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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Parity solution to the strong CP problem and a unified framework for inflation, baryogenesis, and dark matter

It has been known for some time that asymptotic parity invariance of weak interactions can provide a solution to the strong CP problem without the need for the axion. Left-right symmetric theories which employ a minimal Higgs sector consisting of a left-handed and a right-handed doublet is an example of such a theory wherein all fermion masses arise through a generalized seesaw mechanism. In this paper we present a way to understand the origin of matter-antimatter asymmetry as well as the dark matter content of the universe in these theories using the Affleck-Dine (AD) leptogenesis mechanism and inflaton decay, respectively. Three gauge singlet fermions are needed for this purpose, two of which help to implement the Dirac seesaw for neutrino masses while the third one becomes the non-thermal dark matter candidate. A soft lepton number breaking term involving the AD scalar field is used to generate lepton asymmetry which suffers no wash-out effects and maintains the Dirac nature of neutrinos. This framework thus provides a unified description of many of the unresolved puzzles of the standard model that require new physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Non-supersymmetric $AdS_6$ and the swampland

We discuss infinite families of non-supersymmetric AdS 6 solutions in Type IIB string theory. They are siblings of supersymmetric solutions which are associated with (p,q) 5-brane webs and holographically dual to 5d SCFTs engineered by those brane webs. The non-supersymmetric backgrounds carry identical 5-brane charges and are connected to the supersymmetric ones by RG flows. We study the stability of the non-supersymmetric solutions, identifying perturbative and non-perturbative decay channels for all the backgrounds explicitly available. We also identify likely decay mechanisms for solutions that have not been constructed explicitly but may be expected to exist based on brane web considerations. Finally, we exclude scale separation by constructing universal spin 2 modes with masses comparable to the mass-scale of the cosmological constant.

supersymmetry breaking↗
DOE OSTI2022

Classical cosmological collider physics and primordial features

Features in the inflationary landscape can inject extra energies to inflation models and produce on-shell particles with masses much larger than the Hubble scale of inflation. This possibility extends the energy reach of the program of cosmological collider physics, in which signals associated with these particles are generically Boltzmann-suppressed. Here we study the mechanisms of this classical cosmological collider in two categories of primordial features. In the first category, the primordial feature is classical oscillation, which includes the case of coherent oscillation of a massive field and the case of oscillatory features in the inflationary potential. The second category includes any sharp feature in the inflation model. All these classical features can excite unsuppressed quantum modes of other heavy fields which leave observational signatures in primordial non-Gaussianities, including the information about the particle spectra of these heavy degrees of freedom.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

General relativity’s energy and positivity: a brief history

I give a brief review of the search for a proper definition of energy in General Relativity (GR), a far from trivial quest, which was only completed after four and a half decades. The equally (or perhaps more) difficult task of establishing its positivity—it was to take another 15 plus years—will then be summarized. Extension to cosmological GR is included. Mention is made of some recent offshoots. An invitation to submit a review to the Proceedings of the Royal Society prompts revisiting a subject of central importance both to GR and to my own past research—its energy definition and positivity. While there are no loose ends left, a summary may be of some use to students and non-experts. Exposure to introductory GR is useful. So, we will divide this survey into two unequal parts: first, the original GR without a cosmological constant, then extend it to the rather different two cases of A ≠ 0

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Current data are consistent with flat spatial hypersurfaces in the Λ CDM cosmological model but favor more lensing than the model predicts

