119628433
-symmetric extension of the Korteweg-de Vries equation
The Korteweg-de Vries equation ut + uux + uxxx = 0 is symmetric (invariant under spacetime reflection). Therefore, it can be generalized and extended into the complex domain in such a way as to preserve the symmetry. The result is the family of complex nonlinear wave equations ut − iu(iux) + uxxx = 0, where is real. The features of these equations are discussed. Special attention is given to the = 3 equation, for which conservation laws are derived and solitary waves are investigated.
119117508
Gluon-fusion Higgs production at NNLO for a non-standard Higgs sector
We consider an extension of the Standard Model with an arbitrary number of heavy quarks having general couplings to the Higgs boson. We construct an effective Lagrangian integrating out quarks that are heavier than half the mass of the Higgs boson and compute the Wilson coefficient for the effective gluon-Higgs vertex through NNLO. We apply our result to a composite Higgs model with vector-like quarks coupling to the third generation quarks. In the heavy quark-mass approximation, we show that the suppression of the leading-order cross section with respect to the Standard Model does not depend on the number of vector-like multiplets introduced. We analyse the effects of QCD and electroweak corrections through three loops, as well as bottom-quark contributions through two loops.
118612466
Interference effects for Higgs boson mediated $Z$-pair plus jet production
Here, we study interference effects in the production channel ZZ + jet, in particular focusing on the role of the Higgs boson. This production channel receives contributions both from Higgs boson mediated diagrams via the decay H → ZZ (signal diagrams), as well as from diagrams where the Z bosons couple directly to a quark loop (background diagrams). We consider the partonic processes gggZZ and gq$$\bar{q}$$ZZ in which interference between signal and background diagrams first occurs. Since interference is primarily an off-resonant effect for the Higgs boson, we treat the Z bosons as on shell. Thus our analysis is limited to the region above threshold, where the invariant mass of the Z-pair mZZ satisfies the condition mZZ>2mZ. In the region mZZ > 300 GeV we find that the interference in the ZZ + jet channel is qualitatively similar to interference in the inclusive ZZ channel. Moreover, the rates are sufficient to study these effects at the LHC once jet-binned data become available.
118582742
Discovery potential of top-partners in a realistic composite Higgs model with early LHC data
Composite Higgs models provide a natural, non-supersymmetric solution to the hierarchy problem. In these models, one or more sets of heavy top-partners are typically introduced. Some of these new quarks can be relatively light, with a mass of a few hundred GeV, and could be observed with the early LHC collision data expected to be collected during 2010. We analyse in detail the collider signatures that these new quarks can produce. We show that final states with two (same-sign) or three leptons are the most promising discovery channels. They can yield a 5σ excess over the Standard Model expectation already with the 2010 LHC collision data. Exotic quarks of charge 5/3 are a distinctive feature of this model. We present a new method to reconstruct their masses from their leptonic decay without relying on jets in the final state.
119217103
A SPITZER IRS STUDY OF INFRARED VARIABILITY IN TRANSITIONAL AND PRE-TRANSITIONAL DISKS AROUND T TAURI STARS
We present a Spitzer IRS study of variability in 14 T Tauri stars in the Taurus and Chamaeleon star-forming regions. The sample is composed of transitional and pre-transitional objects which contain holes and gaps in their disks. We detect variability between 5 and 38 μm in all but two of our objects on timescales of 2-3 years. Most of the variability observed can be classified as seesaw behavior, whereby the emission at shorter wavelengths varies inversely with the emission at longer wavelengths. For many of the objects we can reasonably reproduce the observed variability using irradiated disk models, particularly by changing the height of the inner disk wall by ~20%. When the inner wall is taller, the emission at the shorter wavelengths is higher since the inner wall dominates the emission at 2-8 μm. The taller inner wall casts a larger shadow on the outer disk wall, leading to less emission at wavelengths beyond 20 μm where the outer wall dominates. We discuss how the possible presence of planets in these disks could lead to warps that cause changes in the height of the inner wall. We also find that crystalline silicates are common in the outer disks of our objects and that in the four disks in the sample with the most crystalline silicates, variability on timescales of 1 week is present. In addition to explaining the infrared variability described above, planets can create shocks and collisions which can crystallize the dust and lead to short timescale variability.
