Gravitational lensing effects of vacuum strings - Exact solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gott, J. R., III

1985-01-01

Exact interior and exterior solutions to Einstein's field equations are derived for vacuum strings. The exterior solution for a uniform density vacuum string corresponds to a conical space while the interior solution is that of a spherical cap. For Mu equals 0-1/4 the external metric is ds-squared = -dt-squared + dr-squared + (1-4 Mu)-squared r-squared dphi-squared + dz-squared, where Mu is the mass per unit length in the string in Planck masses per Planck length. A maximum mass per unit length for a string is 6.73 x 10 to the 27th g/cm. It is shown that strings cause temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background and produce equal brightness double QSO images separated by up to several minutes of arc. Formulae for lensing probabilities, image splittings, and time delays are derived for strings in a realistic cosmological setting. String searches using ST, the VLA, and the COBE satellite are discussed.

Dualities in String Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meissner, K. A.

We describe in this chapter a set of duality symmetries present in the string-inspired theory of gravity coupled to the dilaton. These dualities are the cornerstones of String Cosmology, which provides alternatives to the usual inflation scenario. The crucial role of Prof. Gabriele Veneziano in the discovery and the development of string dualities is described and emphasized.

Matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe via string-inspired CPT violation at early eras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mavromatos, Nick E.

2018-01-01

In four-space-time dimensional string/brane theory, obtained either through compactification of the extra spatial dimensions, or by appropriate restriction to brane worlds with three large spatial dimensions, the rich physics potential associated with the presence of non-trivial Kalb-Ramond (KR) axion-like fields has not been fully exploited so far. In this talk, I discuss a scenario whereby such fields produce spontaneous Lorentz- and CPT-violating cosmological backgrounds over which strings propagate, which in the early Universe can lead to Baryogenesis through Leptogenesis in models with heavy right-handed neutrinos.

Imprints of cosmic strings on the cosmological gravitational wave background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleidis, K.; Papadopoulos, D. B.; Verdaguer, E.; Vlahos, L.

2008-07-01

The equation which governs the temporal evolution of a gravitational wave (GW) in curved space-time can be treated as the Schrödinger equation for a particle moving in the presence of an effective potential. When GWs propagate in an expanding universe with constant effective potential, there is a critical value (kc) of the comoving wave number which discriminates the metric perturbations into oscillating (k>kc) and nonoscillating (k

Magnetic Bianchi type II string cosmological model in loop quantum cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rikhvitsky, Victor; Saha, Bijan; Visinescu, Mihai

2014-07-01

The loop quantum cosmology of the Bianchi type II string cosmological model in the presence of a homogeneous magnetic field is studied. We present the effective equations which provide modifications to the classical equations of motion due to quantum effects. The numerical simulations confirm that the big bang singularity is resolved by quantum gravity effects.

Eventful horizons: String theory in de Sitter and anti-de Sitter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleban, Matthew Benjamin

String theory purports to be a theory of quantum gravity. As such, it should have much to say about the deep mysteries surrounding the very early stages of our universe. For this reason, although the theory is notoriously difficult to directly test, data from experimental cosmology may provide a way to probe the high energy physics of string theory. In the first part of this thesis, I will address the important issue of the testability of string theory using observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation. In the second part, I will study some formal difficulties that arise in attempting to understand string theory in de Sitter spacetime. In the third part, I will study the singularity of an eternal anti de Sitter Schwarzschild black hole, using the AdS/CFT correspondence.

Inhomogeneous Einstein-Rosen string cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clancy, Dominic; Feinstein, Alexander; Lidsey, James E.; Tavakol, Reza

1999-08-01

Families of anisotropic and inhomogeneous string cosmologies containing non-trivial dilaton and axion fields are derived by applying the global symmetries of the string effective action to a generalized Einstein-Rosen metric. The models exhibit a two-dimensional group of Abelian isometries. In particular, two classes of exact solutions are found that represent inhomogeneous generalizations of the Bianchi type VIh cosmology. The asymptotic behavior of the solutions is investigated and further applications are briefly discussed.

Wavelet-Bayesian inference of cosmic strings embedded in the cosmic microwave background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McEwen, J. D.; Feeney, S. M.; Peiris, H. V.; Wiaux, Y.; Ringeval, C.; Bouchet, F. R.

2017-12-01

Cosmic strings are a well-motivated extension to the standard cosmological model and could induce a subdominant component in the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), in addition to the standard inflationary component. The detection of strings, while observationally challenging, would provide a direct probe of physics at very high-energy scales. We develop a framework for cosmic string inference from observations of the CMB made over the celestial sphere, performing a Bayesian analysis in wavelet space where the string-induced CMB component has distinct statistical properties to the standard inflationary component. Our wavelet-Bayesian framework provides a principled approach to compute the posterior distribution of the string tension Gμ and the Bayesian evidence ratio comparing the string model to the standard inflationary model. Furthermore, we present a technique to recover an estimate of any string-induced CMB map embedded in observational data. Using Planck-like simulations, we demonstrate the application of our framework and evaluate its performance. The method is sensitive to Gμ ∼ 5 × 10-7 for Nambu-Goto string simulations that include an integrated Sachs-Wolfe contribution only and do not include any recombination effects, before any parameters of the analysis are optimized. The sensitivity of the method compares favourably with other techniques applied to the same simulations.

Higher dimensional strange quark matter solutions in self creation cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Şen, R., E-mail: ramazansen-1991@hotmail.com; Aygün, S., E-mail: saygun@comu.edu.tr

In this study, we have generalized the higher dimensional flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) universe solutions for a cloud of string with perfect fluid attached strange quark matter (SQM) in Self Creation Cosmology (SCC). We have obtained that the cloud of string with perfect fluid does not survive and the string tension density vanishes for this model. However, we get dark energy model for strange quark matter with positive density and negative pressure in self creation cosmology.

Differentiating G-inflation from string gas cosmology using the effective field theory approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He, Minxi; Liu, Junyu; Lu, Shiyun

A characteristic signature of String Gas Cosmology is primordial power spectra for scalar and tensor modes which are almost scale-invariant but with a red tilt for scalar modes but a blue tilt for tensor modes. This feature, however, can also be realized in the so-called G-inflation model, in which Horndeski operators are introduced which leads to a blue tensor tilt by softly breaking the Null Energy Condition. In this article we search for potential observational differences between these two cosmologies by performing detailed perturbation analyses based on the Effective Field Theory approach. Our results show that, although both two modelsmore » produce blue tilted tensor perturbations, they behave differently in three aspects. Firstly, String Gas Cosmology predicts a specific consistency relation between the index of the scalar modes n {sub s} and that of tensor ones n {sub t} , which is hard to be reproduced by G-inflation. Secondly, String Gas Cosmology typically predicts non-Gaussianities which are highly suppressed on observable scales, while G-inflation gives rise to observationally large non-Gaussianities because the kinetic terms in the action become important during inflation. However, after finely tuning the model parameters of G-inflation it is possible to obtain a blue tensor spectrum and negligible non-Gaussianities with a degeneracy between the two models. This degeneracy can be broken by a third observable, namely the scale dependence of the nonlinearity parameter, which vanishes for G-inflation but has a blue tilt in the case of String Gas Cosmology. Therefore, we conclude that String Gas Cosmology is in principle observationally distinguishable from the single field inflationary cosmology, even allowing for modifications such as G-inflation.« less

Tilted string cosmologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clancy, Dominic; Feinstein, Alexander; Lidsey, James E.; Tavakol, Reza

1999-04-01

Global symmetries of the string effective action are employed to generate tilted, homogeneous Bianchi type VIh string cosmologies from a previously known stiff perfect fluid solution to Einstein gravity. The dilaton field is not constant on the surfaces of homogeneity. The future asymptotic state of the models is interpreted as a plane wave and is itself an exact solution to the string equations of motion to all orders in the inverse string tension. An inhomogeneous generalization of the Bianchi type III model is also found.

Running of the spectrum of cosmological perturbations in string gas cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandenberger, Robert; Franzmann, Guilherme; Liang, Qiuyue

2017-12-01

We compute the running of the spectrum of cosmological perturbations in string gas cosmology, making use of a smooth parametrization of the transition between the early Hagedorn phase and the later radiation phase. We find that the running has the same sign as in simple models of single scalar field inflation. Its magnitude is proportional to (1 -ns) (ns being the slope index of the spectrum), and it is thus parametrically larger than for inflationary cosmology, where it is proportional to (1 -ns)2 .

Effect of the cosmological constant on the deflection angle by a rotating cosmic string

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jusufi, Kimet; Övgün, Ali

2018-03-01

We report the effect of the cosmological constant and the internal energy density of a cosmic string on the deflection angle of light in the spacetime of a rotating cosmic string with internal structure. We first revisit the deflection angle by a rotating cosmic string and then provide a generalization using the geodesic equations and the Gauss-Bonnet theorem. We show there is an agreement between the two methods when employing higher-order terms of the linear mass density of the cosmic string. By modifying the integration domain for the global conical topology, we resolve the inconsistency between these two methods previously reported in the literature. We show that the deflection angle is not affected by the rotation of the cosmic string; however, the cosmological constant Λ strongly affects the deflection angle, which generalizes the well-known result.

TOPICAL REVIEW: String cosmology versus standard and inflationary cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasperini, M.

2000-06-01

This paper presents a review of the basic, model-independent differences between the pre-big-bang scenario, arising naturally in a string cosmology context, and the standard inflationary scenario. We use an unconventional approach in which the introduction of technical details is avoided as much as possible, trying to focus the reader's attention on the main conceptual aspects of both scenarios. The aim of the paper is not to conclude either in favour of one or other of the scenarios, but to raise questions that are left to the reader's meditation. Warning: the paper does not contain equations, and is not intended as a complete review of all aspects of string cosmology.

Detection of low tension cosmic superstrings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernoff, David F.; Tye, S.-H. Henry

2018-05-01

Cosmic superstrings of string theory differ from conventional cosmic strings of field theory. We review how the physical and cosmological properties of the macroscopic string loops influence experimental searches for these relics from the epoch of inflation. The universe's average density of cosmic superstrings can easily exceed that of conventional cosmic strings having the same tension by two or more orders of magnitude. The cosmological behavior of the remnant superstring loops is qualitatively distinct because the string tension is exponentially smaller than the string scale in flux compactifications in string theory. Low tension superstring loops live longer, experience less recoil (rocket effect from the emission of gravitational radiation) and tend to cluster like dark matter in galaxies. Clustering enhances the string loop density with respect to the cosmological average in collapsed structures in the universe. The enhancement at the Sun's position is ~ 105. We develop a model encapsulating the leading order string theory effects, the current understanding of the string network loop production and the influence of cosmological structure formation suitable for forecasting the detection of superstring loops via optical microlensing, gravitational wave bursts and fast radio bursts. We evaluate the detection rate of bursts from cusps and kinks by LIGO- and LISA-like experiments. Clustering dominates rates for G μ < 10‑11.9 (LIGO cusp), G μ<10‑11.2 (LISA cusp), G μ < 10‑10.6 (LISA kink); we forecast experimentally accessible gravitational wave bursts for G μ>10‑14.2 (LIGO cusp), G μ>10‑15 (LISA cusp) and G μ>10‑ 14.1 (LISA kink).

String cosmology and the landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bena, Iosif; Graña, Mariana

2017-03-01

String Theory is believed to have a landscape of 10500 vacua with properties that resemble those of our Universe. The existence of these vacua can be combined with anthropic reasoning to explain some of the hardest problems in cosmology and high-energy physics: the cosmological constant problem, the hierarchy problem, and the un-natural almost-flatness of the inflationary potential. We will explain the construction of these vacua, focusing on the challenges of obtaining vacua with a positive cosmological constant.

Bounce universe from string-inspired Gauss-Bonnet gravity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bamba, Kazuharu; Makarenko, Andrey N.; Myagky, Alexandr N.

2015-04-01

We explore cosmology with a bounce in Gauss-Bonnet gravity where the Gauss-Bonnet invariant couples to a dynamical scalar field. In particular, the potential and and Gauss-Bonnet coupling function of the scalar field are reconstructed so that the cosmological bounce can be realized in the case that the scale factor has hyperbolic and exponential forms. Furthermore, we examine the relation between the bounce in the string (Jordan) and Einstein frames by using the conformal transformation between these conformal frames. It is shown that in general, the property of the bounce point in the string frame changes after the frame is movedmore » to the Einstein frame. Moreover, it is found that at the point in the Einstein frame corresponding to the point of the cosmological bounce in the string frame, the second derivative of the scale factor has an extreme value. In addition, it is demonstrated that at the time of the cosmological bounce in the Einstein frame, there is the Gauss-Bonnet coupling function of the scalar field, although it does not exist in the string frame.« less

Aspects of string phenomenology in particle physics and cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antoniadis, I.

2017-12-01

I discuss possible connections between several scales in particle physics and cosmology, such the the electroweak, inflation, dark energy and Planck scales. In particular, I discuss the physics of extra dimensions and low scale gravity that are motivated from the problem of mass hierarchy, providing an alternative to low energy supersymmetry. I describe their realization in type I string theory with D-branes and I present the main experimental predictions in particle accelerators and their implications in cosmology. I also show that low-mass-scale string compactifications, with a generic D-brane configuration that realizes the Standard Model by open strings, can explain the relatively broad peak in the diphoton invariant mass spectrum at 750 GeV recently reported by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations.

Microscopic approach to string gas cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evnin, Oleg

2014-03-01

In this contribution to the proceedings of the Conference on Modern Physics of Compact Stars and Relativistic Gravity in Yerevan, Armenia (September 18-21, 2013), I review recent work attempting to give a fundamental definition to string evolution in a dynamical, fully compact universe, and present a sketch of how the resulting formalism can be used for addressing questions of phenomenological significance in the field of string gas cosmology.

Cosmological density fluctuations produced by vacuum strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vilenkin, A.

1981-04-01

Consideration is given to the possible role of vacuum domain strings produced in the grand unification phase transition in the early universe in the generation of the density fluctuations giving rise to galaxies. The cosmological evolution of the strings formed in the grand unification phase transition is analyzed, with attention given to possible mechanisms for the damping out of oscillations produced by tension in convoluted strings and closed loops. The cosmological density fluctuations introduced by infinite strings and closed loops smaller than the horizon are then shown to be capable of giving rise to mass condensations on a scale of approximately 10 to the 9th solar masses at the time of the decoupling of radiation from matter, around which the galaxies condense. Differences between the present theory and that suggested by Zel'dovich (1980) are pointed out, and it is noted that string formation at the grand unification phase transition is possible only if the manifold of the degenerate vacua of the gauge theory is not simply connected.

Bianchi type-VIh string cloud cosmological models with bulk viscosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripathy, Sunil K.; Behera, Dipanjali

2010-11-01

String cloud cosmological models are studied using spatially homogeneous and anisotropic Bianchi type VIh metric in the frame work of general relativity. The field equations are solved for massive string cloud in presence of bulk viscosity. A general linear equation of state of the cosmic string tension density with the proper energy density of the universe is considered. The physical and kinematical properties of the models have been discussed in detail and the limits of the anisotropic parameter responsible for different phases of the universe are explored.

Generating the curvature perturbation at the end of inflation in string theory.

PubMed

Lyth, David H; Riotto, Antonio

2006-09-22

In brane inflationary scenarios, the cosmological perturbations are supposed to originate from the vacuum fluctuations of the inflaton field corresponding to the position of the brane. We show that a significant, and possibly dominant, contribution to the curvature perturbation is generated at the end of inflation through the vacuum fluctuations of fields, other than the inflaton, which are light during the inflationary trajectory and become heavy at the brane-antibrane annihilation. These fields appear generically in string compactifications where the background geometry has exact or approximate isometries and parametrize the internal angular directions of the brane.

Bianchi type-II String Cosmological Model with Magnetic Field in Scale-Covariant Theory of Gravitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, N. K.; Singh, J. K.

2014-12-01

The spatially homogeneous and totally anisotropic Bianchi type-II cosmological solutions of massive strings have been investigated in the presence of the magnetic field in the framework of scale-covariant theory of gravitation formulated by Canuto et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 39, 429, 1977). With the help of special law of variation for Hubble's parameter proposed by Berman (Nuovo Cimento 74, 182, 1983) string cosmological model is obtained in this theory. We use the power law relation between scalar field ϕ and scale factor R to find the solutions. Some physical and kinematical properties of the model are also discussed.

Searching for cosmic strings in CMB anisotropy maps using wavelets and curvelets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hergt, Lukas; Amara, Adam; Brandenberger, Robert; Kacprzak, Tomasz; Réfrégier, Alexandre

2017-06-01

We use wavelet and curvelet transforms to extract signals of cosmic strings from simulated cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropy maps, and to study the limits on the cosmic string tension which various ongoing CMB temperature anisotropy experiments will be able to achieve. We construct sky maps with size and angular resolution corresponding to various experiments. These maps contain the signals of a scaling solution of long string segments with a given string tension G μ, the contribution of the dominant Gaussian primordial cosmological fluctuations, and pixel by pixel white noise with an amplitude corresponding to the instrumental noise of the various experiments. In the case that we include white noise, we find that using curvelets we obtain lower bounds on the string tension than with wavelets. For maps with Planck specification, we obtain bounds comparable to what was obtained by the Planck collaboration [1]. Experiments with better angular resolution such as the South Pole Telescope third generation (SPT-3G) survey will be able to yield stronger limits. For maps with a specification of SPT-3G we find that string signals will be visible down to a string tension of G μ = 1.4 × 10-7.

Black branes and black strings in the astrophysical and cosmological context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akarsu, Özgür; Chopovsky, Alexey; Zhuk, Alexander

2018-03-01

We consider Kaluza-Klein models where internal spaces are compact flat or curved Einstein spaces. This background is perturbed by a compact gravitating body with the dust-like equation of state (EoS) in the external/our space and an arbitrary EoS parameter Ω in the internal space. Without imposing any restrictions on the form of the perturbed metric and the distribution of the perturbed energy densities, we perform the general analysis of the Einstein and conservation equations in the weak-field limit. All conclusions follow from this analysis. For example, we demonstrate that the perturbed model is static and perturbed metric preserves the block-diagonal form. In a particular case Ω = - 1 / 2, the found solution corresponds to the weak-field limit of the black strings/branes. The black strings/branes are compact gravitating objects which have the topology (four-dimensional Schwarzschild spacetime) × (d-dimensional internal space) with d ≥ 1. We present the arguments in favour of these objects. First, they satisfy the gravitational tests for the parameterized post-Newtonian parameter γ at the same level of accuracy as General Relativity. Second, they are preferable from the thermodynamical point of view. Third, averaging over the Universe, they do not destroy the stabilization of the internal space. These are the astrophysical and cosmological aspects of the black strings/branes.

TASI Lectures on Cosmological Observables and String Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silverstein, Eva

These lectures provide an updated pedagogical treatment of the theoretical structure and phenomenology of some basic mechanisms for inflation, along with an overview of the structure of cosmological uplifts of holographic duality. A full treatment of the problem requires `ultraviolet completion' because of the sensitivity of inflation to quantum gravity effects, including back reaction and non-adiabatic production of heavy degrees of freedom. Cosmological observations imply accelerated expansion of the late universe, and provide increasingly precise constraints and discovery potential on the amplitude and shape of primordial tensor and scalar perturbations, and some of their correlation functions. Most backgrounds of string theory have positive potential energy, with a rich but still highly constrained landscape of solutions. The theory contains novel mechanisms for inflation, some subject to significant observational tests, with highly UV-sensitive tensor mode measurements being a prime example along with certain shapes of primordial correlation functions. Although the detailed ultraviolet completion is not accessible experimentally, some of these mechanisms directly stimulate a more systematic analysis of the space of low energy theories and signatures relevant for analysis of data, which is sensitive to physics orders of magnitude above the energy scale of inflation as a result of long time evolution (dangerous irrelevance) and the substantial amount of data (allowing constraints on quantities with signal/noise. Portions of these lectures appeared previously in Les Houches 2013, "Post-Planck Cosmology".

A premier analysis of supersymmetric closed string tachyon cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vázquez-Báez, V.; Ramírez, C.

2018-04-01

From a previously found worldline supersymmetric formulation for the effective action of the closed string tachyon in a FRW background, the Hamiltonian of the theory is constructed, by means of the Dirac procedure, and written in a quantum version. Using the supersymmetry algebra we are able to find solutions to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation via a more simple set of first order differential equations. Finally, for the k = 0 case, we compute the expectation value of the scale factor with a suitably potential also favored in the present literature. We give some interpretations of the results and state future work lines on this matter.

Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize Lecture: The Higgs Boson, String Theory, and the Real World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, Gordon

2012-03-01

In this talk I'll describe how string theory is exciting because it can address most, perhaps all, of the questions we hope to understand about our world: why quarks and leptons make up our world, what forces form our world, cosmology, parity violation, and much more. I'll explain why string theory is testable in basically the same ways as the rest of physics, and why much of what is written about that is misleading. String theory is already or soon being tested in several ways, including correctly predicting the recently observed Higgs boson properties and mass, and predictions for dark matter, LHC physics, cosmological history, and more, from work in the increasingly active subfield ``string phenomenology.''

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hergt, Lukas; Amara, Adam; Kacprzak, Tomasz

We use wavelet and curvelet transforms to extract signals of cosmic strings from simulated cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropy maps, and to study the limits on the cosmic string tension which various ongoing CMB temperature anisotropy experiments will be able to achieve. We construct sky maps with size and angular resolution corresponding to various experiments. These maps contain the signals of a scaling solution of long string segments with a given string tension G μ, the contribution of the dominant Gaussian primordial cosmological fluctuations, and pixel by pixel white noise with an amplitude corresponding to the instrumental noise ofmore » the various experiments. In the case that we include white noise, we find that using curvelets we obtain lower bounds on the string tension than with wavelets. For maps with Planck specification, we obtain bounds comparable to what was obtained by the Planck collaboration [1]. Experiments with better angular resolution such as the South Pole Telescope third generation (SPT-3G) survey will be able to yield stronger limits. For maps with a specification of SPT-3G we find that string signals will be visible down to a string tension of G μ = 1.4 × 10{sup −7}.« less

The Future of Theoretical Physics and Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbons, G. W.; Shellard, E. P. S.; Rankin, S. J.

2009-08-01

Preface; List of contributors; 1. Introduction; Part I. Popular Symposium: 2. Our complex cosmos and its future Martin J. Rees; 3. Theories of everything and Hawking's wave function of the Universe James B. Hartle; 4. The problem of space-time singularities: implications for quantum gravity? Roger Penrose; 5. Warping spacetime Kip Thorne; 6. 60 years in a nutshell Stephen W. Hawking; Part II. Spacetime Singularities: 7. Cosmological perturbations and singularities George F. R. Ellis; 8. The quantum physics of chronology protection Matt Visser; 9. Energy dominance and the Hawking-Ellis vacuum conservation theorem Brandon Carter; 10. On the instability of extra space dimensions Roger Penrose; Part III. Black Holes: 11. Black hole uniqueness and the inner horizon stability problem Werner Israel; 12. Black holes in the real universe and their prospects as probes of relativistic gravity Martin J. Rees; 13. Primordial black holes Bernard Carr; 14. Black hole pair creation Simon F. Ross; 15. Black holes as accelerators Steven Giddings; Part IV. Hawking Radiation: 16. Black holes and string theory Malcolm Perry; 17. M theory and black hole quantum mechanics Joe Polchinski; 18. Playing with black strings Gary Horowitz; 19. Twenty years of debate with Stephen Leonard Susskind; Part V. Quantum Gravity: 20. Euclidean quantum gravity: the view from 2002 Gary Gibbons; 21. Zeta functions, anomalies and stable branes Ian Moss; 22. Some reflections on the status of conventional quantum theory when applied to quantum gravity Chris Isham; 23. Quantum geometry and its ramifications Abhay Ashtekar; 24. Topology change in quantum gravity Fay Dowker; Part VI. M Theory and Beyond: 25. The past and future of string theory Edward Witten; 26. String theory David Gross; 27. A brief description of string theory Michael Green; 28. The story of M Paul Townsend; 29. Gauged supergravity and holographic field theory Nick Warner; 30. 57 varieties in a NUTshell Chris Pope; Part VII. de Sitter Space: 31. Adventures in de Sitter space Raphael Bousso; 32. de Sitter space in non-critical string theory Andrew Strominger; 33. Supergravity, M theory and cosmology Renata Kallosh; Part VIII. Quantum Cosmology: 34. The state of the universe James B. Hartle; 35. Quantum cosmology Don Page; 36. Quantum cosmology and eternal inflation A. Vilenkin; 37. Probability in the deterministic theory known as quantum mechanics Bryce de Witt; 38. The interpretation of quantum cosmology and the problem of time J. Halliwell; 39. What local supersymmetry can do for quantum cosmology Peter D'Eath; Part IX. Cosmology: 40. Inflation and cosmological perturbations Alan Guth; 41. The future of cosmology: observational and computational prospects Paul Shellard; 42. The ekpyrotic universe and its cyclic extension Neil Turok; 43. Inflationary theory versus the ekpyrotic/cyclic scenario Andrei Linde; 44. Brane (new) worlds Pierre Binetruy; 45. Publications of Stephen Hawking; Index.

Constraints on the production of primordial magnetic seeds in pre-big bang cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gasperini, M., E-mail: gasperini@ba.infn.it

We study the amplification of the electromagnetic fluctuations, and the production of 'seeds' for the cosmic magnetic fields, in a class of string cosmology models whose scalar and tensor perturbations reproduce current observations and satisfy known phenomenological constraints. We find that the condition of efficient seeds production can be satisfied and compatible with all constraints only in a restricted region of parameter space, but we show that such a region has significant intersections with the portions of parameter space where the produced background of relic gravitational waves is strong enough to be detectable by aLIGO/Virgo and/or by eLISA.

Constraints on the production of primordial magnetic seeds in pre-big bang cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasperini, M.

2017-06-01

We study the amplification of the electromagnetic fluctuations, and the production of "seeds" for the cosmic magnetic fields, in a class of string cosmology models whose scalar and tensor perturbations reproduce current observations and satisfy known phenomenological constraints. We find that the condition of efficient seeds production can be satisfied and compatible with all constraints only in a restricted region of parameter space, but we show that such a region has significant intersections with the portions of parameter space where the produced background of relic gravitational waves is strong enough to be detectable by aLIGO/Virgo and/or by eLISA.

Dangerous angular Kaluza-Klein/glueball relics in string theory cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dufaux, J. F.; CITA, University of Toronto, 60 St. George st., Toronto, ON M5S 3H8; Kofman, L.

2008-07-15

The presence of Kaluza-Klein (KK) particles in the universe is a potential manifestation of string theory cosmology. In general, they can be present in the high temperature bath of the early universe. In particular examples, string theory inflation often ends with brane-antibrane annihilation followed by the energy cascading through massive closed string loops to KK modes which then decay into lighter standard model particles. However, massive KK modes in the early universe may become dangerous cosmological relics if the inner manifold contains warped throat(s) with approximate isometries. In the complimentary picture, in the AdS/CFT dual gauge theory with extra isometries,more » massive glueballs of various spins become the dangerous cosmological relics. The decay of these angular KK modes/glueballs, located around the tip of the throat, is caused by isometry breaking which results from gluing the throat to the compact Calabi-Yau (CY) manifold. We address the problem of these angular KK particles/glueballs, studying their interactions and decay channels, from the theory side, and the resulting cosmological constraints on the warped compactification parameters, from the phenomenology side. The abundance and decay time of the long-lived nonrelativistic angular KK modes depend strongly on the parameters of the warped geometry, so that observational constraints rule out a significant fraction of the parameter space. In particular, the coupling of the angular KK particles can be weaker than gravitational.« less

Non-Abelian cosmic string in the Starobinsky model of gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morais Graça, J. P.; de Pádua Santos, A.; Bezerra de Mello, Eugênio R.; Bezerra, V. B.

In this paper, we analyze numerically the behavior of the solutions corresponding to a non-Abelian cosmic string in the framework of the Starobinsky model, i.e. where f(R) = R + ζR2. We perform the calculations for both an asymptotically flat and asymptotically (anti)-de Sitter spacetimes. We found that the angular deficit generated by the string decreases as the parameter ζ increases, in the case of a null cosmological constant. For a positive cosmological constant, we found that the cosmic horizon is affected in a nontrivial way by the parameter ζ.

Anisotropic Bianchi Type-I and Type-II Bulk Viscous String Cosmological Models Coupled with Zero Mass Scalar Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venkateswarlu, R.; Sreenivas, K.

2014-06-01

The LRS Bianchi type-I and type-II string cosmological models are studied when the source for the energy momentum tensor is a bulk viscous stiff fluid containing one dimensional strings together with zero-mass scalar field. We have obtained the solutions of the field equations assuming a functional relationship between metric coefficients when the metric is Bianchi type-I and constant deceleration parameter in case of Bianchi type-II metric. The physical and kinematical properties of the models are discussed in each case. The effects of Viscosity on the physical and kinematical properties are also studied.

No-scale inflation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellis, John; Garcia, Marcos A. G.; Nanopoulos, Dimitri V.; Olive, Keith A.

2016-05-01

Supersymmetry is the most natural framework for physics above the TeV scale, and the corresponding framework for early-Universe cosmology, including inflation, is supergravity. No-scale supergravity emerges from generic string compactifications and yields a non-negative potential, and is therefore a plausible framework for constructing models of inflation. No-scale inflation yields naturally predictions similar to those of the Starobinsky model based on R+{R}2 gravity, with a tilted spectrum of scalar perturbations: {n}s∼ 0.96, and small values of the tensor-to-scalar perturbation ratio r\\lt 0.1, as favoured by Planck and other data on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Detailed measurements of the CMB may provide insights into the embedding of inflation within string theory as well as its links to collider physics.

Particle creation and reheating in a braneworld inflationary scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilić, Neven; Domazet, Silvije; Djordjevic, Goran S.

2017-10-01

We study the cosmological particle creation in the tachyon inflation based on the D-brane dynamics in the Randall-Sundrum (RSII) model extended to include matter in the bulk. The presence of matter modifies the warp factor which results in two effects: a modification of the RSII cosmology and a modification of the tachyon potential. Besides, a string theory D-brane supports among other fields a U(1) gauge field reflecting open strings attached to the brane. We demonstrate how the interaction of the tachyon with the U(1) gauge field drives cosmological creation of massless particles and estimate the resulting reheating at the end of inflation.

Constraining the break of spatial diffeomorphism invariance with Planck data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graef, L. L.; Benetti, M.; Alcaniz, J. S.

2017-07-01

The current most accepted paradigm for the early universe cosmology, the inflationary scenario, shows a good agreement with the recent Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and polarization data. However, when the inflation consistency relation is relaxed, these observational data exclude a larger range of red tensor tilt values, prevailing the blue ones which are not predicted by the minimal inflationary models. Recently, it has been shown that the assumption of spatial diffeomorphism invariance breaking (SDB) in the context of an effective field theory of inflation leads to interesting observational consequences. Among them, the possibility of generating a blue tensor spectrum, which can recover the specific consistency relation of the String Gas Cosmology, for a certain choice of parameters. We use the most recent CMB data to constrain the SDB model and test its observational viability through a Bayesian analysis assuming as reference an extended ΛCDM+tensor perturbation model, which considers a power-law tensor spectrum parametrized in terms of the tensor-to-scalar ratio, r, and the tensor spectral index, nt. If the inflation consistency relation is imposed, r=-8 nt, we obtain a strong evidence in favor of the reference model whereas if such relation is relaxed, a weak evidence in favor of the model with diffeomorphism breaking is found. We also use the same CMB data set to make an observational comparison between the SDB model, standard inflation and String Gas Cosmology.

D2-brane as the wormhole and the number of the universes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gusin, Paweł

2016-02-01

We construct wormhole-like solutions in type IIA string theory. These solutions represent wormholes in four dimensions and are given by the D2-branes within appropriated backgrounds fields. We present the conditions on these fields which lead to the four-dimensional wormholes. In the special case, we show how the particular solution in type IIA theory leads to the dynamic wormhole. We also speculate about the number of universes and the cosmological constant.

Effect of a cosmological constant on propagation of vacuum polarized photons in stationary spacetimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, Sourav

2015-06-01

Consideration of vacuum polarization in quantum electrodynamics may affect the momentum dispersion relation for photons for a non-trivial background, due to the appearance of curvature dependent terms in the effective action. We investigate the effect of a positive cosmological constant on this at one-loop order for stationary -vacuum spacetimes. To the best of our knowledge, so far it only has been shown that affects the propagation in a time dependent black hole spacetime. Here we consider the static de Sitter cosmic string and the Kerr-de Sitter spacetime to show that there might occur a non-vanishing effect due to for physical polarizations. The consistency of these results with the polarization sum rule is discussed.

Relativistic strings - From soap films to a grand unified theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nesterenko, V. V.

1986-11-01

The concept of relativistic strings is considered in connection with the theory of minimal surfaces (e.g., soap films stretched onto closed wire contours). The role of relativistic strings in hadron physics is discussed. Attention is then given to the creation of a grand unified theory on the basis of the superstring concept. Finally, the role of relativistic strings in cosmology is examined.

Supersymmetric k-defects

DOE PAGES

Koehn, Michael; Trodden, Mark

2016-03-03

In supersymmetric theories, topological defects can have nontrivial behaviors determined purely by whether or not supersymmetry is restored in the defect core. A well-known example of this is that some supersymmetric cosmic strings are automatically superconducting, leading to important cosmological effects and constraints. We investigate the impact of nontrivial kinetic interactions, present in a number of particle physics models of interest in cosmology, on the relationship between supersymmetry and supercurrents on strings. Furthermore, we find that in some cases it is possible for superconductivity to be disrupted by the extra interactions.

About non standard Lagrangians in cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dimitrijevic, Dragoljub D.; Milosevic, Milan

A review of non standard Lagrangians present in modern cosmological models will be considered. Well known example of non standard Lagrangian is Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) type Lagrangian for tachyon field. Another type of non standard Lagrangian under consideration contains scalar field which describes open p-adic string tachyon and is called p-adic string theory Lagrangian. We will investigate homogenous cases of both DBI and p-adic fields and obtain Lagrangians of the standard type which have the same equations of motions as aforementioned non standard one.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Yi; Xue, Wei, E-mail: yw366@cam.ac.uk, E-mail: wei.xue@sissa.it

We study the tilt of the primordial gravitational waves spectrum. A hint of blue tilt is shown from analyzing the BICEP2 and POLARBEAR data. Motivated by this, we explore the possibilities of blue tensor spectra from the very early universe cosmology models, including null energy condition violating inflation, inflation with general initial conditions, and string gas cosmology, etc. For the simplest G-inflation, blue tensor spectrum also implies blue scalar spectrum. In general, the inflation models with blue tensor spectra indicate large non-Gaussianities. On the other hand, string gas cosmology predicts blue tensor spectrum with highly Gaussian fluctuations. If further experimentsmore » do confirm the blue tensor spectrum, non-Gaussianity becomes a distinguishing test between inflation and alternatives.« less

BOOK REVIEW: The Physics of the Early Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, Douglas

2007-11-01

The physics of the very small and the very large were successfully brought together in the 1980s through the idea of 'the universe as a particle accelerator'. The manifesto of this new campaign was laid out in the book 'The Early Universe' by Kolb and Turner in 1990. For at least the next decade that book was to be found on the shelves of every theorist (and many experimentalists) who professed an interest in this topic. But science marches on, and the last 10 15 years has seen an explosion in our understanding of the physics of the very earliest times and the very largest scales. Experimentally our world-view has changed utterly, through exquisitely precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background, galaxy clustering and supernova distances, with a refinement of the basic inflationary big bang paradigm into the new 'standard cosmological model'. And in tandem with these changes has been the development of new theoretical ideas, particularly involving dark energy and connections between string/brane theory and cosmology. So what is the new book for the shelves of today's cohort of young Rockys and Mikes? Despite a recent number of promising-sounding cosmology books, there is nothing at the advanced level which is broad enough to be a general introduction to the 'early universe' topic. Perhaps the best of the bunch is 'The Physics of the Early Universe', edited by E Papantonopoulos as part of Springer's series 'Lecture notes in physics'. This is a set of 9 review articles given as part of a 2003 summer school on Syros Island, Greece. Although far from perfect, the core of this book provides a solid introduction to current research in early universe physics, which should be useful for PhD students or postdoctoral researchers who want the real thing. The book starts with a competent introduction by Kyriakos Tamvakis, serving essentially as a summary of where we were in Kolb and Turner's text. We have learned since then, however, that inflation is really all about perturbations, and so we get a summary of cosmological perturbation theory by Ruth Durrer—more background and physical explanations would have been helpful, but this is a nice compact summary. The cosmic microwave background has been the cornerstone for making experimental progress, and we get an excellent overview from Anthony Challinor—although again there are several sections where more explanation would have been useful for the novice. Next comes a broad survey of other aspects of observational cosmology by Robert Sanders, which is clear and succinct. The only slight blemishes are caused by the author desperately seeking discord, and only apparently finding it in places where it isn't made clear that his views are unconventional. Dark energy, i.e. the generalization of the cosmological constant to a dynamic fluid, is a huge area of current theoretical study, where one can uncharitably say that there are no well-motivated theories! It is therefore crucial to have the views of a clear-thinking expert to help us navigate this topic, and Varun Sahni does an excellent job here. We then find ourselves in the territory of string and brane cosmology, where there are 2 reviews, presented in the wrong order. Roy Maartens (whose article comes second) does a reasonable job of building on the ideas of inflation and cosmological perturbations to describe brane-world views of the early universe, perhaps just becoming slightly too heavy on technical detail and light on physical discussion in the middle part. But the string cosmology review by André Lukas (which comes first), is unfortunately nothing like an introduction to that topic, since much of the jargon and even some of the symbols will be quite unfamiliar to anyone who hasn't already taken graduate level courses on string theory. The book ends with 2 competent (and fairly short) summaries relevant to gravitational wave astronomy, which are really quite unconnected with the main topic of the book—it would have been more useful to have focussed on gravity waves from the cosmological perspective, rather than discussing neutron stars and black holes. This, then, is a useful book for someone wanting to leap right into modern theoretical ideas of early universe physics. Since it is a summer school proceedings, rather than explicitly a textbook, it suffers from a lack of coherence, and some more discursive text would also have been helpful. But despite these flaws, it is still a book to be recommended as a concise but technical introduction to this rapidly changing topic.

Cosmological applications of singular hypersurfaces in general relativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laguna-Castillo, Pablo

Three applications to cosmology of surface layers, based on Israel's formalism of singular hypersurfaces and thin shells in general relativity, are presented. Einstein's field equations are analyzed in the presence of a bubble nucleated in vacuum phase transitions within the context of the old inflationary universe scenario. The evolution of a bubble with vanishing surface energy density is studied. It is found that such bubbles lead to a worm-hole matching. Next, the observable four-dimensional universe is considered as a singular hypersurface of discontinuity embedded in a five-dimensional Kaluza-Klein cosmology. It is possible to rewrite the projected five-dimensional Einstein equations on the surface layer in a similar way to the four-dimensional Robertson-Walker cosmology equations. Next, a model is described for an infinite-length, straight U(1) cosmic string as a cylindrical, singular shell enclosing a region of false vacuum. A set of equations is introduced which are required to develop a three-dimensional computer code whose purpose is to study the process of intercommuting cosmic strings with the inclusion of gravitational effects. The outcome is evolution and constraint equations for the gravitational, scalar and gauge field of two initially separated, perpendicular, cosmic strings.

Cosmological magnetic fields as string dynamo seeds and axion fields in torsioned spacetime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

De Andrade, L.C. Garcia, E-mail: garcia@dft.if.uerj.br

2014-08-01

In this paper two examples of the generation cosmological magnetic fields (CMF) are given. The first is the string dynamo seed cosmological magnetic field estimated as B{sub seed}∼10{sup -24} Gauss from a static spin polarised cylinder in Einstein-Cartan-Maxwell spacetime. The string dynamo seeds from a static spin polarised cylinder is given by B∼σ{sup 2}R{sup 2} where σ is the spin-torsion density while R is the string radius. The B-field value above is able to seed galactic dynamo. In the BBN the magnetic fields around 10{sup 12} Gauss give rise to a string radius as small as 10{sup 17}l{sub P} where l{sub P}more » is the Planck length. The second is the CMF from axionic torsion field which is given by B{sub seed}∼10{sup -27} Gauss which is stronger than the primordial magnetic field B{sub BICEP2}∼10{sup -30} Gauss from the BICEP2 recent experiment on primordial gravitational waves and cosmological inflation to axionic torsion. The interaction Lagrangean between axionic torsion scalar φ and magnetic fields used in this last example is given by f{sup 2}(φ)F{sub μν}F{sup μν}. A similar lagrangean has been used by K. Bamba et al. [JCAP 10 (2012) 058] so generate magnetic fields without dynamo action. Since axionic torsion can be associated with axionic domain walls both examples discussed here could be consider as topological defects examples of the generation of primordial magnetic fields in universes endowed with spacetime torsion.« less

Chameleonic dilaton, nonequivalent frames, and the cosmological constant problem in quantum string theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zanzi, Andrea

2010-08-15

The chameleonic behavior of the string theory dilaton is suggested. Some of the possible consequences of the chameleonic string dilaton are analyzed in detail. In particular, (1) we suggest a new stringy solution to the cosmological constant problem and (2) we point out the nonequivalence of different conformal frames at the quantum level. In order to obtain these results, we start taking into account the (strong coupling) string loop expansion in the string frame (S-frame), therefore the so-called form factors are present in the effective action. The correct dark energy scale is recovered in the Einstein frame (E-frame) without unnaturalmore » fine-tunings and this result is robust against all quantum corrections, granted that we assume a proper structure of the S-frame form factors in the strong coupling regime. At this stage, the possibility still exists that a certain amount of fine-tuning may be required to satisfy some phenomenological constraints. Moreover in the E-frame, in our proposal, all the interactions are switched off on cosmological length scales (i.e., the theory is IR-free), while higher derivative gravitational terms might be present locally (on short distances) and it remains to be seen whether these facts clash with phenomenology. A detailed phenomenological analysis is definitely necessary to clarify these points.« less

How to simulate global cosmic strings with large string tension

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Klaer, Vincent B.; Moore, Guy D., E-mail: vklaer@theorie.ikp.physik.tu-darmstadt.de, E-mail: guy.moore@physik.tu-darmstadt.de

Global string networks may be relevant in axion production in the early Universe, as well as other cosmological scenarios. Such networks contain a large hierarchy of scales between the string core scale and the Hubble scale, ln( f {sub a} / H ) ∼ 70, which influences the network dynamics by giving the strings large tensions T ≅ π f {sub a} {sup 2} ln( f {sub a} / H ). We present a new numerical approach to simulate such global string networks, capturing the tension without an exponentially large lattice.

On anthropic solutions of the cosmological constant problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banks, Tom; Dine, Michael; Motl, Lubos

2001-01-01

Motivated by recent work of Bousso and Polchinski (BP), we study theories which explain the small value of the cosmological constant using the anthropic principle. We argue that simultaneous solution of the gauge hierarchy problem is a strong constraint on any such theory. We exhibit three classes of models which satisfy these constraints. The first is a version of the BP model with precisely two large dimensions. The second involves 6-branes and antibranes wrapped on supersymmetric 3-cycles of Calabi-Yau manifolds, and the third is a version of the irrational axion model. All of them have possible problems in explaining the size of microwave background fluctuations. We also find that most models of this type predict that all constants in the low energy lagrangian, as well as the gauge groups and representation content, are chosen from an ensemble and cannot be uniquely determined from the fundamental theory. In our opinion, this significantly reduces the appeal of this kind of solution of the cosmological constant problem. On the other hand, we argue that the vacuum selection problem of string theory might plausibly have an anthropic, cosmological solution.

Axions, Inflation and String Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mack, Katherine J.; Steinhardt, P. J.

2009-01-01

The QCD axion is the leading contender to rid the standard model of the strong-CP problem. If the Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking occurs before inflation, which is likely in string theory models, axions manifest themselves cosmologically as a form of cold dark matter with a density determined by the axion's initial conditions and by the energy scale of inflation. Constraints on the dark matter density and on the amplitude of CMB isocurvature perturbations currently demand an exponential degree of fine-tuning of both axion and inflationary parameters beyond what is required for particle physics. String theory models generally produce large numbers of axion-like fields; the prospect that any of these fields exist at scales close to that of the QCD axion makes the problem drastically worse. I will discuss the challenge of accommodating string-theoretic axions in standard inflationary cosmology and show that the fine-tuning problems cannot be fully addressed by anthropic principle arguments.

String theory, gauge theory and quantum gravity. Proceedings. Trieste Spring School and Workshop on String Theory, Gauge Theory and Quantum Gravity, Trieste (Italy), 11 - 22 Apr 1994.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1995-04-01

The following topics were dealt with: string theory, gauge theory, quantum gravity, quantum geometry, black hole physics and information loss, second quantisation of the Wilson loop, 2D Yang-Mills theory, topological field theories, equivariant cohomology, superstring theory and fermion masses, supergravity, topological gravity, waves in string cosmology, superstring theories, 4D space-time.

Bianchi Type-II String Cosmological Model with Magnetic Field in f ( R, T) Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, N. K.; Singh, J. K.

2014-09-01

The spatially homogeneous and totally anisotropic Bianchi type-II cosmological solutions of massive strings have been investigated in the presence of the magnetic field in the framework of f( R, T) gravity proposed by Harko et al. (Phys Rev D 84:024020, 2011). With the help of special law of variation for Hubble's parameter proposed by Berman (Nuovo Cimento B 74:182, 1983) cosmological model is obtained in this theory. We consider f( R, T) model and investigate the modification R+ f( T) in Bianchi type-II cosmology with an appropriate choice of a function f( T)= μ T. We use the power law relation between average Hubble parameter H and average scale factor R to find the solution. The assumption of constant deceleration parameter leads to two models of universe, i.e. power law model and exponential model. Some physical and kinematical properties of the model are also discussed.

Constraining the break of spatial diffeomorphism invariance with Planck data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Graef, L.L.; Benetti, M.; Alcaniz, J.S., E-mail: leilagraef@on.br, E-mail: micolbenetti@on.br, E-mail: alcaniz@on.br

The current most accepted paradigm for the early universe cosmology, the inflationary scenario, shows a good agreement with the recent Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and polarization data. However, when the inflation consistency relation is relaxed, these observational data exclude a larger range of red tensor tilt values, prevailing the blue ones which are not predicted by the minimal inflationary models. Recently, it has been shown that the assumption of spatial diffeomorphism invariance breaking (SDB) in the context of an effective field theory of inflation leads to interesting observational consequences. Among them, the possibility of generating a blue tensor spectrum, whichmore » can recover the specific consistency relation of the String Gas Cosmology, for a certain choice of parameters. We use the most recent CMB data to constrain the SDB model and test its observational viability through a Bayesian analysis assuming as reference an extended ΛCDM+tensor perturbation model, which considers a power-law tensor spectrum parametrized in terms of the tensor-to-scalar ratio, r , and the tensor spectral index, n {sub t} . If the inflation consistency relation is imposed, r =−8 n {sub t} , we obtain a strong evidence in favor of the reference model whereas if such relation is relaxed, a weak evidence in favor of the model with diffeomorphism breaking is found. We also use the same CMB data set to make an observational comparison between the SDB model, standard inflation and String Gas Cosmology.« less

Anisotropic string cosmological model in Brans–Dicke theory of gravitation with time-dependent deceleration parameter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maurya, D. Ch., E-mail: dcmaurya563@gmail.com; Zia, R., E-mail: rashidzya@gmail.com; Pradhan, A., E-mail: pradhan.anirudh@gmail.com

We discuss a spatially homogeneous and anisotropic string cosmological models in the Brans–Dicke theory of gravitation. For a spatially homogeneous metric, it is assumed that the expansion scalar θ is proportional to the shear scalar σ. This condition leads to A = kB{sup m}, where k and m are constants. With these assumptions and also assuming a variable scale factor a = a(t), we find solutions of the Brans–Dicke field equations. Various phenomena like the Big Bang, expanding universe, and shift from anisotropy to isotropy are observed in the model. It can also be seen that in early stage ofmore » the evolution of the universe, strings dominate over particles, whereas the universe is dominated by massive strings at the late time. Some physical and geometrical behaviors of the models are also discussed and observed to be in good agreement with the recent observations of SNe la supernovae.« less

The Future of Theoretical Physics and Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbons, G. W.; Shellard, E. P. S.; Rankin, S. J.

2003-11-01

Based on lectures given in honor of Stephen Hawking's 60th birthday, this book comprises contributions from the world's leading theoretical physicists. Popular lectures progress to a critical evaluation of more advanced subjects in modern cosmology and theoretical physics. Topics covered include the origin of the universe, warped spacetime, cosmological singularities, quantum gravity, black holes, string theory, quantum cosmology and inflation. The volume provides a fascinating overview of the variety of subjects to which Stephen Hawking has contributed.

Stochastic gravitational waves from cosmic string loops in scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ringeval, Christophe; Suyama, Teruaki

2017-12-01

If cosmic strings are formed in the early universe, their associated loops emit gravitational waves during the whole cosmic history and contribute to the stochastic gravitational wave background at all frequencies. We provide a new estimate of the stochastic gravitational wave spectrum by considering a realistic cosmological loop distribution, in scaling, as it can be inferred from Nambu-Goto numerical simulations. Our result takes into account various effects neglected so far. We include both gravitational wave emission and backreaction effects on the loop distribution and show that they produce two distinct features in the spectrum. Concerning the string microstructure, in addition to the presence of cusps and kinks, we show that gravitational wave bursts created by the collision of kinks could dominate the signal for wiggly strings, a situation which may be favoured in the light of recent numerical simulations. In view of these new results, we propose four prototypical scenarios, within the margin of the remaining theoretical uncertainties, for which we derive the corresponding signal and estimate the constraints on the string tension put by both the LIGO and European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA) observations. The less constrained of these scenarios is shown to have a string tension GU <= 7.2 × 10‑11, at 95% of confidence. Smooth loops carrying two cusps per oscillation verify the two-sigma bound GU <= 1.0 × 10‑11 while the most constrained of all scenarios describes very kinky loops and satisfies GU <= 6.7× 10‑14 at 95% of confidence.

Constraining the String Gauge Field by Galaxy Rotation Curves and Perihelion Precession of Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheung, Yeuk-Kwan E.; Xu, Feng

2013-09-01

We discuss a cosmological model in which the string gauge field coupled universally to matter gives rise to an extra centripetal force and will have observable signatures on cosmological and astronomical observations. Several tests are performed using data including galaxy rotation curves of 22 spiral galaxies of varied luminosities and sizes and perihelion precessions of planets in the solar system. The rotation curves of the same group of galaxies are independently fit using a dark matter model with the generalized Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile and the string model. A remarkable fit of galaxy rotation curves is achieved using the one-parameter string model as compared to the three-parameter dark matter model with the NFW profile. The average χ2 value of the NFW fit is 9% better than that of the string model at a price of two more free parameters. Furthermore, from the string model, we can give a dynamical explanation for the phenomenological Tully-Fisher relation. We are able to derive a relation between field strength, galaxy size, and luminosity, which can be verified with data from the 22 galaxies. To further test the hypothesis of the universal existence of the string gauge field, we apply our string model to the solar system. Constraint on the magnitude of the string field in the solar system is deduced from the current ranges for any anomalous perihelion precession of planets allowed by the latest observations. The field distribution resembles a dipole field originating from the Sun. The string field strength deduced from the solar system observations is of a similar magnitude as the field strength needed to sustain the rotational speed of the Sun inside the Milky Way. This hypothesis can be tested further by future observations with higher precision.

Topological defects in alternative theories to cosmic inflation and string cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, Stephon H. S.

The physics of the Early Universe is described in terms of the inflationary paradigm, which is based on a marriage between Einstein's general theory of relativity minimally coupled to quantum field theory. Inflation was posed to solve some of the outstanding problems of the Standard Big Bang Cosmology (SBB) such as the horizon, formation of structure and monopole problems. Despite its observational and theoretical successes, inflation is plagued with fine tuning and initial singularity problems. On the other hand, superstring/M theory, a theory of quantum gravity, possesses symmetries which naturally avoid space-time singularities. This thesis investigates alternative theories to cosmic inflation for solving the initial singularity, horizon and monopole problems, making use of topological defects. It was proposed by Dvali, Liu and Vaschaspati that the monopole problem can be solved without inflation if domain walls "sweep" up the monopoles in the early universe, thus reducing their number density significantly. Necessary for this mechanism to work is the presence of an attractive force between the monopole and the domain wall as well as a channel for the monopole's unwinding. We show numerically and analytically in two field theory models that for global defects the attraction is a universal result but the unwinding is model specific. The second part of this thesis investigates a string/M theory inspired model for solving the horizon problem. It was proposed by Moffat, Albrecht and Magueijo that the horizon problem is solved with a "phase transition" associated with a varying speed of light before the surface of last scattering. We provide a string/M theory mechanism based on assuming that our space-time is a D-3 brane probing a bulk supergravity black hole bulk background. This mechanism provides the necessary time variation of the velocity of light to solve the horizon problem. We suggest a mechanism which stablilizes the speed of light on the D-3 brane. We finally address the cosmological initial singularity problem using the target space duality inherent in string/M theory. It was suggested by Brandenberger and Vafa that superstring theory can solve the singularity problem and in addition explain why only three spatial dimensions can become large. We show that under specific conditions this mechanism still persists when including the effects of D-branes.

Dilaton Cosmology and Phenomenology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasperini, M.

This paper is dedicated to Gabriele Veneziano on his 65th birthday. Most of the results reported here are known results, due to Gabriele, or obtained in collaboration with him, or inspired by our joint work on string cosmology. A few new results are also presented concerning the duality invariance of a non-local dilaton coupling to the matter sources, and its possible cosmological applications in the context of the dark energy scenario.

Quantum Gravity and Cosmology: an intimate interplay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakellariadou, Mairi

2017-08-01

I will briefly discuss three cosmological models built upon three distinct quantum gravity proposals. I will first highlight the cosmological rôle of a vector field in the framework of a string/brane cosmological model. I will then present the resolution of the big bang singularity and the occurrence of an early era of accelerated expansion of a geometric origin, in the framework of group field theory condensate cosmology. I will then summarise results from an extended gravitational model based on non-commutative spectral geometry, a model that offers a purely geometric explanation for the standard model of particle physics.

Quantization of parameters and the string landscape problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouhmadi-López, Mariam; Vargas Moniz, Paulo

2007-05-01

We broaden the domain of application of Brustein and de Alwis's recent paper, where they introduce a (dynamical) selection principle on the landscape of string solutions using FRW quantum cosmology. More precisely, we (i) explain how their analysis is based in choosing a restrictive range of parameters, thereby affecting the validity of the predictions extracted and (ii) subsequently provide a wider and cohesive description, regarding the probability distribution induced by quantum cosmological transition amplitudes. In addition, employing DeWitt's argument for an initial condition on the wavefunction of the Universe, we found that the string and gravitational parameters become related through interesting expressions involving an integer n, suggesting a quantization relation for some of the involved parameters. This research work was supported by the grants POCI/FP/63916/2005, FEDER-POCI/P/FIS/57547/2004 and Acções Integradas (CRUP-CSIC) Luso-Espanholas E-138/04.

Cosmological moduli and the post-inflationary universe: A critical review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, Gordon; Sinha, Kuver; Watson, Scott

2015-06-01

We critically review the role of cosmological moduli in determining the post-inflationary history of the universe. Moduli are ubiquitous in string and M-theory constructions of beyond the Standard Model physics, where they parametrize the geometry of the compactification manifold. For those with masses determined by supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking this leads to their eventual decay slightly before Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) (without spoiling its predictions). This results in a matter dominated phase shortly after inflation ends, which can influence baryon and dark matter genesis, as well as observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the growth of large-scale structure. Given progress within fundamental theory, and guidance from dark matter and collider experiments, nonthermal histories have emerged as a robust and theoretically well-motivated alternative to a strictly thermal one. We review this approach to the early universe and discuss both the theoretical challenges and the observational implications.

Constraints on cosmic strings due to black holes formed from collapsed cosmic string loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caldwell, R. R.; Gates, Evalyn

1993-01-01

The cosmological features of primordial black holes formed from collapsed cosmic string loops are studied. Observational restrictions on a population of primordial black holes are used to restrict f, the fraction of cosmic string loops which collapse to form black holes, and mu, the cosmic string mass-per-unit length. Using a realistic model of cosmic strings, we find the strongest restriction on the parameters f and mu is due to the energy density in 100MeV photons radiated by the black holes. We also find that inert black hole remnants cannot serve as the dark matter. If earlier, crude estimates of f are reliable, our results severely restrict mu, and therefore limit the viability of the cosmic string large-scale structure scenario.

Cosmological footprints of loop quantum gravity.

PubMed

Grain, J; Barrau, A

2009-02-27

The primordial spectrum of cosmological tensor perturbations is considered as a possible probe of quantum gravity effects. Together with string theory, loop quantum gravity is one of the most promising frameworks to study quantum effects in the early universe. We show that the associated corrections should modify the potential seen by gravitational waves during the inflationary amplification. The resulting power spectrum should exhibit a characteristic tilt. This opens a new window for cosmological tests of quantum gravity.

Diffusion of massive particles around an Abelian-Higgs string

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Abhisek; Sanyal, Soma

2018-03-01

We study the diffusion of massive particles in the space time of an Abelian Higgs string. The particles in the early universe plasma execute Brownian motion. This motion of the particles is modeled as a two dimensional random walk in the plane of the Abelian Higgs string. The particles move randomly in the space time of the string according to their geodesic equations. We observe that for certain values of their energy and angular momentum, an overdensity of particles is observed close to the string. We find that the string parameters determine the distribution of the particles. We make an estimate of the density fluctuation generated around the string as a function of the deficit angle. Though the thickness of the string is small, the length is large and the overdensity close to the string may have cosmological consequences in the early universe.

Pair creation of higher dimensional black holes on a de Sitter background

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dias, Oscar J.C.; Lemos, Jose P.S.; CENTRA, Departamento de Fisica, F.C.T., Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro

We study in detail the quantum process in which a pair of black holes is created in a higher D-dimensional de Sitter (dS) background. The energy to materialize and accelerate the pair comes from the positive cosmological constant. The instantons that describe the process are obtained from the Tangherlini black hole solutions. Our pair creation rates reduce to the pair creation rate for Reissner-Nordstroem-dS solutions when D=4. Pair creation of black holes in the dS background becomes less suppressed when the dimension of the spacetime increases. The dS space is the only background in which we can discuss analytically themore » pair creation process of higher dimensional black holes, since the C-metric and the Ernst solutions, which describe, respectively, a pair accelerated by a string and by an electromagnetic field, are not known yet in a higher dimensional spacetime.« less

Cosmic strings - A problem or a solution?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, David P.; Bouchet, Francois R.

1988-01-01

The most fundamental issue in the theory of cosmic strings is addressed by means of Numerical Simulations: the existence of a scaling solution. The resolution of this question will determine whether cosmic strings can form the basis of an attractive theory of galaxy formation or prove to be a cosmological disaster like magnetic monopoles or domain walls. After a brief discussion of our numerical technique, results are presented which, though still preliminary, offer the best support to date of this scaling hypothesis.

Implications of a class of grand-unified theories for large-scale structure in the universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shafi, Q.; Stecker, F. W.

1984-01-01

A class of grand-unified theories in which cosmologically significant axion and neutrino energy densities arise naturally is considered. To obtain large-scale structure, attention is given to (1) an inflationary scenario, (2) inflation followed by string production, and (3) a noninflationary scenario with density fluctuations caused solely by strings. It is shown that inflation may be compatible with the recent observational indications that Omega less than 1 on the scale of superclusters, particularly if strings are present.

Axion string dynamics I: 2+1D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fleury, Leesa M.; Moore, Guy D.

2016-05-03

If the axion exists and if the initial axion field value is uncorrelated at causally disconnected points, then it should be possible to predict the efficiency of cosmological axion production, relating the axionic dark matter density to the axion mass. The main obstacle to making this prediction is correctly treating the axion string cores. We develop a new algorithm for treating the axionic string cores correctly in 2+1 dimensions. When the axionic string cores are given their full physical string tension, axion production is about twice as efficient as in previous simulations. We argue that the string network in 2+1more » dimensions should behave very differently than in 3+1 dimensions, so this result cannot be simply carried over to the physical case. We outline how to extend our method to 3+1D axion string dynamics.« less

Why there is something rather than nothing: cosmological constant from summing over everything in lorentzian quantum gravity.

PubMed

Barvinsky, A O

2007-08-17

The density matrix of the Universe for the microcanonical ensemble in quantum cosmology describes an equipartition in the physical phase space of the theory (sum over everything), but in terms of the observable spacetime geometry this ensemble is peaked about the set of recently obtained cosmological instantons limited to a bounded range of the cosmological constant. This suggests the mechanism of constraining the landscape of string vacua and a possible solution to the dark energy problem in the form of the quasiequilibrium decay of the microcanonical state of the Universe.

String inspired brane world cosmology.

PubMed

Germani, Cristiano; Sopuerta, Carlos F

2002-06-10

We consider brane world scenarios including the leading correction to the Einstein-Hilbert action suggested by superstring theory, the Gauss-Bonnet term. We obtain and study the complete set of equations governing the cosmological dynamics. We find they have the same form as those in Randall-Sundrum scenarios but with time-varying four-dimensional gravitational and cosmological constants. By studying the bulk geometry we show that this variation is produced by bulk curvature terms parametrized by the mass of a black hole. Finally, we show there is a coupling between these curvature terms and matter that can be relevant for early universe cosmology.

Black string in dRGT massive gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tannukij, Lunchakorn; Wongjun, Pitayuth; Ghosh, Suchant G.

