16318019
Are gamma-ray bursts a standard energy reservoir?
One of the most important discoveries in the observation of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is that the total energy emitted by a GRB in gamma-rays has a very narrow distribution around 10^51 erg, which has led people to claim that GRBs are standard energy explosions. As people made the claim they have ignored the selection biases which must be important since GRB observations are strongly fluence or flux-limited. In this paper we show that, when the selection effects are considered, the intrinsic distribution of the GRB energy can be very broad. The number of faint GRBs has been significantly underestimated because of the fluence or flux limit. The bright part of the distribution has been affected by another important selection effect arising from the beaming of GRB jets, which is instrument-independent and caused by the fact that brighter GRBs tend to have smaller jet angles and hence smaller probabilities to be detected. Our finding indicates that GRBs are not a standard energy reservoir, and challenges the proposal that GRBs can be used as standard candles to probe cosmology.
10326293
New light on time machines: Against the chronology protection conjecture.
I construct a spacetime with closed timelike curves and without closed causal geodesics. There is a noncompactly generated Cauchy horizon separating the region with closed timelike curves from that without closed causal curves. This spacetime might be stable against the vacuum fluctuation of matter fields. Whether such a spacetime is stable against the vacuum fluctuation of a gravitational field is an open question.
39373169
Can the universe create itself
The question of first-cause has troubled philosophers and cosmologists alike. Now that it is apparent that our universe began in a Big Bang explosion, the question of what happened before the Big Bang arises. Inflation seems like a very promising answer, but as Borde and Vilenkin have shown, the inflationary state preceding the Big Bang must have had a beginning also. Ultimately, the difficult question seems to be how to make something out of nothing. This paper explores the idea that this is the wrong question --- that that is not how the Universe got here. Instead, we explore the idea of whether there is anything in the laws of physics that would prevent the Universe from creating itself. Because spacetimes can be curved and multiply connected, general relativity allows for the possibility of closed timelike curves (CTCs). Thus, tracing backwards in time through the original inflationary state we may eventually encounter a region of CTCs giving no first-cause. This region of CTCs, may well be over by now (being bounded toward the future by a Cauchy horizon). We illustrate that such models --- with CTCs --- are not necessarily inconsistent by demonstrating self-consistent vacuums for Misner space and a multiply connected de Sitter space in which the renormalized energy-momentum tensor does not diverge as one approaches the Cauchy horizon and solves Einstein's equations. We show such a Universe can be classically stable and self-consistent if and only if the potentials are retarded, giving a natural explanation of the arrow of time. Some specific scenarios (out of many possible ones) for this type of model are described. For example: an inflationary universe gives rise to baby universes, one of which turns out to be itself. Interestingly, the laws of physics may allow the Universe to be its own mother.
11692409
Electromagnetic energy for a charged Kerr black hole in a uniform magnetic field
With the Komar mass formula we calculate the electromagnetic energy for a charged Kerr black hole in a uniform magnetic field. We find that the total electromagnetic energy takes the minimum when the Kerr black hole possesses a nonzero net charge $Q=2\ensuremath{\xi}{B}_{0}{J}_{H}$ where ${B}_{0}$ is the strength of the magnetic field, ${J}_{H}$ is the angular momentum of the black hole, and $\ensuremath{\xi}$ is a dimensionless parameter determined by the spin of the black hole. However, the Wald state with ${Q=2B}_{0}{J}_{H}$ does not minimize the electromagnetic energy.
11909154
The X‐ray transient 080109 in NGC 2770: an X‐ray flash associated with a normal core‐collapse supernova
Although it is generally thought that long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) are associated with core-collapse supernovae (SNe), so far only four pairs of GRBs and SNe with firmly established connection have been found. All the four GRB-SNe belong to special class of Type Ic – called the broad-lined SNe indicative of a large explosion energy, suggesting that only a small fraction of SNe Ibc have GRBs associated with them. This scheme has been refreshed by the discovery of a bright X-ray transient in NGC 2770 on 2008 January 9, which was followed by a rather normal Type Ib SN 2008D. In this paper, I argue that the transient 080109 is an X-ray flash (XRF, the soft version of a GRB) because of the following evidence. (1) The transient cannot be interpreted as a SN shock breakout event. (2) The GRB X-ray flare interpretation is not supported by the high-energy observation. I then show that XRF 080109 satisfies the well-known relation between the isotropic-equivalent energy and the peak spectral energy for LGRBs, which highly strengthens the XRF interpretation. Finally, I point out that the peak spectral energy of XRF 080109 and the maximum bolometric luminosity of SN 2008D agree with the E γ, peak–LSN,max relationship of Li, strengthening the validity of the relationship. I speculate that events like XRF 080109 may occur at a rate comparable to SNe Ibc, and a soft X-ray telescope devoted to surveying for nearby X-ray flares will be very fruitful in discovering them.
118518653
Constraining fast radio burst progenitors with gravitational lensing
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are new transient radio sources discovered recently. Because of the angular resolution restriction in radio surveys, no optical counter part has been identified yet so it is hard to determine the progenitor of FRBs. In this paper we propose to use radio lensing survey to constrain FRB progenitors. We show that, different types of progenitors lead to different probabilities for a FRB to be gravitationally lensed by dark matter halos in foreground galaxies, since different type progenitors result in different redshift distributions of FRBs. For example, the redshift distribution of FRBs arising from double stars shifts toward lower redshift than of the FRBs arising from single stars, because double stars and single stars have different evolution timescales. With detailed calculations, we predict that the FRB sample size for producing one lensing event varies significantly for different FRB progenitor models. We argue that this fact can be used to distinguish different FRB models and also discuss the practical possibility of using lensing observation in radio surveys to constrain FRB progenitors.
