Parity nonconservation and stellar collapse
ACCORDING to the current theory, the evolution of sufficiently massive stars leads eventually to gravitational instability and collapse. After thermonuclear burning has stopped, dense stellar cores become unstable and collapse to form neutron stars (pulsars) or black holes. In both cases energy of the order of 0.1 Mc2 is released, mostly in the form of neutrinos and gravitational waves. As the radius of the core decreases, its magnetic field grows (magnetic flux is conserved) and can reach huge values of order 1012–1013 G. Even greater azimuthal fields (∼3 × 1015 G) can be generated by differential rotation of the core1. It will be shown here that neutrino emission in the collapse is asymmetric, as a result of parity nonconservation in weak interactions. Neutrinos and antineutrinos are emitted preferentially in the direction parallel to the local magnetic field of the collapsing core.
Cosmology, astrophysics and elementary particle physics
The Universe provides a laboratory in which it is possible to test the laws of physics in conditions which cannot be achieved in a terrestrial laboratory. The author assumes that the laws of physics are unchanging in space and time and discusses how modern developments in elementary particle physics influence our understanding of the Universe and conversely the possibility that astronomical observations may give information about elementary particle physics. In particular he studies the physics of the early Universe and discusses the role of new particles such as heavy leptons, neutrinos and quarks and the possible relationship of the net baryon number of the Universe to unified models of elementary particle physics. He considers the role of neutrinos in stellar evolution, particularly in the explosion of supernovae and in the cooling of neutron stars. Black holes are also discussed.
The unfolded universe of elementary particles. A geometric explanation of the standard model structure
We propose a geometric explanation of the standard model of Glashow, Weinberg and Salam for the known elementary particles. Our model is a generic Quantum Field Theory in dimension four, obtained by developing along a Lorentz sub-manifold the lagrangian of Einstein and Dirac in dimension twelve. The main mechanism which gives birth to the standard model is a certain gauge fixing of triality, which permits to identify the multiplicity of fermions, as seen from the four dimensional world, with the eight unseen dimensions of the generating universe. In this way we get the known tables of particles, explaining the series of fermions and the gauge bosons. We suggest that the Higgs field dynamics could appear through a bosonization of the right handed neutrino and correspond to a displacement in the unseen dimensions. We also propose hypotheses for dark matter, and perhaps dark energy. Then we suggest predictions to go beyond the standard model.