2017-12-01

We present a cylindrically symmetric solution, both charged and uncharged, which is known as a black string solution to the nonlinear ghost-free massive gravity found by de Rham, Gabadadze, and Tolley (dRGT). This "dRGT black string" can be thought of as a generalization of the black string solution found by Lemos. Moreover, the dRGT black string solution includes other classes of black string solution such as the monopole-black string ones since the graviton mass contributes to the global monopole term as well as the cosmological-constant term. To investigate the solution, we compute mass, temperature, and entropy of the dRGT black string. We found that the existence of the graviton mass drastically affects the thermodynamics of the black string. Furthermore, the Hawking-Page phase transition is found to be possible for the dRGT black string as well as the charged dRGT black string. The dRGT black string solution is thermodynamically stable for r>r_c with negative thermodynamical potential and positive heat capacity while it is unstable for r

Cosmic string loops as the seeds of super-massive black holes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bramberger, Sebastian F.; Brandenberger, Robert H.; Jreidini, Paul

2015-06-01

Recent discoveries of super-massive black holes at high redshifts indicate a possible tension with the standard ΛCDM paradigm of early universe cosmology which has difficulties in explaining the origin of the required nonlinear compact seeds which trigger the formation of these super-massive black holes. Here we show that cosmic string loops which result from a scaling solution of strings formed during a phase transition in the very early universe lead to an additional source of compact seeds. The number density of string-induced seeds dominates at high redshifts and can help trigger the formation of the observed super-massive black holes.

String duality transformations in f(R) gravity from Noether symmetry approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Capozziello, Salvatore; Gionti, Gabriele S.J.; Vernieri, Daniele, E-mail: capozziello@na.inf.it, E-mail: ggionti@as.arizona.edu, E-mail: vernieri@iap.fr

2016-01-01

We select f(R) gravity models that undergo scale factor duality transformations. As a starting point, we consider the tree-level effective gravitational action of bosonic String Theory coupled with the dilaton field. This theory inherits the Busher's duality of its parent String Theory. Using conformal transformations of the metric tensor, it is possible to map the tree-level dilaton-graviton string effective action into f(R) gravity, relating the dilaton field to the Ricci scalar curvature. Furthermore, the duality can be framed under the standard of Noether symmetries and exact cosmological solutions are derived. Using suitable changes of variables, the string-based f(R) Lagrangians aremore » shown in cases where the duality transformation becomes a parity inversion.« less

Consistent higher derivative gravitational theories with stable de Sitter and anti-de Sitter backgrounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biswas, Tirthabir; Koshelev, Alexey S.; Mazumdar, Anupam

2017-02-01

In this paper we provide the criteria for any generally covariant, parity preserving, and torsion-free theory of gravity to possess a stable de Sitter (dS) or anti-de Sitter (AdS) background. By stability we mean the absence of tachyonic or ghostlike states in the perturbative spectrum that can lead to classical instabilities and violation of quantum unitarity. While we find that the usual suspects, the F (R ) and F (G ) theories, can indeed possess consistent (A)dS backgrounds, G being the Gauss-Bonnet term, another interesting class of theories, string-inspired infinite derivative gravitational theories, can also be consistent around such curved vacuum solutions. Our study should not only be relevant for quantum gravity and early universe cosmology involving ultraviolet physics, but also for modifications of gravity in the infrared sector vying to replace dark energy.

Bianchi type string cosmological models in f(R,T) gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, P. K.; Mishra, B.; Sahoo, Parbati; Pacif, S. K. J.

2016-09-01

In this work we have studied Bianchi-III and - VI 0 cosmological models with string fluid source in f( R, T) gravity (T. Harko et al., Phys. Rev. D 84, 024020 (2011)), where R is the Ricci scalar and T the trace of the stress energy-momentum tensor in the context of late time accelerating expansion of the universe as suggested by the present observations. The exact solutions of the field equations are obtained by using a time-varying deceleration parameter. The universe is anisotropic and free from initial singularity. Our model initially shows acceleration for a certain period of time and then decelerates consequently. Several dynamical and physical behaviors of the model are also discussed in detail.

Axions, inflation and the anthropic principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mack, Katherine J.

2011-07-01

The QCD axion is the leading solution to the strong-CP problem, a dark matter candidate, and a possible result of string theory compactifications. However, for axions produced before inflation, symmetry-breaking scales of fagtrsim1012 GeV (which are favored in string-theoretic axion models) are ruled out by cosmological constraints unless both the axion misalignment angle θ0 and the inflationary Hubble scale HI are extremely fine-tuned. We show that attempting to accommodate a high-fa axion in inflationary cosmology leads to a fine-tuning problem that is worse than the strong-CP problem the axion was originally invented to solve. We also show that this problem remains unresolved by anthropic selection arguments commonly applied to the high-fa axion scenario.

Axions, neutrinos and strings: The formation of structure in an SO(10) universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.

1984-01-01

In a class of grand unified theories containing SO(10), cosmologically significant axion and neutrino energy densities are obtainable naturally. To obtain large scale structure, both components of dark matter are considered to exist with comparable energy densities. To obtain large scale structure, inflationary and non-inflationary scenarios are considered, as well as scenarios with and without vacuum strings. It is shown that inflation may be compatible with recent observations of the mass density within galaxy clusters and superclusters, especially if strings are present.

Axions, neutrinos and strings - The formation of structure in an SO(10) universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.

1986-01-01

In a class of grand unified theories containing SO(10), cosmologically significant axion and neutrino energy densities are obtainable naturally. To obtain large scale structure, both components of dark matter are considered to exist with comparable energy densities. To obtain large scale structure, inflationary and non-inflationary scenarios are considered, as well as scenarios with and without vacuum strings. It is shown that inflation may be compatible with recent observations of the mass density within galaxy clusters and superclusters, especially if strings are present.

General N=1 supersymmetric flux vacua of massive type IIA string theory.

PubMed

Behrndt, Klaus; Cvetic, Mirjam

2005-07-08

We derive conditions for the existence of four-dimensional N=1 supersymmetric flux vacua of massive type IIA string theory with general supergravity fluxes turned on. For an SU(3) singlet Killing spinor, we show that such flux vacua exist when the internal geometry is nearly Kähler. The geometry is not warped, all the allowed fluxes are proportional to the mass parameter, and the dilaton is fixed by a ratio of (quantized) fluxes. The four-dimensional cosmological constant, while negative, becomes small in the vacuum with the weak string coupling.

Bianchi-V string cosmological model with dark energy anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, B.; Tripathy, S. K.; Ray, Pratik P.

2018-05-01

The role of anisotropic components on the dark energy and the dynamics of the universe is investigated. An anisotropic dark energy fluid with different pressures along different spatial directions is assumed to incorporate the effect of anisotropy. One dimensional cosmic strings aligned along x-direction supplement some kind of anisotropy. Anisotropy in the dark energy pressure is found to evolve with cosmic expansion at least at late times. At an early phase, the anisotropic effect due to the cosmic strings substantially affect the dynamics of the accelerating universe.

'Black universe' epoch in string cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buchel, Alex; Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario, N2J 2W9; Kofman, Lev

2008-10-15

String theory compactification involves manifolds with multiple warp factors. For cosmological applications, we often introduce a short, high-energy inflationary throat, and a long, low-energy standard model (SM) throat. It is assumed that at the end of inflation, the excited Kaluza-Klein modes from the inflationary throat tunnel to the SM throat and reheat standard model degrees of freedom, which are attached to probe brane(s). However, the huge hierarchy of energy scales can result in a highly dynamic transition of the throat geometry. We point out that in such a cosmological scenario the standard model throat (together with SM brane) will bemore » cloaked by a Schwarzschild horizon, produced by the Kaluza-Klein modes tunneling from the short throat. The black brane formation is dual to the first order chiral phase transition of the cascading gauge theory. We calculate the critical energy density corresponding the formation of the black hole (BH) horizon in the long throat. We discuss the duality between 'black universe' cosmology and an expanding universe driven by the hot gauge theory radiation. We address the new problem of the hierarchical multiple-throat scenarios: SM brane disappearance after the decay of the BH horizon.« less

CONSTRAINING THE STRING GAUGE FIELD BY GALAXY ROTATION CURVES AND PERIHELION PRECESSION OF PLANETS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cheung, Yeuk-Kwan E.; Xu Feng, E-mail: cheung@nju.edu.cn

2013-09-01

We discuss a cosmological model in which the string gauge field coupled universally to matter gives rise to an extra centripetal force and will have observable signatures on cosmological and astronomical observations. Several tests are performed using data including galaxy rotation curves of 22 spiral galaxies of varied luminosities and sizes and perihelion precessions of planets in the solar system. The rotation curves of the same group of galaxies are independently fit using a dark matter model with the generalized Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile and the string model. A remarkable fit of galaxy rotation curves is achieved using the one-parameter stringmore » model as compared to the three-parameter dark matter model with the NFW profile. The average {chi}{sup 2} value of the NFW fit is 9% better than that of the string model at a price of two more free parameters. Furthermore, from the string model, we can give a dynamical explanation for the phenomenological Tully-Fisher relation. We are able to derive a relation between field strength, galaxy size, and luminosity, which can be verified with data from the 22 galaxies. To further test the hypothesis of the universal existence of the string gauge field, we apply our string model to the solar system. Constraint on the magnitude of the string field in the solar system is deduced from the current ranges for any anomalous perihelion precession of planets allowed by the latest observations. The field distribution resembles a dipole field originating from the Sun. The string field strength deduced from the solar system observations is of a similar magnitude as the field strength needed to sustain the rotational speed of the Sun inside the Milky Way. This hypothesis can be tested further by future observations with higher precision.« less

Quantum gravity in the Southern Cone Conference. Proceedings. Conference, Bariloche (Argentina), 7 - 10 Jan 1998.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1999-04-01

The following topics are discussed: Black hole formation by canonical dynamics of gravitating shells; canonical quantum gravity; Vassiliev invariants; midisuperspace models; quantum spacetime; large-N limit of superconformal field theories and supergravity; world-volume fields and background coupling of branes; gauge enhancement and chirality changes in nonperturbative orbifold models; chiral p-forms; formally renormalizable gravitationally self-interacting string models; gauge supergravities for all odd dimensions; black hole radiation and S-matrix; primordial black holes; fluctuations in a thermal field and dissipation of a black hole spacetime in far-field limit; adiabatic interpretation of particle creation in a de Sitter universe; nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum fields in inflationary cosmology; magnetic fields in the early Universe; classical regime of a quantum universe obtained through a functional method; decoherence and correlations in semiclassical cosmology; fluid of primordial fluctuations; causal statistical mechanics calculation of initial cosmic entropy and quantum gravity prospects and black hole-D-brane correspondence.

Local constraints on cosmic string loops from photometry and pulsar timing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pshirkov, M. S.; Tuntsov, A. V.; Sternberg Astronomical Institute, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119992

2010-04-15

We constrain the cosmological density of cosmic string loops using two observational signatures--gravitational microlensing and the Kaiser-Stebbins effect. Photometry from RXTE and CoRoT space missions and pulsar timing from Parkes Pulsar Timing Array, Arecibo and Green Bank radio telescopes allow us to probe cosmic strings in a wide range of tensions G{mu}/c{sup 2}=10{sup -16} divide 10{sup -10}. We find that pulsar timing data provide the most stringent constraints on the abundance of light strings at the level {Omega}{sub s{approx}}10{sup -3}. Future observational facilities such as the Square Kilometer Array will allow one to improve these constraints by orders of magnitude.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vázquez-Báez, V.; Ramírez, C.

We present calculations towards obtaining a wave functions of the universe for the supersymmetric closed string tachyon cosmology. Supersymmetrization, in the superfield formalism, is performed by taking advantage of the time reparametrization invariance of the cosmological action and generalizing the transformations to include grassmannian variables. We calculate the corresponding Hamiltonian, by means of the Dirac formalism, and make use of the superalgebra to find solutions to the Wheeler-DeWitt equations indirectly.

Bianchi VI cosmological models representing perfect fluid and radiation with electric-type free gravitational fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, S. R.; Banerjee, S. K.

1992-11-01

A homogeneous Bianchi type VIh cosmological model filled with perfect fluid, null electromagnetic field and streaming neutrinos is obtained for which the free gravitational field is of the electric type. The barotropic equation of statep = (γ-1)ɛ is imposed in the particular case of Bianchi VI0 string models. Various physical and kinematical properties of the models are discussed.

Universe or Multiverse?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, Bernard

2009-08-01

Part I. Overviews: 1. Introduction and overview Bernard Carr; 2. Living in the multiverse Steven Weinberg; 3. Enlightenment, knowledge, ignorance, temptation Frank Wilczek; Part II. Cosmology and Astrophysics: 4. Cosmology and the multiverse Martin J. Rees; 5. The anthropic principle revisited Bernard Carr; 6. Cosmology from the top down Stephen Hawking; 7. The multiverse hierarchy Max Tegmark; 8. The inflationary universe Andrei Linde; 9. A model of anthropic reasoning: the dark to ordinary matter ratio Frank Wilczek; 10. Anthropic predictions: the case of the cosmological constant Alexander Vilenkin; 11. The definition and classification of universes James D. Bjorken; 12. M/string theory and anthropic reasoning Renata Kallosh; 13. The anthropic principle, dark energy and the LHC Savas Dimopoulos and Scott Thomas; Part III. Particle Physics and Quantum Theory: 14. Quarks, electrons and atoms in closely related universes Craig J. Hogan; 15. The fine-tuning problems of particle physics and anthropic mechanisms John F. Donoghue; 16. The anthropic landscape of string theory Leonard Susskind; 17. Cosmology and the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics Viatcheslav Mukhanov; 18. Anthropic reasoning and quantum cosmology James B. Hartle; 19. Micro-anthropic principle for quantum theory Brandon Carter; Part IV. More General Philosophical Issues: 20. Scientific alternatives to the anthropic principle Lee Smolin; 21. Making predictions in a multiverse: conundrums, dangers, coincidences Anthony Aguirre; 22. Multiverses: description, uniqueness and testing George Ellis; 23. Predictions and tests of multiverse theories Don N. Page; 24. Observation selection theory and cosmological fine-tuning Nick Bostrom; 25. Are anthropic arguments, involving multiverses and beyond, legitimate? William R. Stoeger; 26. The multiverse hypothesis: a theistic perspective Robin Collins; 27. Living in a simulated universe John D. Barrow; 28. Universes galore: where will it all end? Paul Davies; Index.

Dynamics and stability of light-like tachyon condensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnaby, Neil; Mulryne, David J.; Nunes, Nelson J.; Robinson, Patrick

2009-03-01

Recently, Hellerman and Schnabl considered the dynamics of unstable D-branes in the background of a linear dilaton. Remarkably, they were able to construct light-like tachyon solutions which interpolate smoothly between the perturbative and nonperturbative vacua, without undergoing the wild oscillations that plague time-like solutions. In their analysis, however, the full structure of the initial value problem for the nonlocal dynamical equations was not considered. In this paper, therefore, we reexamine the nonlinear dynamics of light-like tachyon condensation using a combination of numerical and analytical techniques. We find that for the p-adic string the monotonic behaviour obtained previously relied on a special choice of initial conditions near the unstable maximum. For generic initial conditions the wild oscillations come back to haunt us. Interestingly, we find an ``island of stability'' in initial condition space that leads to sensible evolution at late times. For the string field theory case, on the other hand, we find that the evolution is completely stable for generic choices of initial data. This provides an explicit example of a string theoretic system that admits infinitely many initial data but is nevertheless nonperturbatively stable. Qualitatively similar dynamics are obtained in nonlocal cosmologies where the Hubble damping plays a role very analogous to the dilaton gradient.

Can primordial magnetic fields seeded by electroweak strings cause an alignment of quasar axes on cosmological scales?

PubMed

Poltis, Robert; Stojkovic, Dejan

2010-10-15

The decay of nontopological electroweak strings may leave an observable imprint in the Universe today in the form of primordial magnetic fields. Protogalaxies preferentially tend to form with their axis of rotation parallel to an external magnetic field, and, moreover, an external magnetic field produces torque which tends to align the galaxy axis with the magnetic field. We demonstrate that the shape of a magnetic field left over from two looped electroweak strings can explain the observed nontrivial alignment of quasar polarization vectors and make predictions for future observations.

Refining the boundaries of the classical de Sitter landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andriot, David; Blåbäck, Johan

2017-03-01

We derive highly constraining no-go theorems for classical de Sitter backgrounds of string theory, with parallel sources; this should impact the embedding of cosmological models. We study ten-dimensional vacua of type II supergravities with parallel and backreacted orientifold O p -planes and D p -branes, on four-dimensional de Sitter spacetime times a compact manifold. Vacua for p = 3, 7 or 8 are completely excluded, and we obtain tight constraints for p = 4, 5, 6. This is achieved through the derivation of an enlightening expression for the four-dimensional Ricci scalar. Further interesting expressions and no-go theorems are obtained. The paper is self-contained so technical aspects, including conventions, might be of more general interest.

Behavior of Tachyon in String Cosmology Based on Gauged WZW Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sunggeun; Nam, Soonkeon

We investigate a string theoretic cosmological model in the context of the gauged Wess-Zumino-Witten model. Our model is based on a product of non-compact coset space and a spectator flat space; [SL(2, R)/U(1)]k × ℝ2. We extend the formerly studied semiclassical consideration with infinite Kac-Moody level k to a finite one. In this case, the tachyon field appears in the effective action, and we solve the Einstein equation to determine the behavior of tachyon as a function of time. We find that tachyon field dominates over dilaton field in early times. In particular, we consider the energy conditions of the matter fields consisting of the dilaton and the tachyon which affect the initial singularity. We find that not only the strong energy but also the null energy condition is violated.

Axions, inflation and the anthropic principle

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mack, Katherine J., E-mail: mack@ast.cam.ac.uk

2011-07-01

The QCD axion is the leading solution to the strong-CP problem, a dark matter candidate, and a possible result of string theory compactifications. However, for axions produced before inflation, symmetry-breaking scales of f{sub a}∼>10{sup 12} GeV (which are favored in string-theoretic axion models) are ruled out by cosmological constraints unless both the axion misalignment angle θ{sub 0} and the inflationary Hubble scale H{sub I} are extremely fine-tuned. We show that attempting to accommodate a high-f{sub a} axion in inflationary cosmology leads to a fine-tuning problem that is worse than the strong-CP problem the axion was originally invented to solve. Wemore » also show that this problem remains unresolved by anthropic selection arguments commonly applied to the high-f{sub a} axion scenario.« less

Rotating black holes in higher dimensions with a cosmological constant.

PubMed

Gibbons, G W; Lü, H; Page, Don N; Pope, C N

2004-10-22

We present the metric for a rotating black hole with a cosmological constant and with arbitrary angular momenta in all higher dimensions. The metric is given in both Kerr-Schild and the Boyer-Lindquist form. In the Euclidean-signature case, we also obtain smooth compact Einstein spaces on associated S(D-2) bundles over S2, infinitely many for each odd D>/=5. Applications to string theory and M-theory are indicated.

The 6D superswirl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parameswaran, S. L.; Tasinato, G.; Zavala, I.

2006-03-01

We present a novel supersymmetric solution to a nonlinear sigma model coupled to supergravity. The solution represents a static, supersymmetric, codimension-two object, which is different to the familiar cosmic strings. In particular, we consider 6D chiral gauged supergravity, whose spectrum contains a number of hypermultiplets. The scalar components of the hypermultiplet are charged under a gauge field, and supersymmetry implies that they experience a simple paraboloid-like (or 2D infinite well) potential, which is minimised when they vanish. Unlike conventional vortices, the energy density of our configuration is not localized to a string-like core. The solutions have two timelike singularities in the internal manifold, which provide the necessary boundary conditions to ensure that the scalars do not lie at the minimum of their potential. The 4D spacetime is flat, and the solution is a continuous deformation of the so-called "rugby ball" solution, which has been studied in the context of the cosmological constant problem. It represents an unexpected class of supersymmetric solutions to the 6D theory, which have gravity, gauge fluxes and hyperscalars all active in the background.

Building cosmological frozen stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kastor, David; Traschen, Jennie

2017-02-01

Janis-Newman-Winicour (JNW) solutions generalize Schwarzschild to include a massless scalar field. While they share the familiar infinite redshift feature of Schwarzschild, they suffer from the presence of naked singularities. Cosmological versions of JNW spacetimes were discovered some years ago, in the most general case, by Fonarev. Fonarev solutions are also plagued by naked singularities, but have the virtue, unlike e.g. Schwarzschild-deSitter, of being dynamical. Given that exact dynamical cosmological black hole solutions are scarce, Fonarev solutions merit further study. We show how Fonarev solutions can be obtained via generalized dimensional reduction from simpler static vacuum solutions. These results may lead towards constructions of actual dynamical cosmological black holes. In particular, we note that cosmological versions of extremal charged dilaton black holes are known. JNW spacetimes represent a different limiting case of the family of charged dilaton black holes, which have been important in the context of string theory, and better understanding their cosmological versions of JNW spacetimes thus provides a second data point towards finding cosmological versions of the entire family.

Supersymmetric B – L inflation near the conformal coupling

DOE PAGES

Arai, Masato; Kawai, Shinsuke; Okada, Nobuchika

2014-06-01

We investigate a novel scenario of cosmological inflation in a gauged B-L extended minimal supersymmetric Standard Model with R-symmetry. We use a noncanonical Kähler potential and a superpotential, both preserving the R-symmetry to construct a model of slow-roll inflation. The model is controlled by two real parameters: the nonminimal coupling ξ that originates from the Kähler potential, and the breaking scale v of the U (1)B-L symmetry. We compute the spectrum of the cosmological microwave background radiation and show that the prediction of the model fits well the recent Planck satellite observation for a wide range of the parameter space.more » We also find that the typical reheating temperature of the model is low enough to avoid the gravitino problem but nevertheless allows sufficient production of the baryon asymmetry if we take into account the effect of resonance enhancement. The model is free from cosmic strings that impose stringent constraints on generic U (1)B-L based scenarios, as in our scenario the U (1)B-L symmetry is broken from the onset.« less

Fibre inflation and α-attractors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallosh, Renata; Linde, Andrei; Roest, Diederik; Westphal, Alexander; Yamada, Yusuke

2018-02-01

Fibre inflation is a specific string theory construction based on the Large Volume Scenario that produces an inflationary plateau. We outline its relation to α-attractor models for inflation, with the cosmological sector originating from certain string theory corrections leading to α = 2 and α = 1/2. Above a certain field range, the steepening effect of higher-order corrections leads first to the breakdown of single-field slow-roll and after that to the onset of 2-field dynamics: the overall volume of the extra dimensions starts to participate in the effective dynamics. Finally, we propose effective supergravity models of fibre inflation based on an \\overline{D3} uplift term with a nilpotent superfield. Specific moduli dependent \\overline{D3} induced geometries lead to cosmological fibre models but have in addition a de Sitter minimum exit. These supergravity models motivated by fibre inflation are relatively simple, stabilize the axions and disentangle the Hubble parameter from supersymmetry breaking.

Asymptotic analysis of the Boltzmann equation for dark matter relics in the presence of a running dilaton and space-time defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bender, Carl M.; Mavromatos, Nick E.; Sarkar, Sarben

2013-03-01

The interplay of dilatonic effects in dilaton cosmology and stochastic quantum space-time defects within the framework of string/brane cosmologies is examined. The Boltzmann equation describes the physics of thermal dark-matter-relic abundances in the presence of rolling dilatons. These dilatons affect the coupling of stringy matter to D-particle defects, which are generic in string theory. This coupling leads to an additional source term in the Boltzmann equation. The techniques of asymptotic matching and boundary-layer theory, which were recently applied by two of the authors (Bender and Sarkar) to a Boltzmann equation, are used here to find the detailed asymptotic relic abundances for all ranges of the expectation value of the dilaton field. The phenomenological implications for the search for supersymmetric dark matter in current colliders, such as the LHC, are discussed.

Axion cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsh, David J. E.

2016-07-01

Axions comprise a broad class of particles that can play a major role in explaining the unknown aspects of cosmology. They are also well-motivated within high energy physics, appearing in theories related to CP-violation in the standard model, supersymmetric theories, and theories with extra-dimensions, including string theory, and so axion cosmology offers us a unique view onto these theories. I review the motivation and models for axions in particle physics and string theory. I then present a comprehensive and pedagogical view on the cosmology and astrophysics of axion-like particles, starting from inflation and progressing via BBN, the CMB, reionization and structure formation, up to the present-day Universe. Topics covered include: axion dark matter (DM); direct and indirect detection of axions, reviewing existing and future experiments; axions as dark radiation; axions and the cosmological constant problem; decays of heavy axions; axions and stellar astrophysics; black hole superradiance; axions and astrophysical magnetic fields; axion inflation, and axion DM as an indirect probe of inflation. A major focus is on the population of ultralight axions created via vacuum realignment, and its role as a DM candidate with distinctive phenomenology. Cosmological observations place robust constraints on the axion mass and relic density in this scenario, and I review where such constraints come from. I next cover aspects of galaxy formation with axion DM, and ways this can be used to further search for evidence of axions. An absolute lower bound on DM particle mass is established. It is ma > 10-24eV from linear observables, extending to ma ≳ 10-22eV from non-linear observables, and has the potential to reach ma ≳ 10-18eV in the future. These bounds are weaker if the axion is not all of the DM, giving rise to limits on the relic density at low mass. This leads to the exciting possibility that the effects of axion DM on structure formation could one day be detected, and the axion mass and relic density measured from cosmological observables.

A cosmic book. [of physics of early universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peebles, P. J. E.; Silk, Joseph

1988-01-01

A system of assigning odds to the basic elements of cosmological theories is proposed in order to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the theories. A figure of merit for the theories is obtained by counting and weighing the plausibility of each of the basic elements that is not substantially supported by observation or mature fundamental theory. The magnetized strong model is found to be the most probable. In order of decreasing probability, the ranking for the rest of the models is: (1) the magnetized string model with no exotic matter and the baryon adiabatic model; (2) the hot dark matter model and the model of cosmic string loops; (3) the canonical cold dark matter model, the cosmic string loops model with hot dark matter, and the baryonic isocurvature model; and (4) the cosmic string loops model with no exotic matter.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Cosmological Parameters from the 2008 Power Spectrum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunkley, J.; Hlozek, R.; Sievers, J.; Acquaviva, V.; Ade, P. A. R.; Aguirre, P.; Amiri, M.; Appel, J. W.; Barrientos, L. F.; Battistelli, E. S.;

A string theory which isn't about strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kanghoon; Rey, Soo-Jong; Rosabal, J. A.

2017-11-01

Quantization of closed string proceeds with a suitable choice of worldsheet vacuum. A priori, the vacuum may be chosen independently for left-moving and right-moving sectors. We construct ab initio quantized bosonic string theory with left-right asymmetric worldsheet vacuum and explore its consequences and implications. We critically examine the validity of new vacuum and carry out first-quantization using standard operator formalism. Remarkably, the string spectrum consists only of a finite number of degrees of freedom: string gravity (massless spin-two, Kalb-Ramond and dilaton fields) and two massive spin-two Fierz-Pauli fields. The massive spin-two fields have negative norm, opposite mass-squared, and provides a Lee-Wick type extension of string gravity. We compute two physical observables: tree-level scattering amplitudes and one-loop cosmological constant. Scattering amplitude of four dilatons is shown to be a rational function of kinematic invariants, and in D = 26 factorizes into contributions of massless spin-two and a pair of massive spin-two fields. The string one loop partition function is shown to perfectly agree with one loop Feynman diagram of string gravity and two massive spin-two fields. In particular, it does not exhibit modular invariance. We critically compare our construction with recent studies and contrast differences.

Minimal string theories and integrable hierarchies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iyer, Ramakrishnan

Well-defined, non-perturbative formulations of the physics of string theories in specific minimal or superminimal model backgrounds can be obtained by solving matrix models in the double scaling limit. They provide us with the first examples of completely solvable string theories. Despite being relatively simple compared to higher dimensional critical string theories, they furnish non-perturbative descriptions of interesting physical phenomena such as geometrical transitions between D-branes and fluxes, tachyon condensation and holography. The physics of these theories in the minimal model backgrounds is succinctly encoded in a non-linear differential equation known as the string equation, along with an associated hierarchy of integrable partial differential equations (PDEs). The bosonic string in (2,2m-1) conformal minimal model backgrounds and the type 0A string in (2,4 m) superconformal minimal model backgrounds have the Korteweg-de Vries system, while type 0B in (2,4m) backgrounds has the Zakharov-Shabat system. The integrable PDE hierarchy governs flows between backgrounds with different m. In this thesis, we explore this interesting connection between minimal string theories and integrable hierarchies further. We uncover the remarkable role that an infinite hierarchy of non-linear differential equations plays in organizing and connecting certain minimal string theories non-perturbatively. We are able to embed the type 0A and 0B (A,A) minimal string theories into this single framework. The string theories arise as special limits of a rich system of equations underpinned by an integrable system known as the dispersive water wave hierarchy. We find that there are several other string-like limits of the system, and conjecture that some of them are type IIA and IIB (A,D) minimal string backgrounds. We explain how these and several other string-like special points arise and are connected. In some cases, the framework endows the theories with a non-perturbative definition for the first time. Notably, we discover that the Painleve IV equation plays a key role in organizing the string theory physics, joining its siblings, Painleve I and II, whose roles have previously been identified in this minimal string context. We then present evidence that the conjectured type II theories have smooth non-perturbative solutions, connecting two perturbative asymptotic regimes, in a 't Hooft limit. Our technique also demonstrates evidence for new minimal string theories that are not apparent in a perturbative analysis.

Bell violation in the sky

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhury, Sayantan; Panda, Sudhakar; Singh, Rajeev

2017-02-01

In this work, we have studied the possibility of setting up Bell's inequality violating experiment in the context of cosmology, based on the basic principles of quantum mechanics. First we start with the physical motivation of implementing the Bell inequality violation in the context of cosmology. Then to set up the cosmological Bell violating test experiment we introduce a model independent theoretical framework using which we have studied the creation of new massive particles by implementing the WKB approximation method for the scalar fluctuations in the presence of additional time-dependent mass contribution in the cosmological perturbation theory. Here for completeness we compute the total number density and the energy density of the newly created particles in terms of the Bogoliubov coefficients using the WKB approximation method. Next using the background scalar fluctuation in the presence of a new time-dependent mass contribution, we explicitly compute the expression for the one point and two point correlation functions. Furthermore, using the results for a one point function we introduce a new theoretical cosmological parameter which can be expressed in terms of the other known inflationary observables and can also be treated as a future theoretical probe to break the degeneracy amongst various models of inflation. Additionally, we also fix the scale of inflation in a model-independent way without any prior knowledge of primordial gravitational waves. Also using the input from a newly introduced cosmological parameter, we finally give a theoretical estimate for the tensor-to-scalar ratio in a model-independent way. Next, we also comment on the technicalities of measurements from isospin breaking interactions and the future prospects of newly introduced massive particles in a cosmological Bell violating test experiment. Further, we cite a precise example of this setup applicable in the context of string theory motivated axion monodromy model. Then we comment on the explicit role of the decoherence effect and high spin on cosmological Bell violating test experiment. Finally, we provide a theoretical bound on the heavy particle mass parameter for scalar fields, gravitons and other high spin fields from our proposed setup.

D1 string dynamics in curved backgrounds with fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Aritra; Biswas, Sagar; Nayak, Rashmi R.

2016-04-01

We study various rotating and oscillating D-string configurations in some general backgrounds with fluxes. In particular, we look for solutions to the equations of motion of various rigidly rotating D-strings in AdS3 background with mixed flux, and in the intersecting D-brane geometries. We find out relations among various conserved charges corresponding to the breathing and rotating D-string configurations.

Inflation in the standard cosmological model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uzan, Jean-Philippe

2015-12-01

The inflationary paradigm is now part of the standard cosmological model as a description of its primordial phase. While its original motivation was to solve the standard problems of the hot big bang model, it was soon understood that it offers a natural theory for the origin of the large-scale structure of the universe. Most models rely on a slow-rolling scalar field and enjoy very generic predictions. Besides, all the matter of the universe is produced by the decay of the inflaton field at the end of inflation during a phase of reheating. These predictions can be (and are) tested from their imprint of the large-scale structure and in particular the cosmic microwave background. Inflation stands as a window in physics where both general relativity and quantum field theory are at work and which can be observationally studied. It connects cosmology with high-energy physics. Today most models are constructed within extensions of the standard model, such as supersymmetry or string theory. Inflation also disrupts our vision of the universe, in particular with the ideas of chaotic inflation and eternal inflation that tend to promote the image of a very inhomogeneous universe with fractal structure on a large scale. This idea is also at the heart of further speculations, such as the multiverse. This introduction summarizes the connections between inflation and the hot big bang model and details the basics of its dynamics and predictions. xml:lang="fr"

Deviation from Standard Inflationary Cosmology and the Problems in Ekpyrosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tseng, Chien-Yao

There are two competing models of our universe right now. One is Big Bang with inflation cosmology. The other is the cyclic model with ekpyrotic phase in each cycle. This paper is divided into two main parts according to these two models. In the first part, we quantify the potentially observable effects of a small violation of translational invariance during inflation, as characterized by the presence of a preferred point, line, or plane. We explore the imprint such a violation would leave on the cosmic microwave background anisotropy, and provide explicit formulas for the expected amplitudes ( alma*l'm') of the spherical-harmonic coefficients. We then provide a model and study the two-point correlation of a massless scalar (the inflaton) when the stress tensor contains the energy density from an infinitely long straight cosmic string in addition to a cosmological constant. Finally, we discuss if inflation can reconcile with the Liouville's theorem as far as the fine-tuning problem is concerned. In the second part, we find several problems in the cyclic/ekpyrotic cosmology. First of all, quantum to classical transition would not happen during an ekpyrotic phase even for superhorizon modes, and therefore the fluctuations cannot be interpreted as classical. This implies the prediction of scale-free power spectrum in ekpyrotic/cyclic universe model requires more inspection. Secondly, we find that the usual mechanism to solve fine-tuning problems is not compatible with eternal universe which contains infinitely many cycles in both direction of time. Therefore, all fine-tuning problems including the flatness problem still asks for an explanation in any generic cyclic models.

Progress report for a research program in theoretical high energy physics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feldman, D.; Fried, H.M.; Jevicki, A.

This year's research has dealt with: superstrings in the early universe; the invisible axion emissions from SN1987A; quartic interaction in Witten's superstring field theory; W-boson associated multiplicity and the dual parton model; cosmic strings and galaxy formation; cosmic strings and baryogenesis; quark flavor mixing; p -- /bar p/ scattering at TeV energies; random surfaces; ordered exponentials and differential equations; initial value and back-reaction problems in quantum field theory; string field theory and Weyl invariance; the renormalization group and string field theory; the evolution of scalar fields in an inflationary universe, with and without the effects of gravitational perturbations; cosmic stringmore » catalysis of skyrmion decay; inflation and cosmic strings from dynamical symmetry breaking; the physic of flavor mixing; string-inspired cosmology; strings at high-energy densities and complex temperatures; the problem of non-locality in string theory; string statistical mechanics; large-scale structures with cosmic strings and neutrinos; the delta expansion for stochastic quantization; high-energy neutrino flux from ordinary cosmic strings; a physical picture of loop bremsstrahlung; cylindrically-symmetric solutions of four-dimensional sigma models; large-scale structure with hot dark matter and cosmic strings; the unitarization of the odderon; string thermodynamics and conservation laws; the dependence of inflationary-universe models on initial conditions; the delta expansion and local gauge invariance; particle physics and galaxy formation; chaotic inflation with metric and matter perturbations; grand-unified theories, galaxy formation, and large-scale structure; neutrino clustering in cosmic-string-induced wakes; and infrared approximations to nonlinear differential equations. 17 refs.« less

Holography and eternal inflation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Chen-Pin

The holographic principle states that the number of fundamental degrees of freedom in a specific region of spacetime is bounded by the area of its boundary. In the content of string theory, the AdS/CFT duality demonstrates the holographic principle in the background anti-de Sitter space. However for the more physically relevant background, it is hard to find such duality. The background that is particularly interesting is the eternal inflation. In this thesis we study the holographic dual of the eternal inflation. In the same spirit as AdS/CFT, the holographic theory is a conformal field theory on the boundary of the geometry. We study the scalar and graviton two point functions in a simplified eternal inflation background, which describes a flat pocket universe tunnels from a de Sitter background. The two point functions extrapolated to the boundary are shown to have the properties required by the conformal symmetry. We go on to study the possible collision between different pocket universes. We showed that after collisions, the resulting pocket universe with nontrivial boundary topology is possible. This implies that the boundary theory will not only have fluctuation in geometry but also in topology. It will also have potential observation consequences on the cosmological observation.

Magnetized string cosmological models of accelerated expansion of the Universe in f(R,T) theory of gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pradhan, Anirudh; Jaiswal, Rekha

A class of spatially homogeneous and anisotropic Bianchi-V massive string models have been studied in the modified f(R,T)-theory of gravity proposed by Harko et al. [Phys. Rev. D 84:024020, 2011] in the presence of magnetic field. For a specific choice of f(R,T)=f1(R) + f2(T), where f1(R) = ν1R and f2(T) = ν2T; ν1, ν2 being arbitrary parameters, solutions of modified gravity field equations have been generated. To find the deterministic solution of the field equations, we have considered the time varying deceleration parameter which is consistent with observational data of standard cosmology (SNIa, BAO and CMB). As a result to study the transit behavior of Universe, we consider a law of variation for the specifically chosen scale factor, which yields a time-dependent deceleration parameter comprising a class of models that depicts a transition of the Universe from the early decelerated phase to the recent accelerating phase. In this context, for the model of the Universe, the field equations are solved and corresponding cosmological aspects have been discussed. The Energy conditions in this modified gravity theory are also studied. Stability analysis of the solutions through cosmological perturbation is performed and it is concluded that the expanding solution is stable against the perturbation with respect to anisotropic spatial direction. Some physical and geometric properties of the models are also discussed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Svendsen, Harald G.

In this paper we study a solution of heterotic string theory corresponding to a rotating Kerr-Taub-NUT spacetime. It has an exact CFT description as a heterotic coset model, and a Lagrangian formulation as a gauged WZNW model. It is a generalization of a recently discussed stringy Taub-NUT solution, and is interesting as another laboratory for studying the fate of closed timelike curves and cosmological singularities in string theory. We extend the computation of the exact metric and dilaton to this rotating case, and then discuss some properties of the metric, with particular emphasis on the curvature singularities.

Cosmological structure formation from soft topological defects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, Christopher T.; Schramm, David N.; Fry, J. N.

1988-01-01

Some models have extremely low-mass pseudo-Goldstone bosons that can lead to vacuum phase transitions at late times, after the decoupling of the microwave background.. This can generate structure formation at redshifts z greater than or approx 10 on mass scales as large as M approx 10 to the 18th solar masses. Such low energy transitions can lead to large but phenomenologically acceptable density inhomogeneities in soft topological defects (e.g., domain walls) with minimal variations in the microwave anisotropy, as small as delta Y/T less than or approx 10 to the minus 6 power. This mechanism is independent of the existence of hot, cold, or baryonic dark matter. It is a novel alternative to both cosmic string and to inflationary quantum fluctuations as the origin of structure in the Universe.

On classical and quantum dynamics of tachyon-like fields and their cosmological implications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dimitrijević, Dragoljub D., E-mail: ddrag@pmf.ni.ac.rs; Djordjević, Goran S., E-mail: ddrag@pmf.ni.ac.rs; Milošević, Milan, E-mail: ddrag@pmf.ni.ac.rs

2014-11-24

We consider a class of tachyon-like potentials, motivated by string theory, D-brane dynamics and inflation theory in the context of classical and quantum mechanics. A formalism for describing dynamics of tachyon fields in spatially homogenous and one-dimensional - classical and quantum mechanical limit is proposed. A few models with concrete potentials are considered. Additionally, possibilities for p-adic and adelic generalization of these models are discussed. Classical actions and corresponding quantum propagators, in the Feynman path integral approach, are calculated in a form invariant on a change of the background number fields, i.e. on both archimedean and nonarchimedean spaces. Looking formore » a quantum origin of inflation, relevance of p-adic and adelic generalizations are briefly discussed.« less

Charged string loops in Reissner-Nordström black hole background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oteev, Tursinbay; Kološ, Martin; Stuchlík, Zdeněk

2018-03-01

We study the motion of current carrying charged string loops in the Reissner-Nordström black hole background combining the gravitational and electromagnetic field. Introducing new electromagnetic interaction between central charge and charged string loop makes the string loop equations of motion to be non-integrable even in the flat spacetime limit, but it can be governed by an effective potential even in the black hole background. We classify different types of the string loop trajectories using effective potential approach, and we compare the innermost stable string loop positions with loci of the charged particle innermost stable orbits. We examine string loop small oscillations around minima of the string loop effective potential, and we plot radial profiles of the string loop oscillation frequencies for both the radial and vertical modes. We construct charged string loop quasi-periodic oscillations model and we compare it with observed data from microquasars GRO 1655-40, XTE 1550-564, and GRS 1915+105. We also study the acceleration of current carrying string loops along the vertical axis and the string loop ejection from RN black hole neighbourhood, taking also into account the electromagnetic interaction.

On the solubility of certain classes of non-linear integral equations in p-adic string theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khachatryan, Kh. A.

2018-04-01

We study classes of non-linear integral equations that have immediate application to p-adic mathematical physics and to cosmology. We prove existence and uniqueness theorems for non-trivial solutions in the space of bounded functions.

Gauging away a big bang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnan, Chethan; Raju, Avinash

2017-08-01

We argue that in the tensionless phase of string theory where the stringy gauge symmetries are unbroken, (at least some) cosmological singularities can be understood as gauge artefacts. We present two conceptually related, but distinct, pieces of evidence: one relying on spacetime and the other on worldsheet.

String-theoretic breakdown of effective field theory near black hole horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodelson, Matthew; Silverstein, Eva

2017-09-01

We investigate the validity of the equivalence principle near horizons in string theory, analyzing the breakdown of effective field theory caused by longitudinal string spreading effects. An experiment is set up where a detector is thrown into a black hole a long time after an early infalling string. Light cone gauge calculations, taken at face value, indicate a detectable level of root-mean-square longitudinal spreading of the initial string as measured by the late infaller. This results from the large relative boost between the string and detector in the near-horizon region, which develops automatically despite their modest initial energies outside the black hole and the weak curvature in the geometry. We subject this scenario to basic consistency checks, using these to obtain a relatively conservative criterion for its detectability. In a companion paper, we exhibit longitudinal nonlocality in well-defined gauge-invariant S-matrix calculations, obtaining results consistent with the predicted spreading albeit not in a direct analog of the black hole process. We discuss applications of this effect to the firewall paradox, and estimate the time and distance scales it predicts for new physics near black hole and cosmological horizons.

Stationary black holes with stringy hair

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boos, Jens; Frolov, Valeri P.

2018-01-01

We discuss properties of black holes which are pierced by special configurations of cosmic strings. For static black holes, we consider radial strings in the limit when the number of strings grows to infinity while the tension of each single string tends to zero. In a properly taken limit, the stress-energy tensor of the string distribution is finite. We call such matter stringy matter. We present a solution of the Einstein equations for an electrically charged static black hole with the stringy matter, with and without a cosmological constant. This solution is a warped product of two metrics. One of them is a deformed 2-sphere, whose Gaussian curvature is determined by the energy density of the stringy matter. We discuss the embedding of a corresponding distorted sphere into a three-dimensional Euclidean space and formulate consistency conditions. We also found a relation between the square of the Weyl tensor invariant of the four-dimensional spacetime of the stringy black holes and the energy density of the stringy matter. In the second part of the paper, we discuss test stationary strings in the Kerr geometry and in its Kerr-NUT-(anti-)de Sitter generalizations. Explicit solutions for strings that are regular at the event horizon are obtained. Using these solutions, the stress-energy tensor of the stringy matter in these geometries is calculated. Extraction of the angular momentum from rotating black holes by such strings is also discussed.

Gamma-ray bursts from superconducting cosmic strings at large redshifts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Babul, Arif; Paczynski, Bohdan; Spergel, David

1987-01-01

The relation between cusp events and gamma-rays bursts is investigated. The optical depth of the universe to X-rays and gamma-rays of various energies is calculated and discussed. The cosmological evolution of cosmic strings is examined, and the energetics and time-scales related to the cusp phenomena are estimated. It is noted that it is possible to have energy bursts with a duration of a few seconds or less from cusps at z = 1000; the maximum amount of energy associated with such an event is limited to 10 to the 7th ergs/sq cm.

High Energy Theory Workshops and Visitors at the Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics FY16

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pierce, Aaron

This award provided partial support for the Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics to host two workshops "Beyond the Standard Model 2016" in October 2016, and the "5th MCTP Symposium: Foundations of String Cosmology" in April 2017 on the University of Michigan campus.

BOOK REVIEW: Quantum Gravity (2nd edn)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husain, Viqar

2008-06-01

There has been a flurry of books on quantum gravity in the past few years. The first edition of Kiefer's book appeared in 2004, about the same time as Carlo Rovelli's book with the same title. This was soon followed by Thomas Thiemann's 'Modern Canonical Quantum General Relativity'. Although the main focus of each of these books is non-perturbative and non-string approaches to the quantization of general relativity, they are quite orthogonal in temperament, style, subject matter and mathematical detail. Rovelli and Thiemann focus primarily on loop quantum gravity (LQG), whereas Kiefer attempts a broader introduction and review of the subject that includes chapters on string theory and decoherence. Kiefer's second edition attempts an even wider and somewhat ambitious sweep with 'new sections on asymptotic safety, dynamical triangulation, primordial black holes, the information-loss problem, loop quantum cosmology, and other topics'. The presentation of these current topics is necessarily brief given the size of the book, but effective in encapsulating the main ideas in some cases. For instance the few pages devoted to loop quantum cosmology describe how the mini-superspace reduction of the quantum Hamiltonian constraint of LQG becomes a difference equation, whereas the discussion of 'dynamical triangulations', an approach to defining a discretized Lorentzian path integral for quantum gravity, is less detailed. The first few chapters of the book provide, in a roughly historical sequence, the covariant and canonical metric variable approach to the subject developed in the 1960s and 70s. The problem(s) of time in quantum gravity are nicely summarized in the chapter on quantum geometrodynamics, followed by a detailed and effective introduction of the WKB approach and the semi-classical approximation. These topics form the traditional core of the subject. The next three chapters cover LQG, quantization of black holes, and quantum cosmology. Of these the chapter on LQG is the shortest at fourteen pages—a reflection perhaps of the fact that there are two books and a few long reviews of the subject available written by the main protagonists in the field. The chapters on black holes and cosmology provide a more or less standard introduction to black hole thermodynamics, Hawking and Unruh radiation, quantization of the Schwarzschild metric and mini-superspace collapse models, and the DeWitt, Hartle Hawking and Vilenkin wavefunctions. The chapter on string theory is an essay-like overview of its quantum gravitational aspects. It provides a nice introduction to selected ideas and a guide to the literature. Here a prescient student may be left wondering why there is no quantum cosmology in string theory, perhaps a deliberate omission to avoid the 'landscape' and its fauna. In summary, I think this book succeeds in its purpose of providing a broad introduction to quantum gravity, and nicely complements some of the other books on the subject.

Amplitudes on plane waves from ambitwistor strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamo, Tim; Casali, Eduardo; Mason, Lionel; Nekovar, Stefan

2017-11-01

In marked contrast to conventional string theory, ambitwistor strings remain solvable worldsheet theories when coupled to curved background fields. We use this fact to consider the quantization of ambitwistor strings on plane wave metric and plane wave gauge field backgrounds. In each case, the worldsheet model is anomaly free as a consequence of the background satisfying the field equations. We derive vertex operators (in both fixed and descended picture numbers) for gravitons and gluons on these backgrounds from the worldsheet CFT, and study the 3-point functions of these vertex operators on the Riemann sphere. These worldsheet correlation functions reproduce the known results for 3-point scattering amplitudes of gravitons and gluons in gravitational and gauge theoretic plane wave backgrounds, respectively.

Quantum gravity and taoist cosmology: Exploring the ancient origins of phenomenological string theory.

PubMed

Rosen, Steven M

2017-12-01

This paper carries forward the author's contribution to PBMP's previous special issue on Integral Biomathics (Rosen 2015). In the earlier paper, the crisis in contemporary theoretical physics was described and it was demonstrated that the problem can be addressed effectively only by shifting the foundations of physics from objectivist Cartesian philosophy to phenomenological philosophy. To that end, a phenomenological string theory was proposed based on qualitative topology and hypercomplex numbers. The current presentation takes this further by delving into the ancient Chinese origin of phenomenological string theory. First, we discover a deep connection between the Klein bottle, which is crucial to the theory, and the Ho-t'u, an old Chinese number archetype central to Taoist cosmology. The two structures are seen to mirror each other in expressing the curious psychophysical (phenomenological) action pattern at the heart of microphysics. But tackling the question of quantum gravity requires that a whole family of topological dimensions be brought into play. What we find in engaging with these structures is a closely related family of Taoist forebears that, in concert with their successors, provide a blueprint for cosmic evolution. Whereas conventional string theory accounts for the generation of nature's fundamental forces via a notion of symmetry breaking that is essentially static and thus unable to explain cosmogony successfully, phenomenological/Taoist string theory is guided by the dialectical interplay between symmetry and asymmetry inherent in the principle of synsymmetry. This dynamic concept of cosmic change is elaborated on in the three concluding sections of the paper. Here, a detailed analysis of cosmogony is offered, first in terms of the theory of dimensional development and its Taoist (yin-yang) counterpart, then in terms of the evolution of the elemental force particles through cycles of expansion and contraction in a spiraling universe. The paper closes by considering the role of the analyst per se in the further evolution of the cosmos. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Closed string tachyon driving f(R) cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Peng; Wu, Houwen; Yang, Haitang

2018-05-01

To study quantum effects on the bulk tachyon dynamics, we replace R with f(R) in the low-energy effective action that couples gravity, the dilaton, and the bulk closed string tachyon of bosonic closed string theory and study properties of their classical solutions. The α' corrections of the graviton-dilaton-tachyon system are implemented in the f(R). We obtain the tachyon-induced rolling solutions and show that the string metric does not need to remain fixed in some cases. In the case with H( t=‑∞ ) = , only the R and R2 terms in f(R) play a role in obtaining the rolling solutions with nontrivial metric. The singular behavior of more classical solutions are investigated and found to be modified by quantum effects. In particular, there could exist some classical solutions, in which the tachyon field rolls down from a maximum of the tachyon potential while the dilaton expectation value is always bounded from above during the rolling process.

Evolution of semilocal string networks. II. Velocity estimators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Eiguren, A.; Urrestilla, J.; Achúcarro, A.; Avgoustidis, A.; Martins, C. J. A. P.

2017-07-01

We continue a comprehensive numerical study of semilocal string networks and their cosmological evolution. These can be thought of as hybrid networks comprised of (nontopological) string segments, whose core structure is similar to that of Abelian Higgs vortices, and whose ends have long-range interactions and behavior similar to that of global monopoles. Our study provides further evidence of a linear scaling regime, already reported in previous studies, for the typical length scale and velocity of the network. We introduce a new algorithm to identify the position of the segment cores. This allows us to determine the length and velocity of each individual segment and follow their evolution in time. We study the statistical distribution of segment lengths and velocities for radiation- and matter-dominated evolution in the regime where the strings are stable. Our segment detection algorithm gives higher length values than previous studies based on indirect detection methods. The statistical distribution shows no evidence of (anti)correlation between the speed and the length of the segments.

Exact Solutions in Three-Dimensional Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Díaz, Alberto A.

2017-09-01

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Point particles; 3. Dust solutions; 4. AdS cyclic symmetric stationary solutions; 5. Perfect fluid static stars; 6. Static perfect fluid stars with Λ; 7. Hydrodynamic equilibrium; 8. Stationary perfect fluid with Λ; 9. Friedmann–Robertson–Walker cosmologies; 10. Dilaton-inflaton FRW cosmologies; 11. Einstein–Maxwell solutions; 12. Nonlinear electrodynamics black hole; 13. Dilaton minimally coupled to gravity; 14. Dilaton non-minimally coupled to gravity; 15. Low energy 2+1 string gravity; 16. Topologically massive gravity; 17. Bianchi type spacetimes in TMG; 18. Petrov type N wave metrics; 19. Kundt spacetimes in TMG; 20. Cotton tensor in Riemannian spacetimes; References; Index.

Closed strings and moduli in AdS3/CFT2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sax, Olof Ohlsson; Stefański, Bogdan

2018-05-01

String theory on AdS3 × S3 × T4 has 20 moduli. We investigate how the perturbative closed string spectrum changes as we move around this moduli space in both the RR and NSNS flux backgrounds. We find that, at weak string coupling, only four of the moduli affect the energies. In the RR background the only effect of these moduli is to change the radius of curvature of the background. On the other hand, in the NSNS background, the moduli introduce worldsheet interactions which enable the use of integrability methods to solve the spectral problem. Our results show that the worldsheet theory is integrable across the 20 dimensional moduli space.

General polytropic self-gravitating cylinder free-fall and accreting mass string with a chain of collapsed objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lou, Yu-Qing; Hu, Xu-Yao

2016-06-01

We present a theoretical model framework for general polytropic (GP) hydrodynamic cylinder under self-gravity of infinite length with axial uniformity and axisymmetry. For self-similar dynamic solutions, we derive valuable integrals, analytic asymptotic solutions, sonic critical curves, shock conditions, and global numerical solutions with or without expansion shocks. Among others, we investigate various dynamic solutions featured with central free-fall asymptotic behaviours, corresponding to a collapsed mass string with a sustained dynamic accretion from a surrounding mass reservoir. Depending on the allowed ranges of a scaling index a < -1, such cylindrical dynamic mass accretion rate could be steady, increasing with time and decreasing with time. Physically, such a collapsed mass string or filament would break up into a sequence of sub-clumps and segments as induced by gravitational Jeans instabilities. Depending on the scales involved, such sub-clumps would evolve into collapsed objects or gravitationally bound systems. In diverse astrophysical and cosmological contexts, such a scenario can be adapted on various temporal, spatial and mass scales to form a chain of collapsed clumps and/or compact objects. Examples include the formation of chains of proto-stars, brown dwarfs and gaseous planets along molecular filaments; the formation of luminous massive stars along magnetized spiral arms and circum-nuclear starburst rings in barred spiral galaxies; the formation of chains of compact stellar objects such as white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes along a highly condensed mass string. On cosmological scales, one can perceive the formation of chains of galaxies, chains of galaxy clusters or even chains of supermassive and hypermassive black holes in the Universe including the early Universe. All these chains referred to above include possible binaries.

Ultralight axion in supersymmetry and strings and cosmology at small scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halverson, James; Long, Cody; Nath, Pran

2017-09-01

Dynamical mechanisms to generate an ultralight axion of mass ˜10-21- 10-22 eV in supergravity and strings are discussed. An ultralight particle of this mass provides a candidate for dark matter that may play a role for cosmology at scales of 10 kpc or less. An effective operator approach for the axion mass provides a general framework for models of ultralight axions, and in one case recovers the scale 10-21- 10-22 eV as the electroweak scale times the square of the hierarchy with an O (1 ) Wilson coefficient. We discuss several classes of models realizing this framework where an ultralight axion of the necessary size can be generated. In one class of supersymmetric models an ultralight axion is generated by instanton-like effects. In the second class higher-dimensional operators involving couplings of Higgs, standard model singlets, and axion fields naturally lead to an ultralight axion. Further, for the class of models considered the hierarchy between the ultralight scale and the weak scale is maintained. We also discuss the generation of an ultralight scale within string-based models. In the single-modulus Kachru-Kallosh-Linde-Trivedi moduli stabilization scheme an ultralight axion would require an ultralow weak scale. However, within the large volume scenario, the desired hierarchy between the axion scale and the weak scale is achieved. A general analysis of couplings of Higgs fields to instantons within the string framework is discussed and it is shown that the condition necessary for achieving such couplings is the existence of vector-like zero modes of the instanton. Some of the phenomenological aspects of these models are also discussed.

Evolution of cosmic string networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albrecht, Andreas; Turok, Neil

1989-01-01

A discussion of the evolution and observable consequences of a network of cosmic strings is given. A simple model for the evolution of the string network is presented, and related to the statistical mechanics of string networks. The model predicts the long string density throughout the history of the universe from a single parameter, which researchers calculate in radiation era simulations. The statistical mechanics arguments indicate a particular thermal form for the spectrum of loops chopped off the network. Detailed numerical simulations of string networks in expanding backgrounds are performed to test the model. Consequences for large scale structure, the microwave and gravity wave backgrounds, nucleosynthesis and gravitational lensing are calculated.

Stochastic background from cosmic (super)strings: Popcorn-like and (Gaussian) continuous regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regimbau, Tania; Giampanis, Stefanos; Siemens, Xavier; Mandic, Vuk

2012-03-01

In the era of the next generation of gravitational wave experiments a stochastic background from cusps of cosmic (super)strings is expected to be probed and, if not detected, to be significantly constrained. A popcornlike background can be, for part of the parameter space, as pronounced as the (Gaussian) continuous contribution from unresolved sources that overlap in frequency and time. We study both contributions from unresolved cosmic string cusps over a range of frequencies relevant to ground based interferometers, such as the LIGO/Virgo second generation and Einstein Telescope third generation detectors, the space antenna LISA, and pulsar timing arrays. We compute the sensitivity (at the 2σ level) in the parameter space for the LIGO/Virgo second generation detector, the Einstein Telescope detector, LISA, and pulsar timing arrays. We conclude that the popcorn regime is complementary to the continuous background. Its detection could therefore enhance confidence in a stochastic background detection and possibly help determine fundamental string parameters such as the string tension and the reconnection probability.

Klein-Gordon oscillator with position-dependent mass in the rotating cosmic string spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Bing-Qian; Long, Zheng-Wen; Long, Chao-Yun; Wu, Shu-Rui

2018-02-01

A spinless particle coupled covariantly to a uniform magnetic field parallel to the string in the background of the rotating cosmic string is studied. The energy levels of the electrically charged particle subject to the Klein-Gordon oscillator are analyzed. Afterwards, we consider the case of the position-dependent mass and show how these energy levels depend on the parameters in the problem. Remarkably, it shows that for the special case, the Klein-Gordon oscillator coupled covariantly to a homogeneous magnetic field with the position-dependent mass in the rotating cosmic string background has the similar behaviors to the Klein-Gordon equation with a Coulomb-type configuration in a rotating cosmic string background in the presence of an external magnetic field.

Patterns of the cosmic microwave background from evolving string networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bouchet, Francois R.; Bennett, David P.; Stebbins, Albert

1988-01-01

A network of cosmic strings generated in the early universe may still exist today. As the strings move across the sky, they produce, by gravitational lensing, a characteristic pattern of anisotropies in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background. The observed absence of such anisotropies places constraints on theories in which galaxy formation is seeded by strings, but it is anticipated that the next generation of experiments will detect them.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, Hugh H.; Balasubramanian, V.; Bernstein, G.

The University of Pennsylvania elementary particle physics/particle cosmology group, funded by the Department of Energy Office of Science, participates in research in high energy physics and particle cosmology that addresses some of the most important unanswered questions in science. The research is divided into five areas. Energy Frontier - We participate in the study of proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland using the ATLAS detector. The University of Pennsylvania group was responsible for the design, installation, and commissioning of the front-end electronics for the Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) and plays the primary role in its maintenancemore » and operation. We play an important role in the triggering of ATLAS, and we have made large contributions to the TRT performance and to the study and identification of electrons, photons, and taus. We have been actively involved in searches for the Higgs boson and for SUSY and other exotic particles. We have made significant contributions to measurement of Standard Model processes such as inclusive photon production and WW pair production. We also have participated significantly in R&D for upgrades to the ATLAS detector. Cosmic Frontier - The Dark Energy Survey (DES) telescope will be used to elucidate the nature of dark energy and the distribution of dark matter. Penn has played a leading role both in the use of weak gravitational lensing of distant galaxies and the discovery of large numbers of distant supernovae. The techniques and forecasts developed at Penn are also guiding the development of the proposed Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST).We are also developing a new detector, MiniClean, to search for direct detection of dark matter particles. Intensity Frontier - We are participating in the design and R&D of detectors for the Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment (now DUNE), a new experiment to study the properties of neutrinos. Advanced Techology R&D - We have an extensive involvement in electronics required for sophisticated new detectors at the LHC and are developing electronics for the LSST camera. Theoretical Physics - We are carrying out a broad program studying the fundamental forces of nature and early universe cosmology and mathematical physics. Our activities span the range from model building, formal field theory, and string theory to new paradigms for cosmology and the interface of string theory with mathematics. Our effort combines extensive development of the formal aspects of string theory with a focus on real phenomena in particle physics, cosmology and gravity.« less

Determination of elementary first integrals of a generalized Raychaudhuri equation by the Darboux integrability method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhury, A. Ghose; Guha, Partha; Khanra, Barun

2009-10-01

The Darboux integrability method is particularly useful to determine first integrals of nonplanar autonomous systems of ordinary differential equations, whose associated vector fields are polynomials. In particular, we obtain first integrals for a variant of the generalized Raychaudhuri equation, which has appeared in string inspired modern cosmology.

Exacerbating the Cosmological Constant Problem with Interacting Dark Energy Models.

PubMed

Marsh, M C David

2017-01-06

Future cosmological surveys will probe the expansion history of the Universe and constrain phenomenological models of dark energy. Such models do not address the fine-tuning problem of the vacuum energy, i.e., the cosmological constant problem (CCP), but can make it spectacularly worse. We show that this is the case for "interacting dark energy" models in which the masses of the dark matter states depend on the dark energy sector. If realized in nature, these models have far-reaching implications for proposed solutions to the CCP that require the number of vacua to exceed the fine-tuning of the vacuum energy density. We show that current estimates of the number of flux vacua in string theory, N_{vac}∼O(10^{272 000}), are far too small to realize certain simple models of interacting dark energy and solve the cosmological constant problem anthropically. These models admit distinctive observational signatures that can be targeted by future gamma-ray observatories, hence making it possible to observationally rule out the anthropic solution to the cosmological constant problem in theories with a finite number of vacua.

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: Cosmological branes and macroscopic extra dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barvinsky, Andrei O.