Here, we study the performance of three pairs of tilted, and a pair of untilited, ΛCDM cosmological models, with three of these four pairs allowing for non-flat spatial hypersurfaces, against cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization power spectrum data (P18), measurements of the Planck 2018 lensing potential power spectrum (lensing), and a large compilation of non-CMB data (non-CMB). For the eight models, we measure cosmological parameters and study whether or not pairs of the data sets (as well as subsets of them) are mutually consistent in these models. Half of these models allow the lensing consistency parameter A L , which re-scales the gravitational potential power spectrum, to be an additional free parameter to be determined from data, while the other three have A L = 1 which is the theoretically expected value. The pair of untilted non-flat ΛCDM models are incompatible with P18 data. The tilted spatially-flat models assume the usual primordial spatial inhomogeneity power spectrum that is a power law in wave number. The tilted non-flat models assume either the primordial power spectrum used in the Planck group anal yses [Planck P(q)], that has recently been numerically shown to be a good approximation to what is quantum-mechanically generated from a particular choice of closed inflation model initial conditions, or a recently computed power spectrum [new P(q)] that quantum-mechanically follows from a different set of non-flat inflation model initial conditions. In the tilted non-flat models with A L = 1 we find differences between P18 data and non-CMB data cosmological parameter constraints, which are large enough to rule out the Planck P(q) model at 3σ but not the new P(q) model. No significant differences are found when cosmological parameter constraints obtained with two different data sets are compared within the standard tilted flat ΛCDM model. While both P18 data and non-CMB data separately favor a closed geometry, with spatial curvature density parameter Ω k < 0, when P18+non-CMB data are jointly analyzed the evidence in favor of non-flat hypersurfaces subsides. Differences between P18 data and non-CMB data cosmological constraints subside when A L is allowed to vary. From the most restrictive P18+lensing+non-CMB data combination we get almost model-independent constraints on the cosmological parameters and find that the A L > 1 option is preferred over the Ω k < 0 one, with the A L parameter, for all models, being larger than unity by ~ 2.5σ. According to the deviance information criterion, in the P18+lensing+non-CMB analysis, the varying A L option is on the verge of being strongly favored over the A L = 1 one, which could indicate a problem for the standard tilted flat ΛCDM model. These data are consistent with flat spatial hypersurfaces but more and better data could improve the constraints on Ω k and might alter this conclusion. Error bars on some cosmological parameters are significantly reduced when non-CMB data are used jointly with P18+lensing data. For example, in the tilted flat ΛCDM model for P18+lensing+non-CMB data the Hubble constant H 0 = 68.09 ± 0.38 km s -1 Mpc -1 , which is consistent with that from a median statistics analysis of a large compilation of H 0 measurements as well as with a number of local measurements of the cosmological expansion rate. This H 0 error bar is 31% smaller than that from P18+lensing data alone.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization of skipper CCDs for cosmological applications

We characterize the response of a novel 250 µm thick, fully-depleted Skipper Charged-Coupled Device (CCD) to visible/near-infrared light with a focus on potential applications for astronomical observations. We achieve stable, single-electron resolution with readout noise &sigma; 0.18 e - rms/pix from 400 non-destructive measurements of the charge in each pixel. We verify that the gain derived from photon transfer curve measurements agrees with the gain calculated from the quantized charge of individual electrons to within < 1%. We also perform relative quantum efficiency measurements and demonstrate high relative quantum efficiency at optical/near- infrared wavelengths, as is expected for a thick, fully depleted detector. Finally, we demonstrate the ability to perform multiple non-destructive measurements and achieve sub-electron readout noise over configurable sub- regions of the detector. This work is the first step toward demonstrating the utility of Skipper CCDs for future astronomical and cosmological applications.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Diluted axion star collisions with neutron stars

Diluted axion star, a self-gravitating object with the quantum pressure balancing gravity, has been predicted in many models with a QCD axion or axion-like particle. It can be formed in the early universe and composes a sizable fraction of dark matter. One could detect the transient radio signals when it passes by a magnetar with the axion particle converted into photon in the magnetic field. Using both numerical and semi-analytic approaches, we simulate the axion star's dynamic evolution and estimate the fraction of axion particles that can have a resonance conversion during such a collision event. We have found that both self-gravity and quantum pressure are not important after the diluted axion star enters the Roche radius. A free-fall approximate can capture individual particle trajectories very well. Finally, with some optimistic cosmological and astrophysical assumptions, the QCD axion parameter space can be probed from detecting such a collision event by radio telescopes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Gravitational waves from fully general relativistic oscillon preheating

