1,175 research outputs found
Daemons and DAMA: Their Celestial-Mechanics Interrelations
The assumption of the capture by the Solar System of the electrically charged
Planckian DM objects (daemons) from the galactic disk is confirmed not only by
the St.Petersburg (SPb) experiments detecting particles with V<30 km/s. Here
the daemon approach is analyzed considering the positive model independent
result of the DAMA/NaI experiment. We explain the maximum in DAMA signals
observed in the May-June period to be associated with the formation behind the
Sun of a trail of daemons that the Sun captures into elongated orbits as it
moves to the apex. The range of significant 2-6-keV DAMA signals fits well the
iodine nuclei elastically knocked out of the NaI(Tl) scintillator by particles
falling on the Earth with V=30-50 km/s from strongly elongated heliocentric
orbits. The half-year periodicity of the slower daemons observed in SPb
originates from the transfer of particles that are deflected through ~90 deg
into near-Earth orbits each time the particles cross the outer reaches of the
Sun which had captured them. Their multi-loop (cross-like) trajectories
traverse many times the Earth's orbit in March and September, which increases
the probability for the particles to enter near-Earth orbits during this time.
Corroboration of celestial mechanics calculations with observations yields
~1e-19 cm2 for the cross section of daemon interaction with the solar matter.Comment: 12 pages including 5 figure
10 GeV dark matter candidates and cosmic-ray antiprotons
Recent measurements performed with some direct dark matter detection
experiments, e.g. CDMS-II and CoGENT (after DAMA/LIBRA), have unveiled a few
events compatible with weakly interacting massive particles. The preferred mass
range is around 10 GeV, with a quite large spin-independent cross section of
-. In this paper, we recall that a light dark
matter particle with dominant couplings to quarks should also generate
cosmic-ray antiprotons. Taking advantage of recent works constraining the
Galactic dark matter mass profile on the one hand and on cosmic-ray propagation
on the other hand, we point out that considering a thermal annihilation cross
section for such low mass candidates very likely results in an antiproton flux
in tension with the current data, which should be taken into account in
subsequent studies.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. V2: minor changes to match the published versio
The Poker Face of Inelastic Dark Matter: Prospects at Upcoming Direct Detection Experiments
The XENON100 and CRESST experiments will directly test the inelastic dark
matter explanation for DAMA's 8.9? sigma anomaly. This article discusses how
predictions for direct detection experiments depend on uncertainties in
quenching factor measurements, the dark matter interaction with the Standard
Model and the halo velocity distribution. When these uncertainties are
accounted for, an order of magnitude variation is found in the number of
expected events at CRESST and XENON100.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
The spectroscopic evolution of the symbiotic star AG Draconis. I.The O VI Raman, Balmer, and helium emission line variations during the outburst of 2006-2008
AG Dra is one of a small group of low metallicity S-type symbiotic binaries
with K-type giants that undergoes occasional short-term outbursts of unknown
origin. Our aim is to study the behavior of the white dwarf during an outburst
using the optical Raman lines and other emission features in the red giant
wind. The goal is to determine changes in the envelope and the wind of the
gainer in this system during a major outburst event and to study the coupling
between the UV and optical during a major outburst. Using medium and high
resolution groundbased optical spectra and comparisons with archival and
spectra, we study the evolution of the Raman O VI features and the
Balmer, He I, and He II lines during the outburst from 2006 Sept. through 2007
May and include more recent observations (2009) to study the subsequent
evolution of the source. The O VI Raman features disappeared completely at the
peak of the major outburst and the subsequent variation differs substantially
from that reported during the previous decade. The He I and He II lines, and
the Balmer lines, vary in phase with the Raman features but there is a
double-valuedness to the He I 6678, 7065 relative to the O VI Raman 6825\AA\
variations in the period between 2006-2008 that has not been previously
reported. The variations in the Raman feature ratio through the outburst
interval are consistent with the disappearance of the O VI FUV resonance wind
lines from the white dwarf and of the surrounding O ionized region
within the red giant wind provoked by the expansion and cooling of the white
dwarf photosphere.Comment: 10 pages, 15 figs. A&A (in press, accepted for publication
23/11/2009
Detection of delta Scuti-like pulsation in H254, a pre-main sequence F-type star in IC 348
We present time series observations of intermediate mass PMS stars belonging
to the young star cluster IC 348. The new data reveal that a young member of
the cluster, H254, undergoes periodic light variations with delta Scuti-like
characteristics. This occurrence provides an unambiguous evidence confirming
the prediction that intermediate-mass pre-main sequence (PMS) stars should
experience this transient instability during their approach to the
main-sequence. On the basis of the measured frequency f=7.406 c/d, we are able
to constrain the intrinsic stellar parameters of H254 by means of linear, non
adiabatic, radial pulsation models. The range of the resulting luminosity and
effective temperature permitted by the models is narrower than the
observational values. In particular, the pulsation analysis allows to derive an
independent estimate of the distance to IC 348 of about 320 pc. Further
observations could either confirm the monoperiodic nature of H254 or reveal the
presence of other frequencies.Comment: 7 pages, including 7 postscript figures, accepted for publication on
A&
Interpreting the recent results on direct search for dark matter particles in terms of relic neutralino
The most recent results from direct searches for dark matter particles in the
galactic halo are examined in terms of an effective Minimal Supersymmetric
extension of the Standard Model at the electroweak scale without gaugino masses
unification. We show that the annual modulation effect at 8.2 C.L.