2005-06-01

The idea of adding extra dimensions to the physical world — thus making the observable universe a timelike surface (or brane) embedded in a higher-dimensional space-time — is briefly reviewed, which is believed to hold serious promise for solving fundamental problems concerning the hierarchy of physical interactions and the cosmological constant. Brane localization of massless gravitons is discussed as a mechanism leading to the effective four-dimensional Einstein gravity theory on the brane in the low-energy limit. It is shown that this mechanism is a corollary of the AdS/CFT correspondence principle well-known from string theory. Inflation and other cosmological evolution scenarios induced by the local and nonlocal structures of the effective action of the gravitational brane are considered, as are the effects that enable the developing gravitational-wave astronomy to be used in the search for extra dimensions. Finally, a new approach to the cosmological constant and cosmological acceleration problems is discussed, which involves variable local and nonlocal gravitational 'constants' arising in the infrared modifications of the Einstein theory that incorporate brane-induced gravity models and models of massive gravitons.

Construction of nonsingular pre-big-bang and ekpyrotic cosmologies and the resulting density perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsujikawa, Shinji; Brandenberger, Robert; Finelli, Fabio

2002-10-01

We consider the construction of nonsingular pre-big-bang and ekpyrotic type cosmological models realized by the addition to the action of specific higher-order terms stemming from quantum corrections. We study models involving general relativity coupled to a single scalar field with a potential motivated by the ekpyrotic scenario. We find that the inclusion of the string loop and quantum correction terms in the string frame makes it possible to obtain solutions of the variational equations which are nonsingular and bouncing in the Einstein frame, even when a negative exponential potential is present, as is the case in the ekpyrotic scenario. This allows us to discuss the evolution of cosmological perturbations without the need to invoke matching conditions between two Einstein universes, one representing the contracting branch, the second the expanding branch. We analyze the spectra of perturbations produced during the bouncing phase and find that the spectrum of curvature fluctuations in the model proposed originally to implement the ekpyrotic scenario has a large blue tilt (nR=3). Except for instabilities introduced on small scales, the result agrees with what is obtained by imposing continuity of the induced metric and of the extrinsic curvature across a constant scalar field (up to k2 corrections equal to the constant energy density) matching surface between the contracting and the expanding Einstein universes. We also discuss nonsingular cosmological solutions obtained when a Gauss-Bonnet term with a coefficient suitably dependent on the scalar matter field is added to the action in the Einstein frame with a potential for the scalar field present. In this scenario, nonsingular solutions are found which start in an asymptotically flat state, undergo a period of superexponential inflation, and end with a graceful exit. The spectrum of fluctuations is also calculated in this case.

New solutions with accelerated expansion in string theory

DOE PAGES

Dodelson, Matthew; Dong, Xi; Silverstein, Eva; ...

2014-12-05

We present concrete solutions with accelerated expansion in string theory, requiring a small, tractable list of stress energy sources. We explain how this construction (and others in progress) evades previous no go theorems for simple accelerating solutions. Our solutions respect an approximate scaling symmetry and realize discrete sequences of values for the equation of state, including one with an accumulation point at w = –1 and another accumulating near w = –1/3 from below. In another class of models, a density of defects generates scaling solutions with accelerated expansion. Here, we briefly discuss potential applications to dark energy phenomenology, andmore » to holography for cosmology.« less

How could (should) we make contact between string/M-theory and our four-dimensional world, and associated LHC predictions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, Gordon

2015-12-01

String/M-theory is an exciting framework within which we try to understand our universe and its properties. Compactified string/M-theories address and offer solutions to almost every important question and issue in particle physics and particle cosmology. But earlier goals of finding a top-down “vacuum selection” principle and deriving the 4D theory have not yet been realized. Does that mean we should stop trying, as nearly all string theorists have? Or can we proceed in the historical way to make a few generic, robust assumptions not closely related to observables, and follow where they lead to testable predictions and explanations? Making only very generic assumptions is a significant issue. I discuss how to try to proceed with this approach, particularly in M-theory compactified on a 7D manifold of G2 holonomy. One goal is to understand our universe as a string/M-theory vacuum for its own sake, in the long tradition of trying to understand our world, and what that implies. In addition, understanding our vacuum may be a prelude to understanding its connection to the multiverse.

Lectures from the European RTN Winter School on Strings, Supergravity and Gauge Fields, CERN, 15 19 January 2007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derendinger, J.-P.; Scrucca, C. A.; Uranga, A.

2007-11-01

This special issue is devoted to the proceedings of the conference 'Winter School on Strings, Supergravity and Gauge Theories', which took place at CERN, the European Centre for Nuclear Research, in Geneva, Switzerland, from the 15 to the 19 of January 2007. This event was organized in the framework of the European Mobility Research and Training Network entitled 'Constituents, Fundamental Forces and Symmetries of the Universe'. It is part of a yearly series of scientific schools, which represents what is by now a well established tradition. The previous conferences have been held at SISSA, in Trieste, Italy, in February 2005 and at CERN in January 2006. The next will again take place at CERN, in January 2008. The school was primarily meant for young doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers working in the area of string theory. It consisted of several general lectures of four hours each, the notes of which are published in the present proceedings, and seven working group discussion sessions, focused on specific topics of the network research program. It was attended by approximatively 250 participants. The topics of the lectures were chosen to provide an introduction to some of the areas of recent progress, and to the open problems, in string theory. String theory is a compelling candidate for a theory of all interactions. A basic challenge in this field is therefore to explore the connection of string theory models and the laws of physics in different realms, like high-energy particle physics, early cosmology, or physics of strongly coupled gauge theories. Concerning the exploration of string theory compactifications leading to realistic models of particle physics, one of the main obstacles in this direction is the proper understanding of supersymmetry breaking. The lecture notes by Nathan Seiberg review the realization of spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry in field theory, including recent developments via the use of meta-stable long-lived vacua. It is possible that such an understanding proves crucial in the realization of supersymmetry breaking in string theory. A second long-standing obstacle, which is being tackled with recent techniques, is moduli stabilization, namely the removal of unwanted massless scalar fields from string models. The present status of this problem, and its prospects of solution via the introduction of general sets of fluxes in the compactification space, were covered in the lectures by Brian Wecht. Application of these ideas to connect string theory to particle physics will require a good understanding of the experimental situation at the forthcoming collider LHC at CERN, and the detection tools for signals of new physics, as reviewed in the lectures by Joe Lykken (not covered in the present issue). Along a different line, the role of moduli fields in string theory is expected to provide a natural explanation of models of inflation, and thus of the origin of the cosmological evolution of our universe. The lecture notes by Cliff Burgess provide a review of big bang cosmology, inflation, and its possible explanation in terms of string theory constructions, including some of the most recent results in the field (these notes also appear in the proceedings of two other schools held in the same period). A surprising recent application of string theory is the description, via the ideas of holography and duality between string theories and gauge theories, of physical properties of quantum chromodynamics at high temperature. Indeed experimental data on the physical properties of the quark gluon plasma, produced in heavy ion collision at the RHIC experiment in Brookhaven (and soon at the LHC at CERN) can be recovered, at a semi-quantitative level, from computations in a string theory dual of the system. These applications are reviewed in the lectures by David Mateos. The conference was financially supported by the European Commission under contract MRTN-CT-2004-005104 and by CERN. It was jointly organized by the Physics Institute of the University of Neuchâtel and the Theory Unit of the Physics Division of CERN. It is a great pleasure for us to warmly thank the Theory Unit of CERN for its very kind hospitality and for the high quality of the assistance and the infrastructures that it has provided. We also acknowledge helpful administrative assistance from the Physics Institute of the University of Neuchâtel. A special acknowledgement also goes to Denis Frank, for his very valuable help in preparing the conference web pages. Group photo

Fitting cosmic microwave background data with cosmic strings and inflation.

PubMed

Bevis, Neil; Hindmarsh, Mark; Kunz, Martin; Urrestilla, Jon

2008-01-18

We perform a multiparameter likelihood analysis to compare measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectra with predictions from models involving cosmic strings. Adding strings to the standard case of a primordial spectrum with power-law tilt ns, we find a 2sigma detection of strings: f10=0.11+/-0.05, where f10 is the fractional contribution made by strings in the temperature power spectrum (at l=10). CMB data give moderate preference to the model ns=1 with cosmic strings over the standard zero-strings model with variable tilt. When additional non-CMB data are incorporated, the two models become on a par. With variable ns and these extra data, we find that f10<0.11, which corresponds to Gmicro<0.7x10(-6) (where micro is the string tension and G is the gravitational constant).

Phase space analysis for a scalar-tensor model with kinetic and Gauss-Bonnet couplings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granda, L. N.; Loaiza, E.

2016-09-01

We study the phase space for a scalar-tensor string inspired model of dark energy with nonminimal kinetic and Gauss-Bonnet couplings. The form of the scalar potential and of the coupling terms is of the exponential type, which gives rise to appealing cosmological solutions. The critical points describe a variety of cosmological scenarios that go from a matter or radiation dominated universe to a dark energy dominated universe. Trajectories were found in the phase space departing from unstable or saddle fixed points and arriving at the stable scalar field dominated point corresponding to late-time accelerated expansion.

Quantum no-scale regimes in string theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coudarchet, Thibaut; Fleming, Claude; Partouche, Hervé

2018-05-01

We show that in generic no-scale models in string theory, the flat, expanding cosmological evolutions found at the quantum level can be attracted to a "quantum no-scale regime", where the no-scale structure is restored asymptotically. In this regime, the quantum effective potential is dominated by the classical kinetic energies of the no-scale modulus and dilaton. We find that this natural preservation of the classical no-scale structure at the quantum level occurs when the initial conditions of the evolutions sit in a subcritical region of their space. On the contrary, supercritical initial conditions yield solutions that have no analogue at the classical level. The associated intrinsically quantum universes are sentenced to collapse and their histories last finite cosmic times. Our analysis is done at 1-loop, in perturbative heterotic string compactified on tori, with spontaneous supersymmetry breaking implemented by a stringy version of the Scherk-Schwarz mechanism.

AdS and dS Entropy from String Junctions or The Function of Junction Conjunctions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Silverstein, Eva M

Flux compactifications of string theory exhibiting the possibility of discretely tuning the cosmological constant to small values have been constructed. The highly tuned vacua in this discretuum have curvature radii which scale as large powers of the flux quantum numbers, exponential in the number of cycles in the compactification. By the arguments of Susskind/Witten (in the AdS case) and Gibbons/Hawking (in the dS case), we expect correspondingly large entropies associated with these vacua. If they are to provide a dual description of these vacua on their Coulomb branch, branes traded for the flux need to account for this entropy atmore » the appropriate energy scale. In this note, we argue that simple string junctions and webs ending on the branes can account for this large entropy, obtaining a rough estimate for junction entropy that agrees with the existing rough estimates for the spacing of the discretuum. In particular, the brane entropy can account for the (A)dS entropy far away from string scale correspondence limits.« less

Birth of the Universe from the Multiverse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mersini-Houghton, Laura

2015-01-01

Compactification of extra dimensions in string theory leads to a vast number of (3+1) dimensional worlds, (about 10500 so far), coined the landscape. At the time of the discovery of the landscape, the question which one of these worlds is our universe seemed hopeless. Many argued that the vastness of the landscape undermines the very foundations of string theory for two reasons: (i) the theory seemed unfalsifiable since for every observation we could find a matching world on the landscape; (ii) the method advocated at the time for making sense of this landscape was the anthropic principle. The former objection implied string theory can not be scientific. The latter concern is that anthropics do not help scientific inquiry and rigor but rather it may seem to push some version of creationism to the next level. For these reasons the whole field of string theory and also, of cosmology that relied on it for answers about fundamental questions such as the origins of the universe, seemed to be in deep crisis at the beginning of the millenia...

Superconducting cosmic strings as sources of cosmological fast radio bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Jiani; Wang, Kai; Cai, Yi-Fu

2017-11-01

In this paper we calculate the radio burst signals from three kinds of structures of superconducting cosmic strings. By taking into account the observational factors including scattering and relativistic effects, we derive the event rate of radio bursts as a function of redshift with the theoretical parameters Gμ and I of superconducting strings. Our analyses show that cusps and kinks may have noticeable contributions to the event rate and in most cases cusps would dominate the contribution, while the kink-kink collisions tend to have secondary effects. By fitting theoretical predictions with the normalized data of fast radio bursts, we for the first time constrain the parameter space of superconducting strings and report that the parameter space of Gμ ˜ [10^{-14}, 10^{-12}] and I ˜ [10^{-1}, 102] GeV fit the observation well although the statistic significance is low due to the lack of observational data. Moreover, we derive two types of best fittings, with one being dominated by cusps with a redshift z = 1.3, and the other dominated by kinks at the range of the maximal event rate.

Gravitational waves and cosmic strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siemens, Xavier

2002-08-01

Cosmic strings are potential candidates for a variety of interesting cosmological phenomena such as gamma ray bursts, gravitational wave bursts and ultra high energy cosmic rays. The predictions of cosmic string models, however, depend sensitively on the so far unresolved question of the size of the small-scale structure. This thesis deals largely with this problem. First, I present a gravitational back-reaction model that assumes the interaction between all Fourier modes that make up a given perturbation on a long cosmic string. This calculation leads to the generally accepted value of the small scale structure cutoff. It also, however, leads to paradoxical behaviour when applied to two oppositely moving modes: As one of the modes is stretched conformally the gravitational power radiated approaches a constant. This result is in contradiction with our expectation for the straight string limit in which no power is radiated. A more careful investigation of this problem reveals that, in the case of two oppositely moving modes, the gravitational power is exponentially suppressed when the wavelengths of the modes are sufficiently different. I use this result to construct an improved gravitational back-reaction model in which modes of very different wavelengths do not interact. This model leads to a new small scale structure cutoff which is sensitive to the initial spectrum of perturbations present on the string. I also tentatively examine the consequences of this result for the evolution of cosmic string loops. Finally, I investigate the effect of the presence of small scale structure on the gravitational wave-bursts produced at cosmic string cusps.

Wilsonian dark matter in string derived Z' model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delle Rose, L.; Faraggi, A. E.; Marzo, C.; Rizos, J.

2017-09-01

The dark matter issue is among the most perplexing in contemporary physics. The problem is more enigmatic due to the wide range of possible solutions, ranging from the ultralight to the supermassive. String theory gives rise to plausible dark matter candidates due to the breaking of the non-Abelian grand unified theory (GUT) symmetries by Wilson lines. The physical spectrum then contains states that do not satisfy the quantization conditions of the unbroken GUT symmetry. Given that the Standard Model states are identified with broken GUT representations, and provided that any ensuing symmetry breakings are induced by components of GUT states, a remnant discrete symmetry remains that forbids the decay of the Wilsonian states. A class of such states are obtained in a heterotic-string-derived Z' model. The model exploits the spinor-vector duality symmetry, observed in the fermionic Z2×Z2 heterotic-string orbifolds, to generate a Z'∈E6 symmetry that may remain unbroken down to low energies. The E6 symmetry is broken at the string level with discrete Wilson lines. The Wilsonian dark matter candidates in the string-derived model are S O (10 ), and hence Standard Model, singlets and possess non-E6 U(1)Z' charges. Depending on the U(1)Z' breaking scale and the reheating temperature they give rise to different scenarios for the relic abundance, and are in accordance with the cosmological constraints.

Holographic cosmology and phase transitions of SYM theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghoroku, Kazuo; Meyer, René; Toyoda, Fumihiko

2017-10-01

We study the time development of strongly coupled N =4 supersymmetric Yang Mills (SYM) theory on cosmological Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) backgrounds via the AdS/CFT correspondence. We implement the cosmological background as a boundary metric fulfilling the Friedmann equation with a four-dimensional cosmological constant and a dark radiation term. We analyze the dual bulk solution of the type IIB supergravity and find that the time dependence of the FRW background strongly influences the dynamical properties of the SYM theory. We in particular find a phase transition between a confined and a deconfined phase. We also argue that some cosmological solutions could be related to the inflationary scenario.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: A disintegrating cosmic string

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffiths, J. B.; Docherty, P.

2002-06-01

We present a simple sandwich gravitational wave of the Robinson-Trautman family. This is interpreted as representing a shock wave with a spherical wavefront which propagates into a Minkowski background minus a wedge (i.e. the background contains a cosmic string). The deficit angle (the tension) of the string decreases through the gravitational wave, which then ceases. This leaves an expanding spherical region of Minkowski space behind it. The decay of the cosmic string over a finite interval of retarded time may be considered to generate the gravitational wave.

Constraints on Cosmic Strings from the LIGO-Virgo Gravitational-Wave Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aasi, J.; Abadie, J.; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T.; Abernathy, M. R.; Accadia, T.; Acernese, F.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Adhikari, R. X.; Affeldt, C.; Agathos, M.; Aggarwal, N.; Aguiar, O. D.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allocca, A.; Amador Ceron, E.; Amariutei, D.; Anderson, R. A.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Arceneaux, C.; Areeda, J.; Ast, S.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; Austin, L.; Aylott, B. E.; Babak, S.; Baker, P. T.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Barayoga, J. C.; Barker, D.; Barnum, S. H.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barton, M. A.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J.; Bauchrowitz, J.; Bauer, Th. S.; Bebronne, M.; Behnke, B.; Bejger, M.; Beker, M. G.; Bell, A. S.; Bell, C.; Belopolski, I.; Bergmann, G.; Berliner, J. M.; Bersanetti, D.; Bertolini, A.; Bessis, D.; Betzwieser, J.; Beyersdorf, P. T.; Bhadbhade, T.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Birch, J.; Bitossi, M.; Bizouard, M. A.; Black, E.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blackburn, L.; Blair, D.; Blom, M.; Bock, O.; Bodiya, T. P.; Boer, M.; Bogan, C.; Bond, C.; Bondu, F.; Bonelli, L.; Bonnand, R.; Bork, R.; Born, M.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bosi, L.; Bowers, J.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Braginsky, V. B.; Branchesi, M.; Brannen, C. A.; Brau, J. E.; Breyer, J.; Briant, T.; Bridges, D. O.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Britzger, M.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, D. A.; Brown, D. D.; Brückner, F.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Calderón Bustillo, J.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Campsie, P.; Cannon, K. C.; Canuel, B.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Carbognani, F.; Carbone, L.; Caride, S.; Castiglia, A.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglià, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C.; Cesarini, E.; Chakraborty, R.; Chalermsongsak, T.; Chao, S.; Charlton, P.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Chen, X.; Chen, Y.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Cho, H. S.; Chow, J.; Christensen, N.; Chu, Q.; Chua, S. S. Y.; Chung, S.; Ciani, G.; Clara, F.; Clark, D. E.; Clark, J. A.; Cleva, F.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P.-F.; Colla, A.; Colombini, M.; Constancio, M.; Conte, A.; Conte, R.; Cook, D.; Corbitt, T. R.; Cordier, M.; Cornish, N.; Corsi, A.; Costa, C. A.; Coughlin, M. W.; Coulon, J.-P.; Countryman, S.; Couvares, P.; Coward, D. M.; Cowart, M.; Coyne, D. C.; Craig, K.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Creighton, T. D.; Crowder, S. G.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, L.; Cuoco, E.; Dahl, K.; Canton, T. Dal; Damjanic, M.; Danilishin, S. L.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Dattilo, V.; Daudert, B.; Daveloza, H.; Davier, M.; Davies, G. S.; Daw, E. J.; Day, R.; Dayanga, T.; De Rosa, R.; Debreczeni, G.; Degallaix, J.; Del Pozzo, W.; Deleeuw, E.; Deléglise, S.; Denker, T.; Dent, T.; Dereli, H.; Dergachev, V.; DeRosa, R.; DeSalvo, R.; Dhurandhar, S.; Di Fiore, L.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Palma, I.; Di Virgilio, A.; Díaz, M.; Dietz, A.; Dmitry, K.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Drago, M.; Drever, R. W. P.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Dumas, J.-C.; Dwyer, S.; Eberle, T.; Edwards, M.; Effler, A.; Ehrens, P.; Eichholz, J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Endrőczi, G.; Essick, R.; Etzel, T.; Evans, K.; Evans, M.; Evans, T.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fairhurst, S.; Fang, Q.; Farinon, S.; Farr, B.; Farr, W.; Favata, M.; Fazi, D.; Fehrmann, H.; Feldbaum, D.; Ferrante, I.; Ferrini, F.; Fidecaro, F.; Finn, L. S.; Fiori, I.; Fisher, R.; Flaminio, R.; Foley, E.; Foley, S.; Forsi, E.; Fotopoulos, N.; Fournier, J.-D.; Franco, S.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frede, M.; Frei, M.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Fricke, T. T.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fujimoto, M.-K.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gair, J.; Gammaitoni, L.; Garcia, J.; Garufi, F.; Gehrels, N.; Gemme, G.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; Gergely, L.; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giampanis, S.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gil-Casanova, S.; Gill, C.; Gleason, J.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gondan, L.; González, G.; Gordon, N.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Gossan, S.; Goßler, S.; Gouaty, R.; Graef, C.; Graff, P. B.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.; Greenhalgh, R. J. S.; Gretarsson, A. M.; Griffo, C.; Groot, P.; Grote, H.; Grover, K.; Grunewald, S.; Guidi, G. M.; Guido, C.; Gushwa, K. E.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Hall, B.; Hall, E.; Hammer, D.; Hammond, G.; Hanke, M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hanson, J.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Harstad, E. D.; Hartman, M. T.; Haughian, K.; Hayama, K.; Heefner, J.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hoak, D.; Hodge, K. A.; Holt, K.; Holtrop, M.; Hong, T.; Hooper, S.; Horrom, T.; Hosken, D. J.; Hough, J.; Howell, E. J.; Hu, Y.; Hua, Z.; Huang, V.; Huerta, E. A.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh, M.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Iafrate, J.; Ingram, D. R.; Inta, R.; Isogai, T.; Ivanov, A.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacobson, M.; James, E.; Jang, H.; Jang, Y. J.; Jaranowski, P.; Jiménez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W. W.; Jones, D.; Jones, D. I.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; Haris, K.; Kalmus, P.; Kalogera, V.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.; Kanner, J. B.; Kasprzack, M.; Kasturi, R.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, H.; Kaufman, K.; Kawabe, K.; Kawamura, S.; Kawazoe, F.; Kéfélian, F.; Keitel, D.; Kelley, D. B.; Kells, W.; Keppel, D. G.; Khalaidovski, A.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kim, B. K.; Kim, C.; Kim, K.; Kim, N.; Kim, W.; Kim, Y.-M.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kinzel, D. L.; Kissel, J. S.; Klimenko, S.; Kline, J.; Koehlenbeck, S.; Kokeyama, K.; Kondrashov, V.; Koranda, S.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D.; Kremin, A.; Kringel, V.; Królak, A.; Kucharczyk, C.; Kudla, S.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, A.; Kumar, P.; Kumar, R.; Kurdyumov, R.; Kwee, P.; Landry, M.; Lantz, B.; Larson, S.; Lasky, P. D.; Lawrie, C.; Lazzarini, A.; Le Roux, A.; Leaci, P.; Lebigot, E. O.; Lee, C.-H.; Lee, H. K.; Lee, H. M.; Lee, J.; Lee, J.; Leonardi, M.; Leong, J. R.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levine, B.; Lewis, J. B.; Lhuillier, V.; Li, T. G. F.; Lin, A. C.; Littenberg, T. B.; Litvine, V.; Liu, F.; Liu, H.; Liu, Y.; Liu, Z.; Lloyd, D.; Lockerbie, N. A.; Lockett, V.; Lodhia, D.; Loew, K.; Logue, J.; Lombardi, A. L.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J.; Luan, J.; Lubinski, M. J.; Lück, H.; Lundgren, A. P.; Macarthur, J.; Macdonald, E.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Magana-Sandoval, F.; Mageswaran, M.; Mailand, K.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Malvezzi, V.; Man, N.; Manca, G. M.; Mandel, I.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Márka, S.; Márka, Z.; Markosyan, A.; Maros, E.; Marque, J.; Martelli, F.; Martin, I. W.; Martin, R. M.; Martinelli, L.; Martynov, D.; Marx, J. N.; Mason, K.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Matzner, R. A.; Mavalvala, N.; May, G.; Mazumder, N.; Mazzolo, G.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Mehmet, M.; Meidam, J.; Meier, T.; Melatos, A.; Mendell, G.; Mercer, R. A.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Meyer, M. S.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Mikhailov, E. E.; Milano, L.; Miller, J.; Minenkov, Y.; Mingarelli, C. M. F.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moe, B.; Mohan, M.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Mokler, F.; Moraru, D.; Moreno, G.; Morgado, N.; Mori, T.; Morriss, S. R.; Mossavi, K.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, C. L.; Mueller, G.; Mukherjee, S.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Murphy, D.; Murray, P. G.; Mytidis, A.; Nagy, M. F.; Nanda Kumar, D.; Nardecchia, I.; Nash, T.; Naticchioni, L.; Nayak, R.; Necula, V.; Nelemans, G.; Neri, I.; Neri, M.; Newton, G.; Nguyen, T.; Nishida, E.; Nishizawa, A.; Nitz, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; Normandin, M. E.; Nuttall, L. K.; Ochsner, E.; O'Dell, J.; Oelker, E.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J. J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Oppermann, P.; O'Reilly, B.; Ortega Larcher, W.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Osthelder, C.; Ott, C. D.; Ottaway, D. J.; Ottens, R. S.; Ou, J.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Padilla, C.; Pai, A.; Palomba, C.; Pan, Y.; Pankow, C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoletti, R.; Papa, M. A.; Paris, H.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Pedraza, M.; Peiris, P.; Penn, S.; Perreca, A.; Phelps, M.; Pichot, M.; Pickenpack, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pinard, L.; Pindor, B.; Pinto, I. M.; Pitkin, M.; Poeld, J.; Poggiani, R.; Poole, V.; Poux, C.; Predoi, V.; Prestegard, T.; Price, L. 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L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M.; Winkelmann, L.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Worden, J.; Yablon, J.; Yakushin, I.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yang, H.; Yeaton-Massey, D.; Yoshida, S.; Yum, H.; Yvert, M.; ZadroŻny, A.; Zanolin, M.; Zendri, J.-P.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, L.; Zhao, C.; Zhu, H.; Zhu, X. J.; Zotov, N.; Zucker, M. E.; Zweizig, J.; LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Virgo Collaboration

2014-04-01

Cosmic strings can give rise to a large variety of interesting astrophysical phenomena. Among them, powerful bursts of gravitational waves (GWs) produced by cusps are a promising observational signature. In this Letter we present a search for GWs from cosmic string cusps in data collected by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors between 2005 and 2010, with over 625 days of live time. We find no evidence of GW signals from cosmic strings. From this result, we derive new constraints on cosmic string parameters, which complement and improve existing limits from previous searches for a stochastic background of GWs from cosmic microwave background measurements and pulsar timing data. In particular, if the size of loops is given by the gravitational backreaction scale, we place upper limits on the string tension Gμ below 10-8 in some regions of the cosmic string parameter space.

Constraints on Cosmic Strings from the LIGO-Virgo Gravitational-Wave Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aasi, J.; Abadie, J.; Abbott, B.P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T.; Abernathy, M.R.; Accadia, T.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Adhikari, R.X.;

Constraints on cosmic strings from the LIGO-Virgo gravitational-wave detectors.

PubMed

Aasi, J; Abadie, J; Abbott, B P; Abbott, R; Abbott, T; Abernathy, M R; Accadia, T; Acernese, F; Adams, C; Adams, T; Adhikari, R X; Affeldt, C; Agathos, M; Aggarwal, N; Aguiar, O D; Ajith, P; Allen, B; Allocca, A; Amador Ceron, E; Amariutei, D; Anderson, R A; Anderson, S B; Anderson, W G; Arai, K; Araya, M C; Arceneaux, C; Areeda, J; Ast, S; Aston, S M; Astone, P; Aufmuth, P; Aulbert, C; Austin, L; Aylott, B E; Babak, S; Baker, P T; Ballardin, G; Ballmer, S W; Barayoga, J C; Barker, D; Barnum, S H; Barone, F; Barr, B; Barsotti, L; Barsuglia, M; Barton, M A; Bartos, I; Bassiri, R; Basti, A; Batch, J; Bauchrowitz, J; Bauer, Th S; Bebronne, M; Behnke, B; Bejger, M; Beker, M G; Bell, A S; Bell, C; Belopolski, I; Bergmann, G; Berliner, J M; Bersanetti, D; Bertolini, A; Bessis, D; Betzwieser, J; Beyersdorf, P T; Bhadbhade, T; Bilenko, I A; Billingsley, G; Birch, J; Bitossi, M; Bizouard, M A; Black, E; Blackburn, J K; Blackburn, L; Blair, D; Blom, M; Bock, O; Bodiya, T P; Boer, M; Bogan, C; Bond, C; Bondu, F; Bonelli, L; Bonnand, R; Bork, R; Born, M; Boschi, V; Bose, S; Bosi, L; Bowers, J; Bradaschia, C; Brady, P R; Braginsky, V B; Branchesi, M; Brannen, C A; Brau, J E; Breyer, J; Briant, T; Bridges, D O; Brillet, A; Brinkmann, M; Brisson, V; Britzger, M; Brooks, A F; Brown, D A; Brown, D D; Brückner, F; Bulik, T; Bulten, H J; Buonanno, A; Buskulic, D; Buy, C; Byer, R L; Cadonati, L; Cagnoli, G; Calderón Bustillo, J; Calloni, E; Camp, J B; Campsie, P; Cannon, K C; Canuel, B; Cao, J; Capano, C D; Carbognani, F; Carbone, L; Caride, S; Castiglia, A; Caudill, S; Cavaglià, M; Cavalier, F; Cavalieri, R; Cella, G; Cepeda, C; Cesarini, E; Chakraborty, R; Chalermsongsak, T; Chao, S; Charlton, P; Chassande-Mottin, E; Chen, X; Chen, Y; Chincarini, A; Chiummo, A; Cho, H S; Chow, J; Christensen, N; Chu, Q; Chua, S S Y; Chung, S; Ciani, G; Clara, F; Clark, D E; Clark, J A; Cleva, F; Coccia, E; Cohadon, P-F; Colla, A; Colombini, M; Constancio, M; Conte, A; Conte, R; Cook, D; Corbitt, T R; Cordier, M; Cornish, N; Corsi, A; Costa, C A; Coughlin, M W; Coulon, J-P; Countryman, S; Couvares, P; Coward, D M; Cowart, M; Coyne, D C; Craig, K; Creighton, J D E; Creighton, T D; Crowder, S G; Cumming, A; Cunningham, L; Cuoco, E; Dahl, K; Dal Canton, T; Damjanic, M; Danilishin, S L; D'Antonio, S; Danzmann, K; Dattilo, V; Daudert, B; Daveloza, H; Davier, M; Davies, G S; Daw, E J; Day, R; Dayanga, T; De Rosa, R; Debreczeni, G; Degallaix, J; Del Pozzo, W; Deleeuw, E; Deléglise, S; Denker, T; Dent, T; Dereli, H; Dergachev, V; DeRosa, R; DeSalvo, R; Dhurandhar, S; Di Fiore, L; Di Lieto, A; Di Palma, I; Di Virgilio, A; Díaz, M; Dietz, A; Dmitry, K; Donovan, F; Dooley, K L; Doravari, S; Drago, M; Drever, R W P; Driggers, J C; Du, Z; Dumas, J-C; Dwyer, S; Eberle, T; Edwards, M; Effler, A; Ehrens, P; Eichholz, J; Eikenberry, S S; Endrőczi, G; Essick, R; Etzel, T; Evans, K; Evans, M; Evans, T; Factourovich, M; Fafone, V; Fairhurst, S; Fang, Q; Farinon, S; Farr, B; Farr, W; Favata, M; Fazi, D; Fehrmann, H; Feldbaum, D; Ferrante, I; Ferrini, F; Fidecaro, F; Finn, L S; Fiori, I; Fisher, R; Flaminio, R; Foley, E; Foley, S; Forsi, E; Fotopoulos, N; Fournier, J-D; Franco, S; Frasca, S; Frasconi, F; Frede, M; Frei, M; Frei, Z; Freise, A; Frey, R; Fricke, T T; Fritschel, P; Frolov, V V; Fujimoto, M-K; Fulda, P; Fyffe, M; Gair, J; Gammaitoni, L; Garcia, J; Garufi, F; Gehrels, N; Gemme, G; Genin, E; Gennai, A; Gergely, L; Ghosh, S; Giaime, J A; Giampanis, S; Giardina, K D; Giazotto, A; Gil-Casanova, S; Gill, C; Gleason, J; Goetz, E; Goetz, R; Gondan, L; González, G; Gordon, N; Gorodetsky, M L; Gossan, S; Goßler, S; Gouaty, R; Graef, C; Graff, P B; Granata, M; Grant, A; Gras, S; Gray, C; Greenhalgh, R J S; Gretarsson, A M; Griffo, C; Groot, P; Grote, H; Grover, K; Grunewald, S; Guidi, G M; Guido, C; Gushwa, K E; Gustafson, E K; Gustafson, R; Hall, B; Hall, E; Hammer, D; Hammond, G; Hanke, M; Hanks, J; Hanna, C; Hanson, J; Harms, J; Harry, G M; Harry, I W; Harstad, E D; Hartman, M T; Haughian, K; Hayama, K; Heefner, J; Heidmann, A; Heintze, M; Heitmann, H; Hello, P; Hemming, G; Hendry, M; Heng, I S; Heptonstall, A W; Heurs, M; Hild, S; Hoak, D; Hodge, K A; Holt, K; Holtrop, M; Hong, T; Hooper, S; Horrom, T; Hosken, D J; Hough, J; Howell, E J; Hu, Y; Hua, Z; Huang, V; Huerta, E A; Hughey, B; Husa, S; Huttner, S H; Huynh, M; Huynh-Dinh, T; Iafrate, J; Ingram, D R; Inta, R; Isogai, T; Ivanov, A; Iyer, B R; Izumi, K; Jacobson, M; James, E; Jang, H; Jang, Y J; Jaranowski, P; Jiménez-Forteza, F; Johnson, W W; Jones, D; Jones, D I; Jones, R; Jonker, R J G; Ju, L; K, Haris; Kalmus, P; Kalogera, V; Kandhasamy, S; Kang, G; Kanner, J B; Kasprzack, M; Kasturi, R; Katsavounidis, E; Katzman, W; Kaufer, H; Kaufman, K; Kawabe, K; Kawamura, S; Kawazoe, F; Kéfélian, F; Keitel, D; Kelley, D B; Kells, W; Keppel, D G; Khalaidovski, A; Khalili, F Y; Khazanov, E A; Kim, B K; Kim, C; Kim, K; Kim, N; Kim, W; Kim, Y-M; King, E J; King, P J; Kinzel, D L; Kissel, J S; Klimenko, S; Kline, J; Koehlenbeck, S; Kokeyama, K; Kondrashov, V; Koranda, S; Korth, W Z; Kowalska, I; Kozak, D; Kremin, A; Kringel, V; Królak, A; Kucharczyk, C; Kudla, S; Kuehn, G; Kumar, A; Kumar, P; Kumar, R; Kurdyumov, R; Kwee, P; Landry, M; Lantz, B; Larson, S; Lasky, P D; Lawrie, C; Lazzarini, A; Le Roux, A; Leaci, P; Lebigot, E O; Lee, C-H; Lee, H K; Lee, H M; Lee, J; Lee, J; Leonardi, M; Leong, J R; Leroy, N; Letendre, N; Levine, B; Lewis, J B; Lhuillier, V; Li, T G F; Lin, A C; Littenberg, T B; Litvine, V; Liu, F; Liu, H; Liu, Y; Liu, Z; Lloyd, D; Lockerbie, N A; Lockett, V; Lodhia, D; Loew, K; Logue, J; Lombardi, A L; Lorenzini, M; Loriette, V; Lormand, M; Losurdo, G; Lough, J; Luan, J; Lubinski, M J; Lück, H; Lundgren, A P; Macarthur, J; Macdonald, E; Machenschalk, B; MacInnis, M; Macleod, D M; Magana-Sandoval, F; Mageswaran, M; Mailand, K; Majorana, E; Maksimovic, I; Malvezzi, V; Man, N; Manca, G M; Mandel, I; Mandic, V; Mangano, V; Mantovani, M; Marchesoni, F; Marion, F; Márka, S; Márka, Z; Markosyan, A; Maros, E; Marque, J; Martelli, F; Martin, I W; Martin, R M; Martinelli, L; Martynov, D; Marx, J N; Mason, K; Masserot, A; Massinger, T J; Matichard, F; Matone, L; Matzner, R A; Mavalvala, N; May, G; Mazumder, N; Mazzolo, G; McCarthy, R; McClelland, D E; McGuire, S C; McIntyre, G; McIver, J; Meacher, D; Meadors, G D; Mehmet, M; Meidam, J; Meier, T; Melatos, A; Mendell, G; Mercer, R A; Meshkov, S; Messenger, C; Meyer, M S; Miao, H; Michel, C; Mikhailov, E E; Milano, L; Miller, J; Minenkov, Y; Mingarelli, C M F; Mitra, S; Mitrofanov, V P; Mitselmakher, G; Mittleman, R; Moe, B; Mohan, M; Mohapatra, S R P; Mokler, F; Moraru, D; Moreno, G; Morgado, N; Mori, T; Morriss, S R; Mossavi, K; Mours, B; Mow-Lowry, C M; Mueller, C L; Mueller, G; Mukherjee, S; Mullavey, A; Munch, J; Murphy, D; Murray, P G; Mytidis, A; Nagy, M F; Nanda Kumar, D; Nardecchia, I; Nash, T; Naticchioni, L; Nayak, R; Necula, V; Nelemans, G; Neri, I; Neri, M; Newton, G; Nguyen, T; Nishida, E; Nishizawa, A; Nitz, A; Nocera, F; Nolting, D; Normandin, M E; Nuttall, L K; Ochsner, E; O'Dell, J; Oelker, E; Ogin, G H; Oh, J J; Oh, S H; Ohme, F; Oppermann, P; O'Reilly, B; Ortega Larcher, W; O'Shaughnessy, R; Osthelder, C; Ott, C D; Ottaway, D J; Ottens, R S; Ou, J; Overmier, H; Owen, B J; Padilla, C; Pai, A; Palomba, C; Pan, Y; Pankow, C; Paoletti, F; Paoletti, R; Papa, M A; Paris, H; Pasqualetti, A; Passaquieti, R; Passuello, D; Pedraza, M; Peiris, P; Penn, S; Perreca, A; Phelps, M; Pichot, M; Pickenpack, M; Piergiovanni, F; Pierro, V; Pinard, L; Pindor, B; Pinto, I M; Pitkin, M; Poeld, J; Poggiani, R; Poole, V; Poux, C; Predoi, V; Prestegard, T; Price, L R; Prijatelj, M; Principe, M; Privitera, S; Prix, R; Prodi, G A; Prokhorov, L; Puncken, O; Punturo, M; Puppo, P; Quetschke, V; Quintero, E; Quitzow-James, R; Raab, F J; Rabeling, D S; Rácz, I; Radkins, H; Raffai, P; Raja, S; Rajalakshmi, G; Rakhmanov, M; Ramet, C; Rapagnani, P; Raymond, V; Re, V; Reed, C M; Reed, T; Regimbau, T; Reid, S; Reitze, D H; Ricci, F; Riesen, R; Riles, K; Robertson, N A; Robinet, F; Rocchi, A; Roddy, S; Rodriguez, C; Rodruck, M; Roever, C; Rolland, L; Rollins, J G; Romano, R; Romanov, G; Romie, J H; Rosińska, D; Rowan, S; Rüdiger, A; Ruggi, P; Ryan, K; Salemi, F; Sammut, L; Sandberg, V; Sanders, J; Sannibale, V; Santiago-Prieto, I; Saracco, E; Sassolas, B; Sathyaprakash, B S; Saulson, P R; Savage, R; Schilling, R; Schnabel, R; Schofield, R M S; Schreiber, E; Schuette, D; Schulz, B; Schutz, B F; Schwinberg, P; Scott, J; Scott, S M; Seifert, F; Sellers, D; Sengupta, A S; Sentenac, D; Sergeev, A; Shaddock, D; Shah, S; Shahriar, M S; Shaltev, M; Shapiro, B; Shawhan, P; Shoemaker, D H; Sidery, T L; Siellez, K; Siemens, X; Sigg, D; Simakov, D; Singer, A; Singer, L; Sintes, A M; Skelton, G R; Slagmolen, B J J; Slutsky, J; Smith, J R; Smith, M R; Smith, R J E; Smith-Lefebvre, N D; Soden, K; Son, E J; Sorazu, B; Souradeep, T; Sperandio, L; Staley, A; Steinert, E; Steinlechner, J; Steinlechner, S; Steplewski, S; Stevens, D; Stochino, A; Stone, R; Strain, K A; Straniero, N; Strigin, S; Stroeer, A S; Sturani, R; Stuver, A L; Summerscales, T Z; Susmithan, S; Sutton, P J; Swinkels, B; Szeifert, G; Tacca, M; Talukder, D; Tang, L; Tanner, D B; Tarabrin, S P; Taylor, R; ter Braack, A P M; Thirugnanasambandam, M P; Thomas, M; Thomas, P; Thorne, K A; Thorne, K S; Thrane, E; Tiwari, V; Tokmakov, K V; Tomlinson, C; Toncelli, A; Tonelli, M; Torre, O; Torres, C V; Torrie, C I; Travasso, F; Traylor, G; Tse, M; Ugolini, D; Unnikrishnan, C S; Vahlbruch, H; Vajente, G; Vallisneri, M; van den Brand, J F J; Van Den Broeck, C; van der Putten, S; van der Sluys, M V; van Heijningen, J; van Veggel, A A; Vass, S; Vasúth, M; Vaulin, R; Vecchio, A; Vedovato, G; Veitch, J; Veitch, P J; Venkateswara, K; Verkindt, D; Verma, S; Vetrano, F; Viceré, A; Vincent-Finley, R; Vinet, J-Y; Vitale, S; Vlcek, B; Vo, T; Vocca, H; Vorvick, C; Vousden, W D; Vrinceanu, D; Vyachanin, S P; Wade, A; Wade, L; Wade, M; Waldman, S J; Walker, M; Wallace, L; Wan, Y; Wang, J; Wang, M; Wang, X; Wanner, A; Ward, R L; Was, M; Weaver, B; Wei, L-W; Weinert, M; Weinstein, A J; Weiss, R; Welborn, T; Wen, L; Wessels, P; West, M; Westphal, T; Wette, K; Whelan, J T; Whitcomb, S E; White, D J; Whiting, B F; Wibowo, S; Wiesner, K; Wilkinson, C; Williams, L; Williams, R; Williams, T; Willis, J L; Willke, B; Wimmer, M; Winkelmann, L; Winkler, W; Wipf, C C; Wittel, H; Woan, G; Worden, J; Yablon, J; Yakushin, I; Yamamoto, H; Yancey, C C; Yang, H; Yeaton-Massey, D; Yoshida, S; Yum, H; Yvert, M; Zadrożny, A; Zanolin, M; Zendri, J-P; Zhang, F; Zhang, L; Zhao, C; Zhu, H; Zhu, X J; Zotov, N; Zucker, M E; Zweizig, J

2014-04-04

Cosmic strings can give rise to a large variety of interesting astrophysical phenomena. Among them, powerful bursts of gravitational waves (GWs) produced by cusps are a promising observational signature. In this Letter we present a search for GWs from cosmic string cusps in data collected by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors between 2005 and 2010, with over 625 days of live time. We find no evidence of GW signals from cosmic strings. From this result, we derive new constraints on cosmic string parameters, which complement and improve existing limits from previous searches for a stochastic background of GWs from cosmic microwave background measurements and pulsar timing data. In particular, if the size of loops is given by the gravitational backreaction scale, we place upper limits on the string tension Gμ below 10(-8) in some regions of the cosmic string parameter space.

Semianalytic calculation of cosmic microwave background anisotropies from wiggly and superconducting cosmic strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rybak, I. Yu.; Avgoustidis, A.; Martins, C. J. A. P.

2017-11-01

We study how the presence of world-sheet currents affects the evolution of cosmic string networks, and their impact on predictions for the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies generated by these networks. We provide a general description of string networks with currents and explicitly investigate in detail two physically motivated examples: wiggly and superconducting cosmic string networks. By using a modified version of the CMBact code, we show quantitatively how the relevant network parameters in both of these cases influence the predicted CMB signal. Our analysis suggests that previous studies have overestimated the amplitude of the anisotropies for wiggly strings. For superconducting strings the amplitude of the anisotropies depends on parameters which presently are not well known—but which can be measured in future high-resolution numerical simulations.

Tachyon driven quantum cosmology in string theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garcia-Compean, H.; Garcia-Jimenez, G.; Obregon, O.

2005-03-15

Recently an effective action of the SDp-brane decaying process in string theory has been proposed. This effective description involves the Tachyon driven matter coupled to bosonic ten-dimensional Type II supergravity. Here the Hamiltonian formulation of this system is given. Exact solutions for the corresponding quantum theory by solving the Wheeler-deWitt equation in the late-time limit of the rolling tachyon are found. The energy spectrum and the probability densities for several values of p are shown and their possible interpretation is discussed. In the process the effects of electromagnetic fields are also incorporated and it is shown that in this casemore » the interpretation of tachyon regarded as 'matter clock' is modified.« less

Generation of large-scale magnetic fields, non-Gaussianity, and primordial gravitational waves in inflationary cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bamba, Kazuharu

2015-02-01

The generation of large-scale magnetic fields in inflationary cosmology is explored, in particular, in a kind of moduli inflation motivated by racetrack inflation in the context of the type IIB string theory. In this model, the conformal invariance of the hypercharge electromagnetic fields is broken thanks to the coupling of both the scalar and pseudoscalar fields to the hypercharge electromagnetic fields. The following three cosmological observable quantities are first evaluated: the current magnetic field strength on the Hubble horizon scale, which is much smaller than the upper limit from the backreaction problem, local non-Gaussianity of the curvature perturbations due to the existence of the massive gauge fields, and the tensor-to-scalar ratio. It is explicitly demonstrated that the resultant values of local non-Gaussianity and the tensor-to-scalar ratio are consistent with the Planck data.

Preface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danielsson, Ulf; Goobar, Ariel; Nilsson, Bengt E. W.

2005-01-01

The idea of organizing a Nobel Symposium focusing on the recent exciting developments in the overlap between string theory and cosmology was born about two years prior to the meeting. The progress, both observational and theoretical, was sparked off by the spectacular new measurements of the geometry and content of the universe. These included ever more accurate observations of the cosmological background radiation testing our ideas of the very early universe, as well as observations of distant supernovae indicating that the universe is in a phase of accelerated expansion. This development was a fertile ground for cosmologists as well as for the string community where people were looking for contacts with observations by applying string theory at the cosmological scale. We are now witnessing the impact of improved observational data coming in regularly, and on the theory side, the appearence of large amounts of collaborative work between cosmologists and string theorists. In view of these facts, we believe that the timing of the Symposium was close to optimal. As organizers, we felt very pleased with the Symposium, and were very happy to see so many prominent scientists being enthusiastic about the meeting. We direct our most profound thanks for the success of the Symposium to all the participants. A special thanks goes to the speakers and chairmen. With half of the time allocated for discussions in the sessions, each one devoted to a particular issue, it was of paramount importance that the chairmen could get both cosmologists and string theorists to contribute with their views and expertice to penetrate the questions to the limit. The resulting debates in several sessions will linger in the memories of those present for many years to come. The Symposium ended with a question and answer session with the whole audience acting as panel. The participants had been asked to formulate what they thought were the key questions in the field. Although consensus was not always reached, it was clear to everyone that the issues discussed at the Symposium (and documented in this book) are among the most fascinating topics in contemporary Physics. Our most sincere thanks go to professors Lars Brink, David Gross, and Michael Turner for organizing this grand final. The outcome of a Symposium like this depends to a very large extent on the place where it was held and its surroundings. The choice fell on the small historic town of Sigtuna and the Sigtuna Stiftelsen (Sigtuna Foundation), a Mediterranean inspired building complex and conference center from the beginning of the last century, with a rich tradition of hosting the most famous individuals in the cultural life of Sweden. The building itself, the proximity to the lake Mälaren, and the picturesque town made the stay a wonderful experience. Our deep gratitude is also directed to the personnel in Sigtuna who with a smile made everything possible and the stay a very pleasant one. Important help was also provided by the scientific secretaries of the Symposium, Martin Olsson and Henric Larsson. We also want to emphasize the crucial role played by the international advisory committee consisting of L Bergström, L Brink, P Di Vecchia, D Gross, R Kallosh, M Rees, H Rubinstein, and M Turner. We are deeply grateful for their work, especially during the preliminary planning of the meeting. The Klein lecture committee and the Swedish Academy of Sciences are acknowledged for organizing an impressive end to the Symposium in Stockholm. The public lectures by David Gross and Andrei Linde followed by the Klein lecture by Stephen Hawking were attended by an audience of over 1200 people, while several other hundred were unable to enter the already full lecture room. This event was certainly among the scientific highlights of the year in Sweden. Finally, we would like to extend our gratitude to the Nobel foundation for providing the financial support.

Non-associativity in non-geometric string and M-theory backgrounds, the algebra of octonions, and missing momentum modes

DOE PAGES

Günaydin, Murat; Lüst, Dieter; Malek, Emanuel

2016-11-07

We propose a non-associative phase space algebra for M-theory backgrounds with locally non-geometric fluxes based on the non-associative algebra of octonions. Our proposal is based on the observation that the non-associative algebra of the non-geometric R-flux background in string theory can be obtained by a proper contraction of the simple Malcev algebra generated by imaginary octonions. Furthermore, by studying a toy model of a four-dimensional locally non-geometric M-theory background which is dual to a twisted torus, we show that the non-geometric background is “missing” a momentum mode. The resulting seven-dimensional phase space can thus be naturally identified with the imaginarymore » octonions. This allows us to interpret the full uncontracted algebra of imaginary octonions as the uplift of the string theory R-flux algebra to M-theory, with the contraction parameter playing the role of the string coupling constant g s.« less

Non-associativity in non-geometric string and M-theory backgrounds, the algebra of octonions, and missing momentum modes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Günaydin, Murat; Lüst, Dieter; Malek, Emanuel

We propose a non-associative phase space algebra for M-theory backgrounds with locally non-geometric fluxes based on the non-associative algebra of octonions. Our proposal is based on the observation that the non-associative algebra of the non-geometric R-flux background in string theory can be obtained by a proper contraction of the simple Malcev algebra generated by imaginary octonions. Furthermore, by studying a toy model of a four-dimensional locally non-geometric M-theory background which is dual to a twisted torus, we show that the non-geometric background is “missing” a momentum mode. The resulting seven-dimensional phase space can thus be naturally identified with the imaginarymore » octonions. This allows us to interpret the full uncontracted algebra of imaginary octonions as the uplift of the string theory R-flux algebra to M-theory, with the contraction parameter playing the role of the string coupling constant g s.« less

Squeezed States, Uncertainty Relations and the Pauli Principle in Composite and Cosmological Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Terazawa, Hidezumi

1996-01-01

The importance of not only uncertainty relations but also the Pauli exclusion principle is emphasized in discussing various 'squeezed states' existing in the universe. The contents of this paper include: (1) Introduction; (2) Nuclear Physics in the Quark-Shell Model; (3) Hadron Physics in the Standard Quark-Gluon Model; (4) Quark-Lepton-Gauge-Boson Physics in Composite Models; (5) Astrophysics and Space-Time Physics in Cosmological Models; and (6) Conclusion. Also, not only the possible breakdown of (or deviation from) uncertainty relations but also the superficial violation of the Pauli principle at short distances (or high energies) in composite (and string) models is discussed in some detail.

PREFACE Particles, Strings and Cosmology (PASCOS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabrera, Susana; Hirsch, Martin; Mitsou, Vasiliki; Muñoz, Carlos; Pastor, Sergio; Amparo Tórtola, María; Valle, José W. F.; Vives, Óscar

2010-11-01

The XVI Symposium in the Particles, Strings and Cosmology (PASCOS) series took place on 19-23 July 2010, in the historic city of Valencia, and was hosted by the Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), the largest particle physics laboratory of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), jointly operated with the University of Valencia. The PASCOS series of annual symposia is dedicated to the latest advances on the study of the forces that govern the elementary constituents of matter - the microcosm - and their effects on the understanding of the Universe at large - the macrocosm. Indeed the basic principles of uncertainty and mass-energy equivalence imply that when one probes deep inside the subatomic scale, one inevitably excites states of very high energy and mass which were copiously produced at the Big Bang. Recreating these particles in the laboratory is tantamount to tracing back the very early history of the universe. The interface of particle physics, string theory and cosmology has indeed become a highly active field of research at the frontier of human knowledge and the PASCOS meetings aim to bring together researchers from the three areas so as to facilitate the exchange of ideas and to identify possible synergies. The series started in the mid-nineties in the United States, where the first events took place. However it has by now become truly global, having circulated through India, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. The aim of the conference was to review the recent progress in particle physics, string theory and cosmology, promoting the exchange of ideas and discussing future prospects. With the startup of LHC and the launch of the Planck satellite as well as many other experiments under way or planned, PASCOS2010 looked at an exciting future, giving theorists an opportunity to prepare for this wealth of new data and the stringent tests to which they will subject the existing theories. While the conferences in this series have traditionally been aimed mainly at theorists, PASCOS2010 had a stronger emphasis on new results and future experiments. The venue for PASCOS 2010 was the Fundación Universidad Empresa (ADEIT), a modern building, located in the historical city centre of Valencia and very close to the conference hotels and to most historic buildings and monuments. The scientific programme consisted of 26 invited Plenary Talks and 99 contributions, all available online at http://pascos2010.astroparticles.es/. Young researchers were encouraged to submit abstracts, many of which were subsequently selected by the organizing committee for oral presentation in parallel sessions. This year's symposium, attended by over 160 participants from all over the globe, was of particular significance, as it came in the wake of first data from the LHC as well as the Planck satellite. In general, plenary sessions were held in the mornings, with afternoons devoted to parallel sessions focussing on the three areas of particles, strings and cosmology. Official Inauguration and Public Talk The Opening of the Symposium took place in the main Auditorium of ADEIT, starting with a brief welcome address by Professor José W F Valle, Chair of the Organizing Committee, followed by addresses of Professor Pedro Carrasco, Research Vice-Rector of the University of València, Professor José Pío Beltran, representing the President of the CSIC, and Professor Francisco Botella, Director of IFIC. There was also a very successful popular science talk by Professor Carlos Frenk, Director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology at Durham University in the United Kingdom on 'The Structure of the Universe'. This as well as the opening of the PASCOS2010 conference was covered by the local media, and a short summary is also published in the CERN Courier. Valencia, October 2010 The Editors Susana Cabrera, Martin Hirsch,Vasiliki Mitsou, Carlos Mu~oz, Sergio Pastor, María Amparo Tórtola, José W. F. Valle and Óscar Vives The PDF contains a list of committees, sponsors and participants and copies of some conference photographs and the conference poster

The effective theory of shift-symmetric cosmologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finelli, Bernardo; Goon, Garrett; Pajer, Enrico; Santoni, Luca

2018-05-01

A shift symmetry is a ubiquitous ingredient in inflationary models, both in effective constructions and in UV-finite embeddings such as string theory. It has also been proposed to play a key role in certain Dark Energy and Dark Matter models. Despite the crucial role it plays in cosmology, the observable, model independent consequences of a shift symmetry are yet unknown. Here, assuming an exact shift symmetry, we derive these consequences for single-clock cosmologies within the framework of the Effective Field Theory of Inflation. We find an infinite set of relations among the otherwise arbitrary effective coefficients, which relate non-Gaussianity to their time dependence. For example, to leading order in derivatives, these relations reduce the infinitely many free functions in the theory to just a single one. Our Effective Theory of shift-symmetric cosmologies describes, among other systems, perfect and imperfect superfluids coupled to gravity and driven superfluids in the decoupling limit. Our results are the first step to determine observationally whether a shift symmetry is at play in the laws of nature and whether it is broken by quantum gravity effects.

Standard Model Background of the Cosmological Collider.

PubMed

Chen, Xingang; Wang, Yi; Xianyu, Zhong-Zhi

2017-06-30

The inflationary universe can be viewed as a "cosmological collider" with an energy of the Hubble scale, producing very massive particles and recording their characteristic signals in primordial non-Gaussianities. To utilize this collider to explore any new physics at very high scales, it is a prerequisite to understand the background signals from the particle physics standard model. In this Letter we describe the standard model background of the cosmological collider.

Constraints on universe models with cosmological constant from cosmic microwave background anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyama, Naoshi; Gouda, Naoteru; Sasaki, Misao

1990-12-01

Thorough numerical calculations of the fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background radiation using the gage-invariant formalism are carried out for various cosmological models with the cosmological constant. It is shown that a spatially flat cold dark matter-dominated universe of Omega(0) = 0.1 to about 0.4 and H(0) = 50 to about 100 km/s per Mpc with adiabatic perturbations has the possibility of giving the final answer to cosmological puzzles. It is also found that the introduction of the cosmological constant may revive pure baryonic universe models.

Hidden Symmetries in String Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chervonyi, Iurii

In this thesis we study hidden symmetries within the framework of string theory. Symmetries play a very important role in physics: they lead to drastic simplifications, which allow one to compute various physical quantities without relying on perturbative techniques. There are two kinds of hidden symmetries investigated in this work: the first type is associated with dynamics of quantum fields and the second type is related to integrability of strings on various backgrounds. Integrability is a remarkable property of some theories that allows one to determine all dynamical properties of the system using purely analytical methods. The goals of this thesis are twofold: extension of hidden symmetries known in General Relativity to stringy backgrounds in higher dimensions and construction of new integrable string theories. In the context of the first goal we study hidden symmetries of stringy backgrounds, with and without supersymmetry. For supersymmetric geometries produced by D-branes we identify the backgrounds with solvable equations for geodesics, which can potentially give rise to integrable string theories. Relaxing the requirement of supersymmetry, we also study charged black holes in higher dimensions and identify their hidden symmetries encoded in so-called Killing(-Yano) tensors. We construct the explicit form of the Killing(-Yano) tensors for the charged rotating black hole in arbitrary number of dimensions, study behavior of such tensors under string dualities, and use the analysis of hidden symmetries to explain why exact solutions for black rings (black holes with non-spherical event horizons) in more than five dimensions remain elusive. As a byproduct we identify the standard parameterization of AdSp x Sq backgrounds with elliptic coordinates on a flat base. The second goal of this work is construction of new integrable string theories by applying continuous deformations of known examples. We use the recent developments called (generalized) lambda-deformation to construct new integrable backgrounds depending on several continuous parameters and study analytical properties of the such deformations.

The formation and evolution of domain walls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Press, William H.; Ryden, Barbara S.; Spergel, David N.

1991-01-01

Domain walls are sheet-like defects produced when the low energy vacuum has isolated degenerate minima. The researchers' computer code follows the evolution of a scalar field, whose dynamics are determined by its Lagrangian density. The topology of the scalar field determines the evolution of the domain walls. This approach treats both wall dynamics and reconnection. The researchers investigated not only potentials that produce single domain walls, but also potentials that produce a network of walls and strings. These networks arise in axion models where the U(1) Peccei-Quinn symmetry is broken into Z sub N discrete symmetries. If N equals 1, the walls are bounded by strings and the network quickly disappears. For N greater than 1, the network of walls and strings behaved qualitatively just as the wall network shown in the figures given here. This both confirms the researchers' pessimistic view that domain walls cannot play an important role in the formation of large scale structure and implies that axion models with multiple minimum can be cosmologically disastrous.

Gravity waves and the LHC: towards high-scale inflation with low-energy SUSY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Temple; Kachru, Shamit; Westphal, Alexander

2010-06-01

It has been argued that rather generic features of string-inspired inflationary theories with low-energy supersymmetry (SUSY) make it difficult to achieve inflation with a Hubble scale H > m 3/2, where m 3/2 is the gravitino mass in the SUSY-breaking vacuum state. We present a class of string-inspired supergravity realizations of chaotic inflation where a simple, dynamical mechanism yields hierarchically small scales of post-inflationary supersymmetry breaking. Within these toy models we can easily achieve small ratios between m 3/2 and the Hubble scale of inflation. This is possible because the expectation value of the superpotential < W> relaxes from large to small values during the course of inflation. However, our toy models do not provide a reasonable fit to cosmological data if one sets the SUSY-breaking scale to m 3/2 ≤ TeV. Our work is a small step towards relieving the apparent tension between high-scale inflation and low-scale supersymmetry breaking in string compactifications.

Exploring the String Landscape: The Dynamics, Statistics, and Cosmology of Parallel Worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahlqvist, Stein Pontus

This dissertation explores various facets of the low-energy solutions in string theory known as the string landscape. Three separate questions are addressed - the tunneling dynamics between these vacua, the statistics of their location in moduli space, and the potential realization of slow-roll inflation in the flux potentials generated in string theory. We find that the tunneling transitions that occur between a certain class of supersymmetric vacua related to each other via monodromies around the conifold point are sensitive to the details of warping in the near-conifold regime. We also study the impact of warping on the distribution of vacua near the conifold and determine that while previous work has concluded that the conifold point acts as an accumulation point for vacua, warping highly dilutes the distribution in precisely this regime. Finally we investigate a novel form of inflation dubbed spiral inflation to see if it can be realized near the conifold point. We conclude that for our particular models, spiral inflation seems to rely on a de Sitter-like vacuum energy. As a result, whenever spiral inflation is realized, the inflation is actually driven by a vacuum energy.

Exactly solvable field theories of closed strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brézin, E.; Kazakov, V. A.

1990-02-01

Field theories of closed strings are shown to be exactly solvable for a central charge of matter fields c=1-6/m(m+1),m=1,2, 3, .... The two-point function χ(λ,N), in which λ is the cosmological constant and N-1 is the string coupling constant, obeys a scaling law χ(λ,N=N-(m+1/2)C((λc-λ)Nm/(m+1/2)) in the limit in which N-1 goes to zero and λ goes to a critical value λc we have determined the universal non-linear differential equation satisfied by the function C. From this equation it is found that a phase transition takes place for some finite value of the scaling parameter (λc-λ)Nm/(m+1/2); this transition is a ``condensation of handles'' on the world sheet, characterized by a divergence of the averaged genus of the world sheets. The cases m=2,3 are elaborated in more details, and the case m=1, which corresponds to the embedding of a bosonic string in -2 dimensions, is reduced to explicit quadratures. Permanent address: Cybernetics Council and Academy of Sciences, ul. Vavilova 40, SU-117 333 Moscow, USSR.

