73704343
WIMP-induced gamma ray spectrum of active Galactic nuclei
As direct and indirect dark matter detection experiments continue to place stringent constraints on WIMP masses and couplings, it becomes imperative to expand the scope of the search for particle dark matter by looking in new and exotic places. One such place may be the core of active galactic nuclei where the density of dark matter is expected to be extremely high. Recently, several groups have explored the possibility of observing signals of dark matter from its interactions with the high-energy jets emanating from these galaxies. In this work, we build upon these analyses by including the other components of the WIMP-induced gamma ray spectrum of active galactic nuclei; namely, (1) the continuum from WIMP annihilation into light standard model states which subsequently radiate and/or decay into photons and (2) the direct (loop-induced) decay into photons. We work in the context of models of universal extra dimensions (in particular, a model with two extra dimensions) and compute all three components of the gamma ray spectrum and compare with current data. We find that the model with two extra dimensions exhibits several interesting features which may be observable with the Fermi gamma ray telescope. We also show that, in conjunction with other measurements, the gamma ray spectrum from AGN can be an invaluable tool for restricting WIMP parameter space.
119224735
Gamma-ray lines and One-Loop Continuum from s-channel Dark Matter Annihilations
The era of indirect detection searches for dark matter has begun, with the sensitivities of gamma-ray detectors now approaching the parameter space relevant for weakly interacting massive particles. In particular, gamma ray lines would be smoking gun signatures of dark matter annihilation, although they are typically suppressed compared to the continuum. In this paper, we pay particular attention to the 1-loop continuum generated together with the gamma-ray lines and investigate under which conditions a dark matter model can naturally lead to a line signal that is relatively enhanced. We study generic classes of models in which DM is a fermion that annihilates through an s-channel mediator which is either a vector or scalar and identify the coupling and mass conditions under which large line signals occur. We focus on the \forbidden channel mechanism" advocated a few years ago in the \Higgs in space" scenario for which tree level annihilation is kinematically forbidden today. Detailed calculations of all 1-loop annihilation channels are provided. We single out very simple models with a large line over continuum ratio and present general predictions for a large range of WIMP masses that are relevant not only for Fermi and Hess II but also for the next generation of telescopes such as CTA and Gamma-400. Constraints from the relic abundance, direct detection and collider bounds are also discussed.
118342809
Gamma ray lines from a universal extra dimension
Indirect Dark Matter searches are based on the observation of secondary particles produced by the annihilation or decay of Dark Matter. Among them, gamma-rays are perhaps the most promising messengers, as they do not suffer deflection or absorption on Galactic scales, so their observation would directly reveal the position and the energy spectrum of the emitting source. Here, we study the detailed gamma-ray energy spectrum of Kaluza-Klein Dark Matter in a theory with 5 Universal Extra Dimensions. We focus in particular on the two body annihilation of Dark Matter particles into a photon and another particle, which produces monochromatic photons, resulting in a line in the energy spectrum of gamma rays. Previous calculations in the context of the five dimensional UED model have computed the line signal from annihilations into ??, but we extend these results to include ?Z and ?H final states. We find that these spectral lines are subdominant compared to the predicted ?? signal, but they would be important as follow-up signals in the event of the observation of the ?? line, in order to distinguish the 5d UED model from other theoretical scenarios.
27307688
New physics in resonant production of Higgs boson pairs.
We advocate a search for an extended scalar sector at the LHC via hh production, where h is the 125 GeV Higgs boson. A resonance feature in the hh invariant mass is a smoking gun of an s-channel heavy Higgs resonance, H. With one h decaying to two photons and the other decaying to b quarks, the resonant signal may be discoverable above the hh continuum background for M(H)<1  TeV. The product of the scalar and top Yukawa couplings can be measured to better than 10%-20% accuracy, and its sign can be inferred from the hh line shape via interference effects.
3163182
Higgs-Pair Production and Measurement of the Triscalar Coupling at LHC(8,14)
Abstract We simulate the measurement of the triscalar Higgs coupling at LHC ( 8 , 14 ) via pair production of h (125 GeV). We find that the most promising hh final state is b b ¯ γ γ . We account for deviations of the triscalar coupling from its SM value and study the effects of this coupling on the hh cross-section and distributions with cut-based and multivariate methods. Our fit to the hh production matrix element at LHC(14) with 3 ab − 1 yields a 30% uncertainty on this coupling in the SM and a range of 20–60% uncertainties for non-SM values.
