Stadler, J., Boehm, C., & Mena, O. (2019). Comprehensive study of neutrino-dark matter mixed damping. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 08(8), 014–23pp.
Abstract: Mixed damping is a physical effect that occurs when a heavy species is coupled to a relativistic fluid which is itself free streaming. As a cross-case between collisional damping and free-streaming, it is crucial in the context of neutrino-dark matter interactions. In this work, we establish the parameter space relevant for mixed damping, and we derive an analytical approximation for the evolution of dark matter perturbations in the mixed damping regime to illustrate the physical processes responsible for the suppression of cosmological perturbations. Although extended Boltzmann codes implementing neutrino-dark matter scattering terms automatically include mixed damping, this effect has not been systematically studied. In order to obtain reliable numerical results, it is mandatory to reconsider several aspects of neutrino-dark matter interactions, such as the initial conditions, the ultra-relativistic fluid approximation and high order multiple moments in the neutrino distribution. Such a precise treatment ensures the correct assessment of the relevance of mixed damping in neutrino-dark matter interactions.
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HAWC Collaboration(Albert, A. et al), & Salesa Greus, F. (2020). HAWC and Fermi-LAT Detection of Extended Emission from the Unidentified Source 2HWC J2006+341. Astrophys. J. Lett., 903(1), L14–6pp.
Abstract: The discovery of the TeV point source 2HWC J2006+341 was reported in the second HAWC gamma-ray catalog. We present a follow-up study of this source here. The TeV emission is best described by an extended source with a soft spectrum. At GeV energies, an extended source is significantly detected in Fermi-LAT data. The matching locations, sizes, and spectra suggest that both gamma-ray detections correspond to the same source. Different scenarios for the origin of the emission are considered and we rule out an association to the pulsar PSR J2004+3429 due to extreme energetics required, if located at a distance of 10.8 kpc.
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Barenboim, G., Hirn, J., & Sanz, V. (2021). Symmetry meets AI. SciPost Phys., 11(1), 014–11pp.
Abstract: We explore whether Neural Networks (NNs) can discover the presence of symmetries as they learn to perform a task. For this, we train hundreds of NNs on a decoy task based on well-controlled Physics templates, where no information on symmetry is provided. We use the output from the last hidden layer of all these NNs, projected to fewer dimensions, as the input for a symmetry classification task, and show that information on symmetry had indeed been identified by the original NN without guidance. As an interdisciplinary application of this procedure, we identify the presence and level of symmetry in artistic paintings from different styles such as those of Picasso, Pollock and Van Gogh.
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Bertone, G., Cerdeño, D. G., Fornasa, M., Ruiz de Austri, R., Strege, C., & Trotta, R. (2012). Global fits of the cMSSM including the first LHC and XENON100 data. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 01(1), 015–23pp.
Abstract: We present updated global fits of the constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (cMSSM), including the most recent constraints from the ATLAS and CMS detectors at the LHC, as well as the most recent results of the XENON100 experiment. Our robust analysis takes into account both astrophysical and hadronic uncertainties that enter in the calculation of the rate of WIMP-induced recoils in direct detection experiment. We study the consequences for neutralino Dark Matter, and show that current direct detection data already allow to robustly rule out the so-called Focus Point region, therefore demonstrating the importance of particle astrophysics experiments in constraining extensions of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. We also observe an increased compatibility between results obtained from a Bayesian and a Frequentist statistical perspective. We find that upcoming ton-scale direct detection experiments will probe essentially the entire currently favoured region (at the 99% level), almost independently of the statistical approach used. Prospects for indirect detection of the cMSSM are further reduced.
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Borja, E. F., Garay, I., & Vidotto, F. (2012). Learning about Quantum Gravity with a Couple of Nodes. Symmetry Integr. Geom., 8, 015–44pp.
Abstract: Loop Quantum Gravity provides a natural truncation of the infinite degrees of freedom of gravity, obtained by studying the theory on a given finite graph. We review this procedure and we present the construction of the canonical theory on a simple graph, formed by only two nodes. We review the U(N) framework, which provides a powerful tool for the canonical study of this model, and a formulation of the system based on spinors. We consider also the covariant theory, which permits to derive the model from a more complex formulation, paying special attention to the cosmological interpretation of the theory.
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