Deforming baryons into confining strings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hartnoll, Sean A.; Portugues, Ruben

2004-09-15

We find explicit probe D3-brane solutions in the infrared of the Maldacena-Nunez background. The solutions describe deformed baryon vertices: q external quarks are separated in spacetime from the remaining N-q. As the separation is taken to infinity we recover known solutions describing infinite confining strings in N=1 gauge theory. We present results for the mass of finite confining strings as a function of length. We also find probe D2-brane solutions in a confining type IIA geometry, the reduction of a G{sub 2} holonomy M theory background. The relation between these deformed baryons and confining strings is not as straightforward.

Topology of microwave background fluctuations - Theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gott, J. Richard, III; Park, Changbom; Bies, William E.; Bennett, David P.; Juszkiewicz, Roman

1990-01-01

Topological measures are used to characterize the microwave background temperature fluctuations produced by 'standard' scenarios (Gaussian) and by cosmic strings (non-Gaussian). Three topological quantities: total area of the excursion regions, total length, and total curvature (genus) of the isotemperature contours, are studied for simulated Gaussian microwave background anisotropy maps and then compared with those of the non-Gaussian anisotropy pattern produced by cosmic strings. In general, the temperature gradient field shows the non-Gaussian behavior of the string map more distinctively than the temperature field for all topology measures. The total contour length and the genus are found to be more sensitive to the existence of a stringy pattern than the usual temperature histogram. Situations when instrumental noise is superposed on the map, are considered to find the critical signal-to-noise ratio for which strings can be detected.

Accelerating universe with time variation of G and Λ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darabi, F.

2012-03-01

We study a gravitational model in which scale transformations play the key role in obtaining dynamical G and Λ. We take a non-scale invariant gravitational action with a cosmological constant and a gravitational coupling constant. Then, by a scale transformation, through a dilaton field, we obtain a new action containing cosmological and gravitational coupling terms which are dynamically dependent on the dilaton field with Higgs type potential. The vacuum expectation value of this dilaton field, through spontaneous symmetry breaking on the basis of anthropic principle, determines the time variations of G and Λ. The relevance of these time variations to the current acceleration of the universe, coincidence problem, Mach's cosmological coincidence and those problems of standard cosmology addressed by inflationary models, are discussed. The current acceleration of the universe is shown to be a result of phase transition from radiation toward matter dominated eras. No real coincidence problem between matter and vacuum energy densities exists in this model and this apparent coincidence together with Mach's cosmological coincidence are shown to be simple consequences of a new kind of scale factor dependence of the energy momentum density as ρ˜ a -4. This model also provides the possibility for a super fast expansion of the scale factor at very early universe by introducing exotic type matter like cosmic strings.

Causality violations in Lovelock theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brustein, Ram; Sherf, Yotam

2018-04-01

Higher-derivative gravity theories, such as Lovelock theories, generalize Einstein's general relativity (GR). Modifications to GR are expected when curvatures are near Planckian and appear in string theory or supergravity. But can such theories describe gravity on length scales much larger than the Planck cutoff length scale? Here we find causality constraints on Lovelock theories that arise from the requirement that the equations of motion (EOM) of perturbations be hyperbolic. We find a general expression for the "effective metric" in field space when Lovelock theories are perturbed around some symmetric background solution. In particular, we calculate explicitly the effective metric for a general Lovelock theory perturbed around cosmological Friedman-Robertson-Walker backgrounds and for some specific cases when perturbed around Schwarzschild-like solutions. For the EOM to be hyperbolic, the effective metric needs to be Lorentzian. We find that, unlike for GR, the effective metric is generically not Lorentzian when the Lovelock modifications are significant. So, we conclude that Lovelock theories can only be considered as perturbative extensions of GR and not as truly modified theories of gravity. We compare our results to those in the literature and find that they agree with and reproduce the results of previous studies.

Leptogenesis from heavy right-handed neutrinos in CPT violating backgrounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bossingham, Thomas; Mavromatos, Nick E.; Sarkar, Sarben

2018-02-01

We discuss leptogenesis in a model with heavy right-handed Majorana neutrinos propagating in a constant but otherwise generic CPT-violating axial time-like background (motivated by string theory). At temperatures much higher than the temperature of the electroweak phase transition, we solve approximately, but analytically (using Padé approximants), the corresponding Boltzmann equations, which describe the generation of lepton asymmetry from the tree-level decays of heavy neutrinos into Standard Model leptons. At such temperatures these leptons are effectively massless. The current work completes in a rigorous way a preliminary treatment of the same system, by some of the present authors. In this earlier work, lepton asymmetry was crudely estimated considering the decay of a right-handed neutrino at rest. Our present analysis includes thermal momentum modes for the heavy neutrino and this leads to a total lepton asymmetry which is bigger by a factor of two as compared to the previous estimate. Nevertheless, our current and preliminary results for the freezeout are found to be in agreement (within a ˜ 12.5% uncertainty). Our analysis depends on a novel use of Padé approximants to solve the Boltzmann equations and may be more widely useful in cosmology.

PASCOS 2012 - 18th International Symposium on Particles Strings and Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-03-01

The XVII International Conference on Strings, Particles and Cosmology, PASCOS 2012, was held in the City of Mérida, Mexico, from June 3-8, 2012. The conference series is aimed at exploring the interface and interplay between particle physics, string theory and cosmology. With the advent of new data, the emphasis of the XVIII edition of PASCOS was on phenomenology and the interpretation of recent observational and experimental results. The conference followed the format of previous conferences in this series, with plenary reviews and contributed presentations in parallel sessions. The lectures covered a wide range of subjects which included: Dark matter and dark energy, flavor physics and CP violation, neutrino physics, supersymmetry, Higgs physics, baryogenesis and EDMs, supergravity, high energy cosmic rays, string and F-theory GUTs, and string phenomenology. This is the first time that PASCOS was held in Latin America. The aim to do it in Mexico was to engage the Latin American community and thus to bring the conference to a wider and different audience, a goal which was thoroughly achieved. The venue was held at the Hotel Fiesta Americana in the beautiful city of Mérida. The social events included a reception with typical local food at the Katun restaurant, conference dinner at the historical Quinta Montes Molina, and an excursion to the archeological site of Dzibilchaltún including a swim at the famous cenote. PASCOS 2012 was possible thanks to the generous support of the following sponsors: CONACyT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología), UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México: Consejo Técnico de la Investigación Científica, Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Instituto de Física), Cinvestav, (Centro de Estudios Avanzados del IPN: U. Zacatanco, U. Mérida and Secretaría General), ICyTDF (Instituto Científico y Tecnológico del D.F.), PIFI (Programa Integral de Fortalecimiento Institucional, Universidad de Guanajuato, Campus León), SMF (Sociedad Mexicana de Física), ICTP (International Centre for Theoretical Physics), BUAP (Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla), the Government of the State of Yucatán, the University of Hamburg, and Telmex. We also want to acknowledge the invaluable help of the staff of the Mexican Physical Society, in particular Lic. Santos Zúñniga Sánchez and Ms. Claudia Velasco Marín, and of the conference secretaries, Ms. Lizette Ramírez Bermúdez (UNAM) and Ms. Mariana del Castillo Sánchez (Cinvestav), for their support before, during and after the organization of PASCOS 2012. Last but not least, we would like to thank all the PASCOS 2012 participants for their attendance and for contributing to make the conference an engaging and stimulating event. The organizers, Myriam Mondragón, Adnan Bashir, David Delepine, Francisco Larios, Oscar Loaiza, Axel de la Macorra, Lukas Nellen, Sarira Sahu, Humberto Salazar and Liliana Velasco-Sevilla.

D-term inflation, cosmic strings, and consistency with cosmic microwave background measurements.

PubMed

Rocher, Jonathan; Sakellariadou, Mairi

2005-01-14

Standard D-term inflation is studied in the framework of supergravity. D-term inflation produces cosmic strings; however, it can still be compatible with cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements without invoking any new physics. The cosmic strings contribution to the CMB data is not constant, nor dominant, contrary to some previous results. Using current CMB measurements, the free parameters (gauge and superpotential couplings, as well as the Fayet-Iliopoulos term) of D-term inflation are constrained.

Numerical relativity beyond astrophysics.

PubMed

Garfinkle, David

2017-01-01

Though the main applications of computer simulations in relativity are to astrophysical systems such as black holes and neutron stars, nonetheless there are important applications of numerical methods to the investigation of general relativity as a fundamental theory of the nature of space and time. This paper gives an overview of some of these applications. In particular we cover (i) investigations of the properties of spacetime singularities such as those that occur in the interior of black holes and in big bang cosmology. (ii) investigations of critical behavior at the threshold of black hole formation in gravitational collapse. (iii) investigations inspired by string theory, in particular analogs of black holes in more than 4 spacetime dimensions and gravitational collapse in spacetimes with a negative cosmological constant.

Numerical relativity beyond astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garfinkle, David

2017-01-01

Though the main applications of computer simulations in relativity are to astrophysical systems such as black holes and neutron stars, nonetheless there are important applications of numerical methods to the investigation of general relativity as a fundamental theory of the nature of space and time. This paper gives an overview of some of these applications. In particular we cover (i) investigations of the properties of spacetime singularities such as those that occur in the interior of black holes and in big bang cosmology. (ii) investigations of critical behavior at the threshold of black hole formation in gravitational collapse. (iii) investigations inspired by string theory, in particular analogs of black holes in more than 4 spacetime dimensions and gravitational collapse in spacetimes with a negative cosmological constant.

Gravitational-wave stochastic background from cosmic strings.

PubMed

Siemens, Xavier; Mandic, Vuk; Creighton, Jolien

2007-03-16

We consider the stochastic background of gravitational waves produced by a network of cosmic strings and assess their accessibility to current and planned gravitational wave detectors, as well as to big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), cosmic microwave background (CMB), and pulsar timing constraints. We find that current data from interferometric gravitational wave detectors, such as Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO), are sensitive to areas of parameter space of cosmic string models complementary to those accessible to pulsar, BBN, and CMB bounds. Future more sensitive LIGO runs and interferometers such as Advanced LIGO and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be able to explore substantial parts of the parameter space.

BRST-BFV analysis of anomalies in bosonic string theory interacting with background gravitational field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchbinder, I. L.; Mistchuk, B. R.; Pershin, V. D.

1995-02-01

A general BRST-BFV analysis of the anomaly in string theory coupled to background fields is carried out. An exact equation for the c-valued symbol of the anomaly operator is found and the structure of its solution is studied.

Level crossing analysis of cosmic microwave background radiation: a method for detecting cosmic strings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Movahed, M. Sadegh; Khosravi, Shahram, E-mail: m.s.movahed@ipm.ir, E-mail: khosravi@ipm.ir

2011-03-01

In this paper we study the footprint of cosmic string as the topological defects in the very early universe on the cosmic microwave background radiation. We develop the method of level crossing analysis in the context of the well-known Kaiser-Stebbins phenomenon for exploring the signature of cosmic strings. We simulate a Gaussian map by using the best fit parameter given by WMAP-7 and then superimpose cosmic strings effects on it as an incoherent and active fluctuations. In order to investigate the capability of our method to detect the cosmic strings for the various values of tension, Gμ, a simulated puremore » Gaussian map is compared with that of including cosmic strings. Based on the level crossing analysis, the superimposed cosmic string with Gμ∼>4 × 10{sup −9} in the simulated map without instrumental noise and the resolution R = 1' could be detected. In the presence of anticipated instrumental noise the lower bound increases just up to Gμ∼>5.8 × 10{sup −9}.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Degrand, Thomas

The Theoretical Advanced Study Institute was held at the University of Colorado, Boulder, during June 1 - 26, 2015. The topic was "New Frontiers in Fields and Strings." Topics included many discussions of entanglement entropy, the conformal bootstrap, AdS/CFT techniques and applications, cosmology, and the black hole information problem. The organizers were Professors Joseph Polchinski (KITP Santa Barbara) and Pedro Vieira (Perimeter Institute). Sixty-one students heard sixty-two lectures by sixteen lecturers. A Proceedings is in press.

Holographic cosmology from BIonic solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sepehri, Alireza; Faizal, Mir; Setare, Mohammad Reza; Ali, Ahmed Farag

2017-02-01

In this paper, we will use a BIonic solution for analyzing the holographic cosmology. A BIonic solution is a configuration of a D3-brane and an anti-D3-brane connected by a wormhole, and holographic cosmology is a recent proposal to explain cosmic expansion by using the holographic principle. In our model, a BIonic configuration will be produced by the transition of fundamental black strings. The formation of a BIonic configuration will cause inflation. As the D3-brane moves away from the anti-D3-brane, the wormhole will get annihilated, and the inflation will end with the annihilation of this wormhole. However, it is possible for a D3-brane to collide with an anti-D3-brane. Such a collision will occur if the distance between the D3-brane and the anti-D3-brane reduces, and this will create tachyonic states. We will demonstrate that these tachyonic states will lead to the formation of a new wormhole, and this will cause acceleration of the universe before such a collision.

Classical evolution and quantum generation in generalized gravity theories including string corrections and tachyons: Unified analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Jai-Chan; Noh, Hyerim

2005-03-01

We present cosmological perturbation theory based on generalized gravity theories including string theory correction terms and a tachyonic complication. The classical evolution as well as the quantum generation processes in these varieties of gravity theories are presented in unified forms. These apply both to the scalar- and tensor-type perturbations. Analyses are made based on the curvature variable in two different gauge conditions often used in the literature in Einstein’s gravity; these are the curvature variables in the comoving (or uniform-field) gauge and the zero-shear gauge. Applications to generalized slow-roll inflation and its consequent power spectra are derived in unified forms which include a wide range of inflationary scenarios based on Einstein’s gravity and others.

The Colloquium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amoroso, Richard L.

HÉCTOR A.A brief introductory survey of Unified Field Mechanics (UFM) is given from the perspective of a Holographic Anthropic Multiverse cosmology in 12 `continuous-state' dimensions. The paradigm with many new parameters is cast in a scale-invariant conformal covariant Dirac polarized vacuum utilizing extended HD forms of the de Broglie-Bohm and Cramer interpretations of quantum theory. The model utilizes a unique form of M-Theory based in part on the original hadronic form of string theory that had a variable string tension, TS and included a tachyon. The model is experimentally testable, thus putatively able to demonstrate the existence of large-scale additional dimensionality (LSXD), test for QED violating tight-bound state spectral lines in hydrogen `below' the lowest Bohr orbit, and surmount the quantum uncertainty principle utilizing a hyperincursive Sagnac Effect resonance hierarchy.

Geometric phase for a static two-level atom in cosmic string spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Huabing; Ren, Zhongzhou

2018-05-01

We investigate the geometric phase of a static two-level atom immersed in a bath of fluctuating vacuum electromagnetic field in the background of a cosmic string. Our results indicate that due to the existence of the string, the geometric phase depends crucially on the position and the polarizability of the atom relative to the string. This can be ascribed to the fact that the presence of the string profoundly modify the distribution of electric field in Minkowski spacetime. So in principle, we can detect the cosmic string by experiments involving geometric phase.

Inner space/outer space - The interface between cosmology and particle physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolb, Edward W.; Turner, Michael S.; Lindley, David; Olive, Keith; Seckel, David

A collection of papers covering the synthesis between particle physics and cosmology is presented. The general topics addressed include: standard models of particle physics and cosmology; microwave background radiation; origin and evolution of large-scale structure; inflation; massive magnetic monopoles; supersymmetry, supergravity, and quantum gravity; cosmological constraints on particle physics; Kaluza-Klein cosmology; and future directions and connections in particle physics and cosmology.

String solutions in spherically-symmetric f(R) gravity vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dil, Emre

Dynamical evolution of the cosmic string in a spherically symmetric f(R) gravity vacuum is studied for a closed and straight string. We first set the background spacetime metric for a constant curvature scalar R = R0, and obtain the Killing fields for it. Using the standard gauge coordinates and constraints for both closed and straight strings, we present the equation of motions and find the solutions of them. We then analyze the dynamics of the string by studying the behavior of the string radius and periastron radius, with respect to both proper time and azimuthal angle, for various values of f(R) functions. Consequently, we conclude that the value of f(R) dramatically affects the closed string collapse time and the straight string angular deviation.

Anisotropic modulus stabilisation: strings at LHC scales with micron-sized extra dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cicoli, M.; Burgess, C. P.; Quevedo, F.

2011-10-01

We construct flux-stabilised Type IIB string compactifications whose extra dimensions have very different sizes, and use these to describe several types of vacua with a TeV string scale. Because we can access regimes where two dimensions are hierarchically larger than the other four, we find examples where two dimensions are micron-sized while the other four are at the weak scale in addition to more standard examples with all six extra dimensions equally large. Besides providing ultraviolet completeness, the phenomenology of these models is richer than vanilla large-dimensional models in several generic ways: ( i) they are supersymmetric, with supersymmetry broken at sub-eV scales in the bulk but only nonlinearly realised in the Standard Model sector, leading to no MSSM superpartners for ordinary particles and many more bulk missing-energy channels, as in supersymmetric large extra dimensions (SLED); ( ii) small cycles in the more complicated extra-dimensional geometry allow some KK states to reside at TeV scales even if all six extra dimensions are nominally much larger; ( iii) a rich spectrum of string and KK states at TeV scales; and ( iv) an equally rich spectrum of very light moduli exist having unusually small (but technically natural) masses, with potentially interesting implications for cosmology and astrophysics that nonetheless evade new-force constraints. The hierarchy problem is solved in these models because the extra-dimensional volume is naturally stabilised at exponentially large values: the extra dimensions are Calabi-Yau geometries with a 4D K3 or T 4-fibration over a 2D base, with moduli stabilised within the well-established LARGE-Volume scenario. The new technical step is the use of poly-instanton corrections to the superpotential (which, unlike for simpler models, are likely to be present on K3 or T 4-fibered Calabi-Yau compactifications) to obtain a large hierarchy between the sizes of different dimensions. For several scenarios we identify the low-energy spectrum and briefly discuss some of their astrophysical, cosmological and phenomenological implications.

Evidence for dark energy from the cosmic microwave background alone using the Atacama Cosmology Telescope lensing measurements.

PubMed

Sherwin, Blake D; Dunkley, Joanna; Das, Sudeep; Appel, John W; Bond, J Richard; Carvalho, C Sofia; Devlin, Mark J; Dünner, Rolando; Essinger-Hileman, Thomas; Fowler, Joseph W; Hajian, Amir; Halpern, Mark; Hasselfield, Matthew; Hincks, Adam D; Hlozek, Renée; Hughes, John P; Irwin, Kent D; Klein, Jeff; Kosowsky, Arthur; Marriage, Tobias A; Marsden, Danica; Moodley, Kavilan; Menanteau, Felipe; Niemack, Michael D; Nolta, Michael R; Page, Lyman A; Parker, Lucas; Reese, Erik D; Schmitt, Benjamin L; Sehgal, Neelima; Sievers, Jon; Spergel, David N; Staggs, Suzanne T; Swetz, Daniel S; Switzer, Eric R; Thornton, Robert; Visnjic, Katerina; Wollack, Ed

2011-07-08

For the first time, measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) alone favor cosmologies with w = -1 dark energy over models without dark energy at a 3.2-sigma level. We demonstrate this by combining the CMB lensing deflection power spectrum from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope with temperature and polarization power spectra from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. The lensing data break the geometric degeneracy of different cosmological models with similar CMB temperature power spectra. Our CMB-only measurement of the dark energy density Ω(Λ) confirms other measurements from supernovae, galaxy clusters, and baryon acoustic oscillations, and demonstrates the power of CMB lensing as a new cosmological tool.

Evidence for Dark Energy from the Cosmic Microwave Background Alone Using the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Lensing Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherwin, Blake D.; Dunkley, Joanna; Das, Sudeep; Appel, John W.; Bond, J. Richard; Carvalho, C. Sofia; Devlin, Mark J.; Duenner, Rolando; Essinger-Hileman, Thomas; Fowler, Joesph J.;

Pre-inflationary clues from String Theory?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kitazawa, N.; Sagnotti, A., E-mail: kitazawa@phys.se.tmu.ac.jp, E-mail: sagnotti@sns.it

2014-04-01

''Brane supersymmetry breaking'' occurs in String Theory when the only available combinations of D-branes and orientifolds are not mutually BPS and yet do not introduce tree-level tachyon instabilities. It is characterized by the emergence of a steep exponential potential, and thus by the absence of maximally symmetric vacua. The corresponding low-energy supergravity admits intriguing spatially-flat cosmological solutions where a scalar field is forced to climb up toward the steep potential after an initial singularity, and additional milder terms can inject an inflationary phase during the ensuing descent. We show that, in the resulting power spectra of scalar perturbations, an infraredmore » suppression is typically followed by a pre-inflationary peak that reflects the end of the climbing phase and can lie well apart from the approximately scale invariant profile. A first look at WMAP9 raw data shows that, while the χ{sup 2} fits for the low-ℓ CMB angular power spectrum are clearly compatible with an almost scale invariant behavior, they display nonetheless an eye-catching preference for this type of setting within a perturbative string regime.« less

Moduli vacuum misalignment and precise predictions in string inflation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cicoli, Michele; INFN sezione di Bologna,viale Berti Pichat 6/2, 40127 Bologna; Abdus Salam ICTP,Strada Costiera 11, Trieste 34014

2016-08-03

The predictions for all the cosmological observables of any inflationary model depend on the number of e-foldings which is sensitive to the post-inflationary history of the universe. In string models the generic presence of light moduli leads to a late-time period of matter domination which lowers the required number of e-foldings and, in turn, modifies the exact predictions of any inflationary model. In this paper we compute exactly the shift of the number of e-foldings in Kähler moduli inflation which is determined by the magnitude of the moduli initial displacement caused by vacuum misalignment and the moduli decay rates. Wemore » find that the preferred number of e-foldings gets reduced from 50 to 45, causing a modification of the spectral index at the percent level. Our results illustrate the importance of understanding the full post-inflationary evolution of the universe in order to derive precise predictions in string inflation. To perform this task it is crucial to work in a setting where there is good control over moduli stabilisation.« less

Priming the search for cosmic superstrings using GADGET2 simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cousins, Bryce; Jia, Hewei; Braverman, William; Chernoff, David

2018-01-01

String theory is an extensive mathematical theory which, despite its broad explanatory power, is still lacking empirical support. However, this may change when considering the scope of cosmology, where “cosmic superstrings” may serve as observational evidence. According to string theory, these superstrings were stretched to cosmic scales in the early Universe and may now be detectable, via microlensing or gravitational radiation. Negative results from prior surveys have put some limits on superstring properties, so to investigate the parameter space more effectively, we ask: “where should we expect to find cosmic superstrings, and how many should we predict?” This research investigates these questions by simulating cosmic string behavior during structure formation in the universe using GADGET2. The sizes and locations of superstring clusters are assessed using kernel density estimation and radial correlation functions. Currently, only preliminary small-scale simulations have been performed, producing superstring clustering with low sensitivity. However, future simulations of greater magnitude will offer far higher resolution, allowing us to more precisely track superstring behavior within structures. Such results will guide future searches, most imminently those made possible by LSST and WFIRST.

Oscillons from string moduli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antusch, Stefan; Cefalà, Francesco; Krippendorf, Sven; Muia, Francesco; Orani, Stefano; Quevedo, Fernando

2018-01-01

A generic feature of string compactifications is the presence of many scalar fields, called moduli. Moduli are usually displaced from their post-inflationary minimum during inflation. Their relaxation to the minimum could lead to the production of oscillons: localised, long-lived, non-linear excitations of the scalar fields. Here we discuss under which conditions oscillons can be produced in string cosmology and illustrate their production and potential phenomenology with two explicit examples: the case of an initially displaced volume modulus in the KKLT scenario and the case of a displaced blow-up Kähler modulus in the Large Volume Scenario (LVS). One, in principle, observable consequence of oscillon dynamics is the production of gravitational waves which, contrary to those produced from preheating after high scale inflation, could have lower frequencies, closer to the currently observable range. We also show that, for the considered parameter ranges, oscillating fibre and volume moduli do not develop any significant non-perturbative dynamics. Furthermore, we find that the vacua in the LVS and the KKLT scenario are stable against local overshootings of the field into the decompatification region, which provides an additional check on the longevity of these metastable configurations.

Can one ADM quantize relativistic bosonicstrings and membranes?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moncrief, Vincent

2006-04-01

The standard methods for quantizing relativistic strings diverge significantly from the Dirac-Wheeler-DeWitt program for quantization of generally covariant systems and one wonders whether the latter could be successfully implemented as an alternative to the former. As a first step in this direction, we consider the possibility of quantizing strings (and also relativistic membranes) via a partially gauge-fixed ADM (Arnowitt, Deser and Misner) formulation of the reduced field equations for these systems. By exploiting some (Euclidean signature) Hamilton-Jacobi techniques that Mike Ryan and I had developed previously for the quantization of Bianchi IX cosmological models, I show how to construct Diff( S 1)-invariant (or Diff(Σ)-invariant in the case of membranes) ground state wave functionals for the cases of co-dimension one strings and membranes embedded in Minkowski spacetime. I also show that the reduced Hamiltonian density operators for these systems weakly commute when applied to physical (i.e. Diff( S 1) or Diff(Σ)-invariant) states. While many open questions remain, these preliminary results seem to encourage further research along the same lines.

Nonsingular cosmology with a scale-invariant spectrum of cosmological perturbations from Lee-Wick theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cai Yifu; Qiu Taotao; Brandenberger, Robert

2009-07-15

We study the cosmology of a Lee-Wick type scalar field theory. First, we consider homogeneous and isotropic background solutions and find that they are nonsingular, leading to cosmological bounces. Next, we analyze the spectrum of cosmological perturbations which result from this model. Unless either the potential of the Lee-Wick theory or the initial conditions are finely tuned, it is impossible to obtain background solutions which have a sufficiently long period of inflation after the bounce. More interestingly, however, we find that in the generic noninflationary bouncing cosmology, perturbations created from quantum vacuum fluctuations in the contracting phase have the correctmore » form to lead to a scale-invariant spectrum of metric inhomogeneities in the expanding phase. Since the background is nonsingular, the evolution of the fluctuations is defined unambiguously through the bounce. We also analyze the evolution of fluctuations which emerge from thermal initial conditions in the contracting phase. The spectrum of gravitational waves stemming from quantum vacuum fluctuations in the contracting phase is also scale-invariant, and the tensor to scalar ratio is not suppressed.« less

Self-energy and self-force in the space-time of a thick cosmic string

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khusnutdinov, N. R.; Bezerra, V. B.

2001-10-01

We calculate the self-energy and self-force for an electrically charged particle at rest in the background of Gott-Hiscock cosmic string space-time. We find the general expression for the self-energy which is expressed in terms of the S matrix of the scattering problem. The self-energy continuously falls down outward from the string's center with the maximum at the origin of the string. The self-force is repulsive for an arbitrary position of the particle. It tends to zero in the string's center and also far from the string and it has a maximum value at the string's surface. The plots of the numerical calculations of the self-energy and self-force are shown.

The implications of the COBE diffuse microwave radiation results for cosmic strings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, David P.; Stebbins, Albert; Bouchet, Francois R.

1992-01-01

We compare the anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background radiation measured by the COBE experiment to those predicted by cosmic string theories. We use an analytic model for the Delta T/T power spectrum that is based on our previous numerical simulations of strings, under the assumption that cosmic strings are the sole source of the measured anisotropy. This implies a value for the string mass per unit length of 1.5 +/- 0.5 x 10 exp -6 C-squared/G. This is within the range of values required for cosmic strings to successfully seed the formation of large-scale structures in the universe. These results clearly encourage further studies of Delta T/T and large-scale structure in the cosmic string model.

The origin of the diffuse background gamma radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.; Puget, J. L.

1974-01-01

Recent observations provided evidence for diffuse background gamma radiation extending to energies beyond 100 MeV, and evidence of isotropy and implied cosmological origin. Significant features in the spectrum of this background radiation were observed which provide evidence for its origin in nuclear processes in the early stages of big-bang cosmology, and connect these processes with the galaxy formation theory. A test of the theory is in future observations of the background radiation in the 100 MeK to 100 GeV energy range which are made with large orbiting spark-chamber satellite detectors. The theoretical interpretations of present data, their connection with baryon-symmetric cosmology and galaxy formation theory, and the need for future observations are discussed.

Cosmic Strings Stabilized by Quantum Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weigel, H.

2017-03-01

Fermion quantum corrections to the energy of cosmic strings are computed. A number of rather technical tools are needed to formulate this correction, and isospin and gauge invariance are employed to verify consistency of these tools. These corrections must also be included when computing the energy of strings that are charged by populating fermion bound states in its background. It is found that charged strings are dynamically stabilized in theories similar to the standard model of particle physics.

Superfluid-like turbulence in cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gradwohl, Ben-Ami

1991-01-01

A network of vortices in a superfluid system exhibits turbulent behavior. It is argued that the universe may have experienced such a phase of superfluid-like turbulence due to the existence of a coherent state with non-topological charge and a network of global strings. The unique feature of a distribution of turbulent domains is that it can yield non-gravitationally induced large-scale coherent velocities. It may be difficult, however, to relate these velocities to the observed large-scale bulk motion.

Self-Energy in the Gott-Hiscock Space-Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khusnutdinov, Nail R.; Bezerra, Valdir B.

We calculate the self-energy for an electrically charged particle at rest in the background of Gott-Hiscock cosmic string space-time. The self-energy continuously falls down out-ward from string's with maximum at the origin of the string. The plots of the numerical of the self-energy and the height of barrier are shown.

Strings on plane-waves and spin chains on orbifolds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadri, Darius

This thesis covers a number of topics in string theory focusing on various aspects of the AdS/CFT duality in various guises and regimes. In the first chapter we present a self-contained review of the Plane-wave/super-Yang-Mills duality. This duality is a specification of the usual AdS/CFT correspondence in the "Penrose limit". In chapter two we study the most general parallelizable pp-wave backgrounds which are non-dilatonic solutions in the NS-NS sector of type IIA and IIB string theories. We demonstrate that parallelizable pp-wave backgrounds are necessarily homogeneous plane-waves, and that a large class of homogeneous plane-waves are parallelizable, stating the necessary conditions. Quantization of string modes, their compactification and behaviour under T-duality are also studied, as are BPS Dp-branes on such backgrounds. In chapter three we consider giant gravitons on the maximally supersymmetric plane-wave background. We deduce the low energy effective light-cone Hamiltonian of the three-sphere giant graviton, and place sources in this effective gauge theory. Although non-vanishing net electric charge configurations are disallowed by Gauss' law, electric dipoles can be formed. From the string theory point of view these dipoles can be understood as open strings piercing the three-sphere, giving a two dimensional (worldsheet) description of giant gravitons. Chapter four presents some new ideas regarding the relation between super-conformal gauge theories and string theories with three-dimensional target spaces, possible relations of these systems to Hamiltonian lattice gauge theories, and integrable spin chains. We consider N = 1, D = 4 superconformal SU( N)px q Yang-Mills theories dual to AdS5 x S5/Zp x Zq orbifolds. We show that a specific sector of this dilatation operator can be thought of as the transfer matrix for a three-dimensional statistical mechanical system, which in turn is equivalent to a 2 + 1-dimensional string theory where the spatial slices are discretized on a triangular lattice, and comment on the integrability of this N = 1 gauge theory, its connection to three-dimensional lattice gauge theories, extensions to six-dimensional string theories, AdS/CFT type dualities and finally their construction via orbifolds and brane-box models. In the process we discover a new class of almost-BPS BMN type operators with large engineering dimensions but controllably small anomalous corrections.

A Universe without Weak Interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harnik, Roni; Kribs, Graham D.; Perez, Gilad

2006-04-07

A universe without weak interactions is constructed that undergoes big-bang nucleosynthesis, matter domination, structure formation, and star formation. The stars in this universe are able to burn for billions of years, synthesize elements up to iron, and undergo supernova explosions, dispersing heavy elements into the interstellar medium. These definitive claims are supported by a detailed analysis where this hypothetical ''Weakless Universe'' is matched to our Universe by simultaneously adjusting Standard Model and cosmological parameters. For instance, chemistry and nuclear physics are essentially unchanged. The apparent habitability of the Weakless Universe suggests that the anthropic principle does not determine the scalemore » of electroweak breaking, or even require that it be smaller than the Planck scale, so long as technically natural parameters may be suitably adjusted. Whether the multi-parameter adjustment is realized or probable is dependent on the ultraviolet completion, such as the string landscape. Considering a similar analysis for the cosmological constant, however, we argue that no adjustments of other parameters are able to allow the cosmological constant to raise up even remotely close to the Planck scale while obtaining macroscopic structure. The fine-tuning problems associated with the electroweak breaking scale and the cosmological constant therefore appear to be qualitatively different from the perspective of obtaining a habitable universe.« less

Higgs portal dark matter in non-standard cosmological histories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardy, Edward

2018-06-01

A scalar particle with a relic density set by annihilations through a Higgs portal operator is a simple and minimal possibility for dark matter. However, assuming a thermal cosmological history this model is ruled out over most of parameter space by collider and direct detection constraints. We show that in theories with a non-thermal cosmological history Higgs portal dark matter is viable for a wide range of dark matter masses and values of the portal coupling, evading existing limits. In particular, we focus on the string theory motivated scenario of a period of matter domination due to a light modulus with a decay rate that is suppressed by the Planck scale. Dark matter with a mass ≲ GeV is possible without additional hidden sector states, and this can have astrophysically relevant self-interactions. We also study the signatures of such models at future direct, indirect, and collider experiments. Searches for invisible Higgs decays at the high luminosity LHC or an e + e - collider could cover a significant proportion of the parameter space for low mass dark matter, and future direct detection experiments will play a complementary role.

Late time acceleration of the 3-space in a higher dimensional steady state universe in dilaton gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akarsu, Özgür; Dereli, Tekin

2013-02-01

We present cosmological solutions for (1+3+n)-dimensional steady state universe in dilaton gravity with an arbitrary dilaton coupling constant w and exponential dilaton self-interaction potentials in the string frame. We focus particularly on the class in which the 3-space expands with a time varying deceleration parameter. We discuss the number of the internal dimensions and the value of the dilaton coupling constant to determine the cases that are consistent with the observed universe and the primordial nucleosynthesis. The 3-space starts with a decelerated expansion rate and evolves into accelerated expansion phase subject to the values of w and n, but ends with a Big Rip in all cases. We discuss the cosmological evolution in further detail for the cases w = 1 and w = ½ that permit exact solutions. We also comment on how the universe would be conceived by an observer in four dimensions who is unaware of the internal dimensions and thinks that the conventional general relativity is valid at cosmological scales.

Impact of a primordial magnetic field on cosmic microwave background B modes with weak lensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamazaki, Dai G.

2018-05-01

We discuss the manner in which the primordial magnetic field (PMF) suppresses the cosmic microwave background (CMB) B mode due to the weak-lensing (WL) effect. The WL effect depends on the lensing potential (LP) caused by matter perturbations, the distribution of which at cosmological scales is given by the matter power spectrum (MPS). Therefore, the WL effect on the CMB B mode is affected by the MPS. Considering the effect of the ensemble average energy density of the PMF, which we call "the background PMF," on the MPS, the amplitude of MPS is suppressed in the wave number range of k >0.01 h Mpc-1 . The MPS affects the LP and the WL effect in the CMB B mode; however, the PMF can damp this effect. Previous studies of the CMB B mode with the PMF have only considered the vector and tensor modes. These modes boost the CMB B mode in the multipole range of ℓ>1000 , whereas the background PMF damps the CMB B mode owing to the WL effect in the entire multipole range. The matter density in the Universe controls the WL effect. Therefore, when we constrain the PMF and the matter density parameters from cosmological observational data sets, including the CMB B mode, we expect degeneracy between these parameters. The CMB B mode also provides important information on the background gravitational waves, inflation theory, matter density fluctuations, and the structure formations at the cosmological scale through the cosmological parameter search. If we study these topics and correctly constrain the cosmological parameters from cosmological observations, including the CMB B mode, we need to correctly consider the background PMF.

The scale invariant power spectrum of the primordial curvature perturbations from the coupled scalar tachyon bounce cosmos

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Changhong; Cheung, Yeuk-Kwan E., E-mail: chellifegood@gmail.com, E-mail: cheung@nju.edu.cn

2014-07-01

We investigate the spectrum of cosmological perturbations in a bounce cosmos modeled by a scalar field coupled to the string tachyon field (CSTB cosmos). By explicit computation of its primordial spectral index we show the power spectrum of curvature perturbations, generated during the tachyon matter dominated contraction phase, to be nearly scale invariant. We propose a unified parameter space for a systematic study of inflationary and bounce cosmologies. The CSTB cosmos is dual-in Wands's sense-to slow-roll inflation as can be visualized with the aid of this parameter space. Guaranteed by the dynamical attractor behavior of the CSTB Cosmos, the scalemore » invariance of its power spectrum is free of the fine-tuning problem, in contrast to the slow-roll inflation model.« less

Dynamical dark energy: Scalar fields and running vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solà, Joan; Gómez-Valent, Adrià; de Cruz Pérez, Javier

2017-03-01

Recent analyses in the literature suggest that the concordance ΛCDM model with rigid cosmological term, Λ = const. may not be the best description of the cosmic acceleration. The class of “running vacuum models”, in which Λ = Λ(H) evolves with the Hubble rate, has been shown to fit the string of SNIa + BAO + H(z) + LSS + CMB data significantly better than the ΛCDM. Here, we provide further evidence on the time-evolving nature of the dark energy (DE) by fitting the same cosmological data in terms of scalar fields. As a representative model, we use the original Peebles and Ratra potential, V ∝ ϕ-α. We find clear signs of dynamical DE at ˜ 4σ c.l., thus reconfirming through a nontrivial scalar field approach the strong hints formerly found with other models and parametrizations.

Developing state-of-the-art Cosmology courses for undergraduate non-science students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Aleman, Ramon

2007-04-01

All undergraduate students at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras are required to take a General Studies interdisciplinary science course as a requisite for graduation. We have successfully developed a new course for non-science majors that deal in current topics of interest including Big Bang cosmology, the uses and misuses of anthropic principle as a philosophical guide for scientists, dark energy and accelerated expansion, string theory and quantum gravity, and the current controversy of Intelligent Design vs Evolution by Natural Selection as explanations for the origins of life on Earth, intelligence and free will in sentient beings. The course was designed with help of philosophers, neuroscientists, biologists and physicists to present science as interesting, exciting, and socially useful sets of ``stories'' to people who usually dislike and misunderstand traditional science courses.

Improved calculation of the gravitational wave spectrum from kinks on infinite cosmic strings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matsui, Yuka; Horiguchi, Koichiro; Nitta, Daisuke

2016-11-01

Gravitational wave observations provide unique opportunities to search for cosmic strings. One of the strongest sources of gravitational waves is discontinuities of cosmic strings, called kinks, which are generated at points of intersection. Kinks on infinite strings are known to generate a gravitational wave background over a wide range of frequencies. In this paper, we calculate the spectrum of the gravitational wave background by numerically solving the evolution equation for the distribution function of the kink sharpness. We find that the number of kinks for small sharpness is larger than the analytical estimate used in a previous work, which makesmore » a difference in the spectral shape. Our numerical approach enables us to make a more precise prediction on the spectral amplitude for future gravitational wave experiments.« less

The NANOGrav 11 Year Data Set: Pulsar-timing Constraints on the Stochastic Gravitational-wave Background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arzoumanian, Z.; Baker, P. T.; Brazier, A.; Burke-Spolaor, S.; Chamberlin, S. J.; Chatterjee, S.; Christy, B.; Cordes, J. M.; Cornish, N. J.; Crawford, F.; Thankful Cromartie, H.; Crowter, K.; DeCesar, M.; Demorest, P. B.; Dolch, T.; Ellis, J. A.; Ferdman, R. D.; Ferrara, E.; Folkner, W. M.; Fonseca, E.; Garver-Daniels, N.; Gentile, P. A.; Haas, R.; Hazboun, J. S.; Huerta, E. A.; Islo, K.; Jones, G.; Jones, M. L.; Kaplan, D. L.; Kaspi, V. M.; Lam, M. T.; Lazio, T. J. W.; Levin, L.; Lommen, A. N.; Lorimer, D. R.; Luo, J.; Lynch, R. S.; Madison, D. R.; McLaughlin, M. A.; McWilliams, S. T.; Mingarelli, C. M. F.; Ng, C.; Nice, D. J.; Park, R. S.; Pennucci, T. T.; Pol, N. S.; Ransom, S. M.; Ray, P. S.; Rasskazov, A.; Siemens, X.; Simon, J.; Spiewak, R.; Stairs, I. H.; Stinebring, D. R.; Stovall, K.; Swiggum, J.; Taylor, S. R.; Vallisneri, M.; van Haasteren, R.; Vigeland, S.; Zhu, W. W.; The NANOGrav Collaboration

2018-05-01

We search for an isotropic stochastic gravitational-wave background (GWB) in the newly released 11 year data set from the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav). While we find no evidence for a GWB, we place constraints on a population of inspiraling supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries, a network of decaying cosmic strings, and a primordial GWB. For the first time, we find that the GWB constraints are sensitive to the solar system ephemeris (SSE) model used and that SSE errors can mimic a GWB signal. We developed an approach that bridges systematic SSE differences, producing the first pulsar-timing array (PTA) constraints that are robust against SSE errors. We thus place a 95% upper limit on the GW-strain amplitude of A GWB < 1.45 × 10‑15 at a frequency of f = 1 yr‑1 for a fiducial f ‑2/3 power-law spectrum and with interpulsar correlations modeled. This is a factor of ∼2 improvement over the NANOGrav nine-year limit calculated using the same procedure. Previous PTA upper limits on the GWB (as well as their astrophysical and cosmological interpretations) will need revision in light of SSE systematic errors. We use our constraints to characterize the combined influence on the GWB of the stellar mass density in galactic cores, the eccentricity of SMBH binaries, and SMBH–galactic-bulge scaling relationships. We constrain the cosmic-string tension using recent simulations, yielding an SSE-marginalized 95% upper limit of Gμ < 5.3 × 10‑11—a factor of ∼2 better than the published NANOGrav nine-year constraints. Our SSE-marginalized 95% upper limit on the energy density of a primordial GWB (for a radiation-dominated post-inflation universe) is ΩGWB(f) h 2 < 3.4 × 10‑10.

Distortion of the cosmic background radiation by superconducting strings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ostriker, J. P.; Thompson, C.

1987-01-01

Superconducting cosmic strings can be significant energy sources, keeping the universe ionized past the commonly assumed epoch of recombination. As a result, the spectrum of the cosmic background radiation is distorted in the presence of heated primordial gas via the Suniaev-Zel'dovich effect. Thiis distortion can be relatively large: the Compton y parameter attains a maximum in the range 0.001-0.005, with these values depending on the mass scale of the string. A significant contribution to y comes from loops decaying at high redshift when the universe is optically thick to Thomson scattering. Moreover, the isotropic spectral distortion is large compared to fluctuations at all angular scales.

Exciting gauge field and gravitons in brane-antibrane annihilation.

PubMed

Mazumdar, Anupam; Stoica, Horace

2009-03-06

In this Letter we point out the inevitability of an explosive production of gauge field and gravity wave during an open string tachyon condensation in a cosmological setting, in an effective field theory model. We will be particularly studying a toy model of brane-antibrane inflation in a warped throat where inflation ends via tachyon condensation. We point out that a tachyonic instability helps fragmenting the homogeneous tachyon and excites gauge field and contributes to the stress-energy tensor which also feeds into the gravity waves.

In quest of axionic hairs in quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Indrani; Mandal, Bhaswati; SenGupta, Soumitra

2018-03-01

The presence of axionic field can provide plausible explanation to several long standing problems in physics such as dark matter and dark energy. The pseudo-scalar axion whose derivative corresponds to the Hodge dual of the Kalb-Ramond field strength in four dimensions plays crucial roles in explaining several astrophysical and cosmological observations. Therefore, the detection of axionic hairs/Kalb-Ramond field which appears as closed string excitations in the heterotic string spectrum may provide a profound insight to our understanding of the current universe. The current level of precision achieved in solar-system based tests employed to test general relativity, is not sufficient to detect the presence of axion. However, the near horizon regime of quasars where the curvature effects are maximum seems to be a natural laboratory to probe such additions to the matter sector. The continuum spectrum emitted from the accretion disk around quasars encapsulates the imprints of the background spacetime and hence acts as a storehouse of information regarding the nature of gravitational interaction in extreme situations. The surfeit of data available in the electromagnetic domain provides a further motivation to explore such systems. Using the optical data for eighty Palomar Green quasars we demonstrate that the theoretical estimates of optical luminosity explain the observations best when the axionic field is assumed to be absent. However, axion which violates the energy condition seems to be favored by observations which has several interesting consequences. Error estimators, including reduced χ2, Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency, index of agreement and modified versions of the last two are used to solidify our conclusion and the implications of our result are discussed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McGreevy, John Austen; /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.

This thesis is a study of D-branes in string compactifications. In this context, D-branes are relevant as an important component of the nonperturbative spectrum, as an incisive probe of these backgrounds, and as a natural stringy tool for localizing gauge interactions. In the first part of the thesis, we discuss half-BPS D-branes in compactifications of type II string theory on Calabi-Yau threefolds. The results we describe for these objects are pertinent both in their role as stringy brane-worlds, and in their role as solitonic objects. In particular, we determine couplings of these branes to the moduli determining the closed-string geometry,more » both perturbatively and non-perturbatively in the worldsheet expansion. We provide a local model for transitions in moduli space where the BPS spectrum jumps, and discuss the extension of mirror symmetry between Calabi-Yau manifolds to the case when D-branes are present. The next section is an interlude which provides some applications of D-branes to other curved backgrounds of string theory. In particular, we discuss a surprising phenomenon in which fundamental strings moving through background Ramond-Ramond fields dissolve into large spherical D3-branes. This mechanism is used to explain a previously-mysterious fact discovered via the AdS-CFT correspondence. Next, we make a connection between type IIA string vacua of the type discussed in the first section and M-theory compactifications on manifolds of G{sub 2} holonomy. Finally we discuss constructions of string vacua which do not have large radius limits. In the final part of the thesis, we develop techniques for studying the worldsheets of open strings ending on the curved D-branes studied in the first section. More precisely, we formulate a large class of massive two-dimensional gauge theories coupled to boundary matter, which flow in the infrared to the relevant boundary conformal field theories. Along with many other applications, these techniques are used to describe world-volume theories of point-like D-probes of various Calabi-Yau threefolds.« less

CMB temperature trispectrum of cosmic strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hindmarsh, Mark; Ringeval, Christophe; Suyama, Teruaki

2010-03-01

We provide an analytical expression for the trispectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies induced by cosmic strings. Our result is derived for the small angular scales under the assumption that the temperature anisotropy is induced by the Gott-Kaiser-Stebbins effect. The trispectrum is predicted to decay with a noninteger power-law exponent ℓ-ρ with 6<ρ<7, depending on the string microstructure, and thus on the string model. For Nambu-Goto strings, this exponent is related to the string mean square velocity and the loop distribution function. We then explore two classes of wave number configuration in Fourier space, the kite and trapezium quadrilaterals. The trispectrum can be of any sign and appears to be strongly enhanced for all squeezed quadrilaterals.

Quantum vacuum interaction between two cosmic strings revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz-Castañeda, J. M.; Bordag, M.

2014-03-01

We reconsider the quantum vacuum interaction energy between two straight parallel cosmic strings. This problem was discussed several times in an approach treating both strings perturbatively and treating only one perturbatively. Here we point out that a simplifying assumption made by Bordag [Ann. Phys. (Berlin) 47, 93 (1990).] can be justified and show that, despite the global character of the background, the perturbative approach delivers a correct result. We consider the applicability of the scattering methods, developed in the past decade for the Casimir effect, for the cosmic string and find it not applicable. We calculate the scattering T-operator on one string. Finally, we consider the vacuum interaction of two strings when each carries a two-dimensional delta function potential.

Cosmic strings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, David P.

1988-01-01

Cosmic strings are linear topological defects which are predicted by some grand unified theories to form during a spontaneous symmetry breaking phase transition in the early universe. They are the basis for the only theories of galaxy formation aside from quantum fluctuations from inflation based on fundamental physics. In contrast to inflation, they can also be observed directly through gravitational lensing and their characterisitc microwave background anisotropy. It was recently discovered that details of cosmic string evolution are very differnt from the so-called standard model that was assumed in most of the string-induced galaxy formation calculations. Therefore, the details of galaxy formation in the cosmic string models are currently very uncertain.

Control of the conformations of ion Coulomb crystals in a Penning trap

PubMed Central

Mavadia, Sandeep; Goodwin, Joseph F.; Stutter, Graham; Bharadia, Shailen; Crick, Daniel R.; Segal, Daniel M.; Thompson, Richard C.

2013-01-01

Laser-cooled atomic ions form ordered structures in radiofrequency ion traps and in Penning traps. Here we demonstrate in a Penning trap the creation and manipulation of a wide variety of ion Coulomb crystals formed from small numbers of ions. The configuration can be changed from a linear string, through intermediate geometries, to a planar structure. The transition from a linear string to a zigzag geometry is observed for the first time in a Penning trap. The conformations of the crystals are set by the applied trap potential and the laser parameters, and agree with simulations. These simulations indicate that the rotation frequency of a small crystal is mainly determined by the laser parameters, independent of the number of ions and the axial confinement strength. This system has potential applications for quantum simulation, quantum information processing and tests of fundamental physics models from quantum field theory to cosmology. PMID:24096901

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ciuca, Razvan; Hernández, Oscar F., E-mail: razvan.ciuca@mail.mcgill.ca, E-mail: oscarh@physics.mcgill.ca

There exists various proposals to detect cosmic strings from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) or 21 cm temperature maps. Current proposals do not aim to find the location of strings on sky maps, all of these approaches can be thought of as a statistic on a sky map. We propose a Bayesian interpretation of cosmic string detection and within that framework, we derive a connection between estimates of cosmic string locations and cosmic string tension G μ. We use this Bayesian framework to develop a machine learning framework for detecting strings from sky maps and outline how to implement this frameworkmore » with neural networks. The neural network we trained was able to detect and locate cosmic strings on noiseless CMB temperature map down to a string tension of G μ=5 ×10{sup −9} and when analyzing a CMB temperature map that does not contain strings, the neural network gives a 0.95 probability that G μ≤2.3×10{sup −9}.« less

The large-scale microwave background anisotropy in decaying particle cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panek, Miroslaw

1988-01-01

The quadrupole anisotropy of the microwave background radiation in cosmological models with decaying particles is investigated. A conservative upper limit on value of the quadrupole moment combined with other constraints gives an upper limit on the redshift of the decay z(d) of less than 3-6.

Students from Non-Dominant Linguistic Backgrounds Making Sense of Cosmology Visualizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buck Bracey, Zoë E.

2017-01-01

This article presents the results of exploratory research with community college students from non-dominant linguistic backgrounds (NDLB) in an introductory astronomy class as they collaborated to reconstruct dynamic cosmology visualizations through drawing. Data included student discourse during the drawing activity, post-activity interviews, and…

Index theorem for non-supersymmetric fermions coupled to a non-Abelian string and electric charge quantization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shifman, M.; Yung, A.

2018-03-01

Non-Abelian strings are considered in non-supersymmetric theories with fermions in various appropriate representations of the gauge group U(N). We derive the electric charge quantization conditions and the index theorems counting fermion zero modes in the string background both for the left-handed and right-handed fermions. In both cases we observe a non-trivial N dependence.

Pre-Big-Bang bubbles from the gravitational instability of generic string vacua

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buonanno, A.; Damour, T.; Veneziano, G.

1999-03-01

We formulate the basic postulate of pre-Big-Bang cosmology as one of ``asymptotic past triviality", by which we mean that the initial state is a generic perturbative solution of the tree-level low-energy effective action. Such a past-trivial ``string vacuum'' is made of an arbitrary ensemble of incoming gravitational and dilatonic waves, and is generically prone to gravitational instability, leading to the possible formation of many black holes hiding singular space-like hypersurfaces. Each such singular space-like hypersurface of gravitational collapse becomes, in the string-frame metric, the usual Big-Bang t=0 hypersurface, i.e. the place of birth of a baby Friedmann universe after a period of dilaton-driven inflation. Specializing to the spherically symmetric case, we review and reinterpret previous work on the subject, and propose a simple, scale-invariant criterion for collapse/inflation in terms of asymptotic data at past null infinity. Those data should determine whether, when, and where collapse/inflation occurs, and, when it does, fix its characteristics, including anisotropies on the Big-Bang hypersurface whose imprint could have survived till now. Using Bayesian probability concepts, we finally attempt to answer some fine-tuning objections recently moved to the pre-Big-Bang scenario.

The origin of the diffuse background gamma-radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.; Puget, J. L.

1974-01-01

Recent observations have now provided evidence for diffuse background gamma radiation extending to energies beyond 100 MeV. There is some evidence of isotropy and implied cosmological origin. Significant features in the spectrum of this background radiation have been observed which provide evidence for its origin in nuclear processes in the early stages of the big-band cosmology and tie in these processes with galaxy fromation theory. A crucial test of the theory may lie in future observations of the background radiation in the 100 MeV to 100 GeV energy range which may be made with large orbiting spark-chamber satellite detectors. A discussion of the theoretical interpretations of present data, their connection with baryon symmetric cosmology and galaxy formation theory, and the need for future observations are given.

A bridge between unified cosmic history by f( R)-gravity and BIonic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sepehri, Alireza; Capozziello, Salvatore; Setare, Mohammad Reza

2016-04-01

Recently, the cosmological deceleration-acceleration transition redshift in f( R) gravity has been considered in order to address consistently the problem of cosmic evolution. It is possible to show that the deceleration parameter changes sign at a given redshift according to observational data. Furthermore, a f( R) gravity cosmological model can be constructed in brane-antibrane system starting from the very early universe and accounting for the cosmological redshift at all phases of cosmic history, from inflation to late time acceleration. Here we propose a f( R) model where transition redshifts correspond to inflation-deceleration and deceleration-late time acceleration transitions starting froma BIon system. At the point where the universe was born, due to the transition of k black fundamental strings to the BIon configuration, the redshift is approximately infinity and decreases with reducing temperature (z˜ T2). The BIon is a configuration in flat space of a universe-brane and a parallel anti-universe-brane connected by a wormhole. This wormhole is a channel for flowing energy from extra dimensions into our universe, occurring at inflation and decreasing with redshift as z˜ T^{4+1/7}. Dynamics consists with the fact that the wormhole misses its energy and vanishes as soon as inflation ends and deceleration begins. Approaching two universe branes together, a tachyon is originated, it grows up and causes the formation of a wormhole. We show that, in the framework of f( R) gravity, the cosmological redshift depends on the tachyonic potential and has a significant decrease at deceleration-late time acceleration transition point (z˜ T^{2/3}). As soon as today acceleration approaches, the redshift tends to zero and the cosmological model reduces to the standard Λ CDM cosmology.

Creative Activities for String Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stabley, Nola Campbell

2001-01-01

Discusses how to teach improvisation, creativity, and movement to beginning music classroom students. Includes background information on teaching each concept and lesson plans to be used with beginning string students. Provides rhythm patterns, exercises, and an assignment used in the lessons. (CMK)

Consistent cosmic bubble embeddings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haque, S. Shajidul; Underwood, Bret

2017-05-01

The Raychaudhuri equation for null rays is a powerful tool for finding consistent embeddings of cosmological bubbles in a background spacetime in a way that is largely independent of the matter content. We find that spatially flat or positively curved thin wall bubbles surrounded by a cosmological background must have a Hubble expansion that is either contracting or expanding slower than the background, which is a more stringent constraint than those obtained by the usual Israel thin-wall formalism. Similarly, a cosmological bubble surrounded by Schwarzschild space, occasionally used as a simple "swiss cheese" model of inhomogenities in an expanding universe, must be contracting (for spatially flat and positively curved bubbles) and bounded in size by the apparent horizon.

Conformal twists, Yang–Baxter σ-models & holographic noncommutativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araujo, Thiago; Bakhmatov, Ilya; Colgáin, Eoin Ó.; Sakamoto, Jun-ichi; Sheikh-Jabbari, Mohammad M.; Yoshida, Kentaroh

2018-06-01

Expanding upon earlier results (Araujo et al 2017 Phys. Rev. D 95 105006), we present a compendium of σ-models associated with integrable deformations of AdS5 generated by solutions to homogenous classical Yang–Baxter equation. Each example we study from four viewpoints: conformal (Drinfeld) twists, closed string gravity backgrounds, open string parameters and proposed dual noncommutative (NC) gauge theory. Irrespective of whether the deformed background is a solution to supergravity or generalized supergravity, we show that the open string metric associated with each gravity background is undeformed AdS5 with constant open string coupling and the NC structure Θ is directly related to the conformal twist. One novel feature is that Θ exhibits ‘holographic noncommutativity’: while it may exhibit non-trivial dependence on the holographic direction, its value everywhere in the bulk is uniquely determined by its value at the boundary, thus facilitating introduction of a dual NC gauge theory. We show that the divergence of the NC structure Θ is directly related to the unimodularity of the twist. We discuss the implementation of an outer automorphism of the conformal algebra as a coordinate transformation in the AdS bulk and discuss its implications for Yang–Baxter σ-models and self-T-duality based on fermionic T-duality. Finally, we comment on implications of our results for the integrability of associated open strings and planar integrability of dual NC gauge theories.

Cosmological perturbations and noncommutative tachyon inflation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu Daojun; Li Xinzhou

2004-12-15

The motivation for studying the rolling tachyon and noncommutative inflation comes from string theory. In the tachyon inflation scenario, metric perturbations are created by tachyon field fluctuations during inflation. We drive the exact mode equation for scalar perturbations of the metric and investigate the cosmological perturbations in the commutative and noncommutative inflationary spacetime driven by the tachyon field which have a Born-Infeld Lagrangian. Although at lowest order the predictions of tachyon inflation are no different than those from standard slow-roll inflation, due to the modified inflationary dynamics there exists modifications to the power spectra of fluctuations generated during inflation. Inmore » the noncommutative tachyon inflation scenario, the stringy noncommutativity of spacetime results in corrections to the primordial power spectrum that lead to a spectral index that is greater than 1 on large scales and less than 1 on small scales as the first-year results of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe indicate.« less

A Cosmologist's Tour Through the New Particle Zoo / Candy Shop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, M. S.

Recent developments in elementary particle physics have led to a renaissance in cosmology, in general, and in the study of structure formation, in particular. Already, the study of the very early (t ≤ 10-2s) history of the Universe has provided valuable hints as to the 'initial data' for the structure formation problem - the nature and origin of the primeval density inhomogeneities, the quantity and composition of matter in the Universe today, and numerous candidates for the constituents of the ubiquitous dark matter. The author reviews the multitude of WIMP candidates for the dark matter provided by modern particle physics theories, putting them into context by briefly discussing the theories which predict them. He reviews their various birth sites and birth processes in the early Universe. The author also mentions some very exotic possibilities - unstable WIMPs, cosmic strings, and even the possibility of a relic cosmological term.

Investigating dark matter substructure with pulsar timing - II. Improved limits on small-scale cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Hamish A.; Lewis, Geraint F.; Scott, Pat

2016-02-01

Ultracompact minihaloes (UCMHs) have been proposed as a type of dark matter substructure seeded by large-amplitude primordial perturbations and topological defects. UCMHs are expected to survive to the present era, allowing constraints to be placed on their cosmic abundance using observations within our own Galaxy. Constraints on their number density can be linked to conditions in the early Universe that impact structure formation, such as increased primordial power on small scales, generic weak non-Gaussianity, and the presence of cosmic strings. We use new constraints on the abundance of UCMHs from pulsar timing to place generalized limits on the parameters of each of these cosmological scenarios. At some scales, the limits are the strongest to date, exceeding those from dark matter annihilation. Our new limits have the added advantage of being independent of the particle nature of dark matter, as they are based only on gravitational effects.

Princeton University High Energy Physics Research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marlow, Daniel R.

This is the Final Report on research conducted by the Princeton Elementary Particles group over the approximately three-year period from May 1, 2012 to April 30, 2015. The goal of our research is to investigate the fundamental constituents of matter, their fields, and their interactions; to understand the properties of space and time; and to study the profound relationships between cosmology and particle physics. During the funding period covered by this report, the group has been organized into a subgroup concentrating on the theory of particles, strings, and cosmology; and four subgroups performing major experiments at laboratories around the world: CERN, Daya Bay, Gran Sasso as well as detector R\\&D on the Princeton campus. Highlights in of this research include the discovery of the Higgs Boson at CERN and the measurement ofmore » $$\\sin^22\\theta_{13}$$ by the Daya Bay experiment. In both cases, Princeton researchers supported by this grant played key roles.« less

CMB temperature trispectrum of cosmic strings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hindmarsh, Mark; Ringeval, Christophe; Suyama, Teruaki

2010-03-15

We provide an analytical expression for the trispectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies induced by cosmic strings. Our result is derived for the small angular scales under the assumption that the temperature anisotropy is induced by the Gott-Kaiser-Stebbins effect. The trispectrum is predicted to decay with a noninteger power-law exponent l{sup -{rho}}with 6<{rho}<7, depending on the string microstructure, and thus on the string model. For Nambu-Goto strings, this exponent is related to the string mean square velocity and the loop distribution function. We then explore two classes of wave number configuration in Fourier space, the kite andmore » trapezium quadrilaterals. The trispectrum can be of any sign and appears to be strongly enhanced for all squeezed quadrilaterals.« less

Theoretical Astrophysics - Volume 3, Galaxies and Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padmanabhan, T.

2002-12-01

1. Overview: galaxies and cosmology; 2. Galactic structure and dynamics; 3. Friedmann model of the universe; 4. Thermal history of the universe; 5. Structure formation; 6. Cosmic microwave background radiation; 7. Formation of baryonic structures; 8. Active galactic nuclei; 9. Intergalactic medium and absorption systems; 10. Cosmological observations.