125524113
Unitarity and Dark Matter in the Private Higgs Model
15937671
The Parkes quarter-Jansky flat-spectrum sample: III. Space density and evolution of QSOs
We analyze the Parkes quarter-Jansky flat-spectrum sample of QSOs in terms of space density, including the redshift distribution, the radio luminosity function, and the evidence for a redshift cutoff. With regard to the luminosity function, we note the strong evolution in space density from the present day to epochs corresponding to redshifts ∼1. We draw attention to a selection effect due to spread in spectral shape that may have misled other investigators to consider the apparent similarities in shape of luminosity functions in different redshift shells as evidence for luminosity evolution. To examine the evolution at redshifts beyond 3, we develop a model-independent method based on the Vmax test using each object to predict expectation densities beyond z = 3. With this we show that a diminution in space density at z > 3 is present at a significance level >4σ. We identify a severe bias in such determinations from using flux-density measurements at epochs significantly later than that of the finding survey. The form of the diminution is estimated, and is shown to be very similar to that found for QSOs selected in X-ray and optical wavebands. The diminution is also compared with the current estimates of star-formation evolution, with less conclusive results. In summary we suggest that the reionization epoch is little influenced by powerful flat-spectrum QSOs, and that dust obscuration does not play a major role in our view of the QSO population selected at radio, optical or X-ray wavelengths. © ESO 2005.
119279524
The Australia telescope 20 GHz survey: hardware, observing strategy, and scanning survey catalog
The Australia Telescope 20 GHz (AT20G) survey is a large area (2π sr), sensitive (40 mJy), high frequency (20 GHz) survey of the southern sky. The survey was conducted in two parts: an initial fast scanning survey, and a series of more accurate follow-up observations. The follow-up survey catalog has been presented by Murphy et al. (MNRAS 402:2403, 2010). In this paper we discuss the hardware setup and scanning survey strategy as well as the production of the scanning survey catalog.
116922520
Measurement of Pion Transparency in Nuclei
We propose to measure pion electroproduction off {sup 1}H, {sup 2}, {sup 12}C, {sup 64}Cu, and {sup 197}Au, and extract the pion transparency through the nuclear medium between Q{sup 2} = 1 and 5 (GeV/c){sup 2}. The pion transparency is predicted to be a signature of the onset of nuclear filtering and/or Color Transparency. Recent experiments have reported evidence for Color Transparency effects at Q{sup 2} approx 10 (GeV/c){sup 2}. The occurrence of nuclear filtering could potentially explain the apparent discrepancy between (proton) nuclear transparencies found in quasielastic A(e,e'p) and A(p,2p) experiments. The occurrence of these effects is an effective signature of the approach to the factorization regime in meson electroproduction experiments, necessary for the access to Generalized Parton Distributions. Measurable effects of approx. 40% are predicted for this region of Q{sup 2}. The proposed experiment seeks to measure the pion transparency with 5-10% uncertainties, dominated by systematics, up to Q{sup 2} = 5 (GeV/c){sup 2}.
118486073
The Australia Telescope 20-GHz (AT20G) Survey: the Bright Source Sample
The Australia Telescope 20-GHz (AT20G) Survey is a blind survey of the whole southern sky at 20GHz (with follow-up observations at 4.8 and 8.6 GHz) carried out with the Australia Telescope Compact Array from 2004 to 2007. The Bright Source Sample (BSS) is a complete flux-limited subsample of the AT20G Survey catalogue comprising 320 extragalactic (|b| > 1°.5) radio sources south of δ = -15° with S 20GHz > 0.50 Jy. Of these, 218 have near simultaneous observations at 8 and 5 GHz. In this paper we present an analysis of radio spectral properties in total intensity and polarization, size, optical identifications and redshift distribution of the BSS sources. The analysis of the spectral behaviour shows spectral curvature in most sources with spectral steepening that increases at higher frequencies (the median spectral index a, assuming S oc v α , decreases from α 8.6 4.8 = 0.11 between 4.8 and 8.6 GHz to α 20 8.6 = -0.16 between 8.6 and 20 GHz), even if the sample is dominated by flat spectra sources (85 per cent of the sample has α 20 8.6 > -0.5). The almost simultaneous spectra in total intensity and polarization allowed us a comparison of the polarized and total intensity spectra: polarized fraction slightly increases with frequency, but the shapes of the spectra have little correlation. Optical identifications provided an estimation of redshift for 186 sources with a median value of 1.20 and 0.13, respectively, for QSO and galaxies.
121807969
Dark matter search with PICASSO
PICASSO at SNOLAB searches primarily for spin-dependent WIMP interactions on 19F using the superheated droplet technique. This technique is based on the bubble chamber principle, where phase transitions in superheated liquid droplets can be triggered by WIMP induced nuclear recoils. The physics of the detection process allows a highly efficient suppression of backgrounds from cosmic muons, γ- and β-rays. We will discuss qualitatively recent progress in PICASSO and its sensitivity reach for spin-dependent and spin-independent WIMP searches.