58811566
Spectral evolution of the peculiar Ic Supernova 1998bw
Supernova 1998bw holds the record for the most energetic Type Ic explosion, one of the brightest radio supernovae and probably the first supernova associated with a γ-ray burst. In this paper we present spectral observations of SN 1998bw observed in a cooperative monitoring campaign using the Anglo-Australian Telescope, the UK Schmidt Telescope and the Siding Springs Observatories 2.3-m telescope. We investigate the evolution of the spectrum between 7 and 94 d after V-band maximum in comparison with well-studied examples of Type Ic SNe in order to quantify the unusual properties of this supernova event. Though the early spectra differ greatly from observations of classical Ic supernovae (SNe), we find that the evolution from the photospheric to nebular phases is slow but otherwise typical. The spectra differ predominantly in the extensive line blending and blanketing which has been attributed to the high velocity of the ejecta. We find that by day 19, the absorption line minima blueshifts are 10–50 per cent higher than other SNe and on day 94 emission lines are 45 per cent broader, as expected if the progenitor had a massive envelope. However, it is difficult to explain the extent of line blanketing entirely by line broadening, and we argue that an additional contribution from other species is present, indicating unusual relative abundances or physical conditions in the envelope.
53618836
Design drivers for a wide-field multi-object spectrograph for the William Herschel Telescope
Wide-field multi-object spectroscopy is a high priority for European astronomy over the next decade. Most 8-10m telescopes have a small field of view, making 4-m class telescopes a particularly attractive option for wide-field instruments. We present a science case and design drivers for a wide-field multi-object spectrograph (MOS) with integral field units for the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on La Palma. The instrument intends to take advantage of a future prime-focus corrector and atmospheric-dispersion corrector (Agocs et al, this conf.) that will deliver a field of view 2 deg in diameter, with good throughput from 370 to 1,000 nm. The science programs cluster into three groups needing three different resolving powers R: (1) high-precision radial-velocities for Gaia-related Milky Way dynamics, cosmological redshift surveys, and galaxy evolution studies (R = 5,000), (2) galaxy disk velocity dispersions (R = 10,000) and (3) high-precision stellar element abundances for Milky Way archaeology (R = 20,000). The multiplex requirements of the different science cases range from a few hundred to a few thousand, and a range of fibre-positioner technologies are considered. Several options for the spectrograph are discussed, building in part on published design studies for E-ELT spectrographs. Indeed, a WHT MOS will not only efficiently deliver data for exploitation of important imaging surveys planned for the coming decade, but will also serve as a test-bed to optimize the design of MOS instruments for the future E-ELT.
119346714
Star Formation at Redshift One: Preliminary results from an H-alpha Survey
We present the first successful demonstration of multi-object near-infrared spectroscopy on high redshift galaxies. Our objective is to address the true star formation history of the universe at z~1, a crucial epoch which some have suggested is the peak of star formation activity. By using H-alpha -the same robust star formation indicator used at low-z - redshifted into the J- and H-bands, we can trace star formation without the systematic uncertainties of different calibrators, or the extreme dust extinction in the rest-UV, which have plagued previous efforts. We are using the instrument CIRPASS (the Cambridge Infra-Red PAnoramic Survey Spectrograph), in multi-object mode, which has been successfully demonstrated on the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) and the William Herschel Telescope (WHT). CIRPASS has 150 fibres deployable over \~40arcmin on the AAT and ~15arcmin on the WHT. Here we present preliminary results from one of our fields observed with the WHT: H-alpha detections of z~1 galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field North.