The COBE cosmic 3 K anisotropy experiment: A gravity wave and cosmic string probe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, Charles L.; Smoot, George F.

1989-01-01

Among the experiments to be carried into orbit next year, by the COBE satellite, are differential microwave radiometers. They will make sensitive all-sky maps of the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation at three frequencies, giving dipole, quadrupole, and higher order multipole measurements of the background radiation. The experiment will either detect, or place significant constraints on, the existence of cosmic strings and long wavelength gravity waves.

Science with the space-based interferometer eLISA. II: gravitational waves from cosmological phase transitions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Caprini, Chiara, E-mail: chiara.caprini@cea.fr; Hindmarsh, Mark; Huber, Stephan

We investigate the potential for the eLISA space-based interferometer to detect the stochastic gravitational wave background produced by strong first-order cosmological phase transitions. We discuss the resulting contributions from bubble collisions, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, and sound waves to the stochastic background, and estimate the total corresponding signal predicted in gravitational waves. The projected sensitivity of eLISA to cosmological phase transitions is computed in a model-independent way for various detector designs and configurations. By applying these results to several specific models, we demonstrate that eLISA is able to probe many well-motivated scenarios beyond the Standard Model of particle physics predicting strong first-ordermore » cosmological phase transitions in the early Universe.« less

Power suppression at large scales in string inflation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cicoli, Michele; Downes, Sean; Dutta, Bhaskar, E-mail: mcicoli@ictp.it, E-mail: sddownes@physics.tamu.edu, E-mail: dutta@physics.tamu.edu

2013-12-01

We study a possible origin of the anomalous suppression of the power spectrum at large angular scales in the cosmic microwave background within the framework of explicit string inflationary models where inflation is driven by a closed string modulus parameterizing the size of the extra dimensions. In this class of models the apparent power loss at large scales is caused by the background dynamics which involves a sharp transition from a fast-roll power law phase to a period of Starobinsky-like slow-roll inflation. An interesting feature of this class of string inflationary models is that the number of e-foldings of inflationmore » is inversely proportional to the string coupling to a positive power. Therefore once the string coupling is tuned to small values in order to trust string perturbation theory, enough e-foldings of inflation are automatically obtained without the need of extra tuning. Moreover, in the less tuned cases the sharp transition responsible for the power loss takes place just before the last 50-60 e-foldings of inflation. We illustrate these general claims in the case of Fibre Inflation where we study the strength of this transition in terms of the attractor dynamics, finding that it induces a pivot from a blue to a redshifted power spectrum which can explain the apparent large scale power loss. We compute the effects of this pivot for example cases and demonstrate how magnitude and duration of this effect depend on model parameters.« less

Power suppression at large scales in string inflation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cicoli, Michele; Downes, Sean; Dutta, Bhaskar

2013-12-01

We study a possible origin of the anomalous suppression of the power spectrum at large angular scales in the cosmic microwave background within the framework of explicit string inflationary models where inflation is driven by a closed string modulus parameterizing the size of the extra dimensions. In this class of models the apparent power loss at large scales is caused by the background dynamics which involves a sharp transition from a fast-roll power law phase to a period of Starobinsky-like slow-roll inflation. An interesting feature of this class of string inflationary models is that the number of e-foldings of inflation is inversely proportional to the string coupling to a positive power. Therefore once the string coupling is tuned to small values in order to trust string perturbation theory, enough e-foldings of inflation are automatically obtained without the need of extra tuning. Moreover, in the less tuned cases the sharp transition responsible for the power loss takes place just before the last 50-60 e-foldings of inflation. We illustrate these general claims in the case of Fibre Inflation where we study the strength of this transition in terms of the attractor dynamics, finding that it induces a pivot from a blue to a redshifted power spectrum which can explain the apparent large scale power loss. We compute the effects of this pivot for example cases and demonstrate how magnitude and duration of this effect depend on model parameters.

Cosmic string lensing and closed timelike curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shlaer, Benjamin; Tye, S.-H. Henry

2005-08-01

In an analysis of the gravitational lensing by two relativistic cosmic strings, we argue that the formation of closed timelike curves proposed by Gott is unstable in the presence of particles (e.g. the cosmic microwave background radiation). Because of the attractorlike behavior of the closed timelike curve, we argue that this instability is very generic. A single graviton or photon in the vicinity, no matter how soft, is sufficient to bend the strings and prevent the formation of closed timelike curves. We also show that the gravitational lensing due to a moving cosmic string is enhanced by its motion, not suppressed.

O(d,d)-duality in string theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rennecke, Felix

2014-10-01

A new method for obtaining dual string theory backgrounds is presented. Preservation of the Hamiltonian density and the energy momentum tensor induced by O( d, d)-transformations leads to a relation between dual sets of coordinate one-forms accompanied by a redefinition of the background fields and a shift of the dilaton. The necessity of isometric directions arises as integrability condition for this map. The isometry algebra is studied in detail using generalised geometry. In particular, non-abelian dualities and β-transformations are contained in this approach. The latter are exemplified by the construction of a new approximate non-geometric background.

A dipole moment of the microwave background as a cosmological effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paczynski, Bohdan; Piran, Tsvi

1990-12-01

A spherically symmetrical Tolman-Bondi cosmological model is presented in which the curvature of space and the entropy variety with distance from the center. The dipole and quadrupole moments in the distribution of the microwave background radiation are calculated as a function of cosmic time and position of an observer, assuming that the distance to the horizon is much smaller than any characteristic scale in the model. The quadrupole moment is found to be affected mostly by the gradient in the curvature of space while the dipole moment is dominated by the gradient of entropy. The results indicate that the observed dipole in the microwave background may be cosmological in origin. Observational tests of this argument are suggested.

A dipole moment of the microwave background as a cosmological effect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paczynski, Bohdan; Piran, Tsvi

1990-01-01

A spherically symmetrical Tolman-Bondi cosmological model is presented in which the curvature of space and the entropy variety with distance from the center. The dipole and quadrupole moments in the distribution of the microwave background radiation are calculated as a function of cosmic time and position of an observer, assuming that the distance to the horizon is much smaller than any characteristic scale in the model. The quadrupole moment is found to be affected mostly by the gradient in the curvature of space while the dipole moment is dominated by the gradient of entropy. The results indicate that the observed dipole in the microwave background may be cosmological in origin. Observational tests of this argument are suggested.

Effects of ordinary and superconducting cosmic strings on primordial nucleosynthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hodges, Hardy M.; Turner, Michael S.

1988-01-01

A precise calculation is done of the primordial nucleosynthesis constraint on the energy per length of ordinary and superconducting cosmic strings. A general formula is provided for the constraint on the string tension for ordinary strings. Using the current values for the various parameters that describe the evolution of loops, the constraint for ordinary strings is G mu less than 2.2 x 10 to the minus 5 power. Our constraint is weaker than previously quoted limits by a factor of approximately 5. For superconducting loops, with currents generated by primordial magnetic fields, the constraint can be less or more stringent than this limit, depending on the strength of the magnetic field. It is also found in this case that there is a negligible amount of entropy production if the electromagnetic radiation from strings thermalizes with the radiation background.

The confining baryonic Y-strings on the lattice

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bakry, Ahmed S.; Chen, Xurong; Zhang, Peng-Ming

2016-01-22

In a string picture, the nucleon is conjectured as consisting of a Y-shaped gluonic string ended by constituent quarks. In this proceeding, we summarize our results on revealing the signature of the confining Y-bosonic string in the gluonic profile due to a system of three static quarks on the lattice at finite temperature. The analysis of the action density unveils a background of a filled-Δ distribution. However, we found that these Δ-shaped profiles are comprised of three Y-shaped Gaussian-like flux tubes. The length of the revealed Y-string-like distribution is maximum near the deconfinement point and approaches the geometrical minimal nearmore » the end of the QCD plateau. The action density width profile returns good fits to a baryonic string model for the junction fluctuations at large quark source separation.« less

Pointless strings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Periwal, V.

1988-01-01

The author proves that bosonic string perturbation theory diverges and is not Borel summable. This is an indication of a non-perturbative instability of the bosonic string vacuum. He formulates two-dimensional sigma models in terms of algebras of functions. He extends this formulation to general C* algebras. He illustrates the utility of these algebraic notions by calculating some determinants of interest in the study of string propagation in orbifold backgrounds. He studies the geometry of spaces of field theories and show that the vanishing of the curvature of the natural Gel'fand-Naimark-Segal metric on such spaces is exactly the strong associativity conditionmore » of the operator product expansion.He shows that string scattering amplitudes arise as invariants of renormalization, when he formulates renormalization in terms of rescalings of the metric on the string world-sheet.« less

A two-fluid approximation for calculating the cosmic microwave background anisotropies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seljak, Uros

1994-01-01

We present a simplified treatment for calculating the cosmic microwave background anisotropy power spectrum in adiabatic models. It consists of solving for the evolution of a two-fluid model until the epoch of recombination and then integrating over the sources to obtain the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy power spectrum. The approximation is useful both for a physical understanding of CMB anisotropies as well as for a quantitative analysis of cosmological models. Comparison with exact calculations shows that the accuracy is typically 10%-20% over a large range of angles and cosmological models, including those with curvature and cosmological constant. Using this approximation we investigate the dependence of the CMB anisotropy on the cosmological parameters. We identify six dimensionless parameters that uniquely determine the anisotropy power spectrum within our approximation. CMB experiments on different angular scales could in principle provide information on all these parameters. In particular, mapping of the Doppler peaks would allow an independent determination of baryon mass density, matter mass density, and the Hubble constant.

The Dirac-Milne cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benoit-Lévy, Aurélien; Chardin, Gabriel

2014-05-01

We study an unconventional cosmology, in which we investigate the consequences that antigravity would pose to cosmology. We present the main characteristics of the Dirac-Milne Universe, a cosmological model where antimatter has a negative active gravitational mass. In this non-standard Universe, separate domains of matter and antimatter coexist at our epoch without annihilation, separated by a gravitationally induced depletion zone. We show that this cosmology does not require a priori the Dark Matter and Dark Energy components of the standard model of cosmology. Additionally, inflation becomes an unnecessary ingredient. Investigating this model, we show that the classical cosmological tests such as primordial nucleosynthesis, Type Ia supernovæ and Cosmic Microwave Background are surprisingly concordant.

Probing the string winding sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aldazabal, Gerardo; Mayo, Martín; Nuñez, Carmen

2017-03-01

We probe a slice of the massive winding sector of bosonic string theory from toroidal compactifications of Double Field Theory (DFT). This string subsector corresponds to states containing one left and one right moving oscillators. We perform a generalized Kaluza Klein compactification of DFT on generic 2 n-dimensional toroidal constant backgrounds and show that, up to third order in fluctuations, the theory coincides with the corresponding effective theory of the bosonic string compactified on n-dimensional toroidal constant backgrounds, obtained from three-point amplitudes. The comparison between both theories is facilitated by noticing that generalized diffeomorphisms in DFT allow to fix generalized harmonic gauge conditions that help in identifying the physical degrees of freedom. These conditions manifest as conformal anomaly cancellation requirements on the string theory side. The explicit expression for the gauge invariant effective action containing the physical massless sector (gravity+antisymmetric+gauge+ scalar fields) coupled to towers of generalized Kaluza Klein massive states (corresponding to compact momentum and winding modes) is found. The action acquires a very compact form when written in terms of fields carrying O( n, n) indices, and is explicitly T-duality invariant. The global algebra associated to the generalized Kaluza Klein compactification is discussed.

Higgs field and cosmological parameters in the fractal quantum system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abramov, Valeriy

2017-10-01

For the fractal model of the Universe the relations of cosmological parameters and the Higgs field are established. Estimates of the critical density, the expansion and speed-up parameters of the Universe (the Hubble constant and the cosmological redshift); temperature and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation were performed.

Jets in a strongly coupled anisotropic plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fadafan, Kazem Bitaghsir; Morad, Razieh

2018-01-01

In this paper, we study the dynamics of the light quark jet moving through the static, strongly coupled N=4, anisotropic plasma with and without charge. The light quark is presented by a 2-parameters point-like initial condition falling string in the context of the AdS/CFT. We calculate the stopping distance of the light quark in the anisotropic medium and compare it with its isotropic value. We study the dependency of the stopping distance to the both string initial conditions and background parameters such as anisotropy parameter or chemical potential. Although the typical behavior of the string in the anisotropic medium is similar to the one in the isotropic AdS-Sch background, the string falls faster to the horizon depending on the direction of moving. Particularly, the enhancement of quenching is larger in the beam direction. We find that the suppression of stopping distance is more prominent when the anisotropic plasma have the same temperature as the isotropic plasma.

Introduction to temperature anisotropies of Cosmic Microwave Background radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyama, Naoshi

2014-06-01

Since its serendipitous discovery, Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation has been recognized as the most important probe of Big Bang cosmology. This review focuses on temperature anisotropies of CMB which make it possible to establish precision cosmology. Following a brief history of CMB research, the physical processes working on the evolution of CMB anisotropies are discussed, including gravitational redshift, acoustic oscillations, and diffusion dumping. Accordingly, dependencies of the angular power spectrum on various cosmological parameters, such as the baryon density, the matter density, space curvature of the universe, and so on, are examined and intuitive explanations of these dependencies are given.

Topics in Cosmic String Physics and Vacuum Stability of Field Theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, Indranil

1998-01-01

In this thesis I examine aspects of the vacuum state of quantum field theories. Namely, I study topological defects in the vacuum which appear as localized regions of non-zero energy density if the model system is unable to relax to a homogeneous and isotropic ground state because of topological constraints. I also examine the stability of the so called false vacua in theories that have multiple vacuum states with different energy densities. I first consider topological defects in the form of strings and independently the decay of false vacua in models of particle physics where the presence of either defects or of false vacua leads to interesting phenomenology. Then I describe a situation in which the defects arising from topological properties of the vacuum in turn affect the stability of the vacuum itself. In the first part of this work (chapters 2 and 3), I explore the phenomenology of cosmic strings. I introduce new string-like topological defects that resemble pairs of strings bound together. I give an existence proof of these 'binary strings' and then develop their cosmological properties in detail. I then propose a simple extension of the Standard Model in which cosmic strings may form and then decay through baryon number violating interactions leading to baryogenesis. I show that the model has distinct and testable signatures. In the second part of this work (chapters 4 and 5), I examine the vacua of several proposed models of gauge mediated dynamical supersymmetry breaking and show that the viable vacua are often unstable. I develop a rigorous theory for approximating vacuum tunneling rates in multi-scalar field theories and by computing bounds on the decay rate of the vacua in these models obtain useful constraints on the parameter space. In the final part of this work (chapter 6), I develop a theory of vacuum tunneling induced by topological defects. I show that defects can speed up vacuum tunneling rates by seeding new kinds of bubbles during a first order phase transition. I then indicate possible phenomenological applications of this effect and develop simple approximation techniques for computing the rate of seeded tunneling.

Cosmological QCD phase transition in steady non-equilibrium dissipative Hořava–Lifshitz early universe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khodadi, M., E-mail: M.Khodadi@sbu.ac.ir; Sepangi, H.R., E-mail: hr-sepangi@sbu.ac.ir

We study the phase transition from quark–gluon plasma to hadrons in the early universe in the context of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. According to the standard model of cosmology, a phase transition associated with chiral symmetry breaking after the electro-weak transition has occurred when the universe was about 1–10 μs old. We focus attention on such a phase transition in the presence of a viscous relativistic cosmological background fluid in the framework of non-detailed balance Hořava–Lifshitz cosmology within an effective model of QCD. We consider a flat Friedmann–Robertson–Walker universe filled with a non-causal and a causal bulk viscous cosmological fluid respectively and investigatemore » the effects of the running coupling constants of Hořava–Lifshitz gravity, λ, on the evolution of the physical quantities relevant to a description of the early universe, namely, the temperature T, scale factor a, deceleration parameter q and dimensionless ratio of the bulk viscosity coefficient to entropy density (ξ)/s . We assume that the bulk viscosity cosmological background fluid obeys the evolution equation of the steady truncated (Eckart) and full version of the Israel–Stewart fluid, respectively. -- Highlights: •In this paper we have studied quark–hadron phase transition in the early universe in the context of the Hořava–Lifshitz model. •We use a flat FRW universe with the bulk viscosity cosmological background fluid obeying the evolution equation of the steady truncated (Eckart) and full version of the Israel–Stewart fluid, respectively.« less

Purely cubic action for string field theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horowitz, G. T.; Lykken, J.; Rohm, R.; Strominger, A.

1986-01-01

It is shown that Witten's (1986) open-bosonic-string field-theory action and a closed-string analog can be written as a purely cubic interaction term. The conventional form of the action arises by expansion around particular solutions of the classical equations of motion. The explicit background dependence of the conventional action via the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin operator is eliminated in the cubic formulation. A closed-form expression is found for the full nonlinear gauge-transformation law.

Holographic corrections to meson scattering amplitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armoni, Adi; Ireson, Edwin

2017-06-01

We compute meson scattering amplitudes using the holographic duality between confining gauge theories and string theory, in order to consider holographic corrections to the Veneziano amplitude and associated higher-point functions. The generic nature of such computations is explained, thanks to the well-understood nature of confining string backgrounds, and two different examples of the calculation in given backgrounds are used to illustrate the details. The effect we discover, whilst only qualitative, is re-obtainable in many such examples, in four-point but also higher point amplitudes.

Linear perturbations of black holes: stability, quasi-normal modes and tails

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhidenko, Alexander

2009-03-01

Black holes have their proper oscillations, which are called the quasi-normal modes. The proper oscillations of astrophysical black holes can be observed in the nearest future with the help of gravitational wave detectors. Quasi-normal modes are also very important in the context of testing of the stability of black objects, the anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence and in higher dimensional theories, such as the brane-world scenarios and string theory. This dissertation reviews a number of works, which provide a thorough study of the quasi-normal spectrum of a wide class of black holes in four and higher dimensions for fields of various spin and gravitational perturbations. We have studied numerically the dependance of the quasi-normal modes on a number of factors, such as the presence of the cosmological constant, the Gauss-Bonnet parameter or the aether in the space-time, the dependance of the spectrum on parameters of the black hole and fields under consideration. By the analysis of the quasi-normal spectrum, we have studied the stability of higher dimensional Reissner-Nordstrom-de Sitter black holes, Kaluza-Klein black holes with squashed horizons, Gauss-Bonnet black holes and black strings. Special attention is paid to the evolution of massive fields in the background of various black holes. We have considered their quasi-normal ringing and the late-time tails. In addition, we present two new numerical techniques: a generalisation of the Nollert improvement of the Frobenius method for higher dimensional problems and a qualitatively new method, which allows to calculate quasi-normal frequencies for black holes, which metrics are not known analytically.

Open string with a background B field as the first order mechanics, noncommutativity, and soldering formalism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deriglazov, A. A.; Neves, C.; Oliveira, W.

2007-09-15

To study noncommutativity properties of the open string with constant B field, we construct a mechanical action that reproduces classical dynamics of the string sector under consideration. It allows one to apply the Dirac quantization procedure for constrained systems in a direct and unambiguous way. The mechanical action turns out to be the first order system without taking the strong field limit B{yields}{infinity}. In particular, it is true for the zero mode of the string coordinate, which means that the noncommutativity is an intrinsic property of this mechanical system. We describe the arbitrariness in the relation existing between the mechanicalmore » and the string variables and show that noncommutativity of the string variables on the boundary can be removed. This is in correspondence with the result of Seiberg and Witten on the relation among noncommutative and ordinary Yang-Mills theories. The recently developed soldering formalism helps us to establish a connection between the original open string action and the Polyakov action.« less

High redshift signatures in the 21 cm forest due to cosmic string wakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tashiro, Hiroyuki; Sekiguchi, Toyokazu; Silk, Joseph

2014-01-01

Cosmic strings induce minihalo formation in the early universe. The resultant minihalos cluster in string wakes and create a ``21 cm forest'' against the cosmic microwave background (CMB) spectrum. Such a 21 cm forest can contribute to angular fluctuations of redshifted 21 cm signals integrated along the line of sight. We calculate the root-mean-square amplitude of the 21 cm fluctuations due to strings and show that these fluctuations can dominate signals from minihalos due to primordial density fluctuations at high redshift (zgtrsim10), even if the string tension is below the current upper bound, Gμ < 1.5 × 10-7. Our results also predict that the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) can potentially detect the 21 cm fluctuations due to strings with Gμ ≈ 7.5 × 10-8 for the single frequency band case and 4.0 × 10-8 for the multi-frequency band case.

Tracking quintessence and k-essence in a general cosmological background

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Das, Rupam; Kephart, Thomas W.; Scherrer, Robert J.

We derive conditions for stable tracker solutions for both quintessence and k-essence in a general cosmological background, H{sup 2}{proportional_to}f({rho}). We find that tracker solutions are possible only when {eta}{identical_to}dlnf/dln{rho}{approx_equal}constant, aside from a few special cases, which are enumerated. Expressions for the quintessence or k-essence equation of state are derived as a function of {eta} and the equation of state of the dominant background component.

Gamma-ray Background Spectrum and Annihilation Rate in the Baryon-symmetric Big-bang Cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Puget, J. L.

1973-01-01

An attempt was made to acquire experimental information on the problem of baryon symmetry on a large cosmological scale by observing the annihilation products. Data cover absorption cross sections and background radiation due to other sources for the two main products of annihilation, gamma rays and neutrinos. Test results show that the best direct experimental test for the presence of large scale antimatter lies in the gamma ray background spectrum between 1 and 70 MeV.

Constraints on a new post-general relativity cosmological parameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caldwell, Robert; Cooray, Asantha; Melchiorri, Alessandro

2007-07-01

A new cosmological variable is introduced to characterize the degree of departure from Einstein’s general relativity with a cosmological constant. The new parameter, ϖ, is the cosmological analog of γ, the parametrized post-Newtonian variable which measures the amount of spacetime curvature per unit mass. In the cosmological context, ϖ measures the difference between the Newtonian and longitudinal potentials in response to the same matter sources, as occurs in certain scalar-tensor theories of gravity. Equivalently, ϖ measures the scalar shear fluctuation in a dark-energy component. In the context of a vanilla, cosmological constant-dominated universe, a nonzero ϖ signals a departure from general relativity or a fluctuating cosmological constant. Using a phenomenological model for the time evolution ϖ=ϖ0ρDE/ρM which depends on the ratio of energy density in the cosmological constant to the matter density at each epoch, it is shown that the observed cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropies limit the overall normalization constant to be -0.4<ϖ0<0.1 at the 95% confidence level. Existing measurements of the cross-correlations of the cosmic microwave background with large-scale structure further limit ϖ0>-0.2 at the 95% CL. In the future, integrated Sachs-Wolfe and weak lensing measurements can more tightly constrain ϖ0, providing a valuable clue to the nature of dark energy and the validity of general relativity.

Understanding Creation: Cosmology at the Dawn of the 21st Century

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lang, Andrew E.

1997-01-01

Cosmology attempts to answer questions concerning the origin of the universe, the way in which it evolves, and the way in which it will end. These are ancient questions that fascinate humanity and attendant metaphysical answers predate recorded history. The dawn of the 21st century has witnessed the first scientific answers. The goal of modern cosmology is to determine the basic properties of the universe. Numerous discoveries have been made in the last century which have had a profound influence on cosmology such as the expansion of the universe and the existence of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). CMB and other phenomena act as fossils for cosmologists who attempt to characterize the early universe through an interpretive methodology similar to that of archaeologists. Programs and tools such as NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) have been designed to illuminate the morphologic history of the universe including the big bang theory and the current density of the universe. In this primer for cosmology, these and other discoveries and postulations are discussed.

On Rosen's theory of gravity and cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, R. C.

1980-01-01

Formal similarities between general relativity and Rosen's bimetric theory of gravity were used to analyze various bimetric cosmologies. The following results were found: (1) physically plausible model universes which have a flat static background metric, have a Robertson-Walker fundamental metric, and which allow co-moving coordinates do not exist in bimetric cosmology. (2) it is difficult to use the Robertson-Walker metric for both the background metric (gamma mu nu) and the fundamental metric tensor of Riemannian geometry( g mu nu) and require that g mu nu and gamma mu nu have different time dependences. (3) A consistency relation for using co-moving coordinates in bimetric cosmology was derived. (4) Certain spatially flat bimetric cosmologies of Babala were tested for the presence of particle horizons. (5) An analytic solution for Rosen's k = +1 model was found. (6) Rosen's singularity free k = +1 model arises from what appears to be an arbitary choice for the time dependent part of gamma mu nu.

Pre-Big Bang Bubbles from the Gravitational Instability of Generic String Vacua

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buonanno, A.; Damour, T.; Veneziano, G.

1998-06-01

We formulate the basic postulate of pre-big bang cosmology as one of 'asymptotic past triviality', by which we mean that the initial state is a generic perturbative solution of the tree-level low-energy effective action. Each such singular space-like hypersurface of gravitational collapse becomes, in the string-frame metric, the usual big-bang t = 0 hypersurface, i.e. the place of birth of a baby Friedmann universe after a period of dilaton-driven inflation. Specializing to the spherically-symmetric case, we review and reinterpret previous work on the subject, and propose a simple, scale-invariant criterion for collapse/inflation in terms of asymptotic data at past null infinity. Those data should determine whether, when, and where collapse/inflation occurs, and, when it does, fix its characteristics, including anisotropies on the big bang hypersurface whose imprint could have survived till now. Using Bayesian probability concepts, we finally attempt to answer some fine-tuning objections recently moved to the pre-gib bang scenario.

On classifying the divisor involutions in Calabi-Yau threefolds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xin; Shukla, Pramod

2013-11-01

In order to support the odd moduli in models of (type IIB) string compactification, we classify the Calabi-Yau threefolds with h 1,1 ≤ 4 which exhibit pairs of identical divisors, with different line-bundle charges, mapping to each other under possible divisor exchange involutions. For this purpose, the divisors of interest are identified as completely rigid surface, Wilson surface, K3 surface and some other deformation surfaces. Subsequently, various possible exchange involutions are examined under the symmetry of Stanley-Reisner Ideal. In addition, we search for the Calabi-Yau theefolds which contain a divisor with several disjoint components. Under certain reflection involution, such spaces also have nontrivial odd components in (1,1)-cohomology class. String compactifications on such Calabi-Yau orientifolds with non-zero could be promising for concrete model building in both particle physics and cosmology. In the spirit of using such Calabi-Yau orientifolds in the context of LARGE volume scenario, we also present some concrete examples of (strong/weak) swiss-cheese type volume form.

New class of de Sitter vacua in string theory compactifications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Achúcarro, Ana; Ortiz, Pablo; Sousa, Kepa

2016-10-01

String theory contains few known working examples of de Sitter vacua, four-dimensional universes with a positive cosmological constant. A notorious obstacle is the stabilization of a large number—sometimes hundreds—of moduli fields that characterize the compact dimensions. We study the stability of a class of supersymmetric moduli (the complex structure moduli and dilaton in type-IIB flux compactifications) in the regime where the volume of the compact space is large but not exponentially large. We show that, if the number of moduli is very large, random matrix theory provides a new stability condition, a lower bound on the volume. We find a new class of stable vacua where the mass spectrum of these supersymmetric moduli is gapped, without requiring a large mass hierarchy between moduli sectors or any fine-tuning of the superpotential. We provide the first explicit example of this class of vacua in the P[1,1 ,1 ,6 ,9 ] 4 model. A distinguishing feature is that all fermions in the supersymmetric sector are lighter than the gravitino.

Brane SUSY breaking and inflation: Implications for scalar fields and CMB distortion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagnotti, Augusto

2014-12-01

I elaborate on a link between the string-scale breaking of supersymmetry that occurs in a class of superstring models and the onset of inflation. The link rests on spatially flat cosmologies supported by a scalar field driven by an exponential potential. If, as in String Theory, this potential is steep enough, under some assumptions that are spelled out in the text the scalar can only climb up as it emerges from an initial singularity. In the presence of another mild exponential, slow-roll inflation is thus injected during the ensuing descent and definite imprints are left in the CMB power spectrum: the quadrupole is systematically reduced and, depending on the choice of two parameters, an oscillatory behavior can also emerge for low multipoles l < 50, in qualitative agreement with WMAP9 and PLANCK data. The experimentally favored value of the spectral index, n s ≈ 0.96, points to a potentially important role for the NS fivebrane, which is unstable in this class of models, in the Early Universe.

Domain wall and isocurvature perturbation problems in axion models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawasaki, Masahiro; Yoshino, Kazuyoshi; Yanagida, Tsutomu T., E-mail: kawasaki@icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp, E-mail: tsutomu.tyanagida@ipmu.jp, E-mail: yoshino@icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp

2013-11-01

Axion models have two serious cosmological problems, domain wall and isocurvature perturbation problems. In order to solve these problems we investigate the Linde's model in which the field value of the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) scalar is large during inflation. In this model the fluctuations of the PQ field grow after inflation through the parametric resonance and stable axionic strings may be produced, which results in the domain wall problem. We study formation of axionic strings using lattice simulations. It is found that in chaotic inflation the axion model is free from both the domain wall and the isocurvature perturbation problems ifmore » the initial misalignment angle θ{sub a} is smaller than O(10{sup −2}). Furthermore, axions can also account for the dark matter for the breaking scale v ≅ 10{sup 12−16} GeV and the Hubble parameter during inflation H{sub inf}∼<10{sup 11−12} GeV in general inflation models.« less

Void statistics, scaling, and the origins of large-scale structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fry, J. N.; Giovanelli, Riccardo; Haynes, Martha P.; Melott, Adrian L.; Scherrer, Robert J.

1989-01-01

The probability that a volume of the universe of given size and shape spaced at random will be void of galaxies is used here to study various models of the origin of cosmological structures. Numerical simulations are conducted on hot-particle and cold-particle-modulated inflationary models with and without biasing, on isothermal or initially Poisson models, and on models where structure is seeded by loops of cosmic string. For the Pisces-Perseus redshift compilation of Giovanelli and Haynes (1985), it is found that hierarchical scaling is obeyed for subsamples constructed with different limiting magnitudes and subsamples taken at random. This result confirms that the hierarchical ansatz holds valid to high order and supports the idea that structure in the observed universe evolves by a regular process from an almost Gaussian primordial state. Neutrino models without biasing show the effect of a strong feature in the initial power spectrum. Cosmic string models do not agree well with the galaxy data.

Dynamically avoiding fine-tuning the cosmological constant: the ``Relaxed Universe''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Florian; Solà, Joan; Štefancić, Hrvoje

2010-12-01

We demonstrate that there exists a large class of Script F(R,Script G) action functionals of the scalar curvature and of the Gauß-Bonnet invariant which are able to relax dynamically a large cosmological constant (CC), whatever it be its starting value in the early universe. Hence, it is possible to understand, without fine-tuning, the very small current value Λ0 ~ H02 of the CC as compared to its theoretically expected large value in quantum field theory and string theory. In our framework, this relaxation appears as a pure gravitational effect, where no ad hoc scalar fields are needed. The action involves a positive power of a characteristic mass parameter, Script M, whose value can be, interestingly enough, of the order of a typical particle physics mass of the Standard Model of the strong and electroweak interactions or extensions thereof, including the neutrino mass. The model universe emerging from this scenario (the ``Relaxed Universe'') falls within the class of the so-called ΛXCDM models of the cosmic evolution. Therefore, there is a ``cosmon'' entity X (represented by an effective object, not a field), which in this case is generated by the effective functional Script F(R,Script G) and is responsible for the dynamical adjustment of the cosmological constant. This model universe successfully mimics the essential past epochs of the standard (or ``concordance'') cosmological model (ΛCDM). Furthermore, it provides interesting clues to the coincidence problem and it may even connect naturally with primordial inflation.

A tale of two timescales: Mixing, mass generation, and phase transitions in the early universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dienes, Keith R.; Kost, Jeff; Thomas, Brooks

2016-02-01

Light scalar fields such as axions and string moduli can play an important role in early-universe cosmology. However, many factors can significantly impact their late-time cosmological abundances. For example, in cases where the potentials for these fields are generated dynamically—such as during cosmological mass-generating phase transitions—the duration of the time interval required for these potentials to fully develop can have significant repercussions. Likewise, in scenarios with multiple scalars, mixing amongst the fields can also give rise to an effective timescale that modifies the resulting late-time abundances. Previous studies have focused on the effects of either the first or the second timescale in isolation. In this paper, by contrast, we examine the new features that arise from the interplay between these two timescales when both mixing and time-dependent phase transitions are introduced together. First, we find that the effects of these timescales can conspire to alter not only the total late-time abundance of the system—often by many orders of magnitude—but also its distribution across the different fields. Second, we find that these effects can produce large parametric resonances which render the energy densities of the fields highly sensitive to the degree of mixing as well as the duration of the time interval over which the phase transition unfolds. Finally, we find that these effects can even give rise to a "reoverdamping" phenomenon which causes the total energy density of the system to behave in novel ways that differ from those exhibited by pure dark matter or vacuum energy. All of these features therefore give rise to new possibilities for early-universe phenomenology and cosmological evolution. They also highlight the importance of taking into account the time dependence associated with phase transitions in cosmological settings.

The grand unified photon spectrum: A coherent view of the diffuse extragalactic background radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ressell, M. Ted; Turner, Michael S.

1989-01-01

The spectrum of diffuse extragalactic background radiation (DEBRA) at wavelengths from 10(exp 5) to 10(exp -24) cm is presented in a coherent fashion. Each wavelength region, from the radio to ultra-high energy photons and cosmic rays, is treated both separately and as part of the grand unified photon spectrum (GUPS). A discussion of, and references to, the relevant literature for each wavelength region is included. This review should provide a useful tool for those interested in diffuse backgrounds, the epoch of galaxy formation, astrophysical/cosmological constraints to particle properties, exotic early Universe processes, and many other astrophysical and cosmological enterprises. As a worked example, researchers derive the cosmological constraints to an unstable-neutrino spies (with arbitrary branching ratio to a radiative decay mode) that follow from the GUPS.

Moduli Dark Matter and the Search for Its Decay Line using Suzaku X-Ray Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kusenko, Alexander; Loewenstein, Michael; Yanagida, Tsutomu T.

2013-01-01

Light scalar fields called moduli arise from a variety of different models involving supersymmetry and/or string theory; thus their existence is a generic prediction of leading theories for physics beyond the standard model. They also present a formidable, long-standing problem for cosmology. We argue that an anthropic solution to the moduli problem exists in the case of small moduli masses and that it automatically leads to dark matter in the form of moduli. The recent discovery of the 125 GeV Higgs boson implies a lower bound on the moduli mass of about a keV. This form of dark matter is consistent with the observed properties of structure formation, and it is amenable to detection with the help of x-ray telescopes. We present the results of a search for such dark matter particles using spectra extracted from the first deep x-ray observations of the Draco and Ursa Minor dwarf spheroidal galaxies, which are darkmatter- dominated systems with extreme mass-to-light ratios and low intrinsic backgrounds. No emission line is positively detected, and we set new constraints on the relevant new physics.

The big bang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silk, Joseph

Our universe was born billions of years ago in a hot, violent explosion of elementary particles and radiation - the big bang. What do we know about this ultimate moment of creation, and how do we know it? Drawing upon the latest theories and technology, this new edition of The big bang, is a sweeping, lucid account of the event that set the universe in motion. Joseph Silk begins his story with the first microseconds of the big bang, on through the evolution of stars, galaxies, clusters of galaxies, quasars, and into the distant future of our universe. He also explores the fascinating evidence for the big bang model and recounts the history of cosmological speculation. Revised and updated, this new edition features all the most recent astronomical advances, including: Photos and measurements from the Hubble Space Telescope, Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE), and Infrared Space Observatory; the latest estimates of the age of the universe; new ideas in string and superstring theory; recent experiments on neutrino detection; new theories about the presence of dark matter in galaxies; new developments in the theory of the formation and evolution of galaxies; the latest ideas about black holes, worm holes, quantum foam, and multiple universes.

Classical probes of string/gauge theory duality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishizeki, Riei

The AdS/CFT correspondence has played an important role in the recent development of string theory. The reason is that it proposes a description of certain gauge theories in terms of string theory. It is such that simple string theory computations give information about the strong coupling regime of the gauge theory. Vice versa, gauge theory computations give information about string theory and quantum gravity. Although much is known about AdS/CFT, the precise map between the two sides of the correspondence is not completely understood. In the unraveling of such map classical string solutions play a vital role. In this thesis, several classical string solutions are proposed to help understand the AdS/CFT duality. First, rigidly rotating strings on a two-sphere are studied. Taking special limits of such solutions leads to two cases: the already known giant magnon solution, and a new solution which we call the single spike solution. Next, we compute the scattering phase shift of the single spike solutions and compare the result with the giant magnon solutions. Intriguingly, the results are the same up to non-logarithmic terms, indicating that the single spike solution should have the same rich spin chain structure as the giant magnon solution. Afterward, we consider open string solutions ending on the boundary of AdS5. The lines traced by the ends of such open strings can be viewed as Wilson loops in N = 4 SYM theory. After applying an inversion transformation, the open Wilson loops become closed Wilson loops whose expectation value is consistent with previously conjectured results. Next, several Wilson loops for N = 4 SYM in an AdS5 pp-wave background are considered and translated to the pure AdS 5 background and their interpretation as forward quark-gluon scattering is suggested. In the last part of this thesis, a class of classical solutions for closed strings moving in AdS3 x S 1 ⊂ AdS5 x S5 with energy E and spin S in AdS3 and angular momentum J and winding m in S1 is explained. The relation between different limits of the spiky string solution with the Landau-Lifshitz model is of particular interest. The presented solutions provide new classes of string motion that are used to better understand the AdS/CFT correspondence, including the single spike solution and previously unknown examples of supersymmetric Wilson loops.

Examining the Intersections of Music Making and Teaching for Four String Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellegrino, Kristen

2014-01-01

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to examine the intersections of music making and teaching for four string teachers. Data included background surveys, three interviews per participant, videotaped classroom observations (jointly viewed during the second interview), and a focus group interview that included music making. Findings…

An Unpublished Draft by Gabriele Veneziano (1973): ``Non-local Field Theory Suggested by Dual Models''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veneziano, G.

This article reports an old and incomplete note (written in 1973, mostly at the Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel) about a non-local field theory suggested by dual resonance models, and largely inspired by Yukawa’s late work on bilocal fields. It has definite relations to the study of strings in a background (discussed by Ademollo et al.), and to Polyakov’s action for a string moving in a tachyonic background. It also suggests, for the first time, a modification of the uncertainty principle coming from the extended nature of strings. The original note is reported in this article using the slanted typographical style, for an immediate “visive” separation between the old, original text and the modern comments added by the author in the notes and in the final appendix.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grenon, Cedric; Lake, Kayll

We generalize the Swiss-cheese cosmologies so as to include nonzero linear momenta of the associated boundary surfaces. The evolution of mass scales in these generalized cosmologies is studied for a variety of models for the background without having to specify any details within the local inhomogeneities. We find that the final effective gravitational mass and size of the evolving inhomogeneities depends on their linear momenta but these properties are essentially unaffected by the details of the background model.

Curvaton as dark matter with secondary inflation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gong, Jinn-Ouk; Kitajima, Naoya; Terada, Takahiro, E-mail: jinn-ouk.gong@apctp.org, E-mail: naoya.kitajima@apctp.org, E-mail: terada@kias.re.kr

2017-03-01

We consider a novel cosmological scenario in which a curvaton is long-lived and plays the role of cold dark matter (CDM) in the presence of a short, secondary inflation. Non-trivial evolution of the large scale cosmological perturbation in the curvaton scenario can affect the duration of the short term inflation, resulting in the inhomogeneous end of inflation. Non-linear parameters of the curvature perturbation are predicted to be f {sub NL} ≈ 5/4 and g {sub NL} ≈ 0. The curvaton abundance can be well diluted by the short-term inflation and accordingly, it does not have to decay into the Standardmore » Model particles. Then the curvaton can account for the present CDM with the isocurvature perturbation being sufficiently suppressed because both the adiabatic and CDM isocurvature perturbations have the same origin. As an explicit example, we consider the thermal inflation scenario and a string axion as a candidate for this curvaton-dark matter. We further discuss possibilities to identify the curvaton-dark matter with the QCD axion.« less

Solutions on a brane in a bulk spacetime with Kalb–Ramond field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chakraborty, Sumanta, E-mail: sumanta@iucaa.in; SenGupta, Soumitra, E-mail: tpssg@iacs.res.in

Effective gravitational field equations on a brane have been derived, when the bulk spacetime is endowed with the second rank antisymmetric Kalb–Ramond field. Since both the graviton and the Kalb–Ramond field are closed string excitations, they can propagate in the bulk. After deriving the effective gravitational field equations on the brane, we solve them for a static spherically symmetric solution. It turns out that the solution so obtained represents a black hole or naked singularity depending on the parameter space of the model. The stability of this model is also discussed. Cosmological solutions to the gravitational field equations have beenmore » obtained, where the Kalb–Ramond field is found to behave as normal pressure free matter. For certain specific choices of the parameters in the cosmological solution, the solution exhibits a transition in the behaviour of the scale factor and hence a transition in the expansion history of the universe. The possibility of accelerated expansion of the universe in this scenario is also discussed.« less

The cosmic microwave background

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silk, Joseph

1991-01-01

Recent limits on spectral distortions and angular anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background are reviewed. The various backgrounds are described, and the theoretical implications are assessed. Constraints on inflationary cosmology dominated by cold dark matter (CDM) and on open cosmological models dominated by baryonic dark matter (BDM), with, respectively, primordial random phase scale-invariant curvature fluctuations or non-gaussian isocurvature fluctuations are described. More exotic theories are addressed, and I conclude with the 'bottom line': what theorists expect experimentalists to be measuring within the next two to three years without having to abandon their most cherished theories.

Did BICEP2 see vector modes? First B-mode constraints on cosmic defects.

PubMed

Moss, Adam; Pogosian, Levon

2014-05-02

Scaling networks of cosmic defects, such as strings and textures, actively generate scalar, vector, and tensor metric perturbations throughout the history of the Universe. In particular, vector modes sourced by defects are an efficient source of the cosmic microwave background B-mode polarization. We use the recently released BICEP2 and POLARBEAR B-mode polarization spectra to constrain properties of a wide range of different types of cosmic strings networks. We find that in order for strings to provide a satisfactory fit on their own, the effective interstring distance needs to be extremely large--spectra that fit the data best are more representative of global strings and textures. When a local string contribution is considered together with the inflationary B-mode spectrum, the fit is improved. We discuss implications of these results for theories that predict cosmic defects.

Light higgsino dark matter from non-thermal cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aparicio, Luis; Cicoli, Michele; Dutta, Bhaskar

We study the scenario of higgsino dark matter in the context of a non-standard cosmology with a period of matter domination prior to Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Matter domination changes the dark matter relic abundance if it ends via reheating to a temperature below the higgsino thermal freeze-out temperature. We perform a model independent analysis of the higgsino dark matter production in such scenario. We show that light higgsino-type dark matter is possible for reheating temperatures close to 1 GeV. We study the impact of dark matter indirect detection and collider physics in this context. We show that Fermi-LAT data rulemore » out non-thermal higgsinos with masses below 300 GeV. A future indirect dark matter searches from Fermi-LAT and CTA will be able to cover essentially the full parameter space. Contrary to the thermal case, collider signals from a 100 TeV collider could fully test the non-thermal higgsino scenario. In the second part of the paper we discuss the motivation of such non-thermal cosmology from the perspective of string theory with late-time decaying moduli for both KKLT and LVS moduli stabilisation mechanisms. Finally, we describe the impact of embedding higgsino dark matter in these scenarios.« less

Light higgsino dark matter from non-thermal cosmology

DOE PAGES

Aparicio, Luis; Cicoli, Michele; Dutta, Bhaskar; ...

2016-11-01

We study the scenario of higgsino dark matter in the context of a non-standard cosmology with a period of matter domination prior to Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Matter domination changes the dark matter relic abundance if it ends via reheating to a temperature below the higgsino thermal freeze-out temperature. We perform a model independent analysis of the higgsino dark matter production in such scenario. We show that light higgsino-type dark matter is possible for reheating temperatures close to 1 GeV. We study the impact of dark matter indirect detection and collider physics in this context. We show that Fermi-LAT data rulemore » out non-thermal higgsinos with masses below 300 GeV. A future indirect dark matter searches from Fermi-LAT and CTA will be able to cover essentially the full parameter space. Contrary to the thermal case, collider signals from a 100 TeV collider could fully test the non-thermal higgsino scenario. In the second part of the paper we discuss the motivation of such non-thermal cosmology from the perspective of string theory with late-time decaying moduli for both KKLT and LVS moduli stabilisation mechanisms. Finally, we describe the impact of embedding higgsino dark matter in these scenarios.« less

Self-force on an electric dipole in the spacetime of a cosmic string

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Muniz, C.R., E-mail: celiomuniz@yahoo.com; Bezerra, V.B., E-mail: valdir@ufpb.br

2014-01-15

We calculate the electrostatic self-force on an electric dipole in the spacetime generated by a static, thin, infinite and straight cosmic string. The electric dipole is held fixed in different configurations, namely, parallel, perpendicular to the cosmic string and oriented along the azimuthal direction around this topological defect, which is stretched along the z axis. We show that the self-force is equivalent to an interaction of the electric dipole with an effective dipole moment which depends on the linear mass density of the cosmic string and on the configuration. The plots of the self-forces as functions of the parameter whichmore » determines the angular deficit of the cosmic string are shown for those different configurations. -- Highlights: •Review of regularized Green’s function applied to the problem. •Self-force on an electric dipole in the string spacetime for some orientations. •Representation via graphs of the self-forces versus angular parameter of the cosmic string. •Self-force induced by the string seen as an interaction between two dipoles. •Discussion about the superposition principle in this non-trivial background.« less

Anisotropies in the Diffuse Gamma-Ray Background Measured by the Fermi LAT

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-02

D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany 2W.W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology , Department of Physics...and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA 3Department of Physics, Center for Cosmology and Astro...Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA 57Consorzio Interuniversitario per la Fisica Spaziale (CIFS), I-10133 Torino, Italy E. Komatsu{ Texas Cosmology Center

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shiu, Gary; Everett, Lisa

The Tenth Annual International String Phenomenology Conference was held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison on August 22-26, 2011. The Conference was organized by Profs. Gary Shiu and Lisa Everett, with the help of two postdoctoral fellows Heng-Yu Chen and Jiajun Xu. The scientific subjects of the talks and discussions were chosen to be widely interdisciplinary, reflecting the scope and maturity of the field. The conference brought together researchers of diverse subfields in physics and mathematics to present and discuss recent developments in connecting observable particle physics and cosmology with the domain of fundamental theory. This report summarizes the outcomemore » of this conference.« less

Duality linking standard and tachyon scalar field cosmologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Avelino, P. P.; Bazeia, D.; Losano, L.

2010-09-15

In this work we investigate the duality linking standard and tachyon scalar field homogeneous and isotropic cosmologies in N+1 dimensions. We determine the transformation between standard and tachyon scalar fields and between their associated potentials, corresponding to the same background evolution. We show that, in general, the duality is broken at a perturbative level, when deviations from a homogeneous and isotropic background are taken into account. However, we find that for slow-rolling fields the duality is still preserved at a linear level. We illustrate our results with specific examples of cosmological relevance, where the correspondence between scalar and tachyon scalarmore » field models can be calculated explicitly.« less

Cold dark matter and degree-scale cosmic microwave background anisotropy statistics after COBE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorski, Krzysztof M.; Stompor, Radoslaw; Juszkiewicz, Roman

1993-01-01

We conduct a Monte Carlo simulation of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy in the UCSB South Pole 1991 degree-scale experiment. We examine cold dark matter cosmology with large-scale structure seeded by the Harrison-Zel'dovich hierarchy of Gaussian-distributed primordial inhomogeneities normalized to the COBE-DMR measurement of large-angle CMB anisotropy. We find it statistically implausible (in the sense of low cumulative probability F lower than 5 percent, of not measuring a cosmological delta-T/T signal) that the degree-scale cosmological CMB anisotropy predicted in such models could have escaped a detection at the level of sensitivity achieved in the South Pole 1991 experiment.

A class of exact classical solutions to string theory.

PubMed

Coley, A A

2002-12-31

We show that the recently obtained class of spacetimes for which all of the scalar curvature invariants vanish (which can be regarded as generalizations of pp-wave spacetimes) are exact solutions in string theory to all perturbative orders in the string tension scale. As a result the spectrum of the theory can be explicitly obtained, and these spacetimes are expected to provide some hints for the study of superstrings on more general backgrounds. Since these Lorentzian spacetimes suffer no quantum corrections to all loop orders they may also offer insights into quantum gravity.

Segmented strings coupled to a B-field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vegh, David

2018-04-01

In this paper we study segmented strings in AdS3 coupled to a background two-form whose field strength is proportional to the volume form. By changing the coupling, the theory interpolates between the Nambu-Goto string and the SL(2, ℝ) Wess-Zumino-Witten model. In terms of the kink momentum vectors, the action is independent of the coupling and the classical theory reduces to a single discrete-time Toda-type theory. The WZW model is a singular point in coupling space where the map into Toda variables degenerates.

Intrinsic non-commutativity of closed string theory

DOE PAGES

Freidel, Laurent; Leigh, Robert G.; Minic, Djordje

2017-09-14

We show that the proper interpretation of the cocycle operators appearing in the physical vertex operators of compactified strings is that the closed string target is noncommutative. We track down the appearance of this non-commutativity to the Polyakov action of the at closed string in the presence of translational monodromies (i.e., windings). Here, in view of the unexpected nature of this result, we present detailed calculations from a variety of points of view, including a careful understanding of the consequences of mutual locality in the vertex operator algebra, as well as a detailed analysis of the symplectic structure of themore » Polyakov string. Finally, we also underscore why this non-commutativity was not emphasized previously in the existing literature. This non-commutativity can be thought of as a central extension of the zero-mode operator algebra, an effect set by the string length scale $-$ it is present even in trivial backgrounds. Clearly, this result indicates that the α'→0 limit is more subtle than usually assumed.« less

The bispectrum of cosmic string temperature fluctuations including recombination effects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Regan, Donough; Hindmarsh, Mark, E-mail: d.regan@sussex.ac.uk, E-mail: m.b.hindmarsh@sussex.ac.uk

2015-10-01

We calculate the cosmic microwave background temperature bispectrum from cosmic strings, including the contributions from the last scattering surface, using a well-established Gaussian model for the string energy-momentum correlation functions, and a simplified model for the cosmic fluid. We check our approximation for the integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) contribution against the bispectrum obtained from the full sky map of the cosmic string ISW signal used by the Planck team, obtaining good agreement. We validate our model for the last scattering surface contribution by comparing the predicted temperature power spectrum with that obtained from a full Boltzmann code treatment applied to themore » Unconnected Segment Model of a string network. We find that including the last scattering contribution has only a small impact on the upper limit on the string tension resulting from the bispectrum at Planck resolutions, and argue that the bispectrum is unlikely to be competitive with the power spectrum at any resolution.« less

Intrinsic non-commutativity of closed string theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Freidel, Laurent; Leigh, Robert G.; Minic, Djordje

We show that the proper interpretation of the cocycle operators appearing in the physical vertex operators of compactified strings is that the closed string target is noncommutative. We track down the appearance of this non-commutativity to the Polyakov action of the at closed string in the presence of translational monodromies (i.e., windings). Here, in view of the unexpected nature of this result, we present detailed calculations from a variety of points of view, including a careful understanding of the consequences of mutual locality in the vertex operator algebra, as well as a detailed analysis of the symplectic structure of themore » Polyakov string. Finally, we also underscore why this non-commutativity was not emphasized previously in the existing literature. This non-commutativity can be thought of as a central extension of the zero-mode operator algebra, an effect set by the string length scale $-$ it is present even in trivial backgrounds. Clearly, this result indicates that the α'→0 limit is more subtle than usually assumed.« less

Generalized holographic dark energy and bouncing cosmology in Gauss-Bonnet gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makarenko, Andrey N.; Myagky, Alexander N.

We found out that F(𝒢) gravity theory can be rewritten in the holographic language at the level of background equivalence. The examples of the bouncing cosmological models in F(𝒢) gravity are considered in details.

Cosmological gravitational waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Linder, Eric V.

1988-01-01

A cosmological background of gravitational waves would alter the propagation of radiation, inducing redshift fluctuations, apparent source position deflections, and luminosity variations. By comparing these astrophysical effects with observations, it is possible to deduce upper limits on the energy density present in gravitational waves. Emphasis is placed on microwave background anisotropy from the redshift deviations and galaxy clustering correlation functions from the angular deviations. Many of the gravitational wave effects are shown to be generalizations of the gravitational lensing formalism.

Diffuse neutrino supernova background as a cosmological test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barranco, J.; Bernal, A.; Delepine, D.

2018-05-01

The future detection and measurement of the diffuse neutrino supernova background will provide us with information about supernova neutrino emission and the cosmic core-collapse supernova rate. Little has been said about the information that this measurement could give us about the expansion history of the Universe. The purpose of this article is to study the change of the predicted diffuse supernova neutrino background as a function of the cosmological model. In particular, we study three different models: the Λ–Cold Dark Matter model, the Logotropic universe and a bulk viscous matter-dominated universe. By fitting the free parameters of each model with the supernova Ia probe, we calculate the predicted number of events in these three models. We found that the spectra and number of events for the Λ–Cold dark matter model and the Logotropic model are almost indistinguishable, while a bulk viscous matter-dominated cosmological model predicts more events.

Super-Eddington accreting massive black holes explore high-z cosmology: Monte-Carlo simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Rong-Gen; Guo, Zong-Kuan; Huang, Qing-Guo; Yang, Tao

2018-06-01

In this paper, we simulate Super-Eddington accreting massive black holes (SEAMBHs) as the candles to probe cosmology for the first time. SEAMBHs have been demonstrated to be able to provide a new tool for estimating cosmological distance. Thus, we create a series of mock data sets of SEAMBHs, especially in the high redshift region, to check their abilities to probe the cosmology. To fulfill the potential of the SEAMBHs on the cosmology, we apply the simulated data to three projects. The first is the exploration of their abilities to constrain the cosmological parameters, in which we combine different data sets of current observations such as the cosmic microwave background from Planck and type Ia supernovae from Joint Light-curve Analysis (JLA). We find that the high redshift SEAMBHs can help to break the degeneracies of the background cosmological parameters constrained by Planck and JLA, thus giving much tighter constraints of the cosmological parameters. The second uses the high redshift SEAMBHs as the complements of the low redshift JLA to constrain the early expansion rate and the dark energy density evolution in the cold dark matter frame. Our results show that these high redshift SEAMBHs are very powerful on constraining the early Hubble rate and the evolution of the dark energy density; thus they can give us more information about the expansion history of our Universe, which is also crucial for testing the Λ CDM model in the high redshift region. Finally, we check the SEAMBH candles' abilities to reconstruct the equation of state for dark energy at high redshift. In summary, our results show that the SEAMBHs, as the rare candles in the high redshift region, can provide us a new and independent observation to probe cosmology in the future.

Text String Detection from Natural Scenes by Structure-based Partition and Grouping

PubMed Central

Yi, Chucai; Tian, YingLi

2012-01-01

Text information in natural scene images serves as important clues for many image-based applications such as scene understanding, content-based image retrieval, assistive navigation, and automatic geocoding. However, locating text from complex background with multiple colors is a challenging task. In this paper, we explore a new framework to detect text strings with arbitrary orientations in complex natural scene images. Our proposed framework of text string detection consists of two steps: 1) Image partition to find text character candidates based on local gradient features and color uniformity of character components. 2) Character candidate grouping to detect text strings based on joint structural features of text characters in each text string such as character size differences, distances between neighboring characters, and character alignment. By assuming that a text string has at least three characters, we propose two algorithms of text string detection: 1) adjacent character grouping method, and 2) text line grouping method. The adjacent character grouping method calculates the sibling groups of each character candidate as string segments and then merges the intersecting sibling groups into text string. The text line grouping method performs Hough transform to fit text line among the centroids of text candidates. Each fitted text line describes the orientation of a potential text string. The detected text string is presented by a rectangle region covering all characters whose centroids are cascaded in its text line. To improve efficiency and accuracy, our algorithms are carried out in multi-scales. The proposed methods outperform the state-of-the-art results on the public Robust Reading Dataset which contains text only in horizontal orientation. Furthermore, the effectiveness of our methods to detect text strings with arbitrary orientations is evaluated on the Oriented Scene Text Dataset collected by ourselves containing text strings in non-horizontal orientations. PMID:21411405

Text string detection from natural scenes by structure-based partition and grouping.

PubMed

Yi, Chucai; Tian, YingLi

2011-09-01

Text information in natural scene images serves as important clues for many image-based applications such as scene understanding, content-based image retrieval, assistive navigation, and automatic geocoding. However, locating text from a complex background with multiple colors is a challenging task. In this paper, we explore a new framework to detect text strings with arbitrary orientations in complex natural scene images. Our proposed framework of text string detection consists of two steps: 1) image partition to find text character candidates based on local gradient features and color uniformity of character components and 2) character candidate grouping to detect text strings based on joint structural features of text characters in each text string such as character size differences, distances between neighboring characters, and character alignment. By assuming that a text string has at least three characters, we propose two algorithms of text string detection: 1) adjacent character grouping method and 2) text line grouping method. The adjacent character grouping method calculates the sibling groups of each character candidate as string segments and then merges the intersecting sibling groups into text string. The text line grouping method performs Hough transform to fit text line among the centroids of text candidates. Each fitted text line describes the orientation of a potential text string. The detected text string is presented by a rectangle region covering all characters whose centroids are cascaded in its text line. To improve efficiency and accuracy, our algorithms are carried out in multi-scales. The proposed methods outperform the state-of-the-art results on the public Robust Reading Dataset, which contains text only in horizontal orientation. Furthermore, the effectiveness of our methods to detect text strings with arbitrary orientations is evaluated on the Oriented Scene Text Dataset collected by ourselves containing text strings in nonhorizontal orientations.

On pp wave limit for η deformed superstrings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roychowdhury, Dibakar

2018-05-01

In this paper, based on the notion of plane wave string/gauge theory duality, we explore the pp wave limit associated with the bosonic sector of η deformed superstrings propagating in ( AdS 5 × S 5) η . Our analysis reveals that in the presence of NS-NS and RR fluxes, the pp wave limit associated to full ABF background satisfies type IIB equations in its standard form. However, the beta functions as well as the string Hamiltonian start receiving non trivial curvature corrections as one starts probing beyond pp wave limit which thereby takes solutions away from the standard type IIB form. Furthermore, using uniform gauge, we also explore the BMN dynamics associated with short strings and compute the corresponding Hamiltonian density. Finally, we explore the Penrose limit associated with the HT background and compute the corresponding stringy spectrum for the bosonic sector.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vieira, H.S., E-mail: horacio.santana.vieira@hotmail.com; Centro de Ciências, Tecnologia e Saúde, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, CEP 58233-000, Araruna, PB; Bezerra, V.B., E-mail: valdir@fisica.ufpb.br

Charged massive scalar fields are considered in the gravitational and electromagnetic field produced by a dyonic black hole with a cosmic string along its axis of symmetry. Exact solutions of both angular and radial parts of the covariant Klein–Gordon equation in this background are obtained, and are given in terms of the confluent Heun functions. The role of the presence of the cosmic string in these solutions is showed up. From the radial solution, we obtain the exact wave solutions near the exterior horizon of the black hole, and discuss the Hawking radiation spectrum and the energy flux. -- Highlights:more » •A cosmic string is introduced along the axis of symmetry of the dyonic black hole. •The covariant Klein–Gordon equation for a charged massive scalar field in this background is analyzed. •Both angular and radial parts are transformed to a confluent Heun equation. •The resulting Hawking radiation spectrum and the energy flux are obtained.« less

String Theory: exact solutions, marginal deformations and hyperbolic spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlando, Domenico

2006-10-01

This thesis is almost entirely devoted to studying string theory backgrounds characterized by simple geometrical and integrability properties. The archetype of this type of system is given by Wess-Zumino-Witten models, describing string propagation in a group manifold or, equivalently, a class of conformal field theories with current algebras. We study the moduli space of such models by using truly marginal deformations. Particular emphasis is placed on asymmetric deformations that, together with the CFT description, enjoy a very nice spacetime interpretation in terms of the underlying Lie algebra. Then we take a slight detour so to deal with off-shell systems. Using a renormalization-group approach we describe the relaxation towards the symmetrical equilibrium situation. In he final chapter we consider backgrounds with Ramond-Ramond field and in particular we analyze direct products of constant-curvature spaces and find solutions with hyperbolic spaces.

Precision Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Bernard J. T.

2017-04-01

Preface; Notation and conventions; Part I. 100 Years of Cosmology: 1. Emerging cosmology; 2. The cosmic expansion; 3. The cosmic microwave background; 4. Recent cosmology; Part II. Newtonian Cosmology: 5. Newtonian cosmology; 6. Dark energy cosmological models; 7. The early universe; 8. The inhomogeneous universe; 9. The inflationary universe; Part III. Relativistic Cosmology: 10. Minkowski space; 11. The energy momentum tensor; 12. General relativity; 13. Space-time geometry and calculus; 14. The Einstein field equations; 15. Solutions of the Einstein equations; 16. The Robertson-Walker solution; 17. Congruences, curvature and Raychaudhuri; 18. Observing and measuring the universe; Part IV. The Physics of Matter and Radiation: 19. Physics of the CMB radiation; 20. Recombination of the primeval plasma; 21. CMB polarisation; 22. CMB anisotropy; Part V. Precision Tools for Precision Cosmology: 23. Likelihood; 24. Frequentist hypothesis testing; 25. Statistical inference: Bayesian; 26. CMB data processing; 27. Parametrising the universe; 28. Precision cosmology; 29. Epilogue; Appendix A. SI, CGS and Planck units; Appendix B. Magnitudes and distances; Appendix C. Representing vectors and tensors; Appendix D. The electromagnetic field; Appendix E. Statistical distributions; Appendix F. Functions on a sphere; Appendix G. Acknowledgements; References; Index.