As long-lived quasisolitons from the fragmentation of a scalar condensate, oscillons may dominate the preheating era after inflation. During this period, stochastic gravitational waves can also be generated. Here we quantify the gravitational-wave production in this period with simulations accounting for full general relativity to capture all possible nonperturbative effects. We compute the gravitational-wave spectra across a range of choices of the oscillon preheating models and compare our results to a conventional perturbative approach on a Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) background. We clarify the gauge ambiguities in computing induced gravitational waves from scenarios where dense nonperturbative objects such as oscillons are being formed. In particular, we find that the synchronous gauge tends to contain large artificial enhancements in the gravitational-wave spectrum due to gauge modes if gravity plays an important role in the formation of the oscillons, while other gauge choices, such as the radiation gauge or a suitably chosen “1+log” gauge, can efficiently reduce the contributions of gauge modes. The full general-relativistic simulations indicate that gravitational-wave spectra obtained from the perturbative approach on the FLRW background are fairly accurate, except when oscillon formation induces strong gravitational effects, for which case there can be an order unity enhancement.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

A-B Transition in Superfluid $^3$He and Cosmological Phase Transitions

First-order phase transitions in the very early universe are a prediction of many extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics and could provide the departure from equilibrium needed for a dynamical explanation of the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. They could also produce gravitational waves of a frequency observable by future space-based detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. All calculations of the gravitational wave power spectrum rely on a relativistic version of the classical nucleation theory of Cahn-Hilliard and Langer, due to Coleman and Linde. The high purity and precise control of pressure and temperature achievable in the laboratory made the first-order A to B transition of superfluid $^3$He ideal for test of classical nucleation theory. As Leggett and others have noted, the theory fails dramatically. The lifetime of the metastable A phase is measurable, typically of order minutes to hours, far faster than classical nucleation theory predicts. If the nucleation of B phase from the supercooled A phase is due to a new, rapid intrinsic mechanism that would have implications for first-order cosmological phase transitions as well as predictions for gravitational wave production in the early universe. Here we discuss studies of the A-B phase transition dynamics in $^3$He, both experimental and theoretical, and show how the computational technology for cosmological phase transition can be used to simulate the dynamics of the A-B transition, support the experimental investigations of the A-B transition in the QUEST-DMC collaboration with the goal of identifying and quantifying the mechanism(s) responsible for nucleation of stable phases in ultra-pure metastable quantum phases.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

A more attractive scheme for radion stabilization and supercooled phase transition

We propose a new radion stabilization mechanism in the Randall-Sundrum spacetime, introducing a bulk SU( N H ) gauge field which confines at a TeV scale. It turns out that the radion is stabilized by the balance between a brane tension and a pressure due to the Casimir energy of the strong SU( N H ) gauge field. We investigate the phase transition between the Randall-Sundrum (compactified) spacetime and a de-compactified spacetime and determine the parameter regime in which eternal (old) inflation is avoided and the phase transition can be completed. In comparison to the Goldberger-Wise mechanism, the 5D Planck mass can be larger than the AdS curvature and a classical description of the gravity is reliable in our stabilization mechanism. We also discuss the effect of the phase transition in cosmology such as an entropy dilution and a production of gravitational waves.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Minimal dark 𝑆⁢𝑈⁡(2) origin of a massless Dirac neutrino

We propose a gauge-symmetry origin of a rank-two Dirac neutrino mass matrix that enforces one exactly massless neutrino, while being consistent with the oscillation data, as well as cosmological constraints. The mechanism relies on a minimal dark 𝑆⁢𝑈⁢(2) 𝐷 gauge symmetry under which one right-handed neutrinolike Weyl fermion is charged, thereby forbidding its Standard Model Yukawa coupling. Quantum consistency then fixes the minimal dark-sector completion: Cancellation of the Witten anomaly requires a second fermionic 𝑆⁢𝑈⁢(2) 𝐷 doublet, while a discrete 𝑍 4 symmetry that forbids Majorana masses allows the two dark doublets to form a vectorlike pair. This anomaly-free completion gives rise to a secluded, confining dark sector that can contain a potential dark matter candidate, linking the protected neutrino texture to dark infrared dynamics.

confinement↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization of Aliased Noise in the Advanced ACTPol Receiver