16819006
The luminosity–metallicity relation in the local Universe from the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey
We investigate the Luminosity ‐ Metallicity (L Z) relation in the local universe (0 0.3) galaxies. Oxygen-to-hydrogen (O/H) abundance ratios are estimated using the ”strong-line” method, which relates the strength of following bright emission lines [O II] �3727, [O III] �5007, and H� (parametersR23 andO32)
116539757
Cosmological and Astrophysical Constraints on Tensor Unparticles
We calculate cosmological and astrophysical bounds on the couplings between standard model fields and tensor unparticles. The present day density of tensor unparticles from neutrino-neutrino and photon-photon annihilation is calculated. Also, the supernovae volume energy loss rates from electron-positron and photon-photon annihilation to tensor unparticles are calculated. The constraints from matter density and supernovae volume energy loss rates from photon-photon annihilation are on the same order of magnitude, while the bounds from supernovae volume energy loss rates from electron-positron annihilation are an order of magnitude lower. We find the couplings between standard model fields and tensor unparticles are at least an order of magnitude lower than those used for previous studies of tensor unparticle collider phenomenology.
119212880
Effective field theory for Higgs boson plus jet production
We use an effective field theory (EFT) which includes all possible gluon-Higgs dimension-5 and dimension-7 operators to study Higgs boson plus jet production in next-to-leading order QCD. The EFT sheds light on the effect of a finite top quark mass as well as any Beyond-the-Standard Model (BSM) modifications of Higgs-gluon effective couplings. In the gluon channel, the accuracy of the heavy-top approximation for differential distributions arises from the non-interference between the helicity amplitudes of the G^3 h and G^2 h operators in the m_h < p_T limit at lowest order. One dimension-7 operator involving quark bilinears, however, contributes significantly at high p_T, and potentially offers a channel for seeing BSM effects. One-loop renormalization of these operators is determined, allowing resummation of large logarithms via renormalization group running. NLO numerical results at the LHC are presented, which include O(1/m_t^2) contributions in the SM limit.
5632236
Right-Handed Neutrinos as the Origin of the Electroweak Scale
The insular nature of the Standard Model may be explained if the Higgs mass parameter is only sensitive to quantum corrections from physical states. Starting from a scale-free electroweak sector at tree-level, we postulate that quantum effects of heavy right-handed neutrinos induce a mass term for a scalar weak doublet that contains the dark matter particle. In turn, below the scale of heavy neutrinos, the dark matter sector sets the scale of the Higgs potential. We show that this framework can lead to a Higgs mass that respects physical naturalness, while also providing a viable scalar dark matter candidate, realistic light neutrino masses, and the baryon asymmetry of the Universe via leptogenesis. The proposed scenario can remain perturbative and stable up to the Planck scale, thereby accommodating simple extensions to include a high scale (2\times 10^{16} GeV) inflationary sector, implied by recent measurements. In that case, our model typically predicts that the dark matter scalar is close to 1 TeV in mass and could be accessible in near future direct detection experiments.
118862672
Technicolor-assisted leptogenesis with an ultra-heavy Higgs doublet
If fermion condensation is a main source of electroweak symmetry breaking, an ultra-heavy Higgs doublet of mass ~10^8 GeV can yield naturally small Dirac neutrino masses. We show that such a scenario can lead to a new leptogenesis mechanism based on the decays of the ultra-heavy Higgs. Given its very large mass, the requisite Higgs doublet can be considered an elementary particle and would point to a cutoff scale ~10^10 GeV. We outline how our scenario can also naturally lead to composite asymmetric dark matter. Some potential signals of this scenario are discussed.
14067913
Electroweak phase transition, Higgs diphoton rate, and new heavy fermions
We show that weak scale vector-like fermions with order one couplings to the Higgs can lead to a novel mechanism for a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition (EWPhT), through their tendency to drive the Higgs quartic coupling negative. These same fermions could also enhance the loop-induced branching fraction of the Higgs into two photons, as suggested by the recent discovery of a ~125 GeV Higgs-like state at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Our results suggest that measurements of the diphoton decay rate of the Higgs and its self coupling, at the LHC or perhaps at a future lepton collider, could probe the EWPhT in the early Universe, with significant implications for the viability of electroweak baryogenesis scenarios.