Cosmic string detection with tree-based machine learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vafaei Sadr, A.; Farhang, M.; Movahed, S. M. S.; Bassett, B.; Kunz, M.

2018-07-01

We explore the use of random forest and gradient boosting, two powerful tree-based machine learning algorithms, for the detection of cosmic strings in maps of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), through their unique Gott-Kaiser-Stebbins effect on the temperature anisotropies. The information in the maps is compressed into feature vectors before being passed to the learning units. The feature vectors contain various statistical measures of the processed CMB maps that boost cosmic string detectability. Our proposed classifiers, after training, give results similar to or better than claimed detectability levels from other methods for string tension, Gμ. They can make 3σ detection of strings with Gμ ≳ 2.1 × 10-10 for noise-free, 0.9'-resolution CMB observations. The minimum detectable tension increases to Gμ ≳ 3.0 × 10-8 for a more realistic, CMB S4-like (II) strategy, improving over previous results.

A superstring field theory for supergravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reid-Edwards, R. A.; Riccombeni, D. A.

2017-09-01

A covariant closed superstring field theory, equivalent to classical tendimensional Type II supergravity, is presented. The defining conformal field theory is the ambitwistor string worldsheet theory of Mason and Skinner. This theory is known to reproduce the scattering amplitudes of Cachazo, He and Yuan in which the scattering equations play an important role and the string field theory naturally incorporates these results. We investigate the operator formalism description of the ambitwsitor string and propose an action for the string field theory of the bosonic and supersymmetric theories. The correct linearised gauge symmetries and spacetime actions are explicitly reproduced and evidence is given that the action is correct to all orders. The focus is on the NeveuSchwarz sector and the explicit description of tree level perturbation theory about flat spacetime. Application of the string field theory to general supergravity backgrounds and the inclusion of the Ramond sector are briefly discussed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lizarraga, Joanes; Urrestilla, Jon; Daverio, David

We present cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectra from recent numerical simulations of cosmic strings in the Abelian Higgs model and compare them to CMB power spectra measured by Planck . We obtain revised constraints on the cosmic string tension parameter G μ. For example, in the ΛCDM model with the addition of strings and no primordial tensor perturbations, we find G μ < 2.0 × 10{sup −7} at 95% confidence, about 20% lower than the value obtained from previous simulations, which had 1/64 of the spatial volume. The increased computational volume also makes it possible to simulate fully themore » physical equations of motion, in which the string cores shrink in comoving coordinates. We find however that this, and the larger dynamic range, changes the amplitude of the power spectra by only about 10%. The main cause of the stronger constraints on G μ is instead an improved treatment of the string evolution across the radiation-matter transition.« less

Fast spinning strings on η deformed AdS 5 × S 5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Aritra; Bhattacharyya, Arpan; Roychowdhury, Dibakar

2018-02-01

In this paper, considering the correspondence between spin chains and string sigma models, we explore the rotating string solutions over η deformed AdS 5 × S 5 in the so-called fast spinning limit. In our analysis, we focus only on the bosonic part of the full superstring action and compute the relevant limits on both ( R × S 3) η and ( R × S 5) η models. The resulting system reveals that in the fast spinning limit, the sigma model on η deformed S 5 could be approximately thought of as the continuum limit of anisotropic SU(3) Heisenberg spin chain model. We compute the energy for a certain class of spinning strings in deformed S 5 and we show that this energy can be mapped to that of a similar spinning string in the purely imaginary β deformed background.

Cosmic String Detection with Tree-Based Machine Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vafaei Sadr, A.; Farhang, M.; Movahed, S. M. S.; Bassett, B.; Kunz, M.

2018-05-01

We explore the use of random forest and gradient boosting, two powerful tree-based machine learning algorithms, for the detection of cosmic strings in maps of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), through their unique Gott-Kaiser-Stebbins effect on the temperature anisotropies. The information in the maps is compressed into feature vectors before being passed to the learning units. The feature vectors contain various statistical measures of the processed CMB maps that boost cosmic string detectability. Our proposed classifiers, after training, give results similar to or better than claimed detectability levels from other methods for string tension, Gμ. They can make 3σ detection of strings with Gμ ≳ 2.1 × 10-10 for noise-free, 0.9΄-resolution CMB observations. The minimum detectable tension increases to Gμ ≳ 3.0 × 10-8 for a more realistic, CMB S4-like (II) strategy, improving over previous results.

On the motion of a quantum particle in the spinning cosmic string space–time

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hassanabadi, H., E-mail: h.hasanabadi@shahroodut.ac.ir; Afshardoost, A.; Zarrinkamar, S.

2015-05-15

We analyze the energy spectrum and the wave function of a particle subjected to magnetic field in the spinning cosmic string space–time and investigate the influence of the spinning reference frame and topological defect on the system. To do this we solve Schrödinger equation in the spinning cosmic string background. In our work, instead of using an approximation in the calculations, we use the quasi-exact ansatz approach which gives the exact solutions for some primary levels. - Highlights: • Solving the Schrödinger equation in the spinning cosmic string space time. • Proposing a quasi-exact analytical solution to the general formmore » of the corresponding equation. • Generalizing the previous works.« less

Evidence for cosmological particle creation?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pigozzo, C.; Carneiro, S.; Borges, H.A.

2016-05-01

A joint analysis of the linear matter power spectrum, distance measurements from type Ia supernovae and the position of the first peak in the anisotropy spectrum of the cosmic microwave background indicates a cosmological, late-time dark matter creation at 95% confidence level.

Topological defects in the Georgi-Machacek model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Chandrasekar; Kurachi, Masafumi; Nitta, Muneto

2018-06-01

We study topological defects in the Georgi-Machacek model in a hierarchical symmetry breaking in which extra triplets acquire vacuum expectation values before the doublet. We find a possibility of topologically stable non-Abelian domain walls and non-Abelian flux tubes (vortices or cosmic strings) in this model. In the limit of the vanishing U (1 )Y gauge coupling in which the custodial symmetry becomes exact, the presence of a vortex spontaneously breaks the custodial symmetry, giving rise to S2 Nambu-Goldstone (NG) modes localized around the vortex corresponding to non-Abelian fluxes. Vortices are continuously degenerated by these degrees of freedom, thereby called non-Abelian. By taking into account the U (1 )Y gauge coupling, the custodial symmetry is explicitly broken, the NG modes are lifted to become pseudo-NG modes, and all non-Abelian vortices fall into a topologically stable Z string. This is in contrast to the standard model in which Z strings are nontopological and are unstable in the realistic parameter region. Non-Abelian domain walls also break the custodial symmetry and are accompanied by localized S2 NG modes. Finally, we discuss the existence of domain wall solutions bounded by flux tubes, where their S2 NG modes match. The domain walls may quantum mechanically decay by creating a hole bounded by a flux tube loop, and would be cosmologically safe. Gravitational waves produced from unstable domain walls could be detected by future experiments.

Planck Cosmology, Planck Clusters, and What is to Come

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozo, Eduardo

2015-08-01

Planck's view of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) has ushered in a new era of precision cosmology. In the process, hints of tension with local universe cosmological probes have appeared, including not only tension between the CMB and local Hubble constant measurements, but between the CMB and Planck's own analysis of the SZ galaxy clusters discovered by Planck. We will discuss the state of cluster cosmology in light of these results, and comment on what is to come. Should these tensions continue to exist with ever future measurements of ever increasing precision, the current Planck results will stand as some of the first lines of evidence towards finally breaking the standard LCDM cosmological model!

Experiences from Participants in Large-Scale Group Practice of the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programs and Parallel Principles of Quantum Theory, Astrophysics, Quantum Cosmology, and String Theory: Interdisciplinary Qualitative Correspondences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svenson, Eric Johan

Participants on the Invincible America Assembly in Fairfield, Iowa, and neighboring Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa, practicing Maharishi Transcendental Meditation(TM) (TM) and the TM-Sidhi(TM) programs in large groups, submitted written experiences that they had had during, and in some cases shortly after, their daily practice of the TM and TM-Sidhi programs. Participants were instructed to include in their written experiences only what they observed and to leave out interpretation and analysis. These experiences were then read by the author and compared with principles and phenomena of modern physics, particularly with quantum theory, astrophysics, quantum cosmology, and string theory as well as defining characteristics of higher states of consciousness as described by Maharishi Vedic Science. In all cases, particular principles or phenomena of physics and qualities of higher states of consciousness appeared qualitatively quite similar to the content of the given experience. These experiences are presented in an Appendix, in which the corresponding principles and phenomena of physics are also presented. These physics "commentaries" on the experiences were written largely in layman's terms, without equations, and, in nearly every case, with clear reference to the corresponding sections of the experiences to which a given principle appears to relate. An abundance of similarities were apparent between the subjective experiences during meditation and principles of modern physics. A theoretic framework for understanding these rich similarities may begin with Maharishi's theory of higher states of consciousness provided herein. We conclude that the consistency and richness of detail found in these abundant similarities warrants the further pursuit and development of such a framework.

Correlations Between the Cosmic X-Ray and Microwave Backgrounds: Constraints on a Cosmological Constant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boughn, S. P.; Crittenden, R. G.; Turok, N. G.

1998-01-01

In universes with significant curvature or cosmological constant, cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies are created very recently via the Rees-Sciama or integrated Sachs-Wolfe effects. This causes the CMB anisotropies to become partially correlated with the local matter density (z less than 4). We examine the prospects of using the hard (2- 10 keV) X-ray background as a probe of the local density and the measured correlation between the HEAO1 A2 X-ray survey and the 4-year COBE-DMR map to obtain a constraint on the cosmological constant. The 95% confidence level upper limit on the cosmological constant is OMega(sub Lambda) less than or equal to 0.5, assuming that the observed fluctuations in the X-ray map result entirely from large scale structure. (This would also imply that the X-rays trace matter with a bias factor of b(sub x) approx. = 5.6 Omega(sub m, sup 0.53)). This bound is weakened considerably if a large portion of the X-ray fluctuations arise from Poisson noise from unresolved sources. For example, if one assumes that the X-ray bias is b(sub x) = 2, then the 95% confidence level upper limit is weaker, Omega(sub Lambda) less than or equal to 0.7. More stringent limits should be attainable with data from the next generation of CMB and X-ray background maps.

Constraints on cosmic strings using data from the first Advanced LIGO observing run

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Afrough, M.; Agarwal, B.; Agathos, M.; Agatsuma, K.; Aggarwal, N.; Aguiar, O. D.; Aiello, L.; Ain, A.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allen, G.; Allocca, A.; Altin, P. A.; Amato, A.; Ananyeva, A.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Antier, S.; Appert, S.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Areeda, J. S.; Arnaud, N.; Arun, K. G.; Ascenzi, S.; Ashton, G.; Ast, M.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; AultONeal, K.; Avila-Alvarez, A.; Babak, S.; Bacon, P.; Bader, M. K. M.; Bae, S.; Baker, P. T.; Baldaccini, F.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Banagiri, S.; Barayoga, J. C.; Barclay, S. E.; Barish, B. C.; Barker, D.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barta, D.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J. C.; Baune, C.; Bawaj, M.; Bazzan, M.; Bécsy, B.; Beer, C.; Bejger, M.; Belahcene, I.; Bell, A. S.; Berger, B. K.; Bergmann, G.; Berry, C. P. L.; Bersanetti, D.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Bhagwat, S.; Bhandare, R.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Billman, C. R.; Birch, J.; Birney, R.; Birnholtz, O.; Biscans, S.; Bisht, A.; Bitossi, M.; Biwer, C.; Bizouard, M. A.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blackman, J.; Blair, C. D.; Blair, D. G.; Blair, R. M.; Bloemen, S.; Bock, O.; Bode, N.; Boer, M.; Bogaert, G.; Bohe, A.; Bondu, F.; Bonnand, R.; Boom, B. A.; Bork, R.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bouffanais, Y.; Bozzi, A.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Braginsky, V. B.; Branchesi, M.; Brau, J. E.; Briant, T.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Brockill, P.; Broida, J. E.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, D. A.; Brown, D. D.; Brown, N. M.; Brunett, S.; Buchanan, C. C.; Buikema, A.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cabero, M.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Cahillane, C.; Calderón Bustillo, J.; Callister, T. A.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Canepa, M.; Canizares, P.; Cannon, K. C.; Cao, H.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Capocasa, E.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Carney, M. F.; Casanueva Diaz, J.; Casentini, C.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglià, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C. B.; Cerboni Baiardi, L.; Cerretani, G.; Cesarini, E.; Chamberlin, S. J.; Chan, M.; Chao, S.; Charlton, P.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Chatterjee, D.; Cheeseboro, B. D.; Chen, H. Y.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, H.-P.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Chmiel, T.; Cho, H. S.; Cho, M.; Chow, J. H.; Christensen, N.; Chu, Q.; Chua, A. J. K.; Chua, S.; Chung, A. K. W.; Chung, S.; Ciani, G.; Ciolfi, R.; Cirelli, C. E.; Cirone, A.; Clara, F.; Clark, J. A.; Cleva, F.; Cocchieri, C.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P.-F.; Colla, A.; Collette, C. G.; Cominsky, L. R.; Constancio, M.; Conti, L.; Cooper, S. J.; Corban, P.; Corbitt, T. R.; Corley, K. R.; Cornish, N.; Corsi, A.; Cortese, S.; Costa, C. A.; Coughlin, M. W.; Coughlin, S. B.; Coulon, J.-P.; Countryman, S. T.; Couvares, P.; Covas, P. B.; Cowan, E. E.; Coward, D. M.; Cowart, M. J.; Coyne, D. C.; Coyne, R.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Creighton, T. D.; Cripe, J.; Crowder, S. G.; Cullen, T. J.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, L.; Cuoco, E.; Dal Canton, T.; Danilishin, S. L.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Dasgupta, A.; Da Silva Costa, C. F.; Dattilo, V.; Dave, I.; Davier, M.; Davis, D.; Daw, E. J.; Day, B.; De, S.; DeBra, D.; Degallaix, J.; De Laurentis, M.; Deléglise, S.; Del Pozzo, W.; Denker, T.; Dent, T.; Dergachev, V.; De Rosa, R.; DeRosa, R. T.; DeSalvo, R.; Devenson, J.; Devine, R. C.; Dhurandhar, S.; Díaz, M. C.; Di Fiore, L.; Di Giovanni, M.; Di Girolamo, T.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Pace, S.; Di Palma, I.; Di Renzo, F.; Doctor, Z.; Dolique, V.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Dorrington, I.; Douglas, R.; Dovale Álvarez, M.; Downes, T. P.; Drago, M.; Drever, R. W. P.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Ducrot, M.; Duncan, J.; Dwyer, S. E.; Edo, T. B.; Edwards, M. C.; Effler, A.; Eggenstein, H.-B.; Ehrens, P.; Eichholz, J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Eisenstein, R. A.; Essick, R. C.; Etienne, Z. B.; Etzel, T.; Evans, M.; Evans, T. M.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fair, H.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, X.; Farinon, S.; Farr, B.; Farr, W. M.; Fauchon-Jones, E. J.; Favata, M.; Fays, M.; Fehrmann, H.; Feicht, J.; Fejer, M. M.; Fernandez-Galiana, A.; Ferrante, I.; Ferreira, E. C.; Ferrini, F.; Fidecaro, F.; Fiori, I.; Fiorucci, D.; Fisher, R. P.; Fitz-Axen, M.; Flaminio, R.; Fletcher, M.; Fong, H.; Forsyth, P. W. F.; Forsyth, S. S.; Fournier, J.-D.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Frey, V.; Fries, E. M.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gabbard, H.; Gabel, M.; Gadre, B. U.; Gaebel, S. M.; Gair, J. R.; Gammaitoni, L.; Ganija, M. R.; Gaonkar, S. G.; Garufi, F.; Gaudio, S.; Gaur, G.; Gayathri, V.; Gehrels, N.; Gemme, G.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; George, D.; George, J.; Gergely, L.; Germain, V.; Ghonge, S.; Ghosh, Abhirup; Ghosh, Archisman; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, K.; Glover, L.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gomes, S.; González, G.; Gonzalez Castro, J. M.; Gopakumar, A.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Gossan, S. E.; Gosselin, M.; Gouaty, R.; Grado, A.; Graef, C.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.; Greco, G.; Green, A. C.; Groot, P.; Grote, H.; Grunewald, S.; Gruning, P.; Guidi, G. M.; Guo, X.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, M. K.; Gushwa, K. E.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Hall, B. R.; Hall, E. D.; Hammond, G.; Haney, M.; Hanke, M. M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hannam, M. D.; Hannuksela, O. A.; Hanson, J.; Hardwick, T.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Hart, M. J.; Haster, C.-J.; Haughian, K.; Healy, J.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Hennig, J.; Henry, J.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hoak, D.; Hofman, D.; Holt, K.; Holz, D. E.; Hopkins, P.; Horst, C.; Hough, J.; Houston, E. A.; Howell, E. J.; Hu, Y. M.; Huerta, E. A.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Indik, N.; Ingram, D. R.; Inta, R.; Intini, G.; Isa, H. N.; Isac, J.-M.; Isi, M.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacqmin, T.; Jani, K.; Jaranowski, P.; Jawahar, S.; Jiménez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W. W.; Jones, D. I.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; Junker, J.; Kalaghatgi, C. V.; Kalogera, V.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.; Kanner, J. B.; Karki, S.; Karvinen, K. S.; Kasprzack, M.; Katolik, M.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, S.; Kawabe, K.; Kéfélian, F.; Keitel, D.; Kemball, A. J.; Kennedy, R.; Kent, C.; Key, J. S.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khan, I.; Khan, S.; Khan, Z.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kijbunchoo, N.; Kim, Chunglee; Kim, J. C.; Kim, W.; Kim, W. S.; Kim, Y.-M.; Kimbrell, S. J.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kirchhoff, R.; Kissel, J. S.; Kleybolte, L.; Klimenko, S.; Koch, P.; Koehlenbeck, S. M.; Koley, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kontos, A.; Korobko, M.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D. B.; Krämer, C.; Kringel, V.; Krishnan, B.; Królak, A.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, P.; Kumar, R.; Kumar, S.; Kuo, L.; Kutynia, A.; Kwang, S.; Lackey, B. D.; Lai, K. H.; Landry, M.; Lang, R. N.; Lange, J.; Lantz, B.; Lanza, R. K.; Lartaux-Vollard, A.; Lasky, P. D.; Laxen, M.; Lazzarini, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Leaci, P.; Leavey, S.; Lee, C. H.; Lee, H. K.; Lee, H. M.; Lee, H. W.; Lee, K.; Lehmann, J.; Lenon, A.; Leonardi, M.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levin, Y.; Li, T. G. F.; Libson, A.; Littenberg, T. B.; Liu, J.; Lo, R. K. L.; Lockerbie, N. A.; London, L. T.; Lord, J. E.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J. D.; Lousto, C. O.; Lovelace, G.; Lück, H.; Lumaca, D.; Lundgren, A. P.; Lynch, R.; Ma, Y.; Macfoy, S.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Magaña Hernandez, I.; Magaña-Sandoval, F.; Magaña Zertuche, L.; Magee, R. M.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Man, N.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mansell, G. L.; Manske, M.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Márka, S.; Márka, Z.; Markakis, C.; Markosyan, A. S.; Maros, E.; Martelli, F.; Martellini, L.; Martin, I. W.; Martynov, D. V.; Mason, K.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Masso-Reid, M.; Mastrogiovanni, S.; Matas, A.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Mavalvala, N.; Mazumder, N.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McCormick, S.; McCuller, L.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McManus, D. J.; McRae, T.; McWilliams, S. T.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Meidam, J.; Mejuto-Villa, E.; Melatos, A.; Mendell, G.; Mercer, R. A.; Merilh, E. L.; Merzougui, M.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Messick, C.; Metzdorff, R.; Meyers, P. M.; Mezzani, F.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Middleton, H.; Mikhailov, E. E.; Milano, L.; Miller, A. L.; Miller, A.; Miller, B. B.; Miller, J.; Millhouse, M.; Minazzoli, O.; Minenkov, Y.; Ming, J.; Mishra, C.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moggi, A.; Mohan, M.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Montani, M.; Moore, B. C.; Moore, C. J.; Moraru, D.; Moreno, G.; Morriss, S. R.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, G.; Muir, A. W.; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, D.; Mukherjee, S.; Mukund, N.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Muniz, E. A. M.; Murray, P. G.; Napier, K.; Nardecchia, I.; Naticchioni, L.; Nayak, R. K.; Nelemans, G.; Nelson, T. J. N.; Neri, M.; Nery, M.; Neunzert, A.; Newport, J. M.; Newton, G.; Ng, K. K. Y.; Nguyen, T. T.; Nichols, D.; Nielsen, A. B.; Nissanke, S.; Nitz, A.; Noack, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; Normandin, M. E. N.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; Ochsner, E.; Oelker, E.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J. J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Oliver, M.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; O'Reilly, B.; Ormiston, R.; Ortega, L. F.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Ottaway, D. J.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Pace, A. E.; Page, J.; Page, M. A.; Pai, A.; Pai, S. A.; Palamos, J. R.; Palashov, O.; Palomba, C.; Pal-Singh, A.; Pan, H.; Pang, B.; Pang, P. T. H.; Pankow, C.; Pannarale, F.; Pant, B. C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoli, A.; Papa, M. A.; Paris, H. R.; Parker, W.; Pascucci, D.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patricelli, B.; Pearlstone, B. L.; Pedraza, M.; Pedurand, R.; Pekowsky, L.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Perez, C. J.; Perreca, A.; Perri, L. M.; Pfeiffer, H. P.; Phelps, M.; Piccinni, O. J.; Pichot, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pillant, G.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pitkin, M.; Poggiani, R.; Popolizio, P.; Porter, E. K.; Post, A.; Powell, J.; Prasad, J.; Pratt, J. W. W.; Predoi, V.; Prestegard, T.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prix, R.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L. G.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Pürrer, M.; Qi, H.; Qin, J.; Qiu, S.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Quitzow-James, R.; Raab, F. J.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Raja, S.; Rajan, C.; Rakhmanov, M.; Ramirez, K. E.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Razzano, M.; Read, J.; Regimbau, T.; Rei, L.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Rew, H.; Reyes, S. D.; Ricci, F.; Ricker, P. M.; Rieger, S.; Riles, K.; Rizzo, M.; Robertson, N. A.; Robie, R.; Robinet, F.; Rocchi, A.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J. G.; Roma, V. J.; Romano, J. D.; Romano, R.; Romel, C. L.; Romie, J. H.; Rosińska, D.; Ross, M. P.; Rowan, S.; Rüdiger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Ryan, K.; Sachdev, S.; Sadecki, T.; Sadeghian, L.; Sakellariadou, M.; Salconi, L.; Saleem, M.; Salemi, F.; Samajdar, A.; Sammut, L.; Sampson, L. M.; Sanchez, E. J.; Sandberg, V.; Sandeen, B.; Sanders, J. R.; Sassolas, B.; Saulson, P. R.; Sauter, O.; Savage, R. L.; Sawadsky, A.; Schale, P.; Scheuer, J.; Schmidt, E.; Schmidt, J.; Schmidt, P.; Schnabel, R.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Schönbeck, A.; Schreiber, E.; Schuette, D.; Schulte, B. W.; Schutz, B. F.; Schwalbe, S. G.; Scott, J.; Scott, S. M.; Seidel, E.; Sellers, D.; Sengupta, A. S.; Sentenac, D.; Sequino, V.; Sergeev, A.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shaffer, T. J.; Shah, A. A.; Shahriar, M. S.; Shao, L.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Sheperd, A.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Shoemaker, D. M.; Siellez, K.; Siemens, X.; Sieniawska, M.; Sigg, D.; Silva, A. D.; Singer, A.; Singer, L. P.; Singh, A.; Singh, R.; Singhal, A.; Sintes, A. M.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Smith, B.; Smith, J. R.; Smith, R. J. E.; Son, E. J.; Sonnenberg, J. A.; Sorazu, B.; Sorrentino, F.; Souradeep, T.; Spencer, A. P.; Srivastava, A. K.; Staley, A.; Steer, D. A.; Steinke, M.; Steinlechner, J.; Steinlechner, S.; Steinmeyer, D.; Stephens, B. C.; Stone, R.; Strain, K. A.; Stratta, G.; Strigin, S. E.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sun, L.; Sunil, S.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B. L.; Szczepańczyk, M. J.; Tacca, M.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tápai, M.; Taracchini, A.; Taylor, J. A.; Taylor, R.; Theeg, T.; Thomas, E. G.; Thomas, M.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thorne, K. S.; Thrane, E.; Tiwari, S.; Tiwari, V.; Tokmakov, K. V.; Toland, K.; Tonelli, M.; Tornasi, Z.; Torrie, C. I.; Töyrä, D.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trifirò, D.; Trinastic, J.; Tringali, M. C.; Trozzo, L.; Tsang, K. W.; Tse, M.; Tso, R.; Tuyenbayev, D.; Ueno, K.; Ugolini, D.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Urban, A. L.; Usman, S. A.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; Vallisneri, M.; van Bakel, N.; van Beuzekom, M.; van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.; Vander-Hyde, D. C.; van der Schaaf, L.; van Heijningen, J. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vardaro, M.; Varma, V.; Vass, S.; Vasúth, M.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, P. J.; Venkateswara, K.; Venugopalan, G.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Viceré, A.; Viets, A. D.; Vinciguerra, S.; Vine, D. J.; Vinet, J.-Y.; Vitale, S.; Vo, T.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Voss, D. V.; Vousden, W. D.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A. R.; Wade, L. E.; Wade, M.; Walet, R.; Walker, M.; Wallace, L.; Walsh, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, H.; Wang, J. Z.; Wang, M.; Wang, Y.-F.; Wang, Y.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Was, M.; Watchi, J.; Weaver, B.; Wei, L.-W.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Wen, L.; Wessel, E. K.; Weßels, P.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; Whiting, B. F.; Whittle, C.; Williams, D.; Williams, R. D.; Williamson, A. R.; Willis, J. L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M. H.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Woehler, J.; Wofford, J.; Wong, K. W. K.; Worden, J.; Wright, J. L.; Wu, D. S.; Wu, G.; Yam, W.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yap, M. J.; Yu, Hang; Yu, Haocun; Yvert, M.; ZadroŻny, A.; Zanolin, M.; Zelenova, T.; Zendri, J.-P.; Zevin, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, T.; Zhang, Y.-H.; Zhao, C.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, S. J.; Zhu, X. J.; Zucker, M. E.; Zweizig, J.; LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Virgo Collaboration

2018-05-01

Cosmic strings are topological defects which can be formed in grand unified theory scale phase transitions in the early universe. They are also predicted to form in the context of string theory. The main mechanism for a network of Nambu-Goto cosmic strings to lose energy is through the production of loops and the subsequent emission of gravitational waves, thus offering an experimental signature for the existence of cosmic strings. Here we report on the analysis conducted to specifically search for gravitational-wave bursts from cosmic string loops in the data of Advanced LIGO 2015-2016 observing run (O1). No evidence of such signals was found in the data, and as a result we set upper limits on the cosmic string parameters for three recent loop distribution models. In this paper, we initially derive constraints on the string tension G μ and the intercommutation probability, using not only the burst analysis performed on the O1 data set but also results from the previously published LIGO stochastic O1 analysis, pulsar timing arrays, cosmic microwave background and big-bang nucleosynthesis experiments. We show that these data sets are complementary in that they probe gravitational waves produced by cosmic string loops during very different epochs. Finally, we show that the data sets exclude large parts of the parameter space of the three loop distribution models we consider.

CMB power spectrum contribution from cosmic strings using field-evolution simulations of the Abelian Higgs model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bevis, Neil; Hindmarsh, Mark; Kunz, Martin; Urrestilla, Jon

2007-03-01

We present the first field-theoretic calculations of the contribution made by cosmic strings to the temperature power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Unlike previous work, in which strings were modeled as idealized one-dimensional objects, we evolve the simplest example of an underlying field theory containing local U(1) strings, the Abelian Higgs model. Limitations imposed by finite computational volumes are overcome using the scaling property of string networks and a further extrapolation related to the lessening of the string width in comoving coordinates. The strings and their decay products, which are automatically included in the field theory approach, source metric perturbations via their energy-momentum tensor, the unequal-time correlation functions of which are used as input into the CMB calculation phase. These calculations involve the use of a modified version of CMBEASY, with results provided over the full range of relevant scales. We find that the string tension μ required to normalize to the WMAP 3-year data at multipole ℓ=10 is Gμ=[2.04±0.06(stat.)±0.12(sys.)]×10-6, where we have quoted statistical and systematic errors separately, and G is Newton’s constant. This is a factor 2 3 higher than values in current circulation.

CONSTRAINTS ON HYBRID METRIC-PALATINI GRAVITY FROM BACKGROUND EVOLUTION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lima, N. A.; Barreto, V. S., E-mail: ndal@roe.ac.uk, E-mail: vsm@roe.ac.uk

2016-02-20

In this work, we introduce two models of the hybrid metric-Palatini theory of gravitation. We explore their background evolution, showing explicitly that one recovers standard General Relativity with an effective cosmological constant at late times. This happens because the Palatini Ricci scalar evolves toward and asymptotically settles at the minimum of its effective potential during cosmological evolution. We then use a combination of cosmic microwave background, supernovae, and baryonic accoustic oscillations background data to constrain the models’ free parameters. For both models, we are able to constrain the maximum deviation from the gravitational constant G one can have at earlymore » times to be around 1%.« less

The White Mountain Polarimeter: A telescope to measure polarization of the cosmic microwave background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levy, Alan Robert

2006-07-01

The past two decades have been an exciting time in the field of cosmology and, in particular, studies of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). One of the hot topics in cosmology research today is measuring and mapping CMB polarization. The White Mountain Polarimeter (WMPol) is a dedicated, ground-based microwave telescope and receiver system to measure CMB polarization which was installed in the Barcroft Observatory of the University of California White Mountain Research Station in September 2003. Presented here is a brief review of our current understanding of big bang cosmology and a description of the WMPol instrument, the observing conditions at the 3880-meter altitude Barcroft site, the data acquired during the 2004 observing campaign, and the data analysis.

Simple inflationary models in Gauss-Bonnet brane-world cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okada, Nobuchika; Okada, Satomi

2016-06-01

In light of the recent Planck 2015 results for the measurement of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy, we study simple inflationary models in the context of the Gauss-Bonnet (GB) brane-world cosmology. The brane-world cosmological effect modifies the power spectra of scalar and tensor perturbations generated by inflation and causes a dramatic change for the inflationary predictions of the spectral index (n s) and the tensor-to-scalar ratio (r) from those obtained in the standard cosmology. In particular, the predicted r values in the inflationary models favored by the Planck 2015 results are suppressed due to the GB brane-world cosmological effect, which is in sharp contrast with inflationary scenario in the Randall-Sundrum brane-world cosmology, where the r values are enhanced. Hence, these two brane-world cosmological scenarios are distinguishable. With the dramatic change of the inflationary predictions, the inflationary scenario in the GB brane-world cosmology can be tested by more precise measurements of n s and future observations of the CMB B-mode polarization.

Cosmology: A research briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

As part of its effort to update topics dealt with in the 1986 decadal physics survey, the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Research Council (NRC) formed a Panel on Cosmology. The Panel produced this report, intended to be accessible to science policymakers and nonscientists. The chapters include an overview ('What Is Cosmology?'), a discussion of cosmic microwave background radiation, the large-scale structure of the universe, the distant universe, and physics of the early universe.

Laser-Driven Ultra-Relativistic Plasmas - Nuclear Fusion in Coulomb Shock Waves, Rouge Waves, and Background Matter

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-05

equation for electron distribution, and finally -- a major cosmology for mula for the temporal dynamics of redshift and CMB temperature that incorporate...non-relativistic matter, radiation, and dark energy components. - 10 - In application to astrophysics and cosmology , our theory can describe the...remnants of past high-T sources. Both of these results may bring up a significant change of paradigm in astrophysics and cosmology , especially if the

Republication of: Relativistic cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellis, George F. R.

2009-03-01

This is a republication of a paper by G.F.R. Ellis first published in Proceedings of the International School of Physics: General Relativity and Cosmology, 1971, in which he formulated the framework for relativistic cosmology with an arbitrary background geometry. The article has been selected for publication in the Golden Oldies series of General Relativity and Gravitation. The paper is accompanied by a Golden Oldie Editorial comprising an editorial note written by Bill Stoeger and Ellis’ brief autobiography.

CMB ISW-lensing bispectrum from cosmic strings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yamauchi, Daisuke; Sendouda, Yuuiti; Takahashi, Keitaro, E-mail: yamauchi@resceu.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp, E-mail: sendouda@cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp, E-mail: keitaro@sci.kumamoto-u.ac.jp

2014-02-01

We study the effect of weak lensing by cosmic (super-)strings on the higher-order statistics of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). A cosmic string segment is expected to cause weak lensing as well as an integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect, the so-called Gott-Kaiser-Stebbins (GKS) effect, to the CMB temperature fluctuation, which are thus naturally cross-correlated. We point out that, in the presence of such a correlation, yet another kind of the post-recombination CMB temperature bispectra, the ISW-lensing bispectra, will arise in the form of products of the auto- and cross-power spectra. We first present an analytic method to calculate the autocorrelation ofmore » the temperature fluctuations induced by the strings, and the cross-correlation between the temperature fluctuation and the lensing potential both due to the string network. In our formulation, the evolution of the string network is assumed to be characterized by the simple analytic model, the velocity-dependent one scale model, and the intercommutation probability is properly incorporated in order to characterize the possible superstringy nature. Furthermore, the obtained power spectra are dominated by the Poisson-distributed string segments, whose correlations are assumed to satisfy the simple relations. We then estimate the signal-to-noise ratios of the string-induced ISW-lensing bispectra and discuss the detectability of such CMB signals from the cosmic string network. It is found that in the case of the smaller string tension, Gμ << 10{sup -7}, the ISW-lensing bispectrum induced by a cosmic string network can constrain the string-model parameters even more tightly than the purely GKS-induced bispectrum in the ongoing and future CMB observations on small scales.« less

CMB ISW-lensing bispectrum from cosmic strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamauchi, Daisuke; Sendouda, Yuuiti; Takahashi, Keitaro

2014-02-01

We study the effect of weak lensing by cosmic (super-)strings on the higher-order statistics of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). A cosmic string segment is expected to cause weak lensing as well as an integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect, the so-called Gott-Kaiser-Stebbins (GKS) effect, to the CMB temperature fluctuation, which are thus naturally cross-correlated. We point out that, in the presence of such a correlation, yet another kind of the post-recombination CMB temperature bispectra, the ISW-lensing bispectra, will arise in the form of products of the auto- and cross-power spectra. We first present an analytic method to calculate the autocorrelation of the temperature fluctuations induced by the strings, and the cross-correlation between the temperature fluctuation and the lensing potential both due to the string network. In our formulation, the evolution of the string network is assumed to be characterized by the simple analytic model, the velocity-dependent one scale model, and the intercommutation probability is properly incorporated in order to characterize the possible superstringy nature. Furthermore, the obtained power spectra are dominated by the Poisson-distributed string segments, whose correlations are assumed to satisfy the simple relations. We then estimate the signal-to-noise ratios of the string-induced ISW-lensing bispectra and discuss the detectability of such CMB signals from the cosmic string network. It is found that in the case of the smaller string tension, Gμ << 10-7, the ISW-lensing bispectrum induced by a cosmic string network can constrain the string-model parameters even more tightly than the purely GKS-induced bispectrum in the ongoing and future CMB observations on small scales.

Diffractive Scattering and Gauge/String Duality

ScienceCinema

Tan, Chung-I

2018-05-11

High-energy diffractive scattering will be discussed based on Gauge/String duality. As shown by Brower, Polchinski, Strassler and Tan, the ubiquitous Pomeron emerges naturally in gauge theories with string-theoretical descriptions. Its existence is intimately tied to gluons, and also to the energy-momentum tensor. With a confining dual background metric, the Pomeron can be interpreted as a 'massive graviton'. In a single unified step, both its infrared and ultraviolet properties are dealt with, reflecting confinement and conformal symmetry respectively. An effective field theory for high-energy scattering can be constructed. Applications based on this approach will also be described.

Is QSO 1146 + 111B,C due to lensing by a cosmic string?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gott, J. R., III

1986-01-01

A newly discovered lens candidate, QSO 1146 + 111B,C, is discussed which appears to consist of two images of equal brightness of a quasar at redshift 1.01 separated by 2.6 arcmin. If this is produced by a cosmic string, its mass per unit length is about 4.0 x 10 to the 23rd g/cm or more. This value is large enough to be interesting for string-assisted galaxy formation and near the upper limits implied by the isotropy of the cosmic microwave background and constraints on gravitational radiation.

Measurement of a Cosmographic Distance Ratio with Galaxy and Cosmic Microwave Background Lensing.

PubMed

Miyatake, Hironao; Madhavacheril, Mathew S; Sehgal, Neelima; Slosar, Anže; Spergel, David N; Sherwin, Blake; van Engelen, Alexander

2017-04-21

We measure the gravitational lensing shear signal around dark matter halos hosting constant mass galaxies using light sources at z∼1 (background galaxies) and at the surface of last scattering at z∼1100 (the cosmic microwave background). The galaxy shear measurement uses data from the CFHTLenS survey, and the microwave background shear measurement uses data from the Planck satellite. The ratio of shears from these cross-correlations provides a purely geometric distance measurement across the longest possible cosmological lever arm. This is because the matter distribution around the halos, including uncertainties in galaxy bias and systematic errors such as miscentering, cancels in the ratio for halos in thin redshift slices. We measure this distance ratio in three different redshift slices of the constant mass (CMASS) sample and combine them to obtain a 17% measurement of the distance ratio, r=0.390_{-0.062}^{+0.070}, at an effective redshift of z=0.53. This is consistent with the predicted ratio from the Planck best-fit cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant cosmology of r=0.419.

Investigating inhomogeneous Szekeres models and their applications to precision cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peel, Austin Chandler

Exact solutions of Einstein's field equations that can describe the evolution of complex structures in the universe provide complementary frameworks to standard perturbation theory in which to analyze cosmological and astrophysical phenomena. The flexibility and generality of the inhomogeneous and anisotropic Szekeres metric make it the best known exact solution to explore nonlinearities in the universe. We study applications of Szekeres models to precision cosmology, focusing on the influence of inhomogeneities in two primary contexts---the growth rate of cosmic structures and biases in distance determinations to remote sources. We first define and derive evolution equations for a Szekeres density contrast, which quantifies exact deviations from a smooth background cosmology. Solving these equations and comparing to the usual perturbative approach, we find that for models with the same matter content, the Szekeres growth rate is larger through the matter-dominated cosmic era. Including a cosmological constant, we consider exact global perturbations, as well as the evolution of a single extended structure surrounded by an almost homogeneous background. For the former, we use growth data to obtain a best fit Szekeres model and find that it can fit the data as well as the standard Lambda-Cold Dark Matter (LCDM) cosmological model but with different cosmological parameters. Next, to study effects of inhomogeneities on distance measures, we build an exact relativistic Swiss-cheese model of the universe, where a large number of non-symmetric and randomly placed Szekeres structures are embedded within a LCDM background. Solving the full relativistic propagation equations, light beams are traced through the model, where they traverse the inhomogeneous structures in a way that mimics the paths of real light beams in the universe. For beams crossing a single structure, their magnification or demagnification reflects primarily the net density encountered along the path. Despite nontrivial evolution and density distributions of the structures, the effect of tidal shearing on the beams remains small. Finally, we study source magnification probability distributions for various redshifts, finding a limitation of the models in that the distributions do not consistently resemble those of gravitational lensing analyses in cosmological simulations.

Cosmology of f(R) gravity in the metric variational approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Baojiu; Barrow, John D.

2007-04-01

We consider the cosmologies that arise in a subclass of f(R) gravity with f(R)=R+μ2n+2/(-R)n and n∈(-1,0) in the metric (as opposed to the Palatini) variational approach to deriving the gravitational field equations. The calculations of the isotropic and homogeneous cosmological models are undertaken in the Jordan frame and at both the background and the perturbation levels. For the former, we also discuss the connection to the Einstein frame in which the extra degree of freedom in the theory is associated with a scalar field sharing some of the properties of a “chameleon” field. For the latter, we derive the cosmological perturbation equations in general theories of f(R) gravity in covariant form and implement them numerically to calculate the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and matter power spectra of the cosmological model. The CMB power is shown to reduce at low l’s, and the matter power spectrum is almost scale independent at small scales, thus having a similar shape to that in standard general relativity. These are in stark contrast with what was found in the Palatini f(R) gravity, where the CMB power is largely amplified at low l’s and the matter spectrum is strongly scale dependent at small scales. These features make the present model more adaptable than that arising from the Palatini f(R) field equations, and none of the data on background evolution, CMB power spectrum, or matter power spectrum currently rule it out.

Smoot Cosmology Group

Science.gov Websites

, Ivone F. M.; Smoot, George F. 07/2006 Power Spectrum Analysis of Far-IR Background Fluctuations in 160 Microwave Background Anisotropies. Jeong, E.; Smoot, G. F. 2005 Power Spectrum Analysis of Far-IR Background

Volume weighting the measure of the universe from classical slow-roll expansion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sloan, David; Silk, Joseph

2016-05-01

One of the most frustrating issues in early universe cosmology centers on how to reconcile the vast choice of universes in string theory and in its most plausible high energy sibling, eternal inflation, which jointly generate the string landscape with the fine-tuned and hence relatively small number of universes that have undergone a large expansion and can accommodate observers and, in particular, galaxies. We show that such observations are highly favored for any system whereby physical parameters are distributed at a high energy scale, due to the conservation of the Liouville measure and the gauge nature of volume, asymptotically approaching a period of large isotropic expansion characterized by w =-1 . Our interpretation predicts that all observational probes for deviations from w =-1 in the foreseeable future are doomed to failure. The purpose of this paper is not to introduce a new measure for the multiverse, but rather to show how what is perhaps the most natural and well-known measure, volume weighting, arises as a consequence of the conservation of the Liouville measure on phase space during the classical slow-roll expansion.

String theory origin of constrained multiplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallosh, Renata; Vercnocke, Bert; Wrase, Timm

2016-09-01

We study the non-linearly realized spontaneously broken supersymmetry of the (anti-)D3-brane action in type IIB string theory. The worldvolume fields are one vector A μ , three complex scalars ϕ i and four 4d fermions λ 0, λ i. These transform, in addition to the more familiar {N}=4 linear supersymmetry, also under 16 spontaneously broken, non-linearly realized supersymmetries. We argue that the worldvolume fields can be packaged into the following constrained 4d non-linear {N}=1 multiplets: four chiral multiplets S, Y i that satisfy S 2 = SY i =0 and contain the worldvolume fermions λ 0 and λ i ; and four chiral multiplets W α , H i that satisfy S{W}_{α }=S{overline{D}}_{overset{\\cdotp }{α }}{overline{H}}^{overline{imath}}=0 and contain the vector A μ and the scalars ϕ i . We also discuss how placing an anti-D3-brane on top of intersecting O7-planes can lead to an orthogonal multiplet Φ that satisfies S(Φ -overline{Φ})=0 , which is particularly interesting for inflationary cosmology.

Oscillations in the CMB from Axion Monodromy Inflation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flauger, Raphael; /Texas U.; McAllister, Liam

2011-12-01

We study the CMB observables in axion monodromy inflation. These well-motivated scenarios for inflation in string theory have monomial potentials over super-Planckian field ranges, with superimposed sinusoidal modulations from instanton effects. Such periodic modulations of the potential can drive resonant enhancements of the correlation functions of cosmological perturbations, with characteristic modulations of the amplitude as a function of wavenumber. We give an analytical result for the scalar power spectrum in this class of models, and we determine the limits that present data places on the amplitude and frequency of modulations. Then, incorporating an improved understanding of the realization of axionmore » monodromy inflation in string theory, we perform a careful study of microphysical constraints in this scenario. We find that detectable modulations of the scalar power spectrum are commonplace in well-controlled examples, while resonant contributions to the bispectrum are undetectable in some classes of examples and detectable in others. We conclude that resonant contributions to the spectrum and bispectrum are a characteristic signature of axion monodromy inflation that, in favorable cases, could be detected in near-future experiments.« less

Tilted Bianchi type-I wet dark fluid model in Saez and Ballester theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahu, S. K.; Tole, T. T.; Balcha, M.

2018-06-01

Tilted Bianchi-I wet dark fluid cosmological model is investigated in Saez and Ballester scalar theory of gravitation. Background cosmologies are obtained for a constant deceleration parameter. We consider a linear relationship between the shear scalar and the expansion scalar. We have discussed some physical and geometrical properties of the models. In our models, equation of state of the dark energy is observed to behave like a cosmological constant at late times.

A general theory of linear cosmological perturbations: bimetric theories

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lagos, Macarena; Ferreira, Pedro G., E-mail: m.lagos13@imperial.ac.uk, E-mail: p.ferreira1@physics.ox.ac.uk

2017-01-01

We implement the method developed in [1] to construct the most general parametrised action for linear cosmological perturbations of bimetric theories of gravity. Specifically, we consider perturbations around a homogeneous and isotropic background, and identify the complete form of the action invariant under diffeomorphism transformations, as well as the number of free parameters characterising this cosmological class of theories. We discuss, in detail, the case without derivative interactions, and compare our results with those found in massive bigravity.

Observational constraints on loop quantum cosmology.

PubMed

Bojowald, Martin; Calcagni, Gianluca; Tsujikawa, Shinji

2011-11-18

In the inflationary scenario of loop quantum cosmology in the presence of inverse-volume corrections, we give analytic formulas for the power spectra of scalar and tensor perturbations convenient to compare with observations. Since inverse-volume corrections can provide strong contributions to the running spectral indices, inclusion of terms higher than the second-order runnings in the power spectra is crucially important. Using the recent data of cosmic microwave background and other cosmological experiments, we place bounds on the quantum corrections.

Cosmological constant problem and renormalized vacuum energy density in curved background

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kohri, Kazunori; Matsui, Hiroki, E-mail: kohri@post.kek.jp, E-mail: matshiro@post.kek.jp

The current vacuum energy density observed as dark energy ρ{sub dark}≅ 2.5×10{sup −47} GeV{sup 4} is unacceptably small compared with any other scales. Therefore, we encounter serious fine-tuning problem and theoretical difficulty to derive the dark energy. However, the theoretically attractive scenario has been proposed and discussed in literature: in terms of the renormalization-group (RG) running of the cosmological constant, the vacuum energy density can be expressed as ρ{sub vacuum}≅ m {sup 2} H {sup 2} where m is the mass of the scalar field and rather dynamical in curved spacetime. However, there has been no rigorous proof to derivemore » this expression and there are some criticisms about the physical interpretation of the RG running cosmological constant. In the present paper, we revisit the RG running effects of the cosmological constant and investigate the renormalized vacuum energy density in curved spacetime. We demonstrate that the vacuum energy density described by ρ{sub vacuum}≅ m {sup 2} H {sup 2} appears as quantum effects of the curved background rather than the running effects of cosmological constant. Comparing to cosmological observational data, we obtain an upper bound on the mass of the scalar fields to be smaller than the Planck mass, m ∼< M {sub Pl}.« less

Physics from geometry: Non-Kahler compactifications, black rings anddS/CFT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cyrier, Michelle

The spectrum that arises in four dimensions from compactification of ten dimensional string theory onto six dimensional manifolds is determined entirely by the geometry of the compactification manifold. The massless spectrum for compactifications on Calabi-Yau threefolds, which are Kahler and have complex structure, is well understood. In chapter 2 of this thesis, We study the compactification of heterotic string theory on manifolds that are non-Kahler. Such manifolds arise as a solution for compactifications of heterotic string theory with nonzero H-flux. We begin the study of the massless spectrum arising from compactification using this construction by counting zero modes of the linearized equations of motion for the gaugino in the supergravity approximation. We rephrase the question in terms of a cohomology problem and show that for a trivial gauge bundle, this cohomology reduces to the Dolbeault cohomology of the 3-fold, which we then compute. Another check of string theory is to study the entropy of black holes made in string theory. In Chapter 3, We review the microstate counting of four dimensional black holes made from M theory. We then describe a new solution in five dimensions, the supersymmetric black ring, and describe its microscopic entropy using a similar counting. These agree with the semi-classical Bekenstein-Hawking entropy for these black holes. Finally, one powerful tool for quantum gravity is the holographic duality of string theory in an Anti de Sitter background and a theory living on its conformal boundary. Strominger conjectured a similar duality between quantum gravity in a de Sitter background and the corresponding theory on its boundary. In chapter 4 we examine issues with different representations of the conformal field theory on the boundary for a massive quantum field theory living in the bulk and try to write down a sensible CFT.

Planck 2010: From the Planck Scale to the ElectroWeak Scale (Part 9)

ScienceCinema

None

2018-06-27

"Planck 2010: From the Planck Scale to the ElectroWeak Scale". The conference will be the twelfth one in a series of meetings on physics beyond the Standard Model, organized jointly by several European groups: Bonn, CERN, Ecole Polytechnique, ICTP, Madrid, Oxford, Padua, Pisa, SISSA and Warsaw as part of activities in the framework of the European network UNILHC. The main topic covered will be "Supersymmetry", with discussions on: supergravity and string phenomenology, extra dimensions, electroweak symmetry breaking, LHC and Tevatron physics, collider physics, flavor and neutrino physics, astroparticle and cosmology, gravity and holography, and strongly coupled physics and CFT.

Positive spatial curvature does not falsify the landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, B.

2017-12-01

We present a simple cosmological model where the quantum tunneling of a scalar field rearranges the energetics of the matter sector, sending a stable static ancestor vacuum with positive spatial curvature into an inating solution with positive curvature. This serves as a proof of principle that an observation of positive spatial curvature does not falsify the hypothesis that our current observer patch originated from false vacuum tunneling in a string or field theoretic landscape. This poster submission is a summary of the work, and was presented at the 3rd annual ICPPA held in Moscow from October 2 to 5, 2017, by Prof. Rostislav Konoplich on behalf of the author.

Tachyon and quintessence in brane worlds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chimento, Luis P.; Forte, Monica; Richarte, Martin G.

2009-04-15

Using tachyon or quintessence fields along with a barotropic fluid on the brane we examine the different cosmological stages in a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe, from the first radiation scenario to the later era dominated by cosmic string networks. We introduce a new algorithm to generalize previous works on exact solutions and apply it to study tachyon and quintessence fields localized on the brane. We also explore the low and high energy regimes of the solutions. Besides, we show that the tachyon and quintessence fields are driven by an inverse power law potential. Finally, we find several simple exacts solutions for tachyonmore » and/or quintessence fields.« less

Planck 2010: From the Planck Scale to the ElectroWeak Scale (Part 5)

ScienceCinema

None

2018-06-27

"Planck 2010: From the Planck Scale to the ElectroWeak Scale". The conference will be the twelfth one in a series of meetings on physics beyond the Standard Model, organized jointly by several European groups: Bonn, CERN, Ecole Polytechnique, ICTP, Madrid, Oxford, Padua, Pisa, SISSA and Warsaw as part of activities in the framework of the European network UNILHC. The main topic covered will be "Supersymmetry", with discussions on: supergravity and string phenomenology, extra dimensions, electroweak symmetry breaking, LHC and Tevatron physics, collider physics, flavor and neutrino physics, astroparticle and cosmology, gravity and holography, and strongly coupled physics and CFT.

Planck 2010: From the Planck Scale to the ElectroWeak Scale (Part 6)

ScienceCinema

None

2018-06-28

"Planck 2010: From the Planck Scale to the ElectroWeak Scale". The conference will be the twelfth one in a series of meetings on physics beyond the Standard Model, organized jointly by several European groups: Bonn, CERN, Ecole Polytechnique, ICTP, Madrid, Oxford, Padua, Pisa, SISSA and Warsaw as part of activities in the framework of the European network UNILHC. The main topic covered will be "Supersymmetry", with discussions on: supergravity and string phenomenology, extra dimensions, electroweak symmetry breaking, LHC and Tevatron physics, collider physics, flavor and neutrino physics, astroparticle and cosmology, gravity and holography, and strongly coupled physics and CFT.

Three dimensional magnetic solutions in massive gravity with (non)linear field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendi, S. H.; Eslam Panah, B.; Panahiyan, S.; Momennia, M.

2017-12-01

The Noble Prize in physics 2016 motivates one to study different aspects of topological properties and topological defects as their related objects. Considering the significant role of the topological defects (especially magnetic strings) in cosmology, here, we will investigate three dimensional horizonless magnetic solutions in the presence of two generalizations: massive gravity and nonlinear electromagnetic field. The effects of these two generalizations on properties of the solutions and their geometrical structure are investigated. The differences between de Sitter and anti de Sitter solutions are highlighted and conditions regarding the existence of phase transition in geometrical structure of the solutions are studied.

Rapid roll inflation with conformal coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kofman, Lev; Mukohyama, Shinji

2008-02-01

Usual inflation is realized with a slow rolling scalar field minimally coupled to gravity. In contrast, we consider dynamics of a scalar with a flat effective potential, conformally coupled to gravity. Surprisingly, it contains an attractor inflationary solution with the rapidly rolling inflaton field. We discuss models with the conformal inflaton with a flat potential (including hybrid inflation). There is no generation of cosmological fluctuations from the conformally coupled inflaton. We consider realizations of modulated (inhomogeneous reheating) or curvaton cosmological fluctuations in these models. We also implement these unusual features for the popular string-theoretic warped inflationary scenario, based on the interacting D3-D¯3 branes. The original warped brane inflation suffers a large inflaton mass due to conformal coupling to 4-dimensional gravity. Instead of considering this as a problem and trying to cure it with extra engineering, we show that warped inflation with the conformally coupled, rapidly rolling inflaton is yet possible with N=37 efoldings, which requires low-energy scales 1 100 TeV of inflation. Coincidentally, the same warping numerology can be responsible for the hierarchy. It is shown that the scalars associated with angular isometries of the warped geometry of compact manifold (e.g. S3 of Klebanov-Strassler (KS) geometry) have solutions identical to conformally coupled modes and also cannot be responsible for cosmological fluctuations. We discuss other possibilities.

Racquet string tension directly affects force experienced at the elbow: implications for the development of lateral epicondylitis in tennis players

PubMed Central

Mohandhas, Badri R; Makaram, Navnit; Drew, Tim S; Wang, Weijie; Arnold, Graham P

2016-01-01

Background Lateral epicondylitis (LE) occurs in almost half of all tennis players. Racket-string tension is considered to be an important factor influencing the development of LE. No literature yet exists that substantiates how string-tension affects force transmission to the elbow, as implicated in LE development. We establish a quantitative relationship between string-tension and elbow loading, analyzing tennis strokes using rackets with varying string-tensions. Methods Twenty recreational tennis players simulated backhand tennis strokes using three rackets strung at tensions of 200 N, 222 N and 245 N. Accelerometers recorded accelerations at the elbow, wrist and racket handle. Average peak acceleration was determined to correlate string-tension with elbow loading. Results Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed when average peak acceleration at the elbow at 200 N string-tension (acceleration of 5.58 m/s2) was compared with that at 222 N tension (acceleration of 6.83 m/s2) and 245 N tension (acceleration of 7.45 m/s2). The 200 N racket induced the least acceleration at the elbow. Conclusions Although parameters determining force transmission to the elbow during a tennis stroke are complex, the present study was able to control these parameters, isolating the effect of string-tension. Lower string-tensions transmit less force to the elbow in backhand strokes. Reducing string-tension should be considered favourably with respect to reducing the risk of developing LE. PMID:27583017

Robust constraint on cosmic textures from the cosmic microwave background.

PubMed

Feeney, Stephen M; Johnson, Matthew C; Mortlock, Daniel J; Peiris, Hiranya V

2012-06-15

Fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) contain information which has been pivotal in establishing the current cosmological model. These data can also be used to test well-motivated additions to this model, such as cosmic textures. Textures are a type of topological defect that can be produced during a cosmological phase transition in the early Universe, and which leave characteristic hot and cold spots in the CMB. We apply bayesian methods to carry out a rigorous test of the texture hypothesis, using full-sky data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. We conclude that current data do not warrant augmenting the standard cosmological model with textures. We rule out at 95% confidence models that predict more than 6 detectable cosmic textures on the full sky.

Joint cosmic microwave background and weak lensing analysis: constraints on cosmological parameters.

PubMed

Contaldi, Carlo R; Hoekstra, Henk; Lewis, Antony

2003-06-06

We use cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations together with the red-sequence cluster survey weak lensing results to derive constraints on a range of cosmological parameters. This particular choice of observations is motivated by their robust physical interpretation and complementarity. Our combined analysis, including a weak nucleosynthesis constraint, yields accurate determinations of a number of parameters including the amplitude of fluctuations sigma(8)=0.89+/-0.05 and matter density Omega(m)=0.30+/-0.03. We also find a value for the Hubble parameter of H(0)=70+/-3 km s(-1) Mpc(-1), in good agreement with the Hubble Space Telescope key-project result. We conclude that the combination of CMB and weak lensing data provides some of the most powerful constraints available in cosmology today.

Tensionless Strings and Supersymmetric Sigma Models: Aspects of the Target Space Geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bredthauer, Andreas

2007-01-01

In this thesis, two aspects of string theory are discussed, tensionless strings and supersymmetric sigma models. The equivalent to a massless particle in string theory is a tensionless string. Even almost 30 years after it was first mentioned, it is still quite poorly understood. We discuss how tensionless strings give rise to exact solutions to supergravity and solve closed tensionless string theory in the ten dimensional maximally supersymmetric plane wave background, a contraction of AdS(5)xS(5) where tensionless strings are of great interest due to their proposed relation to higher spin gauge theory via the AdS/CFT correspondence. For a sigma model, the amount of supersymmetry on its worldsheet restricts the geometry of the target space. For N=(2,2) supersymmetry, for example, the target space has to be bi-hermitian. Recently, with generalized complex geometry, a new mathematical framework was developed that is especially suited to discuss the target space geometry of sigma models in a Hamiltonian formulation. Bi-hermitian geometry is so-called generalized Kaehler geometry but the relation is involved. We discuss various amounts of supersymmetry in phase space and show that this relation can be established by considering the equivalence between the Hamilton and Lagrange formulation of the sigma model. In the study of generalized supersymmetric sigma models, we find objects that favor a geometrical interpretation beyond generalized complex geometry.

Tachyon warm inflation with the effects of loop quantum cosmology in the light of Planck 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamali, Vahid; Basilakos, Spyros; Mehrabi, Ahmad; Motaharfar, Meysam; Massaeli, Erfan

We investigate the observational signatures of quantum cosmology in the Cosmic Microwave Background data provided by Planck collaboration. We apply the warm inflationary paradigm with a tachyon scalar field to the loop quantum cosmology. In this context, we first provide the basic cosmological functions in terms of the tachyon field. We then obtain the slow-roll parameters and the power spectrum of scalar and tensor fluctuations, respectively. Finally, we study the performance of various warm inflationary scenarios against the latest Planck data and we find a family of models which are in agreement with the observations.

Information carrying capacity of a cosmological constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simidzija, Petar; Martín-Martínez, Eduardo

2017-01-01

We analyze the exchange of information in different cosmological backgrounds when sender and receiver are timelike separated and communicate through massless fields (without the exchange of light signals). Remarkably, we show that the dominance of a cosmological constant makes the amount of recoverable information imprinted in the field by the sender extremely resilient: it does not decay in time or with the spatial separation of the sender and receiver, and it actually increases with the rate of expansion of the Universe. This is in stark contrast with the information carried by conventional light signals and with previous results on timelike communication through massless fields in matter-dominated cosmologies.

Emergent cosmology revisited

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bag, Satadru; Sahni, Varun; Shtanov, Yuri

We explore the possibility of emergent cosmology using the effective potential formalism. We discover new models of emergent cosmology which satisfy the constraints posed by the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We demonstrate that, within the framework of modified gravity, the emergent scenario can arise in a universe which is spatially open/closed. By contrast, in general relativity (GR) emergent cosmology arises from a spatially closed past-eternal Einstein Static Universe (ESU). In GR the ESU is unstable, which creates fine tuning problems for emergent cosmology. However, modified gravity models including Braneworld models, Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC) and Asymptotically Free Gravity result inmore » a stable ESU. Consequently, in these models emergent cosmology arises from a larger class of initial conditions including those in which the universe eternally oscillates about the ESU fixed point. We demonstrate that such an oscillating universe is necessarily accompanied by graviton production. For a large region in parameter space graviton production is enhanced through a parametric resonance, casting serious doubts as to whether this emergent scenario can be past-eternal.« less

Dark matter and cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schramm, D.N.

1992-03-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the {Omega} = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between ``cold`` and ``hot`` non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed ``seeds`` that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations,more » such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.« less

Dark matter and cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schramm, D.N.

1992-03-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the {Omega} = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between cold'' and hot'' non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed seeds'' that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations,more » such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.« less

Foundations of Space and Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murugan, Jeff; Weltman, Amanda; Ellis, George F. R.

2012-07-01

1. The problem with quantum gravity Jeff Murugan, Amanda Weltman and George F. R. Eliis; 2. A dialogue on the nature of gravity Thanu Padmanabhan; 3. Effective theories and modifications of gravity Cliff Burgess; 4. The small scale structure of spacetime Steve Carlip; 5. Ultraviolet divergences in supersymmetric theories Kellog Stelle; 6. Cosmological quantum billiards Axel Kleinschmidt and Hermann Nicolai; 7. Progress in RNS string theory and pure spinors Dimitri Polyakov; 8. Recent trends in superstring phenomenology Massimo Bianchi; 9. Emergent spacetime Robert de Mello Koch and Jeff Murugan; 10. Loop quantum gravity Hanno Sahlmann; 11. Loop quantum gravity and cosmology Martin Bojowald; 12. The microscopic dynamics of quantum space as a group field theory Daniele Oriti; 13. Causal dynamical triangulations and the quest for quantum gravity Jan Ambjørn, J. Jurkiewicz and Renate Loll; 14. Proper time is stochastic time in 2D quantum gravity Jan Ambjorn, Renate Loll, Y. Watabiki, W. Westra and S. Zohren; 15. Logic is to the quantum as geometry is to gravity Rafael Sorkin; 16. Causal sets: discreteness without symmetry breaking Joe Henson; 17. The Big Bang, quantum gravity, and black-hole information loss Roger Penrose; Index.