Advanced ACTPol is the second-generation polarization-sensitive upgrade to the 6m aperture Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), which increased detector count and frequency coverage compared to the previous ACTPol receiver. Advanced ACTPol utilizes a new two-stage time-division multiplexing readout architecture based on superconducting quantum interference devices to achieve a multiplexing factor as high as 64 (rows), fielding a 2012 detector camera at 150/220 GHz and two 90/150 GHz cameras containing 1716 detectors each. In a time-domain system, aliasing introduces noise to the readout. Here in this work we present a figure of merit to measure this noise contribution and present measurements of the aliased noise fraction of the Advanced ACTPol receiver as deployed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dynamical dark energy from lattice quantum gravity

We study the behavior of the vacuum in Euclidean dynamical triangulations (EDT). Algorithmic improvements and better lattice spacing determinations allow us to test the properties of the emergent de Sitter geometries of our simulations to higher precision than previously possible. Although the agreement with de Sitter is good, the improved precision reveals deviations that can be interpreted as nontrivial vacuum dynamics, well described by a cosmological constant that runs with scale. The simulations show that the dominant running is quadratic and that the scale can be identified with the Hubble rate. Several key cross-checks support this picture, including consistent results across multiple lattice spacings and the fact that the null energy condition is not violated. The parameters of the running are fully determined by simulations, enabling predictions when extrapolated to the scales relevant for our Universe. This leads to a model for dark energy that is compatible with current observations, but which predicts deviations from the Standard Model of cosmology at the 𝒪⁡(10 −3 ) level in observables that could be tested with future improvements in precision measurements.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

String Theory Bounds on the Cosmological Constant, the Higgs Mass, and the Quark and Lepton Masses

In this paper, we elaborate on the new understanding of the cosmological constant and the gauge hierarchy problems in the context of string theory in its metastring formulation, based on the concepts of modular spacetime and Born geometry. The interplay of phase space (and Born geometry), the Bekenstein bound, the mixing between ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) physics and modular invariance in string theory is emphasized. This new viewpoint is fundamentally rooted in quantum contextuality and not in statistical observer bias (anthropic principle). We also discuss the extension of this point of view to the problem of masses of quarks and leptons and their respective mixing matrices.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The price of curiosity: information recovery in de Sitter space

Recent works have revealed that quantum extremal islands can contribute to the fine-grained entropy of black hole radiation reproducing the unitary Page curve. In this paper, we use these results to assess if an observer in de Sitter space can decode information hidden behind their cosmological horizon. By computing the fine-grained entropy of the Gibbons-Hawking radiation in a region where gravity is weak we find that this is possible, but the observer’s curiosity comes at a price. At the same time the island appears, which happens much earlier than the Page time, a singularity forms which the observer will eventually hit. We arrive at this conclusion by studying de Sitter space in Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity. We emphasize the role of the observer collecting radiation, breaking the thermal equilibrium studied so far in the literature. By analytically solving for the backreacted geometry we show how an island appears in this out-of-equilibrium state.

2D gravity↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cosmological structure formation and soliton phase transition in fuzzy dark matter with axion self-interactions

Herein we investigate cosmological structure formation in fuzzy dark matter (FDM) with the attractive self-interaction (SI) with numerical simulations. Such a SI would arise if the FDM boson were an ultra-light axion, which has a strong CP symmetry-breaking scale (decay constant). Although weak, the attractive SI may be strong enough to counteract the quantum ‘pressure’ and alter structure formation. We find in our simulations that the SI can enhance small-scale structure formation, and soliton cores above a critical mass undergo a phase transition, transforming from dilute to dense solitons.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Naturally light Dirac and pseudo-Dirac neutrinos from left-right symmetry

We develop a class of left-right symmetric theories based on the gauge group SU(3) c x SU(2) L x SU(2) R x U(1) with a generalized seesaw mechanism for generating the charged fermion masses. Neutrinos are naturally Dirac particles in this setup with their small masses arising from two-loop quantum corrections. We evaluate these two-loop diagrams exactly and analyze the flavor structure of the lepton sector. We find excellent fits to neutrino oscillation data, independent of the right-handed gauge symmetry breaking scale. We also explore the possibility that neutrinos are pseudo-Dirac particles in this framework, with the tiny mass splittings between active and sterile neutrinos arising from Planck-induced corrections and find possible realizations. These models can be tested in the near future with precision cosmological measurements of ΔN eff in CMB which is predicted to be ≃ 0.14. This class of models allows for a solution to the strong CP problem via parity symmetry without the need for an axion.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