2260171
SUPERSYMMETRIC D-TERM INFLATION AND B-BALL BARYOGENESIS
We consider the B-ball cosmology of the minimal supersymmetric standard model in the context of D-term inflation models where the reheating temperature is determined by the Affleck-Dine mechanism to be of the order of 1 GeV. We show that such a low reheating temperature can arise quite naturally as the result of a symmetry which is required to maintain the flatness of the inflaton potential. In this case the B-balls will decay well after the freeze-out temperature of the lightest supersymmetric particle, allowing baryons and cold dark matter to originate primarily from B-ball decays. [S0031-9007(98)07324-4].
15615901
Reheating temperature and inflaton mass bounds from thermalization after inflation
We consider the conditions for the decay products of perturbative inflaton decay to thermalize. The importance of considering the full spectrum of inflaton decay products in the thermalization process is emphasized. For the case of single field inflation models, it is shown that the delay between the end of inflaton decay and thermalization allows the thermal gravitino upper bound on the reheating temperature to be raised from 10(8) GeV to as much as 10(12) GeV in realistic inflation models. Requiring that thermalization occurs before nucleosynthesis imposes an upper bound on the inflaton mass as a function of the reheating temperature, m(S) less than or similar to 10(10)(T-R/1 GeV)(7/9) GeV. It is also shown that even in realistic inflation models with relatively large reheating temperatures, it is non-trivial to have thermalization before the electroweak phase transition temperature. Therefore the thermal history of the Universe is very sensitive to details of the inflation model.
14559444
B-ball baryogenesis and the baryon to dark matter ratio
We demonstrate that B-ball decay in the MSSM can naturally solve the puzzle of why the densities of baryons and dark matter in the Universe are similar. This requires that the B-balls survive thermalization and decay below the freeze-out temperature of the neutralino LSP, typically 1-10 GeV, It is shown that this can happen if the baryon asymmetry originates from a squark condensate along the d = 6 u(c)d(c)d(c) D-flat direction of the MSSM scalar potential. For this to work the reheating temperature after inflation must be no greater than 10(3-5) GeV.
45299887
Can a Brans-Dicke scalar account for dark matter in extended inflation models?
We discuss the possibility that the dark matter in the Universe could be due to the oscillation of the Brans-Dicke scalar in extended inflation models. The constraints following from the requirement that the energy density perturbations due to quantum scalar field fluctuations are within observational limits, and from the requirement that the energy density in the oscillating Brans-Dicke scalar field, induced by the expansion of bubbles at the first-order phase transition, is smaller than the critical density at present, are discussed for the case of a coupling of the Brans-Dicke scalar to the Ricci scalar of the form phi(n+2)/M(n). Solutions of the equations of motion are given in the slow-rolling approximation for a general value of n, and the cases of n = 0 (minimal extended inflation) and n = 2 are discussed in detail. It is shown that the dominant source of energy density fluctuations produced during inflation is the isocurvature fluctuations of the Brans-Dicke scalar. The requirement that the fluctuations in the microwave background due to the isocurvature fluctuations are not too large implies that the reheat temperature at the end of inflation is less than 3 x 10(13) GeV. For the case where gravity is neglected during the expansion of bubbles at the first-order transition and where the isocurvature fluctuations account for the density perturbations observed by COBE, it is shown that only for a very small range of reheat temperatures at the end of inflation is the model consistent with the requirements that the range of non-Newtonian corrections to the gravitational potential is less that 1 cm and that there are no inhomogeneities in the cosmic microwave background radiation due to large bubbles. If we do not require that the isocurvature fluctuations account for the density perturbations observed by COBE, then the range of reheat temperatures can be larger. In general, the range of non-Newtonian corrections to the gravitational potential is not expected to be much smaller than the present upper limits from Cavendish-type experiments. The possible effects of gravitational suppression of the growth of large bubbles is also considered. It is shown that although gravity can suppress the growth of large bubbles, allowing for a wider range of reheat temperatures and shorter range non-Newtonian forces, gravity will have no effect on bubble percolation at the end of the first-order phase transition. The possible advantages of an oscillating Brans-Dicke scalar with respect to structure formation are considered, in particular, the possibility that the Brans-Dicke scalar could account for both cold and hot dark matter in a combined CDM + HDM scenario for structure formation, with the hot component arising from excitation of the Brans-Dicke scalar field by the expansion of bubbles during the first-order phase transition.