Dark matter and cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schramm, David N.

1992-07-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the Ω = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between ``cold'' and ``hot'' non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed ``seeds'' that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations, such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.

Dark matter and cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schramm, D. N.

1992-03-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the omega = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between 'cold' and 'hot' non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed 'seeds' that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations, such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages, and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.

Cosmological parameter estimation using Particle Swarm Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasad, J.; Souradeep, T.

2014-03-01

Constraining parameters of a theoretical model from observational data is an important exercise in cosmology. There are many theoretically motivated models, which demand greater number of cosmological parameters than the standard model of cosmology uses, and make the problem of parameter estimation challenging. It is a common practice to employ Bayesian formalism for parameter estimation for which, in general, likelihood surface is probed. For the standard cosmological model with six parameters, likelihood surface is quite smooth and does not have local maxima, and sampling based methods like Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method are quite successful. However, when there are a large number of parameters or the likelihood surface is not smooth, other methods may be more effective. In this paper, we have demonstrated application of another method inspired from artificial intelligence, called Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for estimating cosmological parameters from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data taken from the WMAP satellite.

A hundred years with the cosmological constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grøn, Øyvind G.

2018-07-01

The main points in the history of the cosmological constant are briefly discussed. As a conceptual background, useful for teaching of physics at an elementary college and university level, Newton’s theory formulated locally in terms of the Poisson equation is presented, and it is shown how it is modified by the introduction of the cosmological constant. The different physical interpretations of the cosmological constant, as introduced by Einstein in 1917 and interpreted by Lemaître in 1934, are presented. Energy conservation in an expanding universe dominated by vacuum energy is discussed. The connection between the cosmological constant and the quantum mechanical vacuum energy is mentioned, together with the problem that a quantum mechanical calculation of the density of the vacuum energy gives a vastly too large value of the cosmological constant. The article is concluded by reviewing a solution of this problem that was presented on May 11, 2017.

Fluxes, holography and twistors: String theory paths to four dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Peng

2007-12-01

There are presently three popular paths to obtain four dimensional physics from string theory: compactification, holography and twistor space. We present results in this thesis on each of them, discussing the geometric structure of flux compactifications, the interplay between holography and S -duality in M-theory and the perturbative amplitudes of the marginally deformed super-Yang-Mills theory obtained from topological string theory on a supertwistor space. First we analyze supersymmetric flux compactifications of ten dimensional string theories to four dimensions. Back reaction of the fluxes on the six dimensional internal geometry is characterized by G-structures. In type IIB compactification on SU(3)-structure manifold with N = 1 supersymmetry, we solve the equations dictating the five components of intrinsic torsion. We find that the six dimensional manifold always retains an integrable almost complex structure compatible with supersymmetry. In terms of the various vacuum fields, the axion/dilaton is found to be generically non-holomorphic, and the four dimensional cosmological constant is nonvanishing only if the SU(3) structure group is reduced to SU(2). The equations are solved by one holomorphic function. Around the poles and zeros of the holomorphic function, the geometry locally looks like the well known type-A and type-B solutions. When this function is a constant, the geometry can be viewed as a holographic RG flow. After classifying the type IIB SU(3)-structure flux vacua, we analyze the effect of non-perturbative corrections on the moduli space of N = 2 flux compactifications. At energy below the Kaluza-Klein scale, the four dimensional effective theory is a gauged supergravity theory with vanishing cosmological constant. The gauging of isometries on the hyper-multiplet moduli space is induced by the fluxes. We show that instanton corrections which could potentially lift the gauged isometries are in fact prohibited both in the type IIA and heterotic string theories by the inclusion of flux. Hence gauged supergravity is a robust framework for studying flux vacua even when these stringy effects are taken into account. The mechanisms which protect the gauged isometries are different in the two theories. Then we switch to the understanding of SL(2, Z ) duality transformations in asymptotically AdS4 x S7 spacetime with an Abelian gauge theory. The bulk duality acts non-trivially on the three-dimensional SCFT of coincident M2-branes on the conformal boundary. We develop a systematic method to holographically obtain the deformations of the boundary CFT manifested by generalized boundary conditions and show how SL(2, Z ) duality relates different deformations of the conformal vacuum. We analyze in detail marginal deformations and deformations by dimension 4 operators. In the case of massive deformations, the RG flow induces a Legendre transform as well as S-duality. Correlation functions in the CFT are computed by differentiating with respect to magnetic bulk sources, whereas correlation functions in the Legendre dual CFT are computed using electric bulk sources. Under massive deformations, the boundary effective action is generically minimized by massive self-dual configurations of the U(1) gauge field. We show that a massive and self-dual boundary condition corresponds to the unique self-dual topologically massive gauge theory in three dimensions. Thus, self-duality in three dimensions can be understood as a consequence of SL(2, Z ) invariance in the bulk of AdS4. We discuss various implications for understanding the strongly interacting worldvolume theory of M2-branes and more general dualities of the maximally supersymmetric AdS4 supergravity theory. Finally we study the twistor string theory whose D-instanton expansion gives the perturbative expansion of marginally deformed N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theories. More precisely this string theory is a topological B-model with both open and closed string sectors with target space CP3|4 , a super-Calabi-Yau manifold. The tree-level amplitudes in the N = 1 beta-deformed field theory are exactly reproduced by introducing non-anticommutative star-products among the D1 and D5 open strings. A related star-product gives the tree-level amplitudes of the non-supersymmetric gamma-deformed conformal field theory. The non-anticommutativity arises essentially from the deformation of the supertwistor space which reduces the amount of superconformal symmetries realized by the supertwistor space. The tree-level gluonic amplitudes in more general marginally deformed field theories are also discussed using twistor string theory.

Ultracompact Minihalos as Probes of Inflationary Cosmology.

PubMed

Aslanyan, Grigor; Price, Layne C; Adams, Jenni; Bringmann, Torsten; Clark, Hamish A; Easther, Richard; Lewis, Geraint F; Scott, Pat

2016-09-30

Cosmological inflation generates primordial density perturbations on all scales, including those far too small to contribute to the cosmic microwave background. At these scales, isolated ultracompact minihalos of dark matter can form well before standard structure formation, if the perturbations have sufficient amplitude. Minihalos affect pulsar timing data and are potentially bright sources of gamma rays. The resulting constraints significantly extend the observable window of inflation in the presence of cold dark matter, coupling two of the key problems in modern cosmology.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harmark, Troels; Orselli, Marta

We match the Hagedorn/deconfinement temperature of planar N=4 super Yang-Mills (SYM) on RxS{sup 3} to the Hagedorn temperature of string theory on AdS{sub 5}xS{sup 5}. The match is done in a near-critical region where both gauge theory and string theory are weakly coupled. The near-critical region is near a point with zero temperature and critical chemical potential. On the gauge-theory side we are taking a decoupling limit found in Ref. 7 in which the physics of planar N=4 SYM is given exactly by the ferromagnetic XXX{sub 1/2} Heisenberg spin chain. We find moreover a general relation between the Hagedorn/deconfinement temperaturemore » and the thermodynamics of the Heisenberg spin chain and we use this to compute it in two distinct regimes. On the string-theory side, we identify the dual limit for which the string tension and string coupling go to zero. This limit is taken of string theory on a maximally supersymmetric pp-wave background with a flat direction, obtained from a Penrose limit of AdS{sub 5}xS{sup 5}. We compute the Hagedorn temperature of the string theory and find agreement with the Hagedorn/deconfinement temperature computed on the gauge-theory side.« less

European Pulsar Timing Array limits on an isotropic stochastic gravitational-wave background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lentati, L.; Taylor, S. R.; Mingarelli, C. M. F.; Sesana, A.; Sanidas, S. A.; Vecchio, A.; Caballero, R. N.; Lee, K. J.; van Haasteren, R.; Babak, S.; Bassa, C. G.; Brem, P.; Burgay, M.; Champion, D. J.; Cognard, I.; Desvignes, G.; Gair, J. R.; Guillemot, L.; Hessels, J. W. T.; Janssen, G. H.; Karuppusamy, R.; Kramer, M.; Lassus, A.; Lazarus, P.; Liu, K.; Osłowski, S.; Perrodin, D.; Petiteau, A.; Possenti, A.; Purver, M. B.; Rosado, P. A.; Smits, R.; Stappers, B.; Theureau, G.; Tiburzi, C.; Verbiest, J. P. W.

2015-11-01

We present new limits on an isotropic stochastic gravitational-wave background (GWB) using a six pulsar data set spanning 18 yr of observations from the 2015 European Pulsar Timing Array data release. Performing a Bayesian analysis, we fit simultaneously for the intrinsic noise parameters for each pulsar, along with common correlated signals including clock, and Solar system ephemeris errors, obtaining a robust 95 per cent upper limit on the dimensionless strain amplitude A of the background of A < 3.0 × 10-15 at a reference frequency of 1 yr-1 and a spectral index of 13/3, corresponding to a background from inspiralling supermassive black hole binaries, constraining the GW energy density to Ωgw(f)h2 < 1.1 × 10-9 at 2.8 nHz. We also present limits on the correlated power spectrum at a series of discrete frequencies, and show that our sensitivity to a fiducial isotropic GWB is highest at a frequency of ˜5 × 10-9 Hz. Finally, we discuss the implications of our analysis for the astrophysics of supermassive black hole binaries, and present 95 per cent upper limits on the string tension, Gμ/c2, characterizing a background produced by a cosmic string network for a set of possible scenarios, and for a stochastic relic GWB. For a Nambu-Goto field theory cosmic string network, we set a limit Gμ/c2 < 1.3 × 10-7, identical to that set by the Planck Collaboration, when combining Planck and high-ℓ cosmic microwave background data from other experiments. For a stochastic relic background, we set a limit of Ω ^relic_gw(f)h^2<1.2 × 10^{-9}, a factor of 9 improvement over the most stringent limits previously set by a pulsar timing array.

Coupled scalar fields in the late Universe: the mechanical approach and the late cosmic acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burgazli, Alvina; Zhuk, Alexander; Morais, João

In this paper, we consider the Universe at the late stage of its evolution and deep inside the cell of uniformity. At these scales, we consider the Universe to be filled with dust-like matter in the form of discretely distributed galaxies, a minimally coupled scalar field and radiation as matter sources. We investigate such a Universe in the mechanical approach. This means that the peculiar velocities of the inhomogeneities (in the form of galaxies) as well as fluctuations of other perfect fluids are non-relativistic. Such fluids are designated as coupled because they are concentrated around inhomogeneities. In the present papermore » we investigate the conditions under which a scalar field can become coupled, and show that, at the background level, such coupled scalar field behaves as a two component perfect fluid: a network of frustrated cosmic strings with EoS parameter w =-1/3 and a cosmological constant. The potential of this scalar field is very flat at the present time. Hence, the coupled scalar field can provide the late cosmic acceleration. The fluctuations of the energy density and pressure of this field are concentrated around the galaxies screening their gravitational potentials. Therefore, such scalar fields can be regarded as coupled to the inhomogeneities.« less

Fuzzy Dark Matter from Infrared Confining Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davoudiasl, Hooman; Murphy, Christopher W.

2017-04-01

A very light boson of mass O (10-22) eV may potentially be a viable dark matter (DM) candidate, which can avoid phenomenological problems associated with cold DM. Such "fuzzy DM (FDM)" may naturally be an axion with a decay constant fa˜1 016- 1 018 GeV and a mass ma˜μ2/fa with μ ˜1 02 eV . Here, we propose a concrete model, where μ arises as a dynamical scale from infrared confining dynamics, analogous to QCD. Our model is an alternative to the usual approach of generating μ through string theoretic instanton effects. We outline the features of this scenario that result from various cosmological constraints. We find that those constraints are suggestive of a period of mild of inflation, perhaps from a strong first order phase transition, that reheats the standard model (SM) sector only. A typical prediction of our scenario, broadly speaking, is a larger effective number of neutrinos compared to the SM value Neff≈3 , as inferred from precision measurements of the cosmic microwave background. Some of the new degrees of freedom may be identified as "sterile neutrinos," which may be required to explain certain neutrino oscillation anomalies. Hence, aspects of our scenario could be testable in terrestrial experiments, which is a novelty of our FDM model.

Observational exclusion of a consistent loop quantum cosmology scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolliet, Boris; Barrau, Aurélien; Grain, Julien; Schander, Susanne

2016-06-01

It is often argued that inflation erases all the information about what took place before it started. Quantum gravity, relevant in the Planck era, seems therefore mostly impossible to probe with cosmological observations. In general, only very ad hoc scenarios or hyper fine-tuned initial conditions can lead to observationally testable theories. Here we consider a well-defined and well-motivated candidate quantum cosmology model that predicts inflation. Using the most recent observational constraints on the cosmic microwave background B-modes, we show that the model is excluded for all its parameter space, without any tuning. Some important consequences are drawn for the deformed algebra approach to loop quantum cosmology. We emphasize that neither loop quantum cosmology in general nor loop quantum gravity are disfavored by this study but their falsifiability is established.

PREFACE: 2nd International Symposium on the Modern Physics of Compact Stars and Relativistic Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edvard Chubaryan, Professor; Aram Saharian, Professor; Armen Sedrakian, Professor

2014-03-01

The international conference ''The Modern Physics of Compact Stars and Relativistic Gravity'' took place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 18-21 September 2013. This was the second in a series of conferences which aim to bring together people working in astrophysics of compact stars, physics of dense matter, gravitation and cosmology, observations of pulsars and binary neutron stars and related fields. The conference was held on the occasion of 100th birthday of the founder of the Theoretical Physics Chair at the Department of Physics of Yerevan State University and prominent Armenian scientist Academician Gurgen S Sahakyan. The field of compact stars has seen extraordinary development since the discovery of pulsars in 1967. Even before this discovery, pioneering work of a number of theoretical groups had laid the foundation for this development. A pioneer of this effort was Professor G S Sahakyan who, together with Professor Victor Ambartsumyan and a group of young scientists, started in the early sixties their fundamental work on the properties of superdense matter and on the relativistic structure of compact stellar objects. This conference explored the vast diversity of the manifestations of compact stars, including the modern aspects of the equation of state of superdense matter, its magnetic and thermal properties, rotational dynamics, superfluidity and superconductivity, phase transition from hadronic to quark matter, etc. The articles on these subjects collected in this volume are evidence of liveliness of the field and of the continuous feedback between theory and the experiment. A part of this volume is devoted to the cosmology and the theories of gravity — the subfields of astrophysics that are of fundamental importance to our understanding of the universe. The reader will find here articles touching on the most diverse aspects of these fields such as modern problems in Einstein's classical theory of gravity and its alternatives, string theory motivated cosmological models, theories of cosmic microwave background, quantum field theory in curved background, Casimir effect, etc. Thus, it is fair to say that the present volume covers a large number of actively pursued subjects of modern relativistic astrophysics. We would like to thank all those individuals and organizations that helped us in organizing a successful conference. These include the members of the international advisory committee as well as the local organizing committee (whose names are listed separately above) and the sponsors of the conference — the Volkswagen Stiftung (Hannover, Germany), the HIC for FAIR Institute (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) and the State Committee for Sciences of Armenia. Edvard Chubaryan, Aram Saharian and Armen Sedrakian Yerevan / Frankfurt-Main, 1 February, 2014 Conference photograph A list of participants is available in the PDF

Stereo-Based Region-Growing using String Matching

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandelbaum, Robert; Mintz, Max

1995-01-01

We present a novel stereo algorithm based on a coarse texture segmentation preprocessing phase. Matching is performed using a string comparison. Matching sub-strings correspond to matching sequences of textures. Inter-scanline clustering of matching sub-strings yields regions of matching texture. The shape of these regions yield information concerning object's height, width and azimuthal position relative to the camera pair. Hence, rather than the standard dense depth map, the output of this algorithm is a segmentation of objects in the scene. Such a format is useful for the integration of stereo with other sensor modalities on a mobile robotic platform. It is also useful for localization; the height and width of a detected object may be used for landmark recognition, while depth and relative azimuthal location determine pose. The algorithm does not rely on the monotonicity of order of image primitives. Occlusions, exposures, and foreshortening effects are not problematic. The algorithm can deal with certain types of transparencies. It is computationally efficient, and very amenable to parallel implementation. Further, the epipolar constraints may be relaxed to some small but significant degree. A version of the algorithm has been implemented and tested on various types of images. It performs best on random dot stereograms, on images with easily filtered backgrounds (as in synthetic images), and on real scenes with uncontrived backgrounds.

Holographic Spherically Symmetric Metrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petri, Michael

The holographic principle (HP) conjectures, that the maximum number of degrees of freedom of any realistic physical system is proportional to the system's boundary area. The HP has its roots in the study of black holes. It has recently been applied to cosmological solutions. In this article we apply the HP to spherically symmetric static space-times. We find that any regular spherically symmetric object saturating the HP is subject to tight constraints on the (interior) metric, energy-density, temperature and entropy-density. Whenever gravity can be described by a metric theory, gravity is macroscopically scale invariant and the laws of thermodynamics hold locally and globally, the (interior) metric of a regular holographic object is uniquely determined up to a constant factor and the interior matter-state must follow well defined scaling relations. When the metric theory of gravity is general relativity, the interior matter has an overall string equation of state (EOS) and a unique total energy-density. Thus the holographic metric derived in this article can serve as simple interior 4D realization of Mathur's string fuzzball proposal. Some properties of the holographic metric and its possible experimental verification are discussed. The geodesics of the holographic metric describe an isotropically expanding (or contracting) universe with a nearly homogeneous matter-distribution within the local Hubble volume. Due to the overall string EOS the active gravitational mass-density is zero, resulting in a coasting expansion with Ht = 1, which is compatible with the recent GRB-data.

Dark energy and the cosmic microwave background radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dodelson, S.; Knox, L.

2000-01-01

We find that current cosmic microwave background anisotropy data strongly constrain the mean spatial curvature of the Universe to be near zero, or, equivalently, the total energy density to be near critical-as predicted by inflation. This result is robust to editing of data sets, and variation of other cosmological parameters (totaling seven, including a cosmological constant). Other lines of argument indicate that the energy density of nonrelativistic matter is much less than critical. Together, these results are evidence, independent of supernovae data, for dark energy in the Universe.

Dark energy and the cosmic microwave background radiation.

PubMed

Dodelson, S; Knox, L

2000-04-17

We find that current cosmic microwave background anisotropy data strongly constrain the mean spatial curvature of the Universe to be near zero, or, equivalently, the total energy density to be near critical-as predicted by inflation. This result is robust to editing of data sets, and variation of other cosmological parameters (totaling seven, including a cosmological constant). Other lines of argument indicate that the energy density of nonrelativistic matter is much less than critical. Together, these results are evidence, independent of supernovae data, for dark energy in the Universe.

Cosmological Implications of the Effects of X-Ray Clusters on the Cosmic Microwave Background

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forman, William R.

1996-01-01

We have been carrying forward a program to confront X-ray observations of clusters and their evolution as derived from X-ray observatories with observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR). In addition to the material covered in our previous reports (including three published papers), most recently we have explored the effects of a cosmological constant on the predicted Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect from the ensemble of clusters. In this report we summarize that work from which a paper will be prepared.

Measurement of a cosmographic distance ratio with galaxy and cosmic microwave background lensing

DOE PAGES

Miyatake, Hironao; Madhavacheril, Mathew S.; Sehgal, Neelima; ...

2017-04-17

We measure the gravitational lensing shear signal around dark matter halos hosting constant mass galaxies using light sources at z~1 (background galaxies) and at the surface of last scattering at z~1100 (the cosmic microwave background). The galaxy shear measurement uses data from the CFHTLenS survey, and the microwave background shear measurement uses data from the Planck satellite. The ratio of shears from these cross-correlations provides a purely geometric distance measurement across the longest possible cosmological lever arm. This is because the matter distribution around the halos, including uncertainties in galaxy bias and systematic errors such as miscentering, cancels in themore » ratio for halos in thin redshift slices. We measure this distance ratio in three different redshift slices of the constant mass (CMASS) sample and combine them to obtain a 17% measurement of the distance ratio, r = 0.390 +0.070 –0.062, at an effective redshift of z = 0.53. As a result, this is consistent with the predicted ratio from the Planck best-fit cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant cosmology of r = 0.419.« less

Cosmological implications of primordial black holes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luis Bernal, José; Bellomo, Nicola; Raccanelli, Alvise

The possibility that a relevant fraction of the dark matter might be comprised of Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) has been seriously reconsidered after LIGO's detection of a ∼ 30 M {sub ⊙} binary black holes merger. Despite the strong interest in the model, there is a lack of studies on possible cosmological implications and effects on cosmological parameters inference. We investigate correlations with the other standard cosmological parameters using cosmic microwave background observations, finding significant degeneracies, especially with the tilt of the primordial power spectrum and the sound horizon at radiation drag. However, these degeneracies can be greatly reduced withmore » the inclusion of small scale polarization data. We also explore if PBHs as dark matter in simple extensions of the standard ΛCDM cosmological model induces extra degeneracies, especially between the additional parameters and the PBH's ones. Finally, we present cosmic microwave background constraints on the fraction of dark matter in PBHs, not only for monochromatic PBH mass distributions but also for popular extended mass distributions. Our results show that extended mass distribution's constraints are tighter, but also that a considerable amount of constraining power comes from the high-ℓ polarization data. Moreover, we constrain the shape of such mass distributions in terms of the correspondent constraints on the PBH mass fraction.« less

Open/closed string duality and relativistic fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niarchos, Vasilis

2016-07-01

We propose an open/closed string duality in general backgrounds extending previous ideas about open string completeness by Ashoke Sen. Our proposal sets up a general version of holography that works in gravity as a tomographic principle. We argue, in particular, that previous expectations of a supergravity/Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) correspondence are naturally embedded in this conjecture and can be tested in a well-defined manner. As an example, we consider the correspondence between open string field theories on extremal D-brane setups in flat space in the large-N , large 't Hooft limit, and asymptotically flat solutions in ten-dimensional type II supergravity. We focus on a convenient long-wavelength regime, where specific effects of higher-spin open string modes can be traced explicitly in the dual supergravity computation. For instance, in this regime we show how the full Abelian DBI action arises from supergravity as a straightforward reformulation of relativistic hydrodynamics. In the example of a (2 +1 )-dimensional open string theory this reformulation involves an Abelian Hodge duality. We also point out how different deformations of the DBI action, related to higher-derivative corrections and non-Abelian effects, can arise in this context as deformations in corresponding relativistic hydrodynamics.

Detection of the power spectrum of cosmic microwave background lensing by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope.

PubMed

Das, Sudeep; Sherwin, Blake D; Aguirre, Paula; Appel, John W; Bond, J Richard; Carvalho, C Sofia; Devlin, Mark J; Dunkley, Joanna; Dünner, Rolando; Essinger-Hileman, Thomas; Fowler, Joseph W; Hajian, Amir; Halpern, Mark; Hasselfield, Matthew; Hincks, Adam D; Hlozek, Renée; Huffenberger, Kevin M; Hughes, John P; Irwin, Kent D; Klein, Jeff; Kosowsky, Arthur; Lupton, Robert H; Marriage, Tobias A; Marsden, Danica; Menanteau, Felipe; Moodley, Kavilan; Niemack, Michael D; Nolta, Michael R; Page, Lyman A; Parker, Lucas; Reese, Erik D; Schmitt, Benjamin L; Sehgal, Neelima; Sievers, Jon; Spergel, David N; Staggs, Suzanne T; Swetz, Daniel S; Switzer, Eric R; Thornton, Robert; Visnjic, Katerina; Wollack, Ed

2011-07-08

We report the first detection of the gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background through a measurement of the four-point correlation function in the temperature maps made by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. We verify our detection by calculating the levels of potential contaminants and performing a number of null tests. The resulting convergence power spectrum at 2° angular scales measures the amplitude of matter density fluctuations on comoving length scales of around 100 Mpc at redshifts around 0.5 to 3. The measured amplitude of the signal agrees with Lambda cold dark matter cosmology predictions. Since the amplitude of the convergence power spectrum scales as the square of the amplitude of the density fluctuations, the 4σ detection of the lensing signal measures the amplitude of density fluctuations to 12%.

First Predictions of the Angular Power Spectrum of the Astrophysical Gravitational Wave Background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cusin, Giulia; Dvorkin, Irina; Pitrou, Cyril; Uzan, Jean-Philippe

2018-06-01

We present the first predictions for the angular power spectrum of the astrophysical gravitational wave background constituted of the radiation emitted by all resolved and unresolved astrophysical sources. Its shape and amplitude depend on both the astrophysical properties on galactic scales and on cosmological properties. We show that the angular power spectrum behaves as Cℓ∝1 /ℓ on large scales and that relative fluctuations of the signal are of order 30% at 100 Hz. We also present the correlations of the astrophysical gravitational wave background with weak lensing and galaxy distribution. These numerical results pave the way to the study of a new observable at the crossroad between general relativity, astrophysics, and cosmology.

A black hole quartet: New solutions and applications to string theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padi, Megha

In this thesis, we study a zoo of black hole solutions which help us connect string theory to the universe we live in. The intuition for how to attack fundamental problems can often be found in a toy model. In Chapter 2, we show that three-dimensional topologically massive gravity with a negative cosmological constant -ℓ -2 and coupling constant has "warped AdS3" solutions with SL(2, R ) x U(1) isometry. For muℓ > 3, we show that certain discrete quotients of warped AdS3 lead to black holes. Their thermodynamics is consistent with the existence of a holographic dual CFT with central charges cR = 15mℓ 2+81Gmm ℓ2+27 and cL = 12mℓ 2Gmm ℓ2+27 . The entropy of many supersymmetric black holes have been accounted for, but more realistic non-supersymmetric black holes have been largely overlooked. In Chapter 3, we derive new single-centered and multi-centered non-BPS black hole solutions for several four dimensional models which, after Kaluza-Klein reduction, admit a description in terms of a sigma model with symmetric target space. In particular, we provide the exact solution with generic charges and asymptotic moduli in N=2 supergravity coupled to one vector multiplet. As it stands, the current formulation of string theory allows for an extremely large number of possible solutions (or vacua). We first analyze this landscape by looking for universal characteristics. In Chapter 4, we provide evidence for the conjecture that gravity is always the weakest force in any string compactification. We show that, in several examples arising in string theory, higher-derivative corrections always make extremal non-supersymmetric black holes lighter than the classical bound M/Q = 1. In Chapter 5, we construct novel black hole bound states, called orientiholes, that are T-dual to IIB orientifold compactifications. The gravitational entropy of such orientiholes provides an "experimental" estimate of the number of vacua in various sectors of the IIB landscape. Furthermore, basic physical properties of orientiholes map to (sometimes subtle) microscopic features, thus providing a useful alternative viewpoint on a number of issues arising in D-brane model building. We also suggest a relation to the topological string analogous to the OSV conjecture.

Brane Inflation, Solitons and Cosmological Solutions: I

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, P.

2005-01-25

In this paper we study various cosmological solutions for a D3/D7 system directly from M-theory with fluxes and M2-branes. In M-theory, these solutions exist only if we incorporate higher derivative corrections from the curvatures as well as G-fluxes. We take these corrections into account and study a number of toy cosmologies, including one with a novel background for the D3/D7 system whose supergravity solution can be completely determined. Our new background preserves all the good properties of the original model and opens up avenues to investigate cosmological effects from wrapped branes and brane-antibrane annihilation, to name a few. We alsomore » discuss in some detail semilocal defects with higher global symmetries, for example exceptional ones, that occur in a slightly different regime of our D3/D7 model. We show that the D3/D7 system does have the required ingredients to realize these configurations as non-topological solitons of the theory. These constructions also allow us to give a physical meaning to the existence of certain underlying homogeneous quaternionic Kahler manifolds.« less

The Age of Precision Cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chuss, David T.

2012-01-01

In the past two decades, our understanding of the evolution and fate of the universe has increased dramatically. This "Age of Precision Cosmology" has been ushered in by measurements that have both elucidated the details of the Big Bang cosmology and set the direction for future lines of inquiry. Our universe appears to consist of 5% baryonic matter; 23% of the universe's energy content is dark matter which is responsible for the observed structure in the universe; and 72% of the energy density is so-called "dark energy" that is currently accelerating the expansion of the universe. In addition, our universe has been measured to be geometrically flat to 1 %. These observations and related details of the Big Bang paradigm have hinted that the universe underwent an epoch of accelerated expansion known as Uinflation" early in its history. In this talk, I will review the highlights of modern cosmology, focusing on the contributions made by measurements of the cosmic microwave background, the faint afterglow of the Big Bang. I will also describe new instruments designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background in order to search for evidence of cosmic inflation.

Semiclassical (qft) and Quantum (string) Rotating Black Holes and Their Evaporation:. New Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouchareb, A.; Ramón Medrano, M.; Sánchez, N. G.

Combination of both quantum field theory (QFT) and string theory in curved backgrounds in a consistent framework, the string analogue model, allows us to provide a full picture of the Kerr-Newman black hole and its evaporation going beyond the current picture. We compute the quantum emission cross-section of strings by a Kerr-Newman black hole (KNbh). It shows the black hole emission at the Hawking temperature Tsem in the early stage of evaporation and the new string emission featuring a Hagedorn transition into a string state of temperature Ts at the last stages. New bounds on J and Q emerge in the quantum string regime (besides the known ones of the classical/semiclassical QFT regime). The last state of evaporation of a semiclassical Kerr-Newman black hole with mass M > mPl, angular momentum J and charge Q is a string state of temperature Ts, string mass Ms, J = 0 and Q = 0, decaying as usual quantum strings do into all kinds of particles. (Naturally, in this framework, there is no loss of information, (there is no paradox at all).) We compute the string entropy Ss(m, j) from the microscopic string density of states of mass m and spin mode j, ρ(m, j). (Besides the Hagedorn transition at Ts) we find for high j (extremal string states j → m2α‧c), a new phase transition at a temperature Tsj = √ {j/hbar }Ts, higher than Ts. By precisely identifying the semiclassical and quantum (string) gravity regimes, we find a new formula for the Kerr black hole entropy Ssem(M, J), as a function of the usual Bekenstein-Hawking entropy S sem(0). For M ≫ mPl and J < GM2/c, S sem(0) is the leading term, but for high angular momentum, (nearly extremal case J = GM2/c), a gravitational phase transition operates and the whole entropy Ssem is drastically different from the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy S sem(0). This new extremal black hole transition occurs at a temperature Tsem J = (J/ℏ)Tsem, higher than the Hawking temperature Tsem.

Holographic butterfly velocities in brane geometry and Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity with matters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wung-Hong

2018-03-01

In the first part of the paper we generalize the butterfly velocity formula to anisotropic spacetime. We apply the formula to evaluate the butterfly velocities in M-branes, D-branes, and strings backgrounds. We show that the butterfly velocities in M2-branes, M5-branes and the intersection M 2 ⊥ M 5 equal to those in fundamental strings, D4-branes and the intersection F 1 ⊥ D 4 backgrounds, respectively. These observations lead us to conjecture that the butterfly velocity is generally invariant under a double-dimensional reduction. In the second part of the paper, we study the butterfly velocity for Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity with arbitrary matter fields. A general formula is obtained. We use this formula to compute the butterfly velocities in different backgrounds and discuss the associated properties.

Unifying Type-II Strings by Exceptional Groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arvanitakis, Alex S.; Blair, Chris D. A.

2018-05-01

We construct the exceptional sigma model: a two-dimensional sigma model coupled to a supergravity background in a manifestly (formally) ED (D )-covariant manner. This formulation of the background is provided by exceptional field theory (EFT), which unites the metric and form fields of supergravity in ED (D ) multiplets before compactification. The realization of the symmetries of EFT on the world sheet uniquely fixes the Weyl-invariant Lagrangian and allows us to relate our action to the usual type-IIA fundamental string action and a form of the type-IIB (m , n ) action. This uniqueness "predicts" the correct form of the couplings to gauge fields in both Neveu-Schwarz and Ramond sectors, without invoking supersymmetry.

Induced vacuum energy-momentum tensor in the background of a cosmic string

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sitenko, Yu A.; Vlasii, N. D.

2012-05-01

A massive scalar field is quantized in the background of a cosmic string which is generalized to a static flux-carrying codimension-2 brane in the locally flat multidimensional spacetime. We find that the finite energy-momentum tensor is induced in the vacuum. The dependence of the tensor components on the brane flux and tension, as well as on the coupling to the spacetime curvature scalar, is comprehensively analyzed. The tensor components are holomorphic functions of space dimension, decreasing exponentially with the distance from the brane. The case of the massless quantized scalar field is also considered, and the relevance of Bernoulli’s polynomials of even order for this case is discussed.

Comments on A, B, C chains of heterotic and Type II vacua

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Candelas, Philip; Perevalov, Eugene; Rajesh, Govindan

1997-02-01

We construct, as hypersurfaces in toric varieties, Calabi-Yau manifolds corresponding to F-theory vacua dual to E8 × E8 heterotic strings compactified to six dimensions on K3 surfaces with non-semisimple gauge backgrounds. These vacua were studied in the recent work of Aldazabal, Font, Ibáñez and Uranga as well as by Klemm, Mayr and Vafa. We extend their results by constructing many more examples, corresponding to enhanced gauge symmetries, by noting that they can be obtained from previously known Calabi-Yau manifolds corresponding to K3 compactification of heterotic strings with simple gauge backgrounds by means of extremal transitions of the conifold type.

Possible evolution of a bouncing universe in cosmological models with non-minimally coupled scalar fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pozdeeva, Ekaterina O.; Vernov, Sergey Yu.; Skugoreva, Maria A.

2016-12-01

We explore dynamics of cosmological models with bounce solutions evolving on a spatially flat Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker background. We consider cosmological models that contain the Hilbert-Einstein curvature term, the induced gravity term with a negative coupled constant, and even polynomial potentials of the scalar field. Bounce solutions with non-monotonic Hubble parameters have been obtained and analyzed. The case when the scalar field has the conformal coupling and the Higgs-like potential with an opposite sign is studied in detail. In this model the evolution of the Hubble parameter of the bounce solution essentially depends on the sign of the cosmological constant.

Radiation bounce from the Lee-Wick construction?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karouby, Johanna; Brandenberger, Robert

2010-09-15

It was recently realized that matter modeled by the scalar field sector of the Lee-Wick standard model yields, in the context of a homogeneous and isotropic cosmological background, a bouncing cosmology. However, bouncing cosmologies induced by pressureless matter are in general unstable to the addition of relativistic matter (i.e. radiation). Here we study the possibility of obtaining a bouncing cosmology if we add not only radiation, but also its Lee-Wick partner, to the matter sector. We find that, in general, no bounce occurs. The only way to obtain a bounce is to choose initial conditions with very special phases ofmore » the radiation field and its Lee-Wick partner.« less

CMB temperature bispectrum induced by cosmic strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hindmarsh, Mark; Ringeval, Christophe; Suyama, Teruaki

2009-10-01

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) bispectrum of the temperature anisotropies induced by a network of cosmic strings is derived for small angular scales, under the assumption that the principal cause of temperature fluctuations is the Gott-Kaiser-Stebbins effect. We provide analytical expressions for all isosceles triangle configurations in Fourier space. Their overall amplitude is amplified as the inverse cube of the angle and diverges for flat triangles. The isosceles configurations generically lead to a negative bispectrum with a power-law decay ℓ-6 for large multipole ℓ. However, collapsed triangles are found to be associated with a positive bispectrum whereas the squeezed triangles still exhibit negative values. We then compare our analytical estimates to a direct computation of the bispectrum from a set of 300 statistically independent temperature maps obtained from Nambu-Goto cosmic string simulations in a Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker universe. We find good agreement for the overall amplitude, the power-law behavior, and the angle dependency of the various triangle configurations. At ℓ˜500 the cosmic string Gott-Kaiser-Stebbins effect contributes approximately the same equilateral CMB bispectrum amplitude as an inflationary model with |fNLloc|≃103, if the strings contribute about 10% of the temperature power spectrum at ℓ=10. Current bounds on fNL are not derived using cosmic string bispectrum templates, and so our fNL estimate cannot be used to derive bounds on strings. However it does suggest that string bispectrum templates should be included in the search of CMB non-Gaussianities.

Formation of large-scale structure from cosmic strings and massive neutrinos

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scherrer, Robert J.; Melott, Adrian L.; Bertschinger, Edmund

1989-01-01

Numerical simulations of large-scale structure formation from cosmic strings and massive neutrinos are described. The linear power spectrum in this model resembles the cold-dark-matter power spectrum. Galaxy formation begins early, and the final distribution consists of isolated density peaks embedded in a smooth background, leading to a natural bias in the distribution of luminous matter. The distribution of clustered matter has a filamentary appearance with large voids.

Massless spinning particle and null-string on AdS d : projective-space approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uvarov, D. V.

2018-07-01

The massless spinning particle and the tensionless string models on an AdS d background in the projective-space realization are proposed as constrained Hamiltonian systems. Various forms of particle and string Lagrangians are derived and classical mechanics is studied including the Lax-type representation of the equations of motion. After that, the transition to the quantum theory is discussed. The analysis of potential anomalies in the tensionless string model necessitates the introduction of ghosts and BRST charge. It is shown that a quantum BRST charge is nilpotent for any d if coordinate-momentum ordering for the phase-space bosonic variables, Weyl ordering for the fermions and cb () ordering for the ghosts is chosen, while conformal reparametrizations and space-time dilatations turn out to be anomalous for ordering in terms of positive and negative Fourier modes of the phase-space variables and ghosts.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anthonisen, Madeleine; Brandenberger, Robert; Laguë, Alex

Cosmic string loops contain cusps which decay by emitting bursts of particles. A significant fraction of the released energy is in the form of photons. These photons are injected non-thermally and can hence cause spectral distortions of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Under the assumption that cusps are robust against gravitational back-reaction, we compute the fractional energy density released as photons in the redshift interval where such non-thermal photon injection causes CMB spectral distortions. Whereas current constraints on such spectral distortions are not strong enough to constrain the string tension, future missions such as the PIXIE experiment will be ablemore » to provide limits which rule out a range of string tensions between G μ ∼ 10{sup −15} and G μ ∼ 10{sup −12}, thus ruling out particle physics models yielding these kind of intermediate-scale cosmic strings.« less

Average expansion rate and light propagation in a cosmological Tardis spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavinto, Mikko; Räsänen, Syksy; Szybka, Sebastian J.

2013-12-01

We construct the first exact statistically homogeneous and isotropic cosmological solution in which inhomogeneity has a significant effect on the expansion rate. The universe is modelled as a Swiss Cheese, with dust FRW background and inhomogeneous holes. We show that if the holes are described by the quasispherical Szekeres solution, their average expansion rate is close to the background under certain rather general conditions. We specialise to spherically symmetric holes and violate one of these conditions. As a result, the average expansion rate at late times grows relative to the background, ie backreaction is significant. The holes fit smoothly into the background, but are larger on the inside than a corresponding background domain: we call them Tardis regions. We study light propagation, find the effective equations of state and consider the relation of the spatially averaged expansion rate to the redshift and the angular diameter distance.

Cosmology in bimetric theory with an effective composite coupling to matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gümrükçüoğlu, A. Emir; Heisenberg, Lavinia; Mukohyama, Shinji

We study the cosmology of bimetric theory with a composite matter coupling. We find two possible branches of background evolution. We investigate the question of stability of cosmological perturbations. For the tensor and vector perturbations, we derive conditions on the absence of ghost and gradient instabilities. For the scalar modes, we obtain conditions for avoiding ghost degrees. In the first branch, we find that one of the scalar modes becomes a ghost at the late stages of the evolution. Conversely, this problem can be avoided in the second branch. However, we also find that the constraint for the second branchmore » prevents the doubly coupled matter fields from being the standard ingredients of cosmology. We thus conclude that a realistic and stable cosmological model requires additional minimally coupled matter fields.« less

Cosmic acceleration and the helicity-0 graviton

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rham, Claudia de; Heisenberg, Lavinia; Gabadadze, Gregory

2011-05-15

We explore cosmology in the decoupling limit of a nonlinear covariant extension of Fierz-Pauli massive gravity obtained recently in arXiv:1007.0443. In this limit the theory is a scalar-tensor model of a unique form defined by symmetries. We find that it admits a self-accelerated solution, with the Hubble parameter set by the graviton mass. The negative pressure causing the acceleration is due to a condensate of the helicity-0 component of the massive graviton, and the background evolution, in the approximation used, is indistinguishable from the {Lambda}CDM model. Fluctuations about the self-accelerated background are stable for a certain range of parameters involved.more » Most surprisingly, the fluctuation of the helicity-0 field above its background decouples from an arbitrary source in the linearized theory. We also show how massive gravity can remarkably screen an arbitrarily large cosmological constant in the decoupling limit, while evading issues with ghosts. The obtained static solution is stable against small perturbations, suggesting that the degravitation of the vacuum energy is possible in the full theory. Interestingly, however, this mechanism postpones the Vainshtein effect to shorter distance scales. Hence, fifth force measurements severely constrain the value of the cosmological constant that can be neutralized, making this scheme phenomenologically not viable for solving the old cosmological constant problem. We briefly speculate on a possible way out of this issue.« less

Consistent cosmology with Higgs thermal inflation in a minimal extension of the MSSM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hindmarsh, Mark; Jones, D. R. Timothy

2013-03-01

We consider a class of supersymmetric inflation models, in which minimal gauged F-term hybrid inflation is coupled renormalisably to the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), with no extra ingredients; we call this class the ``minimal hybrid inflationary supersymmetric standard model'' (MHISSM). The singlet inflaton couples to the Higgs as well as the waterfall fields, supplying the Higgs μ-term. We show how such models can exit inflation to a vacuum characterised by large Higgs vevs, whose vacuum energy is controlled by supersymmetry-breaking. The true ground state is reached after an intervening period of thermal inflation along the Higgs flat direction, which has important consequences for the cosmology of the F-term inflation scenario. The scalar spectral index is reduced, with a value of approximately 0.976 in the case where the inflaton potential is dominated by the 1-loop radiative corrections. The reheat temperature following thermal inflation is about 109 GeV, which solves the gravitino overclosure problem. A Higgs condensate reduces the cosmic string mass per unit length, rendering it compatible with the Cosmic Microwave Background constraints without tuning the inflaton coupling. With the minimal U(1)' gauge symmetry in the inflation sector, where one of the waterfall fields generates a right-handed neutrino mass, we investigate the Higgs thermal inflation scenario in three popular supersymmetry-breaking schemes: AMSB, GMSB and the CMSSM, focusing on the implications for the gravitino bound. In AMSB enough gravitinos can be produced to account for the observed dark matter abundance through decays into neutralinos. In GMSB we find an upper bound on the gravitino mass of about a TeV, while in the CMSSM the thermally generated gravitinos are sub-dominant. When Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints are taken into account, the unstable gravitinos of AMSB and the CMSSM must have a mass O(10) TeV or greater, while in GMSB we find an upper bound on the gravitino mass of O(1) TeV.

Resurrecting hot dark matter - Large-scale structure from cosmic strings and massive neutrinos

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scherrer, Robert J.

1988-01-01

These are the results of a numerical simulation of the formation of large-scale structure from cosmic-string loops in a universe dominated by massive neutrinos (hot dark matter). This model has several desirable features. The final matter distribution contains isolated density peaks embedded in a smooth background, producing a natural bias in the distribution of luminous matter. Because baryons can accrete onto the cosmic strings before the neutrinos, the galaxies will have baryon cores and dark neutrino halos. Galaxy formation in this model begins much earlier than in random-phase models. On large scales the distribution of clustered matter visually resembles the CfA survey, with large voids and filaments.

Cosmological histories in bimetric gravity: a graphical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mörtsell, E.

2017-02-01

The bimetric generalization of general relativity has been proven to be able to give an accelerated background expansion consistent with observations. Apart from the energy densities coupling to one or both of the metrics, the expansion will depend on the cosmological constant contribution to each of them, as well as the three parameters describing the interaction between the two metrics. Even for fixed values of these parameters can several possible solutions, so called branches, exist. Different branches can give similar background expansion histories for the observable metric, but may have different properties regarding, for example, the existence of ghosts and the rate of structure growth. In this paper, we outline a method to find viable solution branches for arbitrary parameter values. We show how possible expansion histories in bimetric gravity can be inferred qualitatively, by picturing the ratio of the scale factors of the two metrics as the spatial coordinate of a particle rolling along a frictionless track. A particularly interesting example discussed is a specific set of parameter values, where a cosmological dark matter background is mimicked without introducing ghost modes into the theory.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miyatake, Hironao; Madhavacheril, Mathew S.; Sehgal, Neelima

We measure the gravitational lensing shear signal around dark matter halos hosting constant mass galaxies using light sources at z~1 (background galaxies) and at the surface of last scattering at z~1100 (the cosmic microwave background). The galaxy shear measurement uses data from the CFHTLenS survey, and the microwave background shear measurement uses data from the Planck satellite. The ratio of shears from these cross-correlations provides a purely geometric distance measurement across the longest possible cosmological lever arm. This is because the matter distribution around the halos, including uncertainties in galaxy bias and systematic errors such as miscentering, cancels in themore » ratio for halos in thin redshift slices. We measure this distance ratio in three different redshift slices of the constant mass (CMASS) sample and combine them to obtain a 17% measurement of the distance ratio, r = 0.390 +0.070 –0.062, at an effective redshift of z = 0.53. As a result, this is consistent with the predicted ratio from the Planck best-fit cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant cosmology of r = 0.419.« less

Dynamics of cosmological perturbations and reheating in the anamorphic universe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Graef, L.L.; Ferreira, Elisa G.M.; Brandenberger, Robert

We discuss scalar-tensor realizations of the Anamorphic cosmological scenario recently proposed by Ijjas and Steinhardt [1]. Through an analysis of the dynamics of cosmological perturbations we obtain constraints on the parameters of the model. We also study gravitational Parker particle production in the contracting Anamorphic phase and we compute the fraction between the energy density of created particles at the end of the phase and the background energy density. We find that, as in the case of inflation, a new mechanism is required to reheat the universe.

Gravitational baryogenesis in DGP brane cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atazadeh, K.

2018-06-01

We consider the imbalance of matter and antimatter by using a gravitational baryogenesis mechanism in the background of Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati (DGP) brane cosmology. By taking into account a flat Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) metric in the DGP brane model, we find that for a radiation dominated universe, w=1/3, the ratio of baryon number density to entropy from the gravitational baryogenesis is not zero, contrary to ordinary general relativity. Also, we study the ratio of baryon number density to entropy against the observational constraints in DGP cosmology.

Will nonlinear peculiar velocity and inhomogeneous reionization spoil 21 cm cosmology from the epoch of reionization?

PubMed

Shapiro, Paul R; Mao, Yi; Iliev, Ilian T; Mellema, Garrelt; Datta, Kanan K; Ahn, Kyungjin; Koda, Jun

2013-04-12

The 21 cm background from the epoch of reionization is a promising cosmological probe: line-of-sight velocity fluctuations distort redshift, so brightness fluctuations in Fourier space depend upon angle, which linear theory shows can separate cosmological from astrophysical information. Nonlinear fluctuations in ionization, density, and velocity change this, however. The validity and accuracy of the separation scheme are tested here for the first time, by detailed reionization simulations. The scheme works reasonably well early in reionization (≲40% ionized), but not late (≳80% ionized).

Random functions via Dyson Brownian Motion: progress and problems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Gaoyuan; Battefeld, Thorsten

2016-09-05

We develope a computationally efficient extension of the Dyson Brownian Motion (DBM) algorithm to generate random function in C{sup 2} locally. We further explain that random functions generated via DBM show an unstable growth as the traversed distance increases. This feature restricts the use of such functions considerably if they are to be used to model globally defined ones. The latter is the case if one uses random functions to model landscapes in string theory. We provide a concrete example, based on a simple axionic potential often used in cosmology, to highlight this problem and also offer an ad hocmore » modification of DBM that suppresses this growth to some degree.« less

Constructing superconductors by graphene Chern-Simons wormholes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capozziello, Salvatore; Pincak, Richard; Saridakis, Emmanuel N.

2018-03-01

We propose a new model which simulates the motion of free electrons in graphene by the evolution of strings on manifolds. In this model, molecules which constitute sheets of graphene are polygonal point-like structures which build (N + 1) -dimensional manifolds. By breaking the gravitational-analogue symmetry of graphene sheets, we show that two separated child sheets and a Chern-Simons bridge are produced giving rise to a wormhole. In this structure, free electrons are transmitted from one child sheet to the other producing superconductivity. An analogue between "effective gravitons" and "Cooper pairs" is found. In principle, this phenomenology provides the possibility to construct superconductor structures by using the analogue of cosmological models.

Drake Equation for the Multiverse:. from the String Landscape to Complex Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleiser, M.

It is argued that the selection criteria usually referred to as "anthropic conditions" for the existence of intelligent (typical) observers widely adopted in cosmology amount only to preconditions for primitive life. The existence of life does not imply in the existence of intelligent life. On the contrary, the transition from single-celled to complex, multicellular organisms is far from trivial, requiring stringent additional conditions on planetary platforms. An attempt is made to disentangle the necessary steps leading from a selection of universes out of a hypothetical multiverse to the existence of life and of complex life. It is suggested that what is currently called the "anthropic principle" should instead be named the "prebiotic principle."

Sharp predictions from eternal inflation patches in D-brane inflation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hertog, Thomas; Janssen, Oliver, E-mail: thomas.hertog@fys.kuleuven.be, E-mail: opj202@nyu.edu

We numerically generate the six-dimensional landscape of D3-brane inflation and identify patches of eternal inflation near sufficiently flat inflection points of the potential. We show that reasonable measures that select patches of eternal inflation in the landscape yield sharp predictions for the spectral properties of primordial perturbations on observable scales. These include a scalar tilt of .936, a running of the scalar tilt −.00103, undetectably small tensors and non-Gaussianity, and no observable spatial curvature. Our results explicitly demonstrate that precision cosmology probes the combination of the statistical properties of the string landscape and the measure implied by the universe's quantummore » state.« less

Cosmological perturbations of axion with a dynamical decay constant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kobayashi, Takeshi; INFN, Sezione di Trieste,Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste; Takahashi, Fuminobu

2016-08-25

A QCD axion with a time-dependent decay constant has been known to be able to accommodate high-scale inflation without producing topological defects or too large isocurvature perturbations on CMB scales. We point out that a dynamical decay constant also has the effect of enhancing the small-scale axion isocurvature perturbations. The enhanced axion perturbations can even exceed the periodicity of the axion potential, and thus lead to the formation of axionic domain walls. Unlike the well-studied axionic walls, the walls produced from the enhanced perturbations are not bounded by cosmic strings, and thus would overclose the universe independently of the numbermore » of degenerate vacua along the axion potential.« less

Time-dependent mass of cosmological perturbations in the hybrid and dressed metric approaches to loop quantum cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elizaga Navascués, Beatriz; Martín de Blas, Daniel; Mena Marugán, Guillermo A.

2018-02-01

Loop quantum cosmology has recently been applied in order to extend the analysis of primordial perturbations to the Planck era and discuss the possible effects of quantum geometry on the cosmic microwave background. Two approaches to loop quantum cosmology with admissible ultraviolet behavior leading to predictions that are compatible with observations are the so-called hybrid and dressed metric approaches. In spite of their similarities and relations, we show in this work that the effective equations that they provide for the evolution of the tensor and scalar perturbations are somewhat different. When backreaction is neglected, the discrepancy appears only in the time-dependent mass term of the corresponding field equations. We explain the origin of this difference, arising from the distinct quantization procedures. Besides, given the privileged role that the big bounce plays in loop quantum cosmology, e.g. as a natural instant of time to set initial conditions for the perturbations, we also analyze the positivity of the time-dependent mass when this bounce occurs. We prove that the mass of the tensor perturbations is positive in the hybrid approach when the kinetic contribution to the energy density of the inflaton dominates over its potential, as well as for a considerably large sector of backgrounds around that situation, while this mass is always nonpositive in the dressed metric approach. Similar results are demonstrated for the scalar perturbations in a sector of background solutions that includes the kinetically dominated ones; namely, the mass then is positive for the hybrid approach, whereas it typically becomes negative in the dressed metric case. More precisely, this last statement is strictly valid when the potential is quadratic for values of the inflaton mass that are phenomenologically favored.

Modified dispersion relations, inflation, and scale invariance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianco, Stefano; Friedhoff, Victor Nicolai; Wilson-Ewing, Edward

2018-02-01

For a certain type of modified dispersion relations, the vacuum quantum state for very short wavelength cosmological perturbations is scale-invariant and it has been suggested that this may be the source of the scale-invariance observed in the temperature anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. We point out that for this scenario to be possible, it is necessary to redshift these short wavelength modes to cosmological scales in such a way that the scale-invariance is not lost. This requires nontrivial background dynamics before the onset of standard radiation-dominated cosmology; we demonstrate that one possible solution is inflation with a sufficiently large Hubble rate, for this slow roll is not necessary. In addition, we also show that if the slow-roll condition is added to inflation with a large Hubble rate, then for any power law modified dispersion relation quantum vacuum fluctuations become nearly scale-invariant when they exit the Hubble radius.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Power Spectrum at 148 AND 218 GHz from the 2008 Southern Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Das, Sudeep; Marriage, Tobias A.; Ade, Peter A. R.; Aguirre, Paula; Amiri, Mandana; Appel, John W.; Barrientos, L. Felipe; Battistelli, Elia A.; Bond, J. Richard; Brown, Ben;

Cosmic microwave background constraints for global strings and global monopoles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lopez-Eiguren, Asier; Lizarraga, Joanes; Urrestilla, Jon

We present the first cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectra from numerical simulations of the global O( N ) linear σ-model, with N =2,3, which have global strings and monopoles as topological defects. In order to compute the CMB power spectra we compute the unequal time correlators (UETCs) of the energy-momentum tensor, showing that they fall off at high wave number faster than naive estimates based on the geometry of the defects, indicating non-trivial (anti-)correlations between the defects and the surrounding Goldstone boson field. We obtain source functions for Einstein-Boltzmann solvers from the UETCs, using a recently developed method thatmore » improves the modelling at the radiation-matter transition. We show that the interpolation function that mimics the transition is similar to other defect models, but not identical, confirming the non-universality of the interpolation function. The CMB power spectra for global strings and global monopoles have the same overall shape as those obtained using the non-linear σ-model approximation, which is well captured by a large- N calculation. However, the amplitudes are larger than the large- N calculation would naively predict, and in the case of global strings much larger: a factor of 20 at the peak. Finally we compare the CMB power spectra with the latest CMB data in other to put limits on the allowed contribution to the temperature power spectrum at multipole l = 10 of 1.7% for global strings and 2.4% for global monopoles. These limits correspond to symmetry-breaking scales of 2.9× 10{sup 15} GeV (6.3× 10{sup 14} GeV with the expected logarithmic scaling of the effective string tension between the simulation time and decoupling) and 6.4× 10{sup 15} GeV respectively. The bound on global strings is a significant one for the ultra-light axion scenario with axion masses m {sub a} ∼< 10{sup −28} eV . These upper limits indicate that gravitational waves from global topological defects will not be observable at the gravitational wave observatory LISA.« less

Spinorial Regge trajectories and Hagedorn-like temperatures. Spinorial space-time and preons as an alternative to strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez-Mestres, Luis

2016-11-01

The development of the statistical bootstrap model for hadrons, quarks and nuclear matter occurred during the 1960s and the 1970s in a period of exceptional theoretical creativity. And if the transition from hadrons to quarks and gluons as fundamental particles was then operated, a transition from standard particles to preons and from the standard space-time to a spinorial one may now be necessary, including related pre-Big Bang scenarios. We present here a brief historical analysis of the scientific problematic of the 1960s in Particle Physics and of its evolution until the end of the 1970s, including cosmological issues. Particular attention is devoted to the exceptional role of Rolf Hagedorn and to the progress of the statistical boostrap model until the experimental search for the quark-gluon plasma started being considered. In parallel, we simultaneously expose recent results and ideas concerning Particle Physics and in Cosmology, an discuss current open questions. Assuming preons to be constituents of the physical vacuum and the standard particles excitations of this vacuum (the superbradyon hypothesis we introduced in 1995), together with a spinorial space-time (SST), a new kind of Regge trajectories is expected to arise where the angular momentum spacing will be of 1/2 instead of 1. Standard particles can lie on such Regge trajectories inside associated internal symmetry multiplets, and the preonic vacuum structure can generate a new approach to Quantum Field Theory. As superbradyons are superluminal preons, some of the vacuum excitations can have critical speeds larger than the speed of light c, but the cosmological evolution selects by itself the particles with the smallest critical speed (the speed of light). In the new Particle Physics and Cosmology emerging from the pattern thus developed, Hagedornlike temperatures will naturally be present. As new space, time, momentum and energy scales are expected to be generated by the preonic vacuum dynamics, the Planck scale does not necessarily make sense in the new scenario. It also turns out that two potential evidences for a superbradyonic vacuum with a SST geometry exist already: i) the recent results on quantum entanglement at large distances favoring superluminal propagation of signals and correlations ; ii) the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation between two hemispheres observed by the Planck Collaboration, in agreement with the predictions of cosmic SST automatically generating a privileged space direction for each comoving observer. Simultaneously to the discussion of the large number of open questions, we comment on the required experimental and observational programs. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Rolf Hagedorn

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tamanini, Nicola; Wright, Matthew, E-mail: nicola.tamanini@cea.fr, E-mail: matthew.wright.13@ucl.ac.uk

We investigate the cosmological dynamics of the recently proposed extended chameleon models at both background and linear perturbation levels. Dynamical systems techniques are employed to fully characterize the evolution of the universe at the largest distances, while structure formation is analysed at sub-horizon scales within the quasi-static approximation. The late time dynamical transition from dark matter to dark energy domination can be well described by almost all extended chameleon models considered, with no deviations from ΛCDM results at both background and perturbation levels. The results obtained in this work confirm the cosmological viability of extended chameleons as alternative dark energymore » models.« less

A search for a cosmological component of the soft X-ray background in the direction of M31

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Margon, B.; Bowyer, S.; Cruddace, R.; Heiles, C.; Lampton, M.; Troland, T.

1974-01-01

Results of an experiment to search for absorption of the soft diffuse X-ray background by M31, the Andromeda Nebula, are presented. Both X-ray and 21-cm observations were obtained with high spatial resolution; the X-ray detector had a 2-degree field of view, and the 21-cm data were taken with 20-minute resolution. The results establish that at least 48 percent of the soft X-ray flux has a local source, but that the remainder may be of distant origin and therefore of cosmological significance.

Estimate of the cosmological bispectrum from the MAXIMA-1 cosmic microwave background map.

PubMed

Santos, M G; Balbi, A; Borrill, J; Ferreira, P G; Hanany, S; Jaffe, A H; Lee, A T; Magueijo, J; Rabii, B; Richards, P L; Smoot, G F; Stompor, R; Winant, C D; Wu, J H P

2002-06-17

We use the measurement of the cosmic microwave background taken during the MAXIMA-1 flight to estimate the bispectrum of cosmological perturbations. We propose an estimator for the bispectrum that is appropriate in the flat sky approximation, apply it to the MAXIMA-1 data, and evaluate errors using bootstrap methods. We compare the estimated value with what would be expected if the sky signal were Gaussian and find that it is indeed consistent, with a chi(2) per degree of freedom of approximately unity. This measurement places constraints on models of inflation.

Is the low-l microwave background cosmic?

PubMed

Schwarz, Dominik J; Starkman, Glenn D; Huterer, Dragan; Copi, Craig J

2004-11-26

The large-angle (low-l) correlations of the cosmic microwave background exhibit several statistically significant anomalies compared to the standard inflationary cosmology. We show that the quadrupole plane and the three octopole planes are far more aligned than previously thought (99.9% C.L.). Three of these planes are orthogonal to the ecliptic at 99.1% C.L., and the normals to these planes are aligned at 99.6% C.L. with the direction of the cosmological dipole and with the equinoxes. The remaining octopole plane is orthogonal to the supergalactic plane at 99.6% C.L.

On the ghost-induced instability on de Sitter background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peter, Patrick; Salles, Filipe de O.; Shapiro, Ilya L.

2018-03-01

It is known that the perturbative instability of tensor excitations in higher derivative gravity may not take place if the initial frequency of the gravitational waves is below the Planck threshold. One can assume that this is a natural requirement if the cosmological background is sufficiently mild, since in this case the situation is qualitatively close to the free gravitational wave in flat space. Here, we explore the opposite situation and consider the effect of a very far from Minkowski radiation-dominated or de Sitter cosmological background with a large Hubble rate, e.g., typical of an inflationary period. It turns out that, then, for initial Planckian or even trans-Planckian frequencies, the instability is rapidly suppressed by the very fast expansion of the Universe.

Accelerating dark energy cosmological model in two fluids with hybrid scale factor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, B.; Sahoo, P. K.; Ray, Pratik P.

In this paper, we have investigated the anisotropic behavior of the accelerating universe in Bianchi V spacetime in the framework of General Relativity (GR). The matter field we have considered is of two non-interacting fluids, i.e. the usual string fluid and dark energy (DE) fluid. In order to represent the pressure anisotropy, the skewness parameters are introduced along three different spatial directions. To achieve a physically realistic solutions to the field equations, we have considered a scale factor, known as hybrid scale factor, which is generated by a time-varying deceleration parameter. This simulates a cosmic transition from early deceleration to late time acceleration. It is observed that the string fluid dominates the universe at early deceleration phase but does not affect nature of cosmic dynamics substantially at late phase, whereas the DE fluid dominates the universe in present time, which is in accordance with the observations results. Hence, we analyzed here the role of two fluids in the transitional phases of universe with respect to time which depicts the reason behind the cosmic expansion and DE. The role of DE with variable equation of state parameter (EoS) and skewness parameters, is also discussed along with physical and geometrical properties.

Magnetised Strings in Λ-Dominated Anisotropic Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goswami, G. K.; Yadav, Anil Kumar; Dewangan, R. N.

