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.
119508925
F-term inflation Q-balls
A general analysis of Q-ball solutions of the supersymmetric F-term hybrid inflation field equations is given. The solutions consist of a complex inflaton field and a real symmetry-breaking field, with a conserved global charge associated with the inflaton. It is shown that the Q-ball solutions for any value of the superpotential coupling, kappa, may be obtained from those with kappa=1 by rescaling the space coordinates. The complete range of Q-ball solutions for the case kappa=1 is given, from which all possible F-term inflation Q-balls can be obtained. The possible role of F-term inflation Q-balls in cosmology is discussed.
15668699
Supergravity modification of D-term hybrid inflation: Solving the cosmic string and spectral index problems via a right-handed sneutrino
Supergravity corrections due to the energy density of a right-handed sneutrino can generate a negative mass squared for the inflaton, flattening the inflaton potential and reducing the spectral index and inflaton energy density. For the case of D-term hybrid inflation, we show that the spectral index can be lowered from the conventional value n=0.98 to a value within the range favored by the latest WMAP analysis, n=0.951-0.019+0.015. The modified energy density is consistent with nonobservation of cosmic strings in the CMB if n<0.946. The WMAP lower bound on the spectral index implies that the D-term cosmic string contribution may be very close present CMB limits, contributing at least 5% to the CMB multipoles.
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.
42466564
CP violation for electroweak baryogenesis from mixing of standard model and heavy vector quarks.
It is known that the CP violation in the minimal standard model is insufficient to explain the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe in the context of electroweak baryogenesis. In this paper we consider the possibility that the additional CP violation required could originate in the mixing of the standard model quarks and heavy vector quark pairs. We consider the baryon asymmetry in the context of the spontaneous baryogenesis scenario. It is shown that, in general, the CP-violating phase entering the mass matrix of the standard model and heavy vector quarks must be space dependent in order to produce a baryon asymmetry, suggesting that the additional CP violation must be spontaneous in nature. This is true for the case of the simplest models which mix the standard model and heavy vector quarks. We derive a charge potential term for the model by diagonalizing the quark mass matrix in the presence of the electroweak bubble wall, which turns out to be quite different from the fermionic hypercharge potentials usually considered in spontaneous baryogenesis models, and obtain the rate of baryon number generation within the wall. We find, for the particular example where the standard model quarks mix with weak-isodoublet heavy vector quarks via the expectation value of a gauge singlet scalar, that we, can account for the observed baryon asymmetry with conservative estimates for the uncertain parameters of electroweak baryogenesis, provided that the heavy vector quarks are not heavier than a few hundred GeV and that the coupling of the standard model quarks to the heavy vector quarks and gauge singlet scalars is not much smaller than order of 1, corresponding to a mixing angle of the heavy vector quarks and standard model quarks not much smaller than order of 10(-1).
9782765
Gauge singlet scalars as cold dark matter.
We consider a very simple extension of the standard model in which one or more gauge singlet scalars S-i couples to the standard model via an interaction of the form lambda(S)S(i)(dagger)S(i)H(dagger)H, where H is the standard model Higgs doublet. The thermal relic density of S scalars is calculated as a function of the coupling lambda(S) and the S scalar mass ms. The regions of the (m(S),lambda(S)) parameter space which can be probed by present and future experiments designed to detect scattering of S dark matter particles from Ge nuclei, and to observe upward-moving muons and contained events in neutrino detectors due to high-energy neutrinos from annihilations of S dark matter particles in the Sun and the Earth, are discussed. Present experimental bounds place only very weak constraints on the possibility of thermal relic S scalar dark matter. The next generation of cryogenic Ge detectors and of large area (10(4) m(2)) neutrino detectors will be able to investigate most of the parameter space corresponding to thermal relic S scalar dark matter up to m(S) approximate to 50 GeV, while a 1 km(2) detector would in general be able to detect thermal relic S scalar dark matter up to m(S) approximate to 100 GeV and would be able to detect up to m(S) approximate to 500 GeV or more if the Higgs boson is lighter than 100 GeV.
123166163
Smoothing with split linear fits
We introduce a family of smoothing algorithms that can produce discontinuous output. Unlike most commonly used smoothers, that tend to blur discontinuities in the data, this smoother can be used for smoothing with edge detection. We cite examples of other approaches to (two-dimensional) smoothing with edge detection in image processing, and apply our one-dimensional smoother to sea surface temperature data where the discontinuities arise from changes in ocean currents.
60877186
Interactive Graphics For Data Analysis
119087432
Ionization chambers for monitoring in high-intensity charged particle beams
Radiation-hard ionization chambers were tested using an intense electron beam from the accelerator test facility at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The detectors were designed to be used as the basic element for monitoring muons in the Main Injector Neutrino beamline at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Measurements of linearity of response, voltage dependence, and the onset of ionization saturation as a function of gap voltage were performed.
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”.