118636419
Constraints on Scalar Spectral Index from Latest Observational Measurements
Abstract With the nine-year data release of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP9), it is found that the inflationary models with the scalar spectral index n s  ≥ 1 are excluded at about 5 σ confidence level. In this paper, we set the new limits on the scalar spectral index in different cosmological models by the WMAP9 data, the small-scale cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurement from the South Pole Telescope, baryon acoustic oscillation data, Hubble Telescope measurements of the Hubble constant, and supernovae luminosity distance data. In most of extended cosmological models, e.g. with a dark energy equation of state, the constraints on n s do not change significantly, when comparing with that obtained in the standard ΛCDM model. The Harrison–Zel’dovich–Peebles (HZ) scale invariant spectrum is still disfavored at more than 4 σ confidence level. However, when considering the model with an effective number of neutrinos N eff , we obtain the limit on the spectral index of n s  = 0.980 ± 0.011 (1 σ ), due to the strong degeneracy between n s and N eff . The HZ spectrum now is consistent with the current data at 95% confidence level. Recently, the Planck collaboration has published CMB maps with the highest precision. Therefore, we also analyze these extended cosmological models again using the Planck data, and find that the degeneracy between n s and N eff still weakens the constraint on the spectral index significantly.
119071739
Gravitational leptogenesis and neutrino mass limit
Recently Davoudiasl et al. (hep-ph/0403019) have introduced a new type of interaction between the Ricci scalar R and the baryon current ${J}^{\ensuremath{\mu}},$ ${\ensuremath{\partial}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}{\mathrm{RJ}}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}$ and proposed a mechanism for baryogenesis, the gravitational baryogenesis. Generally, however, ${\ensuremath{\partial}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}R$ vanishes in the radiation-dominated era. In this paper we consider a generalized form of their interaction ${\ensuremath{\partial}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}{f(R)J}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}$ and study again the possibility of gravitational baryo(lepto)genesis. Taking $f(R)\ensuremath{\sim}\mathrm{ln}R,$ we will show that ${\ensuremath{\partial}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}f(R)\ensuremath{\sim}{\ensuremath{\partial}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}R/R$ does not vanish and the required baryon number asymmetry can be naturally generated in the early universe.
119354521
Inflation in string inspired cosmology and suppression of CMB low multipoles
We construct a string-inspired nonsingular cosmological scenario in which an inflaton field is driven up the potential before the graceful exit by employing a low-energy string effective action with an orbifold compactification. This sets up an initial condition for the inflaton to lead to a sufficient number of e-foldings and to generate a nearly scale-invariant primordial density perturbation during slow-roll inflation. Our scenario provides an interesting possibility to explain a suppressed power spectrum at low multipoles due to the presence of the modulus-driven phase prior to slow-roll inflation and thus can leave a strong imprint of extra dimensions in observed CMB anisotropies.
14959007
Gravity in a model of multi-branes alternated between Minkowski and AdS spacetime in the fifth dimension
We construct in this Letter a multi-brane model with Minkowski and AdS spacetime alternated in the fifth dimension and study the gravity on the brane of our universe. We will show that in this model there are both the graviton-like resonant state which generates the "quasi-localized gravity" and the resonant states of the massive KK mode. This model gives rise to gravity which deviates from the Newton gravitational potential at small and large scale which, however can be shown to be consistent with the observations in the absence of fine-tuning of the model parameters. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
14998446
The FCNC top-squark decay as a probe of squark mixing
In supersymmetry (SUSY) the flavor mixing between top-squark (stop) and charm-squark (scharm) induces the flavor-changing neutral-current (FCNC) stop decay t̃1 → cχ̃1. Searching for this decay serves as a probe of soft SUSY breaking parameters. Focusing on the stop pair production followed by the FCNC decay of one stop and the charge-current decay of the other stop, we investigate the potential of detecting this FCNC stop decay at the Fermilab Tevatron, the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and the next-generation ee linear collider (LC). We find that this decay may not be accessible at the Tevatron, but could be observable at the LHC and the LC with high sensitivity for some part of parameter space. 14.80.Ly, 11.30.Hv Typeset using REVTEX
118693182
The high energy neutrino nuisance at a medium baseline reactor experiment
10 years from now medium baseline reactor experiments will attempt to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy from quantities associated to the Fourier transformed neutrino spectra. Recently Qian et al. have claimed that this goal may be impeded by the strong dependence of these quantities on the reactor neutrino flux and on slight variations of vertical bar Delta M-32(2)vertical bar. We demonstrate that this effect results from a spurious dependence of the quantities on the very high energy (8+ MeV) tail of the reactor neutrino spectrum. This dependence is spurious because the high energy tail depends upon decays of exotic isotopes and is insensitive to the mass hierarchy. An energy-dependent weight in the Fourier transform eliminates this spurious dependence without decreasing the chance of correctly determining the hierarchy. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
121510906
Results from the ARGO-YBJ test experiment
Abstract A resistive plate counters (RPCs) carpet of ∼50 m 2 has been put in operation in the Yangbajing Laboratory (Tibet, P.R. China) at 4300 m a.s.l., in order to study the RPCs performance at high altitude and the detector capability of imaging the EAS disc. This test has been performed in view of an enlarged use of RPCs for the ARGO-YBJ experiment. This experiment will be devoted to a wide range of fundamental issues in cosmic rays and astroparticle physics, including in particular γ-ray astronomy and γ-ray bursts physics at energies ⩾100 GeV. In this paper we present and discuss the procedures adopted to calibrate the detector and reconstruct the shower direction. Results concerning many shower features as the angular distribution, the density spectrum, the time profile of the shower front, are found well consistent with the expectation.