2016-11-01

In this paper, we have searched the existence of Λ-dominated anisotropic universe filled with magnetized strings. The observed acceleration of universe has been explained by introducing a positive cosmological constant Λ in the Einstein's field equation which is mathematically equivalent to dark energy with equation of state (EOS) parameter set equal to -1. The present values of the matter and the dark energy parameters (Ω m )0 & (ΩΛ)0 are estimated for high red shift (.3 ≤ z ≤ 1.4) SN Ia supernova data's of observed apparent magnitude along with their possible error taken from Union 2.1 compilation. It is found that the best fit value for (Ω m )0 & (ΩΛ)0 are 0.2920 & 0.7076 respectively which are in good agreement with recent astrophysical observations in the latest surveys like WMAP and Plank. Various physical parameters such as the matter and dark energy densities, the present age of the universe and the present value of deceleration parameter have been obtained on the basis of the values of (Ω m )0 & (ΩΛ)0.Also, we have estimated that the acceleration would have begun in the past at z = 0.6845 i. e. 6.2341 Gyrs before from now.

A study of non-local holography in the AdS/CFT correspondence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, Alex

This thesis is broadly composed of three topics. After giving a brief overview of the origins of the AdS/CFT duality, we describe a way of representing local bulk fields as quasi-local CFT operators. We show how these smeared boundary operators encode the holographic radial-scale duality, and how this can lead to degrees of freedom consistent with Bekenstein's entropy. We also gain insight into the BTZ black hole, with the horizon, singularity, and thermality arising naturally via these operators. As another aspect of AdS/CFT, we will be interested in the fate of giant gravitons under a marginal deformation. We review the construction and fluctuation spectrum of giants, and then proceed to evaluate them in two different Penrose limits of Lunin and Maldacena's gamma deformed geometry. We find only one to be stable, and describe how the degeneracy of the spectrum is partially broken. Finally, we make a first step towards cosmological particle production in string theory by introducing a first quantized alternative approach to the standard method of calculation. We show how the same calculation can be done with Green's Functions---objects which are well defined in a first quantized setting (such as string theory).

Reheating-volume measure in the string theory landscape

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Winitzki, Sergei

2008-12-15

I recently proposed the ''reheating-volume'' (RV) prescription as a possible solution to the measure problem in ''multiverse'' cosmology. The goal of this work is to extend the RV measure to scenarios involving bubble nucleation, such as the string theory landscape. In the spirit of the RV prescription, I propose to calculate the distribution of observable quantities in a landscape that is conditioned in probability to nucleate a finite total number of bubbles to the future of an initial bubble. A general formula for the relative number of bubbles of different types can be derived. I show that the RV measuremore » is well defined and independent of the choice of the initial bubble type, as long as that type supports further bubble nucleation. Applying the RV measure to a generic landscape, I find that the abundance of Boltzmann brains is always negligibly small compared with the abundance of ordinary observers in the bubbles of the same type. As an illustration, I present explicit results for a toy landscape containing four vacuum states, and for landscapes with a single high-energy vacuum and a large number of low-energy vacua.« less

D-brane disformal coupling and thermal dark matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta, Bhaskar; Jimenez, Esteban; Zavala, Ivonne

2017-11-01

Conformal and disformal couplings between a scalar field and matter occur naturally in general scalar-tensor theories. In D-brane models of cosmology and particle physics, these couplings originate from the D-brane action describing the dynamics of its transverse (the scalar) and longitudinal (matter) fluctuations, which are thus coupled. During the post-inflationary regime and before the onset of big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), these couplings can modify the expansion rate felt by matter, changing the predictions for the thermal relic abundance of dark matter particles and thus the annihilation rate required to satisfy the dark matter content today. We study the D-brane-like conformal and disformal couplings effect on the expansion rate of the Universe prior to BBN and its impact on the dark matter relic abundance and annihilation rate. For a purely disformal coupling, the expansion rate is always enhanced with respect to the standard one. This gives rise to larger cross sections when compared to the standard thermal prediction for a range of dark matter masses, which will be probed by future experiments. In a D-brane-like scenario, the scale at which the expansion rate enhancement occurs depends on the string coupling and the string scale.

Linear Sigma Model Toolshed for D-brane Physics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hellerman, Simeon

Building on earlier work, we construct linear sigma models for strings on curved spaces in the presence of branes. Our models include an extremely general class of brane-worldvolume gauge field configurations. We explain in an accessible manner the mathematical ideas which suggest appropriate worldsheet interactions for generating a given open string background. This construction provides an explanation for the appearance of the derived category in D-brane physic complementary to that of recent work of Douglas.

Localizing text in scene images by boundary clustering, stroke segmentation, and string fragment classification.

PubMed

Yi, Chucai; Tian, Yingli

2012-09-01

In this paper, we propose a novel framework to extract text regions from scene images with complex backgrounds and multiple text appearances. This framework consists of three main steps: boundary clustering (BC), stroke segmentation, and string fragment classification. In BC, we propose a new bigram-color-uniformity-based method to model both text and attachment surface, and cluster edge pixels based on color pairs and spatial positions into boundary layers. Then, stroke segmentation is performed at each boundary layer by color assignment to extract character candidates. We propose two algorithms to combine the structural analysis of text stroke with color assignment and filter out background interferences. Further, we design a robust string fragment classification based on Gabor-based text features. The features are obtained from feature maps of gradient, stroke distribution, and stroke width. The proposed framework of text localization is evaluated on scene images, born-digital images, broadcast video images, and images of handheld objects captured by blind persons. Experimental results on respective datasets demonstrate that the framework outperforms state-of-the-art localization algorithms.

Probing dark energy with braneworld cosmology in the light of recent cosmological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Aspeitia, Miguel A.; Magaña, Juan; Hernández-Almada, A.; Motta, V.

We investigate a brane model based on Randall-Sundrum scenarios with a generic dark energy component. The latter drives the accelerated expansion at late-times of the universe. In this scheme, extra terms are added into Einstein Field equations that are propagated to the Friedmann equations. To constrain the dark energy equation-of-state (EoS) and the brane tension we use observational data with different energy levels (Supernovae Type Ia, H(z), baryon acoustic oscillations, and cosmic microwave background radiation distance, and a joint analysis) in a background cosmology. Beside EoS being consistent with a cosmological constant at the 3σ confidence level for each dataset, the baryon acoustic oscillations probe favors an EoS consistent with a quintessence dark energy. Although we found different lower limit bounds on the brane tension for each dataset, being the most restricted for CMB, there is not enough evidence of modifications in the cosmological evolution of the universe by the existence of an extra dimension within observational uncertainties. Nevertheless, these new bounds are complementary to those obtained by other probes like table-top experiments, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, and stellar dynamics. Our results show that a further test of the braneworld model with appropriate correction terms or a profound analysis with perturbations, may be needed to improve the constraints provided by the current data.

Analyses in Support of the WFIRST Supernova Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubin, David; Aldering, Greg Scott; Charles, Baltay; Barbary, Kyle H.; Currie, Miles; Deustua, Susana E.; Fagrelius, Parker; Dosovitz Fox, Ori; Fruchter, Andrew S.; Law, David R.; Perlmutter, Saul; Pontoppidan, Klaus; Rabinowitz, David L.; Sako, Masao

2017-01-01

The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is a future optical-NIR space telescope with science spanning astrophysics and cosmology. The combination of wide-field IR imaging and optical-NIR integral-field spectroscopy enables a SN cosmology experiment with excellent systematics control. The Science Definition Team (SDT) presented a first concept of such a survey with 2700 SNe to z=1.7. We make several key improvements to the SDT analysis, including a significantly improved exposure-time calculator, evaluations of host-galaxy background light, supernova typing simulations, all combined with spectrophotometric cosmology analysis built on a Bayesian hierarchal model. Our work will be useful for deriving accurate cosmological forecasts, optimizing the survey, and the evaluation of calibration, resolution, and stability requirements.

What are science teacher's ideas about the universe?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novotný, Jan; Svobodová, Jindřiška

2017-01-01

The new cosmological discoveries over the past two decades have a great impact on physics. We have prepared a new university course The Introduction to Cosmology available for students without deeper math background. The results of research study and the cosmology lecturers' experiences in two years are presented. We have prepared a questionnaire and the case study to find out how students think about the Universe, how they can accept cosmology theoretical ideas. Then we use it for design follow-up activities that help students to improve their understanding. We have observed the students' views on the presented science concept and on the nature of scientific knowledge. We have prepared a questionnaire to find out how students can accept theoretical ideas. This survey was designed especially for future and contemporary science teachers. Then we use the obtained results for design follow-up activities that help students to improve their understanding. Finally the most frequented cosmology misconceptions are discussed.

Landau quantization in the spinning cosmic string spacetime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Muniz, C.R., E-mail: celiomuniz@yahoo.com; Bezerra, V.B.; Cunha, M.S.

2014-11-15

We analyze the quantum phenomenon arising from the interaction of a spinless charged particle with a rotating cosmic string, under the action of a static and uniform magnetic field parallel to the string. We calculate the energy levels of the particle in the non-relativistic approach, showing how these energies depend on the parameters involved in the problem. In order to do this, we solve the time independent Schrödinger equation in the geometry of the spinning cosmic string, taking into account that the coupling between the rotation of the spacetime and the angular momentum of the particle is very weak, suchmore » that makes sense to apply the Schrödinger equation in a curved background whose metric has an off diagonal term which involves time and space. It is also assumed that the particle orbits sufficiently far from the boundary of the region of closed timelike curves which exist around this topological defect. Finally, we find the Landau levels of the particle in the presence of a spinning cosmic string endowed with internal structure, i.e., having a finite width and uniformly filled with both material and vacuum energies. - Highlights: • Solution of the wave equation characterizing the problem. • Energy levels of the particle in spacetime of the structureless string. • Expression for an analogous of the quadratic Zeeman effect. • Energy levels of the particle in spacetime of the string with internal structure. • Evidence of the string structure by the internal existence of the vacuum energy.« less

CMB temperature bispectrum induced by cosmic strings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hindmarsh, Mark; Ringeval, Christophe; Suyama, Teruaki

2009-10-15

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) bispectrum of the temperature anisotropies induced by a network of cosmic strings is derived for small angular scales, under the assumption that the principal cause of temperature fluctuations is the Gott-Kaiser-Stebbins effect. We provide analytical expressions for all isosceles triangle configurations in Fourier space. Their overall amplitude is amplified as the inverse cube of the angle and diverges for flat triangles. The isosceles configurations generically lead to a negative bispectrum with a power-law decay l{sup -6} for large multipole l. However, collapsed triangles are found to be associated with a positive bispectrum whereas the squeezedmore » triangles still exhibit negative values. We then compare our analytical estimates to a direct computation of the bispectrum from a set of 300 statistically independent temperature maps obtained from Nambu-Goto cosmic string simulations in a Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker universe. We find good agreement for the overall amplitude, the power-law behavior, and the angle dependency of the various triangle configurations. At l{approx}500 the cosmic string Gott-Kaiser-Stebbins effect contributes approximately the same equilateral CMB bispectrum amplitude as an inflationary model with |f{sub NL}{sup loc}|{approx_equal}10{sup 3}, if the strings contribute about 10% of the temperature power spectrum at l=10. Current bounds on f{sub NL} are not derived using cosmic string bispectrum templates, and so our f{sub NL} estimate cannot be used to derive bounds on strings. However it does suggest that string bispectrum templates should be included in the search of CMB non-Gaussianities.« less

Psyche=singularity: A comparison of Carl Jung's transpersonal psychology and Leonard Susskind's holographic string theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desmond, Timothy

In this dissertation I discern what Carl Jung calls the mandala image of the ultimate archetype of unity underlying and structuring cosmos and psyche by pointing out parallels between his transpersonal psychology and Stanford physicist Leonard Susskind's string theory. Despite his atheistic, materialistically reductionist interpretation of it, I demonstrate how Susskind's string theory of holographic information conservation at the event horizons of black holes, and the cosmic horizon of the universe, corroborates the following four topics about which Jung wrote: (1) his near-death experience of the cosmic horizon after a heart attack in 1944; ( 2) his equation relating psychic energy to mass, "Psyche=highest intensity in the smallest space" (1997, 162), which I translate into the equation, Psyche=Singularity; (3) his theory that the mandala, a circle or sphere with a central point, is the symbolic image of the ultimate archetype of unity through the union of opposites, which structures both cosmos and psyche, and which rises spontaneously from the collective unconscious to compensate a conscious mind torn by irreconcilable demands (1989, 334-335, 396-397); and (4) his theory of synchronicity. I argue that Susskind's inside-out black hole model of our Big Bang universe forms a geometrically perfect mandala: a central Singularity encompassed by a two-dimensional sphere which serves as a universal memory bank. Moreover, in precise fulfillment of Jung's theory, Susskind used that mandala to reconcile the notoriously incommensurable paradigms of general relativity and quantum mechanics, providing in the process a mathematically plausible explanation for Jung's near-death experience of his past, present, and future life simultaneously at the cosmic horizon. Finally, Susskind's theory also provides a plausible cosmological model to explain Jung's theory of synchronicity--meaningful coincidences may be tied together by strings at the cosmic horizon, from which they radiate inward as the holographic "movie" of our three-dimensional world.

From "~" to Precision Science: Cosmology from 1995 to 2025

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamionkowski, Marc; Spergel, David N.

2016-01-01

Over the past decade and a half, astronomical measurements, primarily of fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background, have transformed cosmology from an order-of-magnitude game into a paragon of precision science. From these measurements has emerged a 6-parameter cosmological "standard model": a flat universe filled with dark matter and dark energy and seeded by a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of Gaussian random-phase density perturbations. The striking resemblance between these perturbations and those expected from inflation motivates the search for a unique "B-mode" signature of inflation in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. While the fluctuation spectrum is close to scale invariant, WMAP, Planck and ground-based CMB experiments now have strong evidence for a departure from scale invariance in primordial perturbations. This suggests, in simple models of inflation that these B modes should be within striking distance within the next 5-10 years. The advent of a new generation of galaxy surveys will, over similar timescales, shed additional light not only on the physics of inflation, but also the nature of the dark matter and dark energy required by the current cosmological standard model, and perhaps on the new physics that determines the baryon density.

Construction of cosmic string induced temperature anisotropy maps with CMBFAST and statistical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simatos, N.; Perivolaropoulos, L.

2001-01-01

We use the publicly available code CMBFAST, as modified by Pogosian and Vachaspati, to simulate the effects of wiggly cosmic strings on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Using the modified CMBFAST code, which takes into account vector modes and models wiggly cosmic strings by the one-scale model, we go beyond the angular power spectrum to construct CMB temperature maps with a resolution of a few degrees. The statistics of these maps are then studied using conventional and recently proposed statistical tests optimized for the detection of hidden temperature discontinuities induced by the Gott-Kaiser-Stebbins effect. We show, however, that these realistic maps cannot be distinguished in a statistically significant way from purely Gaussian maps with an identical power spectrum.

Gravity Waves and Linear Inflation From Axion Monodromy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McAllister, Liam; /Cornell U., LEPP /Cornell U., Phys. Dept.; Silverstein, Eva

2010-08-26

Wrapped branes in string compactifications introduce a monodromy that extends the field range of individual closed-string axions to beyond the Planck scale. Furthermore, approximate shift symmetries of the system naturally control corrections to the axion potential. This suggests a general mechanism for chaotic inflation driven by monodromy-extended closed-string axions. We systematically analyze this possibility and show that the mechanism is compatible with moduli stabilization and can be realized in many types of compactifications, including warped Calabi-Yau manifolds and more general Ricci-curved spaces. In this broad class of models, the potential is linear in the canonical inflaton field, predicting a tensormore » to scalar ratio r {approx} 0.07 accessible to upcoming cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations.« less

Cosmological backreaction within the Szekeres model and emergence of spatial curvature

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bolejko, Krzysztof, E-mail: krzysztof.bolejko@sydney.edu.au

This paper discusses the phenomenon of backreaction within the Szekeres model. Cosmological backreaction describes how the mean global evolution of the Universe deviates from the Friedmannian evolution. The analysis is based on models of a single cosmological environment and the global ensemble of the Szekeres models (of the Swiss-Cheese-type and Styrofoam-type). The obtained results show that non-linear growth of cosmic structures is associated with the growth of the spatial curvature Ω{sub R} (in the FLRW limit Ω{sub R} → Ω {sub k} ). If averaged over global scales the result depends on the assumed global model of the Universe. Withinmore » the Swiss-Cheese model, which does have a fixed background, the volume average follows the evolution of the background, and the global spatial curvature averages out to zero (the background model is the ΛCDM model, which is spatially flat). In the Styrofoam-type model, which does not have a fixed background, the mean evolution deviates from the spatially flat ΛCDM model, and the mean spatial curvature evolves from Ω{sub R} =0 at the CMB to Ω{sub R} ∼ 0.1 at 0 z =. If the Styrofoam-type model correctly captures evolutionary features of the real Universe then one should expect that in our Universe, the spatial curvature should build up (local growth of cosmic structures) and its mean global average should deviate from zero (backreaction). As a result, this paper predicts that the low-redshift Universe should not be spatially flat (i.e. Ω {sub k} ≠ 0, even if in the early Universe Ω {sub k} = 0) and therefore when analysing low- z cosmological data one should keep Ω {sub k} as a free parameter and independent from the CMB constraints.« less

Cosmological backreaction within the Szekeres model and emergence of spatial curvature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolejko, Krzysztof

2017-06-01

This paper discusses the phenomenon of backreaction within the Szekeres model. Cosmological backreaction describes how the mean global evolution of the Universe deviates from the Friedmannian evolution. The analysis is based on models of a single cosmological environment and the global ensemble of the Szekeres models (of the Swiss-Cheese-type and Styrofoam-type). The obtained results show that non-linear growth of cosmic structures is associated with the growth of the spatial curvature ΩScript R (in the FLRW limit ΩScript R → Ωk). If averaged over global scales the result depends on the assumed global model of the Universe. Within the Swiss-Cheese model, which does have a fixed background, the volume average follows the evolution of the background, and the global spatial curvature averages out to zero (the background model is the ΛCDM model, which is spatially flat). In the Styrofoam-type model, which does not have a fixed background, the mean evolution deviates from the spatially flat ΛCDM model, and the mean spatial curvature evolves from ΩScript R =0 at the CMB to ΩScript R ~ 0.1 at 0z =. If the Styrofoam-type model correctly captures evolutionary features of the real Universe then one should expect that in our Universe, the spatial curvature should build up (local growth of cosmic structures) and its mean global average should deviate from zero (backreaction). As a result, this paper predicts that the low-redshift Universe should not be spatially flat (i.e. Ωk ≠ 0, even if in the early Universe Ωk = 0) and therefore when analysing low-z cosmological data one should keep Ωk as a free parameter and independent from the CMB constraints.

Second-order Cosmological Perturbations Engendered by Point-like Masses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brilenkov, Ruslan; Eingorn, Maxim, E-mail: ruslan.brilenkov@gmail.com, E-mail: maxim.eingorn@gmail.com

2017-08-20

In the ΛCDM framework, presenting nonrelativistic matter inhomogeneities as discrete massive particles, we develop the second‐order cosmological perturbation theory. Our approach relies on the weak gravitational field limit. The derived equations for the second‐order scalar, vector, and tensor metric corrections are suitable at arbitrary distances, including regions with nonlinear contrasts of the matter density. We thoroughly verify fulfillment of all Einstein equations, as well as self‐consistency of order assignments. In addition, we achieve logical positive results in the Minkowski background limit. Feasible investigations of the cosmological back-reaction manifestations by means of relativistic simulations are also outlined.

Evidence for a Cosmological Phase Transition on the TeVScale

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lindesay, James V.; Noyes, H.Pierre; /SLAC

Examining the reverse evolution of the universe from the present, long before reaching Planck density dynamics one expects major modifications from the de-coherent thermal equations of state, suggesting a prior phase that has macroscopic coherence properties. The assumption that the phase transition occurs during the radiation dominated epoch, and that zero-point motions drive the fluctuations associated with this transition, specifies a class of cosmological models in which the cosmic microwave background fluctuation amplitude at last scattering is approximately 10{sup -5}. Quantum measurability constraints (e.g. uncertainly relations) define cosmological scales whose expansion rates can be at most luminal.

Soft theorems for shift-symmetric cosmologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finelli, Bernardo; Goon, Garrett; Pajer, Enrico; Santoni, Luca

2018-03-01

We derive soft theorems for single-clock cosmologies that enjoy a shift symmetry. These so-called consistency conditions arise from a combination of a large diffeomorphism and the internal shift symmetry and fix the squeezed limit of all correlators with a soft scalar mode. As an application, we show that our results reproduce the squeezed bispectrum for ultra-slow-roll inflation, a particular shift-symmetric, nonattractor model which is known to violate Maldacena's consistency relation. Similar results have been previously obtained by Mooij and Palma using background-wave methods. Our results shed new light on the infrared structure of single-clock cosmological spacetimes.

Cosmology and the early universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Abhigna

2017-01-01

In the beginning the universe was in a hot dense state nearly 13.8 billion years ago. The thermal history of the universe was traced back to an era when the temperature was about 1012K. At this early time, the universe was filled with particles-mostly photons and leptons- whose interactions are hopefully weak enough to allow this medium to be treated as a more or less ideal gas. However, if we look back a little further, into the first 0.0001 second of cosmic history when the temperature was above 1012K. At such temperatures, there will be present in thermal equilibrium copious numbers of strongly interacting particles-mostly masons and baryons-with a mean interparticle distance less than a Compton wavelength. These particles will be in a state of continual mutual interaction, and cannot reasonably be expected to obey any simple equation of state. The inflationary epoch lasted from 10-36seconds after the Big Bang to sometime between 10-33and 10-32seconds. Matter and energy created in this time. Right after that space expanded exponentially with enormous rate of 74.3 +/-2.1Km per second per Mpc. Undergraduate student and researcher of the string theory, quantum gravity, cosmology and quantum biology.

Classical and quantum cosmology of minimal massive bigravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darabi, F.; Mousavi, M.

2016-10-01

In a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) space-time background we study the classical cosmological models in the context of recently proposed theory of nonlinear minimal massive bigravity. We show that in the presence of perfect fluid the classical field equations acquire contribution from the massive graviton as a cosmological term which is positive or negative depending on the dynamical competition between two scale factors of bigravity metrics. We obtain the classical field equations for flat and open universes in the ordinary and Schutz representation of perfect fluid. Focusing on the Schutz representation for flat universe, we find classical solutions exhibiting singularities at early universe with vacuum equation of state. Then, in the Schutz representation, we study the quantum cosmology for flat universe and derive the Schrodinger-Wheeler-DeWitt equation. We find its exact and wave packet solutions and discuss on their properties to show that the initial singularity in the classical solutions can be avoided by quantum cosmology. Similar to the study of Hartle-Hawking no-boundary proposal in the quantum cosmology of de Rham, Gabadadze and Tolley (dRGT) massive gravity, it turns out that the mass of graviton predicted by quantum cosmology of the minimal massive bigravity is large at early universe. This is in agreement with the fact that at early universe the cosmological constant should be large.

Cosmological origin of anomalous radio background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cline, James M.; Vincent, Aaron C.

2013-02-01

The ARCADE 2 collaboration has reported a significant excess in the isotropic radio background, whose homogeneity cannot be reconciled with clustered sources. This suggests a cosmological origin prior to structure formation. We investigate several potential mechanisms and show that injection of relativistic electrons through late decays of a metastable particle can give rise to the observed excess radio spectrum through synchrotron emission. However, constraints from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy, on injection of charged particles and on the primordial magnetic field, present a challenge. The simplest scenario is with a gtrsim9 GeV particle decaying into e+e- at a redshift of z ~ 5, in a magnetic field of ~ 5μG, which exceeds the CMB B-field constraints, unless the field was generated after decoupling. Decays into exotic millicharged particles can alleviate this tension, if they emit synchroton radiation in conjunction with a sufficiently large background magnetic field of a dark U(1)' gauge field.

Einstein's 1917 static model of the universe: a centennial review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Raifeartaigh, Cormac; O'Keeffe, Michael; Nahm, Werner; Mitton, Simon

2017-08-01

We present a historical review of Einstein's 1917 paper ` Cosmological Considerations in the General Theory of Relativity' to mark the centenary of a key work that set the foundations of modern cosmology. We find that the paper followed as a natural next step after Einstein's development of the general theory of relativity and that the work offers many insights into his thoughts on relativity, astronomy and cosmology. Our review includes a description of the observational and theoretical background to the paper; a paragraph-by-paragraph guided tour of the work; a discussion of Einstein's views of issues such as the relativity of inertia, the curvature of space and the cosmological constant. Particular attention is paid to little-known aspects of the paper such as Einstein's failure to test his model against observation, his failure to consider the stability of the model and a mathematical oversight concerning his interpretation of the role of the cosmological constant. We recall the response of theorists and astronomers to Einstein's cosmology in the context of the alternate models of the universe proposed by Willem de Sitter, Alexander Friedman and Georges Lemaître. Finally, we consider the relevance of the Einstein World in today's `emergent' cosmologies.

BOOK REVIEW: Black Holes, Cosmology and Extra Dimensions Black Holes, Cosmology and Extra Dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frolov, Valeri P.

2013-10-01

The book Black holes, Cosmology and Extra Dimensions written by Kirill A Bronnikov and Sergey G Rubin has been published recently by World Scientific Publishing Company. The authors are well known experts in gravity and cosmology. The book is a monograph, a considerable part of which is based on the original work of the authors. Their original point of view on some of the problems makes the book quite interesting, covering a variety of important topics of the modern theory of gravity, astrophysics and cosmology. It consists of 11 chapters which are organized in three parts. The book starts with an introduction, where the authors briefly discuss the main ideas of General Relativity, giving some historical remarks on its development and application to cosmology, and mentioning some more recent subjects such as brane worlds, f(R)-theories and gravity in higher dimensions. Part I of the book is called 'Gravity'. Chapters two and three are devoted to the Einstein equations and their spherical symmetric black hole solutions. This material is quite standard and can be found in practically any book on General Relativity. A brief summary of the Kerr metric and black hole thermodynamics are given in chapter four. The main part of this chapter is devoted to spherically symmetric black holes in non-Einstein gravity (with scalar and phantom fields), black holes with regular interior, and black holes in brane worlds. Chapters five and six are mainly dedicated to wormholes and the problem of their stability. Part II (Cosmology) starts with discussion of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker and de Sitter solutions of the Einstein equations and their properties. It follows by describing a `big picture' of the modern cosmology (inflation, post-inflationary reheating, the radiation-dominated and matter-dominated states, and modern stage of the (secondary) inflation). The authors explain how the inflation models allow one to solve many of the long-standing problems of cosmology, such as flatness of the Universe, the horizon problem and isotropy of cosmological microwave background. All this material is covered in chapter seven. Chapter eight contains brief discussion of several popular inflation models. Chapter nine is devoted to the problem of the large-scale structure formation from initial quantum vacuum fluctuation during the inflation and the spectrum of the density fluctuations. It also contains remarks on the baryonic asymmetry of the Universe, baryogenesis and primordial black holes. Part III covers the material on extra dimensions. It describes how Einstein gravity is modified in the presence of one or more additional spatial dimensions and how these extra dimensions are compactified in the Kaluza-Klein scheme. The authors also discuss how extra dimensions may affect low energy physics. They present examples of higher-dimensional generalizations of the gravity with higher-in-curvature corrections and discuss a possible mechanism of self-stabilization of an extra space. A considerable part of the chapter 10 is devoted to cosmological models with extra dimensions. In particular, the authors discuss how extra dimensions can modify 'standard' inflation models. At the end of this chapter they make several remarks on a possible relation of the value of fundamental constants in our universe with the existence of extra dimensions. Finally, in chapter 11 they demonstrate that several observable properties of the Universe are closely related with the special value of the fundamental physical constants and their fine tuning. They give interesting examples of such fine tuning and summarize many other cases. The book ends with discussion of a so-called 'cascade birth of universes in multidimensional spaces' model, proposed by one of the authors. As is evident from this brief summary of topics presented in the book, many interesting areas of modern gravity and cosmology are covered. However, since the subject is so wide, this inevitably implies that the selection of the topics and level of their presentation in many cases reflects the authors' own preferences. As a result, several important subjects on black holes, cosmology and extra dimensions, widely discussed in the modern literature, are not covered by the book. For example, a reader will not find discussion of non-spherically symmetric higher dimensional black holes which are either non-trivial generalization of the Kerr black holes, or even have a non-spherical topology of the horizon (black rings, black strings and so on). The book does not contain any information on supersymmetric black holes, black branes solutions and their properties. This list can easily be continued (black hole perturbations, gravitational radiation from binary black hole coalescence, cosmology in massive gravity and Hořava-Lifshitz models, etc). However the number of publications connected with the title of the book is so huge now, that it is practically impossible to cover all of them in a single book. Some selection of topics is inevitable. To summarize, I think that the authors did a great job and the book will find its readers. It might be interesting for researchers working in theoretical physics, astrophysics and cosmology. I do not think that it would be very helpful as a textbook for students, although it contains a lot of interesting material which can be used by students for additional reading connected with the basic university courses on gravity and cosmology. It might be also useful to students for their term paper projects and presentations.

Debates of science vs. religion in undergraduate general education cosmology courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Aleman, Ramon

2015-04-01

Recent advances in theoretical physics such as the discovery of the Higgs boson or the BICEP2 data supporting inflation can be part of the general science curriculum of non-science majors in a cosmology course designed as part of the General Education component. Yet to be a truly interdisciplinary experience one must deal with the religious background and faith of most of our students. Religious faith seems to be important in their lives, but the philosophical outlook of sciences like cosmology or evolutionary biology is one in which God is an unnecessary component in explaining the nature and origin of the universe. We will review recent advances in cosmology and suggestions on how to establish a respectful and intelligent science vs. religion debate in a transdisciplinary general education setting.

Gamma rays and the case for baryon symmetric big-bang cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.

1977-01-01

The baryon symmetric big-bang cosmologies offer an explanation of the present photon-baryon ratio in the universe, the best present explanation of the diffuse gamma-ray background spectrum in the 1 to 200 MeV range, and a mechanism for galaxy formation. In the context of an open universe model, the value of omega which best fits the present gamma-ray data is omega equals approx. 0.1 which does not conflict with upper limits on Comptonization distortion of the 3K background radiation. In regard to He production, evidence is discussed that nucleosynthesis of He may have taken place after the galaxies were formed.

Strings, boundary fermions and coincident D-branes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wulff, Linus

2007-01-01

This thesis describes an attempt to write down covariant actions for coincident D-branes using so-called boundary fermions instead of matrices to describe the non-abelian fields. These fermions can be thought of as Chan-Paton degrees of freedom for the open string. It is shown that by gauge-fixing and by suitably quantizing these boundary fermions the non-abelian action that is known, the Myers action, can be reproduced. Furthermore it is shown that under natural assumptions, unlike the Myers action, the action formulated using boundary fermions also posseses kappa-symmetry when formulated on superspace. Another aspect of string theory discussed in this thesis is that of tensionless strings. These are of great interest for example because of their possible relation to higher spin gauge theories via the AdS/CFT-correspondence. The tensionless superstring in a plane wave background, a Penrose limit of the near-horizon geometry of a stack of D3-branes, is considered and compared to the tensile case.

New predictions on meson decays from string splitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bigazzi, Francesco; Cotrone, Aldo L.

2006-11-01

We study certain exclusive decays of high spin mesons into mesons in models of large Nc Yang-Mills with few flavors at strong coupling using string theory. The rate of the process is calculated by studying the splitting of a macroscopic string on the relevant dual gravity backgrounds. In the leading channel for the decay of heavy quarkonium into two open-heavy quark states, one of the two produced mesons has much larger spin than the other. In this channel the decay rate is practically independent on the spin and has a mild dependence on the mass of the heavy quarks. Moreover, it is only power-like suppressed with the mass of the produced quark-anti quark pair. We also reconsider decays of high spin mesons made up of light quarks, confirming the linear dependence of the rate on the mass of the decaying meson. As a bonus of our computation, we provide a formula for the splitting rate of a macroscopic string lying on a Dp-brane in flat space.

Dynamic field theory and equations of motion in cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kopeikin, Sergei M., E-mail: kopeikins@missouri.edu; Petrov, Alexander N., E-mail: alex.petrov55@gmail.com

2014-11-15

We discuss a field-theoretical approach based on general-relativistic variational principle to derive the covariant field equations and hydrodynamic equations of motion of baryonic matter governed by cosmological perturbations of dark matter and dark energy. The action depends on the gravitational and matter Lagrangian. The gravitational Lagrangian depends on the metric tensor and its first and second derivatives. The matter Lagrangian includes dark matter, dark energy and the ordinary baryonic matter which plays the role of a bare perturbation. The total Lagrangian is expanded in an asymptotic Taylor series around the background cosmological manifold defined as a solution of Einstein’s equationsmore » in the form of the Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) metric tensor. The small parameter of the decomposition is the magnitude of the metric tensor perturbation. Each term of the series expansion is gauge-invariant and all of them together form a basis for the successive post-Friedmannian approximations around the background metric. The approximation scheme is covariant and the asymptotic nature of the Lagrangian decomposition does not require the post-Friedmannian perturbations to be small though computationally it works the most effectively when the perturbed metric is close enough to the background FLRW metric. The temporal evolution of the background metric is governed by dark matter and dark energy and we associate the large scale inhomogeneities in these two components as those generated by the primordial cosmological perturbations with an effective matter density contrast δρ/ρ≤1. The small scale inhomogeneities are generated by the condensations of baryonic matter considered as the bare perturbations of the background manifold that admits δρ/ρ≫1. Mathematically, the large scale perturbations are given by the homogeneous solution of the linearized field equations while the small scale perturbations are described by a particular solution of these equations with the bare stress–energy tensor of the baryonic matter. We explicitly work out the covariant field equations of the successive post-Friedmannian approximations of Einstein’s equations in cosmology and derive equations of motion of large and small scale inhomogeneities of dark matter and dark energy. We apply these equations to derive the post-Friedmannian equations of motion of baryonic matter comprising stars, galaxies and their clusters.« less

Comparison of cosmology and seabed acoustics measurements using statistical inference from maximum entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knobles, David; Stotts, Steven; Sagers, Jason

2012-03-01

Why can one obtain from similar measurements a greater amount of information about cosmological parameters than seabed parameters in ocean waveguides? The cosmological measurements are in the form of a power spectrum constructed from spatial correlations of temperature fluctuations within the microwave background radiation. The seabed acoustic measurements are in the form of spatial correlations along the length of a spatial aperture. This study explores the above question from the perspective of posterior probability distributions obtained from maximizing a relative entropy functional. An answer is in part that the seabed in shallow ocean environments generally has large temporal and spatial inhomogeneities, whereas the early universe was a nearly homogeneous cosmological soup with small but important fluctuations. Acoustic propagation models used in shallow water acoustics generally do not capture spatial and temporal variability sufficiently well, which leads to model error dominating the statistical inference problem. This is not the case in cosmology. Further, the physics of the acoustic modes in cosmology is that of a standing wave with simple initial conditions, whereas for underwater acoustics it is a traveling wave in a strongly inhomogeneous bounded medium.

Wilson loops in warped resolved deformed conifolds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bennett, Stephen, E-mail: pystephen@swansea.ac.uk

We calculate quark-antiquark potentials using the relationship between the expectation value of the Wilson loop and the action of a probe string in the string dual. We review and categorise the possible forms of the dependence of the energy on the separation between the quarks. In particular, we examine the possibility of there being a minimum separation for probe strings which do not penetrate close to the origin of the bulk space, and derive a condition which determines whether this is the case. We then apply these considerations to the flavoured resolved deformed conifold background of Gaillard et al. (2010)more » . We suggest that the unusual behaviour that we observe in this solution is likely to be related to the IR singularity which is not present in the unflavoured case. - Highlights: > We calculate quark-antiquark potentials using the Wilson loop and the action of a probe string in the string dual. > We review and categorise the possible forms of the dependence of the energy on the separation between the quarks. > We look in particular at the flavoured resolved deformed conifold. > There appears to be unusual behaviour which seems likely to be related to the IR singularity introduced by flavours.« less

DUMAND-II (deep underwater muon and neutrino detector) progress report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Young, K.K.; The DUMAND Collaboration

1995-07-10

The DUMAND II detector will search for astronomical sources of high energy neutrinos. Successful deployment of the basic infrastructure, including the shore cable, the underwater junction box, and an environmental module was accomplished in December, 1993. One optical module string was also deployed and operated, logging data for about 10 hours. The underwater cable was connected to the shore station where we were able to successfully exercise system controls and log further environmental data. After this time, water leaking into the electronics control module for the deployed string disabled the string electrical system. The acquired data are consistent with themore » expected rate of downgoing muons, and our ability to reconstruct muons was demonstrated. The measured acoustical backgrounds are consistent with expectation, which should allow acoustical detection of nearby PeV particle cascades. The disabled string has been recovered and is undergoing repairs ashore. We have identified the source of the water leak and implemented additional testing and QC procedures to ensure no repetition in our next deployment. We will be ready to deploy three strings and begin continuous data taking in late 1994 or early 1995. {copyright} {ital 1995} {ital American} {ital Institute} {ital of} {ital Physics}.« less

Black holes, anti de Sitter space, and topological strings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Xi

This thesis is devoted to the study of black holes in string theory, their connection to two and three dimensional anti de-Sitter space, and topological strings. We start by proposing a relation between supersymmetric black holes in four and five dimensions, as well as connections between multi-centered black holes in four dimensions and black rings in five dimensions. This connection is then applied to counting supersymmetric dyonic black holes in four dimensional string compactifications with 16 and 32 supersymmetries, respectively. We then turn to the near horizon attractor geometry AdS 2 x S2 x CY 3, and study the classical supersymmetric D-branes in this background. We also find supersymmetric black hole solutions in supergravity in AdS2 x S2, although the solutions have regions of closed timelike curves. Finally we consider the M-theory attractor geometry AdS3 x S2 x CY3, and compute the elliptic genus of the dual (0, 4) CFT by counting wrapped M2-brane states in the bulk in a dilute gas approximation. This leads to a derivation of the conjectured relation between black hole partition function and topological string amplitudes.

The Undiscovered World Cosmology from WMAP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, Charles

2004-01-01

The first findings from a year of WMAP satellite operations provide a detailed full sky map of the cosmic microwave background radiation. The observed temperature anisotropy, combined with the associated polarization information, encodes a wealth of cosmological information. The results have implications for the history, content, and evolution of the universe, and its large scale properties. These and other aspects of the mission will be discussed.

The Undiscovered World: Cosmology from WMAP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, Charles

2004-01-01

The first findings from a year of WMAP satellite operations provide a detailed full sky map of the cosmic microwave background radiation. The observed temperature anisotropy, combined with the associated polarization information, encodes a wealth of cosmological information. The results have implications for the history, content, and evolution of the universe, and its large scale properties. These and other aspects of the mission will be discussed.

Possible evidence for the existence of antimatter on a cosmological scale in the universe.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.; Morgan, D. L., Jr.; Bredekamp, J.

1971-01-01

Initial results of a detailed calculation of the cosmological gamma-ray spectrum from matter-antimatter annihilation in the universe. The similarity between the calculated spectrum and the present observations of the gamma-ray background spectrum above 1 MeV suggests that such observations may be evidence of the existence of antimatter on a large scale in the universe.

Gamma-rays and the case for baryon symmetric big-bang cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.

1977-01-01

The baryon symmetric big-bang cosmologies offer an explanation of the present photon-baryon ratio in the universe, the best present explanation of the diffuse gamma-ray background spectrum in the 1-200 MeV range, and a mechanism for galaxy formation. In regard to He production, evidence is discussed that nucleosynthesis of He may have taken place after the galaxies were formed.

Fuzzy Dark Matter from Infrared Confining Dynamics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davoudiasl, Hooman; Murphy, Christopher W.

A very light boson of mass O ( 10 - 22 ) eV may potentially be a viable dark matter (DM) candidate, which can avoid phenomenological problems associated with cold DM. Such “fuzzy DM (FDM)” may naturally be an axion with a decay constant f a ~ 1 0 16 – 1 0 18 GeV and a mass m a ~ μ 2 / f a with μ ~ 1 0 2 eV . Here, we propose a concrete model, where μ arises as a dynamical scale from infrared confining dynamics, analogous to QCD. This model is an alternative tomore » the usual approach of generating μ through string theoretic instanton effects. We outline the features of this scenario that result from various cosmological constraints. We also found that those constraints are suggestive of a period of mild of inflation, perhaps from a strong first order phase transition, that reheats the standard model (SM) sector only. A typical prediction of our scenario, broadly speaking, is a larger effective number of neutrinos compared to the SM value N eff ≈ 3 , as inferred from precision measurements of the cosmic microwave background. Some of the new degrees of freedom may be identified as “sterile neutrinos,” which may be required to explain certain neutrino oscillation anomalies. Thus, aspects of our scenario could be testable in terrestrial experiments, which is a novelty of our FDM model.« less

Fuzzy Dark Matter from Infrared Confining Dynamics

DOE PAGES

Davoudiasl, Hooman; Murphy, Christopher W.

2017-04-03

A very light boson of mass O ( 10 - 22 ) eV may potentially be a viable dark matter (DM) candidate, which can avoid phenomenological problems associated with cold DM. Such “fuzzy DM (FDM)” may naturally be an axion with a decay constant f a ~ 1 0 16 – 1 0 18 GeV and a mass m a ~ μ 2 / f a with μ ~ 1 0 2 eV . Here, we propose a concrete model, where μ arises as a dynamical scale from infrared confining dynamics, analogous to QCD. This model is an alternative tomore » the usual approach of generating μ through string theoretic instanton effects. We outline the features of this scenario that result from various cosmological constraints. We also found that those constraints are suggestive of a period of mild of inflation, perhaps from a strong first order phase transition, that reheats the standard model (SM) sector only. A typical prediction of our scenario, broadly speaking, is a larger effective number of neutrinos compared to the SM value N eff ≈ 3 , as inferred from precision measurements of the cosmic microwave background. Some of the new degrees of freedom may be identified as “sterile neutrinos,” which may be required to explain certain neutrino oscillation anomalies. Thus, aspects of our scenario could be testable in terrestrial experiments, which is a novelty of our FDM model.« less

Note on bouncing backgrounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Haro, Jaume; Pan, Supriya

2018-05-01

The theory of inflation is one of the fundamental and revolutionary developments of modern cosmology that became able to explain many issues of the early Universe in the context of the standard cosmological model (SCM). However, the initial singularity of the Universe, where physics is indefinite, is still obscure in the combined SCM +inflation scenario. An alternative to SCM +inflation without the initial singularity is thus always welcome, and bouncing cosmology is an attempt at that. The current work is thus motivated to investigate the bouncing solutions in modified gravity theories when the background universe is described by the spatially flat Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) geometry. We show that the simplest way to obtain the bouncing cosmologies in such spacetime is to consider some kind of Lagrangian whose gravitational sector depends only on the square of the Hubble parameter of the FLRW universe. For these modified Lagrangians, the corresponding Friedmann equation, a constraint in the dynamics of the Universe, depicts a curve in the phase space (H ,ρ ), where H is the Hubble parameter and ρ is the energy density of the Universe. As a consequence, a bouncing cosmology is obtained when this curve is closed and crosses the axis H =0 at least twice, and whose simplest particular example is the ellipse depicting the well-known holonomy corrected Friedmann equation in loop quantum cosmology (LQC). Sometimes, a crucial point in such theories is the appearance of the Ostrogradski instability at the perturbative level; however, fortunately enough, in the present work, as long as the linear level of perturbations is concerned, this instability does not appear, although it may appear at the higher order of perturbations.

f(T) teleparallel gravity and cosmology.

PubMed

Cai, Yi-Fu; Capozziello, Salvatore; De Laurentis, Mariafelicia; Saridakis, Emmanuel N

2016-10-01

Over recent decades, the role of torsion in gravity has been extensively investigated along the main direction of bringing gravity closer to its gauge formulation and incorporating spin in a geometric description. Here we review various torsional constructions, from teleparallel, to Einstein-Cartan, and metric-affine gauge theories, resulting in extending torsional gravity in the paradigm of f (T) gravity, where f (T) is an arbitrary function of the torsion scalar. Based on this theory, we further review the corresponding cosmological and astrophysical applications. In particular, we study cosmological solutions arising from f (T) gravity, both at the background and perturbation levels, in different eras along the cosmic expansion. The f (T) gravity construction can provide a theoretical interpretation of the late-time universe acceleration, alternative to a cosmological constant, and it can easily accommodate with the regular thermal expanding history including the radiation and cold dark matter dominated phases. Furthermore, if one traces back to very early times, for a certain class of f (T) models, a sufficiently long period of inflation can be achieved and hence can be investigated by cosmic microwave background observations-or, alternatively, the Big Bang singularity can be avoided at even earlier moments due to the appearance of non-singular bounces. Various observational constraints, especially the bounds coming from the large-scale structure data in the case of f (T) cosmology, as well as the behavior of gravitational waves, are described in detail. Moreover, the spherically symmetric and black hole solutions of the theory are reviewed. Additionally, we discuss various extensions of the f (T) paradigm. Finally, we consider the relation with other modified gravitational theories, such as those based on curvature, like f (R) gravity, trying to illuminate the subject of which formulation, or combination of formulations, might be more suitable for quantization ventures and cosmological applications.

Measurement problem in Program Universe. Revision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noyes, H. P.; Gefwert, C.; Manthey, M. J.

1985-07-01

The measurement problem of contemporary physics is in our view an artifact of its philosophical and mathematical underpinnings. We describe a new philosophical view of theory formation, rooted in Wittgenstein, and Bishop's and Martin-Loef's constructivity, which obviates such discussions. We present an unfinished, but very encouraging, theory which is compatible with this philosophical framework. The theory is based on the concepts of counting and combinatorics in the framework provided by the combinatorial hierarchy, a unique hierarchy of bit strings which interact by an operation called discrimination. Measurement criteria incorporate c, h-bar and m/sub p/ or (not and) G. The resulting theory is discrete throughout, contains no infinities, and, as far as we have developed it, is in agreement with quantum mechanical and cosmological fact.

New large volume Calabi-Yau threefolds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altman, Ross; He, Yang-Hui; Jejjala, Vishnu; Nelson, Brent D.

2018-02-01

In previous work, we have commenced the task of unpacking the 473 800 776 reflexive polyhedra by Kreuzer and Skarke into a database of Calabi-Yau threefolds [R. Altman et al. J. High Energy Phys. 02 (2015) 158., 10.1007/JHEP02(2015)158] (see www.rossealtman.com). In this paper, following a pedagogical introduction, we present a new algorithm to isolate Swiss cheese solutions characterized by "holes," or small 4-cycles, descending from the toric divisors inherent to the original four dimensional reflexive polyhedra. Implementing these methods, we find 2268 explicit Swiss cheese manifolds, over half of which have h1 ,1=6 . Many of our solutions have multiple large cycles. Such Swiss cheese geometries facilitate moduli stabilization in string compactifications and provide flat directions for cosmological inflation.

Big bang nucleosynthesis, the CMB, and the origin of matter and space-time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathews, Grant J.; Gangopadhyay, Mayukh; Sasankan, Nishanth; Ichiki, Kiyotomo; Kajino, Toshitaka

2018-04-01

We summarize some applications of big bang nucleosythesis (BBN) and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) to constrain the first moments of the creation of matter in the universe. We review the basic elements of BBN and how it constraints physics of the radiation-dominated epoch. In particular, how the existence of higher dimensions impacts the cosmic expansion through the projection of curvature from the higher dimension in the "dark radiation" term. We summarize current constraints from BBN and the CMB on this brane-world dark radiation term. At the same time, the existence of extra dimensions during the earlier inflation impacts the tensor to scalar ratio and the running spectral index as measured in the CMB. We summarize how the constraints on inflation shift when embedded in higher dimensions. Finally, one expects that the universe was born out of a complicated multiverse landscape near the Planck time. In these moments the energy scale of superstrings was obtainable during the early moments of chaotic inflation. We summarize the quest for cosmological evidence of the birth of space-time out of the string theory landscape. We will explore the possibility that a superstring excitations may have made itself known via a coupling to the field of inflation. This may have left an imprint of "dips" in the power spectrum of temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background. The identification of this particle as a superstring is possible because there may be evidence for different oscillator states of the same superstring that appear on different scales on the sky. It will be shown that from this imprint one can deduce the mass, number of oscillations, and coupling constant for the superstring. Although the evidence is marginal, this may constitute the first observation of a superstring in Nature.

BOOK REVIEW: Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silk, Joseph

2008-11-01

The field of cosmology has been transformed since the glorious decades of the 1920's and 1930's when theory and observation converged to develop the current model of the expanding universe. It was a triumph of the theory of general relativity and astronomy. The first revolution came when the nuclear physicists entered the fray. This marked the debut of the hot big bang, in which the light elements were synthesized in the first three minutes. It was soon realised that elements like carbon and iron were synthesized in exploding stars. However helium, as well as deuterium and lithium, remain as George Gamow envisaged, the detritus of the big bang. The climax arrived with one of the most remarkable discoveries of the twentieth century, the cosmic microwave background radiation, in 1964. The fossil glow turned out to have the spectrum of an ideal black body. One could not imagine a stronger confirmation of the hot and dense origin of the universe. This discovery set the scene for the next major advance. It was now the turn of the particle physicists, who realized that the energies attained near the beginning of the universe, and unachievable in any conceivable terrestrial accelerator, provided a unique testing ground for theories of grand unification of the fundamental forces. This led Alan Guth and Andrei Linde in 1980 to propose the theory of inflation, which solved outstanding puzzles of the big bang. One could now understand why the universe is so large and homogeneous, and the origin of the seed fluctuations that gave rise to large-scale structure. A key prediction was that the universe should have Euclidean geometry, now verified to a precision of a few percent. Modern cosmology is firmly embedded in particle physics. It merits a text written by a particle physicist who can however appreciate the contributions of astronomy that provide the foundation and infrastructure for the theory of the expanding universe. There are now several such texts available. The most recent, and comprehensive, is Cosmology, in which the University of Texas physicist and Nobel Laureate, Steven Weinberg provides a concise introduction to modern cosmology. The book is aimed at the level of a final year physics undergraduate, or a first year graduate student. The discussion is self-contained, with numerous derivations. It begins with an overview of the standard cosmological model, and presents a detailed treatment of fluctuation growth. There are sections on gravitational lensing and inflationary cosmology, on microwave background fluctuations and structure growth. There are aspects however where a supplementary book is essential for the physicist being introduced to cosmology. The text is lacking in physical cosmology. The baryon physics of galaxy formation is barely mentioned, apart from a discussion of the Jeans mass. And it ignores one of the greatest contributions to the field by Russian cosmologist Yaakov Zel'dovich, who discovered the only nonspherical solution to the nonlinear evolution of density fluctuations, one that has since dominated our understanding of the large-scale structure of the universe via the cosmic web. But these are minor quibbles about what provides an outstanding introduction to modern cosmology, and one that takes us from the physics fundamentals up to the cosmic frontier. I recommend Cosmology for anyone wishing to enter the field and with a good physics background. It is ideal for the astronomer who may only have a sketchy knowledge of general relativity or particle physics. She will learn about vielbeins and scalar fields, gauge-invariant fluctuation theory and inflation. Steven Weinberg is a leading physicist who has also made important contributions to cosmology. The text provides a rigorous treatment of the standard model of cosmology, and of structure formation. Numerous exercises are provided. It provides an excellent core for a course on cosmology.

Cosmic microwave background anisotropies in cold dark matter models with cosmological constant: The intermediate versus large angular scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stompor, Radoslaw; Gorski, Krzysztof M.

1994-01-01

We obtain predictions for cosmic microwave background anisotropies at angular scales near 1 deg in the context of cold dark matter models with a nonzero cosmological constant, normalized to the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) detection. The results are compared to those computed in the matter-dominated models. We show that the coherence length of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy is almost insensitive to cosmological parameters, and the rms amplitude of the anisotropy increases moderately with decreasing total matter density, while being most sensitive to the baryon abundance. We apply these results in the statistical analysis of the published data from the UCSB South Pole (SP) experiment (Gaier et al. 1992; Schuster et al. 1993). We reject most of the Cold Dark Matter (CDM)-Lambda models at the 95% confidence level when both SP scans are simulated together (although the combined data set renders less stringent limits than the Gaier et al. data alone). However, the Schuster et al. data considered alone as well as the results of some other recent experiments (MAX, MSAM, Saskatoon), suggest that typical temperature fluctuations on degree scales may be larger than is indicated by the Gaier et al. scan. If so, CDM-Lambda models may indeed provide, from a point of view of CMB anisotropies, an acceptable alternative to flat CDM models.

Equilibrium thermodynamics and neutrino decoupling in quasi-metric cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Østvang, Dag

2018-05-01

The laws of thermodynamics in the expanding universe are formulated within the quasi-metric framework. The quasi-metric cosmic expansion does not directly influence momenta of material particles, so the expansion directly cools null particles only (e.g., photons). Therefore, said laws differ substantially from their counterparts in standard cosmology. Consequently, all non-null neutrino mass eigenstates are predicted to have the same energy today as they had just after neutrino decoupling in the early universe. This indicates that the predicted relic neutrino background is strongly inconsistent with detection rates measured in solar neutrino detectors (Borexino in particular). Thus quasi-metric cosmology is in violent conflict with experiment unless some exotic property of neutrinos makes the relic neutrino background essentially undetectable (e.g., if all massive mass eigenstates decay into "invisible" particles over cosmic time scales). But in absence of hard evidence in favour of the necessary exotic neutrino physics needed to resolve said conflict, the current status of quasi-metric relativity has been changed to non-viable.

Two-point correlation functions in inhomogeneous and anisotropic cosmologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marcori, Oton H.; Pereira, Thiago S., E-mail: otonhm@hotmail.com, E-mail: tspereira@uel.br

Two-point correlation functions are ubiquitous tools of modern cosmology, appearing in disparate topics ranging from cosmological inflation to late-time astrophysics. When the background spacetime is maximally symmetric, invariance arguments can be used to fix the functional dependence of this function as the invariant distance between any two points. In this paper we introduce a novel formalism which fixes this functional dependence directly from the isometries of the background metric, thus allowing one to quickly assess the overall features of Gaussian correlators without resorting to the full machinery of perturbation theory. As an application we construct the CMB temperature correlation functionmore » in one inhomogeneous (namely, an off-center LTB model) and two spatially flat and anisotropic (Bianchi) universes, and derive their covariance matrices in the limit of almost Friedmannian symmetry. We show how the method can be extended to arbitrary N -point correlation functions and illustrate its use by constructing three-point correlation functions in some simple geometries.« less

Dynamics of anisotropies close to a cosmological bounce in quantum gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Cesare, Marco; Oriti, Daniele; Pithis, Andreas G. A.; Sakellariadou, Mairi

2018-01-01

We study the dynamics of perturbations representing deviations from perfect isotropy in the context of the emergent cosmology obtained from the group field theory formalism for quantum gravity. Working in the mean field approximation of the group field theory formulation of the Lorentzian EPRL model, we derive the equations of motion for such perturbations to first order. We then study these equations around a specific simple isotropic background, characterised by the fundamental representation of SU(2) , and in the regime of the effective cosmological dynamics corresponding to the bouncing region replacing the classical singularity, well approximated by the free GFT dynamics. In this particular example, we identify a region in the parameter space of the model such that perturbations can be large at the bounce but become negligible away from it, i.e. when the background enters the non-linear regime. We also study the departures from perfect isotropy by introducing specific quantities, such as the surface-area-to-volume ratio and the effective volume per quantum, which make them quantitative.

An exposition on Friedmann cosmology with negative energy densities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nemiroff, Robert J.; Joshi, Ravi; Patla, Bijunath R., E-mail: nemiroff@mtu.edu, E-mail: rjoshimtu@gmail.com, E-mail: bijunath.patla@nist.gov

2015-06-01

How would negative energy density affect a classic Friedmann cosmology? Although never measured and possibly unphysical, certain realizations of quantum field theories leaves the door open for such a possibility. In this paper we analyze the evolution of a universe comprising varying amounts of negative energy forms. Negative energy components have negative normalized energy densities, Ω < 0. They include negative phantom energy with an equation of state parameter w < −1, negative cosmological constant: w=−1, negative domain walls: w = −2/3, negative cosmic strings: w=−1/3, negative mass: w = 0, negative radiation: w = 1/3 and negative ultralight: w > 1/3. Assuming that such energy forms generate pressure like perfect fluids,more » the attractive or repulsive nature of negative energy components are reviewed. The Friedmann equation is satisfied only when negative energy forms are coupled to a greater magnitude of positive energy forms or positive curvature. We show that the solutions exhibit cyclic evolution with bounces and turnovers.The future and fate of such universes in terms of curvature, temperature, acceleration, and energy density are reviewed. The end states are dubbed ''big crunch,' '' big void,' or ''big rip' and further qualified as ''warped',''curved', or ''flat',''hot' versus ''cold', ''accelerating' versus ''decelerating' versus ''coasting'. A universe that ends by contracting to zero energy density is termed ''big poof.' Which contracting universes ''bounce' in expansion and which expanding universes ''turnover' into contraction are also reviewed.« less

Departures from the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertston-Walker Cosmological Model in an Inhomogeneous Universe: A Numerical Examination.

PubMed

Giblin, John T; Mertens, James B; Starkman, Glenn D

2016-06-24

While the use of numerical general relativity for modeling astrophysical phenomena and compact objects is commonplace, the application to cosmological scenarios is only just beginning. Here, we examine the expansion of a spacetime using the Baumgarte-Shapiro-Shibata-Nakamura formalism of numerical relativity in synchronous gauge. This work represents the first numerical cosmological study that is fully relativistic, nonlinear, and without symmetry. The universe that emerges exhibits an average Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) behavior; however, this universe also exhibits locally inhomogeneous expansion beyond that expected in linear perturbation theory around a FLRW background.

A simple cosmology with a varying fine structure constant.

PubMed

Sandvik, Håvard Bunes; Barrow, John D; Magueijo, João

2002-01-21

We investigate the cosmological consequences of a theory in which the electric charge e can vary. In this theory the fine structure "constant," alpha, remains almost constant in the radiation era, undergoes a small increase in the matter era, but approaches a constant value when the universe starts accelerating because of a positive cosmological constant. This model satisfies geonuclear, nucleosynthesis, and cosmic microwave background constraints on time variation in alpha, while fitting the observed accelerating Universe and evidence for small alpha variations in quasar spectra. It also places specific restrictions on the nature of the dark matter. Further tests, involving stellar spectra and Eötvös experiments, are proposed.

Null tests of the standard model using the linear model formalism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marra, Valerio; Sapone, Domenico

2018-04-01

We test both the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker geometry and Λ CDM cosmology in a model-independent way by reconstructing the Hubble function H (z ), the comoving distance D (z ), and the growth of structure f σ8(z ) using the most recent data available. We use the linear model formalism in order to optimally reconstruct the above cosmological functions, together with their derivatives and integrals. We then evaluate four of the null tests available in the literature that probe both background and perturbation assumptions. For all the four tests, we find agreement, within the errors, with the standard cosmological model.

Redshift remapping and cosmic acceleration in dark-matter-dominated cosmological models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojtak, Radosław; Prada, Francisco

2017-10-01

The standard relation between the cosmological redshift and cosmic scalefactor underlies cosmological inference from virtually all kinds of cosmological observations, leading to the emergence of the Λ cold-dark-matter (ΛCDM) cosmological model. This relation is not a fundamental theory and thus observational determination of this function (redshift remapping) should be regarded as an insightful alternative to holding its standard form in analyses of cosmological data. Here we present non-parametric reconstructions of redshift remapping in dark-matter-dominated models and constraints on cosmological parameters from a joint analysis of all primary cosmological probes including the local measurement of the Hubble constant, Type Ia supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), Planck observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation (temperature power spectrum) and cosmic chronometers. The reconstructed redshift remapping points to an additional boost of redshift operating in late epoch of cosmic evolution, but affecting both low-redshift observations and the CMB. The model predicts a significant difference between the actual Hubble constant, h = 0.48 ± 0.02, and its local determination, hobs = 0.73 ± 0.02. The ratio of these two values coincides closely with the maximum expansion rate inside voids formed in the corresponding open cosmological model with Ωm = 0.87 ± 0.03, whereas the actual value of the Hubble constant implies the age of the Universe that is compatible with the Planck ΛCDM cosmology. The model with redshift remapping provides excellent fits to all data and eliminates recently reported tensions between the PlanckΛCDM cosmology, the local determination of the Hubble constant and the BAO measurements from the Ly α forest of high-redshift quasars.

Redshift remapping and cosmic acceleration in dark-matter-dominated cosmological models

DOE PAGES

Wojtak, Radosław; Prada, Francisco

2017-06-21

The standard relation between the cosmological redshift and cosmic scale factor underlies cosmological inference from virtually all kinds of cosmological observations, leading to the emergence of the LambdaCDM cosmological model. This relation is not a fundamental theory and thus observational determination of this function (redshift remapping) should be regarded as an insightful alternative to holding its standard form in analyses of cosmological data. We present non-parametric reconstructions of redshift remapping in dark-matter-dominated models and constraints on cosmological parameters from a joint analysis of all primary cosmological probes including the local measurement of the Hubble constant, Type Ia supernovae, baryonic acousticmore » oscillations (BAO), Planck observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation (temperature power spectrum) and cosmic chronometers. The reconstructed redshift remapping points to an additional boost of redshift operating in late epoch of cosmic evolution, but affecting both low-redshift observations and the CMB. The model then predicts a significant difference between the actual Hubble constant, h=0.48±0.02, and its local determination, h obs=0.73±0.02. The ratio of these two values coincides closely with the maximum expansion rate inside voids formed in the corresponding open cosmological model with Ω m=0.87±0.03, whereas the actual value of the Hubble constant implies the age of the Universe that is compatible with the Planck LambdaCDM cosmology. The new dark-matter-dominated model with redshift remapping provides excellent fits to all data and eliminates recently reported tensions between the Planck LambdaCDM cosmology, the local determination of the Hubble constant and the BAO measurements from the Ly α forest of high-redshift quasars.« less