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Mavromatos, N. E., Mitsou, V. A., Sarkar, S., & Vergou, A. (2012). Implications of a stochastic microscopic Finsler cosmology. Eur. Phys. J. C, 72(3), 1956–38pp.
Abstract: Within the context of supersymmetric space-time (D-particle) foam in string/brane-theory, we discuss a Finsler-induced cosmology and its implications for (thermal) dark matter abundances. This constitutes a truly microscopic model of dynamical space-time, where Finsler geometries arise naturally. The D-particle foam model involves point-like brane defects (D-particles), which provide the topologically non-trivial foamy structures of space-time. The D-particles can capture and emit stringy matter and this leads to a recoil of D-particles. It is indicated how one effect of such a recoil of D-particles is a back-reaction on the space-time metric of Finsler type which is stochastic. We show that such a type of stochastic space-time foam can lead to acceptable cosmologies at late epochs of the Universe, due to the non-trivial properties of the supersymmetric (BPS like) D-particle defects, which are such so as not to affect significantly the Hubble expansion. The restrictions placed on the free parameters of the Finsler type metric are obtained from solving the Boltzmann equation in this background for relic abundances of a Lightest Supersymmetric Particle (LSP) dark matter candidate. It is demonstrated that the D-foam acts as a source for particle production in the Boltzmann equation, thereby leading to enhanced thermal LSP relic abundances relative to those in the Standard Lambda CDM cosmology. For D-particle masses of order TeV, such effects may be relevant for dark matter searches at colliders. The latter constraints complement those coming from high-energy gamma-ray astronomy on the induced vacuum refractive index that D-foam models entail. We also comment briefly on the production mechanisms of such TeV-mass stringy defects at colliders, which, in view of the current LHC experimental searches, will impose further constraints on their couplings.
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Calle Cordon, A., Pavon Valderrama, M., & Ruiz Arriola, E. (2012). Charge independence, charge symmetry breaking in the S-wave nucleon-nucleon interaction, and renormalization. Phys. Rev. C, 85(2), 024002–13pp.
Abstract: We explore the interplay between renormalization, charge independence and charge symmetry breaking (CIB and CSB) in S-wave nucleon-nucleon scattering. The renormalizability requirement generates universality functions, that is, correlations between the low-energy scattering observables in the neutron-neutron, neutron-proton, and proton-proton systems. The universality functions only depend on the (known) form of the nucleon-nucleon potential at long distances and, in particular, they do not require any assumptions about short-range CIB and CSB effects. In addition, the inclusion of Coulomb effects is trivial for the particular case of proton-proton scattering, allowing us to relate strong and Coulomb scattering observables. Within this approach, and using a one-boson-exchange potential, the previous correlations are shown to be phenomenologically satisfied without the need to introduce further parameters.
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Lesgourgues, J., & Pastor, S. (2012). Neutrino Mass from Cosmology. Adv. High. Energy Phys., 2012, 608515–34pp.
Abstract: Neutrinos can play an important role in the evolution of the universe, modifying some of the cosmological observables. In this contribution we summarize the main aspects of cosmological relic neutrinos, and we describe how the precision of present cosmological data can be used to learn about neutrino properties, in particular their mass, providing complementary information to beta decay and neutrinoless double-beta decay experiments. We show how the analysis of current cosmological observations, such as the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background or the distribution of large-scale structure, provides an upper bound on the sum of neutrino masses of order 1 eV or less, with very good perspectives from future cosmological measurements which are expected to be sensitive to neutrino masses well into the sub-eV range.
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Pierre Auger Collaboration(Abreu, P. et al), & Pastor, S. (2012). A search for point sources of EeV neutrons. Astrophys. J., 760(2), 148–11pp.
Abstract: A thorough search of the sky exposed at the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory reveals no statistically significant excess of events in any small solid angle that would be indicative of a flux of neutral particles from a discrete source. The search covers from -90 degrees to +15 degrees in declination using four different energy ranges above 1 EeV (10(18) eV). The method used in this search is more sensitive to neutrons than to photons. The upper limit on a neutron flux is derived for a dense grid of directions for each of the four energy ranges. These results constrain scenarios for the production of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays in the Galaxy.
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Olmo, G. J., Sanchis-Alepuz, H., & Tripathi, S. (2012). Stellar structure equations in extended Palatini gravity. Phys. Rev. D, 86(10), 104039–8pp.
Abstract: We consider static spherically symmetric stellar configurations in Palatini theories of gravity in which the Lagrangian is an unspecified function of the form f(R, R μnu R μnu). We obtain the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkov equations corresponding to this class of theories and show that they recover those of f(R) theories and general relativity in the appropriate limits. We show that the exterior vacuum solutions are of Schwarzschild-de Sitter type and comment on the possible expected modifications, as compared to general relativity, of the interior solutions.
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