117009475
Quantum effect on luminosity-redshift relation
There are many different proposals for a theory of quantum gravity. Even leaving aside the fundamental difference among theories such as the string theory and the non-perturbative quantum gravity, we are still left with many ambiguities (and/or parameters to be determined) with regard to the choice of variables, the choice of related groups, etc. Loop quantum gravity is also in such a state. It is interesting to search for experimental observables to distinguish these quantum schemes. This paper investigates the loop quantum gravity effect on luminosity-redshift relation. The quantum bounce behavior of loop quantum cosmology is found to result in multivalued correspondence in luminosity-redshift relation. And the detail multivalued behavior can tell the difference of different quantum parameters. The inverse volume quantum correction does not result in bounce behavior in this model, but affects luminosity-redshift relation also significantly.
89612925
A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF GAMMA-RAY BURST OPTICAL EMISSION. III. BRIGHTNESS DISTRIBUTIONS AND LUMINOSITY FUNCTIONS OF OPTICAL AFTERGLOWS
We continue our systematic statistical study on optical afterglow data of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We present the apparent magnitude distributions of early optical afterglows at different epochs (t = 102 s, 103 s, and 1 hr) for the optical light curves of a sample of 93 GRBs (the global sample) and for sub-samples with an afterglow onset bump or a shallow decay segment. For the onset sample and shallow decay sample we also present the brightness distribution at the peak time t p and break time t b, respectively. All the distributions can be fit with Gaussian functions. We further perform Monte Carlo simulations to infer the luminosity function of GRB optical emission at the rest-frame time 103 s, t p, and t b. Our results show that a single power-law luminosity function is adequate to model the data with indices –1.40 ± 0.10, –1.06 ± 0.16, and –1.54 ± 0.22. Based on the derived rest-frame 103 s luminosity function, we generate the intrinsic distribution of the R-band apparent magnitude M R at the observed time 103 s post-trigger, which peaks at M R = 22.5 mag. The fraction of GRBs whose R-band magnitude is fainter than 22 mag and 25 mag and at the observer time 103 s are ~63% and ~25%, respectively. The detection probabilities of the optical afterglows with ground-based robotic telescopes and the UV-Optical Telescope on board Swift are roughly consistent with that inferred from this intrinsic M R distribution, indicating that the variations of the dark GRB fraction among the samples with different telescopes may be due to the observational selection effect, although the existence of an intrinsically dark GRB population cannot be ruled out.
117840720
Top Quark Production at the Tevatron Collider
Top quark physics has been a rich testing ground for the standard model since the top quark discovery in 1995. The large mass of top quark suggests that it could play a special role in searches for new phenomena. In this paper I provide an overview of recent top quark production cross section measurements from both CDF and D0 collaborations and also some new physics searches done in the top quark sector.
117833563
A Library of Lick/IDS Indices for Binary Stellar Populations
Using EPS we present 13 refined Lick/IDS absorption-line indices for an extensive set of instantaneous-burst binary stellar populations (BSPs) at high resolution (0.3 \AA) of various age and metallicity (1-15Gyr, 0.004-0.03), and 38 indices at intermediate resolution (3 \AA). These indices are obtained by two methods: (1) obtain them by using the empirical fitting functions (FFs method); (2) measure them directly from the synthetic spectra (DC method). Together with our previous paper a database of Lick/IDS spectral absorption-line indices for BSPs at high and intermediate resolutions is provided. This set of indices includes 21 indices of Worthey et al., four Balmer indices defined by Worthey & Ottaviani and 13 indices with the new passband definitions of Trager et al. The full set of synthetic indices and the integrated pseudo-continuum are listed in the Appendix, which is only available online or from our website (this http URL com/), or on request from the first author. Moreover, the ISEDs can be obtained from our website. 
We compare the synthetic Lick/IDS indices obtained by FFs method and those by DC method, and find that the discrepancies are significant: Ca4455 (index 6), Fe4668 (8), Mg_b (13), Fe5709 (17), NaD (19), TiO_1 (20) and TiO_2 (21, except for Z=0.02) in the W94 system, Ca4455^T (6^T), C_2 4668^T (8^T), NaD^T (19^T), TiO_1^T (20^T) and TiO_2^T (21^T, except for Z=0.02) in the T98 system obtained by DC method are less (bluer) than the corresponding ones obtained by FFs method for all metallicities. Ca4227 (index 3), Fe5782 (18),Ca4227^T (3^T) and Fe5782^T (18^T) are greater at Z=0.03 and become to be bluer at Z=0.004, Fe5709^T (17^T) index is less at Z=0.03 and becomes to be redder at Z=0.004 than the corresponding ones obtained by FFs method.
118624166
Averaged null energy condition in loop quantum cosmology
Wormholes and time machines are objects of great interest in general relativity. However, to support them it needs exotic matters which are impossible at the classical level. Semiclassical gravity introduces the quantum effects into the stress-energy tensor and constructs many self-consistent wormholes. But they are not traversable due to the averaged null energy condition. Loop quantum gravity (LQG) significantly modifies the Einstein equation in the deep quantum region. If we write the modified Einstein equation in the form of the standard one but with an effective stress-energy tensor, it is convenient to analyze the geometry in LQG through the energy condition. Loop quantum cosmology (LQC), an application of LQG, has an effective stress-energy tensor which violates some kinds of local energy conditions. So it is natural that the inflation emerges in LQC. In this paper, we investigate the averaged null energy condition in LQC in the framework of the effective Hamiltonian, and we find that the effective stress-energy tensor in LQC violates the averaged null energy condition in the massless scalar field coupled model.