost radius where observed galaxy star formation
efficiencies are enhanced relative to field galaxies of same morphological
type. An ongoing analysis of the internal kinematics of X-ray selected groups
suggests that the radial profiles of line of sight velocity dispersion are
consistent with isotropic NFW distributions for the total mass density, with
higher (lower) concentrations than LambdaCDM predictions in groups of high
(low) mass. The critical mass, at M200 ~ 10^13 M_sun is consistent with
possible breaks in the X-ray luminosity-temperature and Fundamental Plane
relations. The internal kinematics of groups indicate that the M-T relation of
groups should agree with that extrapolated from clusters with no break at the
group scale. The analyses of observed velocity dispersion profiles and of the
FT both suggest that low velocity dispersion groups (compact and loose, X-ray
emitting or undetected) are quite contaminated by chance projections.Comment: Invited review, ESO workshop "Groups of Galaxies in the Nearby
Universe", held in Santiago, Chile, 5-9 December 2005, ed. I. Saviane, V.
Ivanov & J. Borissova, 16 page
Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies
Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost
universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade.
Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this
time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of
available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the
modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of
multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed
galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major
ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay
between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models,
and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic
measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting
can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies,
such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and
metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet
there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in
a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the
influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The
challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the
observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will
be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where
the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the
text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics &
Space Scienc
Cluster Density and the IMF
Observed variations in the IMF are reviewed with an emphasis on environmental
density. The remote field IMF studied in the LMC by several authors is clearly
steeper than most cluster IMFs, which have slopes close to the Salpeter value.
Local field regions of star formation, like Taurus, may have relatively steep
IMFs too. Very dense and massive clusters, like super star clusters, could have
flatter IMFs, or inner-truncated IMFs. We propose that these variations are the
result of three distinct processes during star formation that affect the mass
function in different ways depending on mass range. At solar to intermediate
stellar masses, gas processes involving thermal pressure and supersonic
turbulence determine the basic scale for stellar mass, starting with the
observed pre-stellar condensations, and they define the mass function from
several tenths to several solar masses. Brown dwarfs require extraordinarily
high pressures for fragmentation from the gas, and presumably form inside the
pre-stellar condensations during mutual collisions, secondary fragmentations,
or in disks. High mass stars form in excess of the numbers expected from pure
turbulent fragmentation as pre-stellar condensations coalesce and accrete with
an enhanced gravitational cross section. Variations in the interaction rate,
interaction strength, and accretion rate among the primary fragments formed by
turbulence lead to variations in the relative proportions of brown dwarfs,
solar to intermediate mass stars, and high mass stars.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, to be published in ``IMF@50: A Fest-Colloquium
in honor of Edwin E. Salpeter,'' held at Abbazia di Spineto, Siena, Italy,
May 16-20, 2004. Kluwer Academic Publishers; edited by E. Corbelli, F. Palla,
and H. Zinnecke
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