recently presented by the DAMA Collaboration, as the result of a combined
analysis of the DAMA/NaI and the DAMA/LIBRA experiments for a total exposure of
0.82 ton yr, fits remarkably well with what expected for relic neutralinos for
a wide variety of WIMP distribution functions. Bounds derivable from other
measurements of direct searches for dark matter particles are analyzed. We
stress the role played by the uncertainties affecting the neutralino--quark
couplings arising from the involved hadronic quantities. We also examine how
present data on cosmic antiprotons can help in constraining the neutralino
configurations selected by the DAMA effect, in connection with the values of
the astrophysical parameters.
Perspectives for measurement of antideuterons possibly produced in the
galactic halo by self--annihilation of neutralinos belonging to the DAMA
configurations are examined. Finally, we discuss how findings at LHC would
impact on these issues.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures a few minor comments and two references adde
Long-Range Forces in Direct Dark Matter Searches
We discuss the positive indications of a possible dark matter signal in
direct detection experiments in terms of a mechanism of interaction between the
dark matter particle and the nuclei occurring via the exchange of a light
mediator, resulting in a long-range interaction. We analyze the annual
modulation results observed by the DAMA and CoGeNT experiments and the observed
excess of events of CRESST. In our analysis, we discuss the relevance of
uncertainties related to the velocity distribution of galactic dark matter and
to the channeling effect in NaI. We find that a long-range force is a viable
mechanism, which can provide full agreement between the reconstructed dark
matter properties from the various experimental data sets, especially for
masses of the light mediator in the 10-30 MeV range and a light dark matter
with a mass around 10 GeV. The relevant bounds on the light mediator mass and
scattering cross section are then derived, should the annual modulation effects
be due to this class of long-range forces.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures. v2: Matches version published on Phys.Rev.D;
analysis of CRESST to match the recent release of the new data updated,
discussion on astrophysical constraints on self-interacting dark matter
added, some typos corrected and some references added, conclusions unchanged.
v3: Few typos correcte
Possible implications of the channeling effect in NaI(Tl) crystals
The channeling effect of low energy ions along the crystallographic axes and
planes of NaI(Tl) crystals is discussed in the framework of corollary
investigations on WIMP Dark Matter candidates. In fact, the modeling of this
existing effect implies a more complex evaluation of the luminosity yield for
low energy recoiling Na and I ions. In the present paper related
phenomenological arguments are developed and possible implications are
discussed at some extent.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, preprint ROM2F/2007/15, submitted for
publicatio
SUSY Dark Matter in the Universe- Theoretical Direct Detection Rates
Exotic dark matter together with the vacuum energy or cosmological constant
seem to dominate in the Universe. An even higher density of such matter seems
to be gravitationally trapped in the Galaxy. Thus its direct detection is
central to particle physics and cosmology. Current supersymmetric models
provide a natural dark matter candidate which is the lightest supersymmetric
particle (LSP). Such models combined with fairly well understood physics like
the quark substructure of the nucleon and the nuclear structure (form factor
and/or spin response function), permit the evaluation of the event rate for
LSP-nucleus elastic scattering. The thus obtained event rates are, however,
very low or even undetectable. So it is imperative to exploit the modulation
effect, i.e. the dependence of the event rate on the earth's annual motion.
Also it is useful to consider the directional rate, i.e its dependence on the
direction of the recoiling nucleus. In this paper we study such a modulation
effect both in non directional and directional experiments. We calculate both
the differential and the total rates using both isothermal, symmetric as well
as only axially asymmetric, and non isothermal, due to caustic rings, velocity
distributions. We find that in the symmetric case the modulation amplitude is
small. The same is true for the case of caustic rings. The inclusion of
asymmetry, with a realistic enhanced velocity dispersion in the galactocentric
direction, yields an enhanced modulation effect, especially in directional
experiments.Comment: 17 LATEX pages, 1 table and 6 ps figures include
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