14318680
Supergravity and two-field inflation effects in right-handed sneutrino modified D-term inflation.
We extend previous work on the minimal D-term inflation model modified by right-handed (RH) sneutrino fields to include additional inflaton-sector supergravity corrections and two-field inflation effects. We show that supergravity corrections simultaneously allow ns to be within 3-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe limits and the cosmic string contribution to the cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum to be less than 5%. For gauge coupling g 0.1H. The running spectral index is alpha[approximate]-0.0002 when mPhi 0.008 for mPhi>1.0H.
14078444
Dynamical cosmological constant from a very recent phase transition
Observation indicates that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating and favours a dynamical cosmological constant, Λ(t). We consider the possibility that this is due to a scalar field which has undergone a very recent phase transition. We study a simple class of model, corresponding to a φ4 potential with a time-dependent mass squared term. For the models considered the phase transition occurs at a red shift z⩽1.2. The evolution of the equation of state ωφ and energy density ρφ with time is distinct from existing dynamical Λ models based on slowly rolling fields, with ωφ and ρφ rapidly changing in a characteristic way following the transition. The φ energy density is composed of a time-dependent vacuum energy and coherently oscillating condensate component with a negative pressure. The condensate component will typically collapse to form non-topological soliton lumps, ‘φ-axitons’, which smoothly populate the Universe.
62325539
Computing Environments for Data Analysis. Part 2. Hardware
This is the second in a series of papers on aspects of modern computing environments that are relevant to statistical data analysis. We argue that a network of graphics workstations is far superior to conventional batch or time-sharing computers as an environment for interactive data analysis. The second paper in the series discusses the hardware of graphics workstations in detail.
54041161
An optical readout TPC (O-TPC) for studies in nuclear astrophysics with gamma-ray beams at HIγS1
We report on the construction, tests, calibrations and commissioning of an Optical Readout Time Projection Chamber (O-TPC) detector operating with a CO2(80%) + N2(20%) gas mixture at 100 and 150 Torr. It was designed to measure the cross sections of several key nuclear reactions involved in stellar evolution. In particular, a study of the rate of formation of oxygen and carbon during the process of helium burning will be performed by exposing the chamber gas to intense nearly mono-energetic gamma-ray beams at the High Intensity Gamma Source (HI?S) facility. The O-TPC has a sensitive target-drift volume of 30x30x21 cm3. Ionization electrons drift towards a double parallel-grid avalanche multiplier, yielding charge multiplication and light emission. Avalanche-induced photons from N2 emission are collected, intensified and recorded with a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) camera, providing two-dimensional track images. The event's time projection (third coordinate) and the deposited energy are recorded by photomultipliers and by the TPC charge-signal, respectively. A dedicated VME-based data acquisition system and associated data analysis tools were developed to record and analyze these data. The O-TPC has been tested and calibrated with 3.183 MeV alpha-particles emitted by a 148Gd source placed within its volume with a measured energy resolution of 3.0%. Tracks of alpha and 12C particles from the dissociation of 16O and of three alpha-particles from the dissociation of 12C have been measured during initial in-beam test experiments performed at the HI?S facility at Duke University. The full detection system and its performance are described and the results of the preliminary in-beam test experiments are reported.
62722463
An introduction to real-time graphical techniques for analyzing multivariate data
Abstract Orion I is a graphics system used to study applications of computer graphics - especially interactive motion graphics - in statistics. Orion I is the newest of a family of “Prim” systems, whose most striking common feature is the use of real-time motion graphics to display three dimensional scatterplots. Orion I differs from earlier Prim systems through the use of modern and relatively inexpensive raster graphics and microprocessor technology. It also delivers more computing power to its user; Orion I can perform more sophisticated real-time computations than were possible on previous such systems. We demonstrate some of Orion I's capabilities in our film: “Exploring data with Orion I”.
60877186
Interactive Graphics For Data Analysis
118737108
Search for single top production with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider
We attempt to identify a single top signal in the muon + jets data collected using the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron at a center-of-mass energy of {radical}s = 1.8 TeV from 1992-96. The data corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 103.7 pb{sup -1}. While resolving a signal has proved impossible, we are able to place an upper limit on the production cross section for single top events using these data. The cross section for production of single top via 95% p{bar p} {yields} tb and p{bar p} {yields} qtb is less than 78 pb at the 95% confidence level based on muon + jets data only.