117747714
Study on multifractal structure of the distribution fluctuation of secondary particles in the core region of EAS
The differences of space distributions and time profiles between the gamma-ray and proton induced shower particles are studied using Monte Carlo simulation data. The multifractal analysis is performed with the G-moment method for the distribution fluctuation of secondary particles near the core of showers induced by gamma-rays and protons. From the spectrum functions of gamma and proton events, it is seen that this method can be adopted as a basis for the gamma/proton separation. It is shown that the separation of gamma and proton can be achieved with a good efficiency in the energy region of 1-10TeV.
122356247
Automatic analysis of the emulsion chamber using the image scanner applied to the Tibet hybrid experiment
A new method of emulsion chamber analysis by using an image scanner is developed in order to process a large number of X-ray films used in the Tibet hybrid experiment which is carried out to observe primary proton spectrum in the PeV region. The experimental procedure in this method consists of multiple steps of processing the image of the X-ray films, i.e. the detection of cascade showers induced by high-energy γ-rays, the noise reduction, the spatial reconstruction of γ-families and their energy determination. The quality of the results obtained by the new method is compared with that obtained by the current manual method or Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown that sufficiently high quality of the emulsion chamber analysis is realized by the automatic method both in energy and geometrical resolution.
108549890
A fast Time‐of‐Flight detector also used as a tracker
We present a possible scheme for a fast Time‐of‐Flight detector which could also serve as part of the charged particle tracking system. The detector consists of scintillating fibers read out by newly developed microchannel plate photomultipliers. The performance of the detector in the experimental environment of the τ/charm factory was investigated by a detailed Monte Carlo simulation. The time and space resolutions of the detector are expected to be about 92 ps and 140 μm, respectively.
118454051
Investigation of excited states in $^{18}$Ne via resonant elastic scattering of $^{17}$F+p and its astrophysical implication in the stellar reaction of $^{14}$O($\alpha$,$p$)$^{17}$F
Properties of proton resonances in $^{18}$Ne have been investigated efficiently by utilizing a technique of proton resonant elastic scattering with a $^{17}$F radioactive ion (RI) beam and a thick proton target. A 4.22~MeV/nucleon $^{17}$F RI beam was produced via a projectile-fragmentation reaction, and subsequently separated by a Radioactive Ion Beam Line in Lanzhou ({\tt RIBLL}). Energy spectra of the recoiled protons were measured by two sets of $\Delta$E-E silicon telescope at center-of-mass scattering angles of $\theta_{c.m.}$$\approx$175${^\circ}$$\pm$5${^\circ}$, $\theta_{c.m.}$$\approx$152${^\circ}$$\pm$8${^\circ}$, respectively. Several proton resonances in $^{18}$Ne were observed, and their resonant parameters have been determined by an $R$-matrix analysis of the differential cross sections in combination with the previous results. The resonant parameters are related to the reaction-rate calculation of the stellar $^{14}$O($\alpha$,$p$)$^{17}$F reaction, which was thought to be the breakout reaction from the hot CNO cycles into the $rp$-process in x-ray bursters. Here, $J^\pi$=(3$^-$, 2$^-$) are tentatively assigned to the 6.15-MeV state which was thought the key 1$^-$ state previously. In addition, a doublet structure at 7.05 MeV are tentatively identified, and its contribution to the resonant reaction rate of $^{14}$O($\alpha$,$p$)$^{17}$F could be enhanced by at least factors of about 4$\sim$6 in comparison with the previous estimation involving only a singlet. The present calculated resonant rates are much larger than those previous values, and it may imply that this breakout reaction could play a crucial role under x-ray bursters conditions.