16375981
DUST PROCESSING AND GRAIN GROWTH IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS IN THE TAURUS-AURIGA STAR-FORMING REGION
Mid-infrared spectra of 65 T Tauri stars (TTS) taken with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on board the Spitzer Space Telescope are modeled using populations of optically thin warm and cool grains to probe the radial variation in dust composition in the uppermost layers of protoplanetary disks. Most spectra with narrow emission features associated with crystalline silicates require Mg-rich minerals and silica, while a few spectra with these features suggest the presence of other components. IRS spectra indicating the presence of large amounts of warm enstatite of ~400-500 K require crystalline silicates (enstatite or forsterite) at temperatures lower than the median temperature of the cool dust in the models, ~127 K; spectra showing a high abundance of other crystalline silicates (forsterite or silica) typically do not. A few spectra show 10 ?m complexes of very small equivalent width. They are fit well using abundant crystalline silicates but very few large grains, inconsistent with the expectation that a low peak-to-continuum ratio of the 10 ?m complex always indicates grain growth. Most of the spectra in our sample are fit well without using the opacities of large crystalline silicate grains. If large grains grow by agglomeration of submicron grains of all dust types, the amorphous silicate components of these aggregates must typically be more abundant than the crystalline silicate components. We also find that the more there is of one crystalline dust species, the more there is of the others. This could suggest that crystalline silicates are processed directly from amorphous silicates, whether through evaporation of the amorphous grains and condensation in chemical equilibrium or by annealing of the amorphous precursors. Alternatively, if one kind of crystalline silicate transforms into another kind, it suggests that the intermediate species transforms into the end-product species at a slower rate than the precursor transforms into the intermediate species; otherwise, there would be a negligible abundance of intermediate species. It is also found that the crystalline silicate abundance is correlated tightly with disk geometry, in the sense of higher crystallinity accompanying more-settled disks, which are commonly associated with growth and settling of grains. The abundance of large grains is also correlated with disks that are more highly settled, but with a wide range of large grain abundance for a given degree of settling. We interpret this range as that the settling of large grains is sensitive to individual disk properties. We also find that lower-mass stars have higher abundances of large grains in their inner regions.
14298410
Disk Evolution in the Three Nearby Star-forming Regions of Taurus, Chamaeleon, and Ophiuchus
We analyze samples of Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectra of T Tauri stars in the Ophiuchus, Taurus, and Chamaeleon I star-forming regions, whose median ages lie in the <1-2 Myr range. The median mid-infrared spectra of objects in these three regions are similar in shape, suggesting, on average, similar disk structures. When normalized to the same stellar luminosity, the medians follow each other closely, implying comparable mid-infrared excess emission from the circumstellar disks. We use the spectral index between 13 and 31 {mu}m and the equivalent width of the 10 {mu}m silicate emission feature to identify objects whose disk configuration departs from that of a continuous, optically thick accretion disk. Transitional disks, whose steep 13-31 {mu}m spectral slope and near-IR flux deficit reveal inner disk clearing, occur with about the same frequency of a few percent in all three regions. Objects with unusually large 10 {mu}m equivalent widths are more common (20%-30%); they could reveal the presence of disk gaps filled with optically thin dust. Based on their medians and fraction of evolved disks, T Tauri stars in Taurus and Chamaeleon I are very alike. Disk evolution sets in early, since already the youngest region, the Ophiuchus core (L1688), has moremore » settled disks with larger grains. Our results indicate that protoplanetary disks show clear signs of dust evolution at an age of a few Myr, even as early as approx1 Myr, but age is not the only factor determining the degree of evolution during the first few million years of a disk's lifetime.« less
15417198
A Survey and Analysis of Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph Spectra of T Tauri Stars in Taurus
We present mid-infrared spectra of T Tauri stars in the Taurus star-forming region obtained with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS). For the first time, the 5–36 � m spectra of a large sample of T Tauri stars belonging to the same star-forming region is studied, revealing details of the midinfrared excess due to dust in circumstellar disks. We analyze common features and differences in the mid-IR spectra based on disk structure, dust grain properties, and the presence of companions. Our analysis encompasses spectral energy distributions from the optical to the far-infrared, a morphological sequence based on the IRS spectra, and spectral indices in IRS wave bands representative of continuum emission. By comparing the observed spectra to a grid of accretion disk models, we infer some basic disk properties for our sample of T Tauri stars, and find additional evidence for dust settling. Subject headings: circumstellar matter — planetary systems: protoplanetary disks — stars: pre-main sequence — infrared: stars
56126864
EVIDENCE FOR DYNAMICAL CHANGES IN A TRANSITIONAL PROTOPLANETARY DISK WITH MID-INFRARED VARIABILITY
We present multi-epoch Spitzer Space Telescope observations of the transitional disk LRLL 31 in the 2-3 Myr old star-forming region IC 348. Our measurements show remarkable mid-infrared variability on timescales as short as one week. The infrared continuum emission exhibits systematic wavelength-dependent changes that suggest corresponding dynamical changes in the inner disk structure and variable shadowing of outer disk material. We propose several possible sources for the structural changes, including a variable accretion rate or a stellar or planetary companion embedded in the disk. Our results indicate that variability studies in the infrared can provide important new constraints on protoplanetary disk behavior.