Black holes (BHs) in asymptotically anti–de Sitter (AdS) spacetimes have been the subject of intense scrutiny, including detailed frequency-domain analysis and full nonlinear evolutions. Remarkably, studies of linearized perturbations in the time-domain are scarce or nonexistant. We close this gap by evolving linearized scalar wave packets in the background of rotating BHs in AdS spacetimes. Our results show a number of interesting features. Small BHs in AdS behave as asymptotically flat BHs for early/intermediate times, displaying the same ringdown modes and power-law tails. As the field bounces back and forth between the horizon and the timelike boundary it “thermalizes” and the modes of AdS settle in. Finally, we have indications that wave packets in the vicinity of fast spinning BHs grow exponentially in time, signaling a superradiant instability of the geometry previously reported through a frequency-domain analysis.

Gravitational waves (GWs) are inevitably induced at second order in cosmological perturbations through nonlinear couplings with first-order scalar perturbations, the existence of which is well established by recent cosmological observations. So far, the evolution and the spectrum of the secondary induced GWs have been derived by taking into account the sources of GWs only from the product of first-order scalar perturbations. Here we newly investigate the effects of purely second-order anisotropic stresses of photons and neutrinos on the evolution of GWs, which have been omitted in the literature. We present a full treatment of the Einstein–Boltzmann system to calculate the spectrum of GWs with anisotropic stress based on the formalism of the cosmological perturbation theory. We find that photon anisotropic stress amplifies the amplitude of GWs by about 150%, whereas neutrino anisotropic stress suppresses that of GWs by about 30% on small scales $k\gtrsim 1.0h{\mathrm{Mpc}}^{-1}$ compared to the case without anisotropic stress. The second-order anisotropic stress does not affect GWs with wave numbers $k\lesssim 1.0h{\mathrm{Mpc}}^{-1}$. The result is in marked contrast with the case at linear order, where the effect of anisotropic stress is damping in the amplitude of GWs.

Efforts to understand the origin of the cosmological constant $\mathrm{\Lambda }$ and its observed value have led to consider it as a dynamical field rather than as a universal constant. The possibility then arises that the universe, or regions of it, might be in a superposition of quantum states with different values of $\mathrm{\Lambda }$ so that its actual value would not be definite. There appears to be no argument to rule out this possibility for a generic spacetime dimension $D$. However, as proved herein, for $D=3$ there exists a superselection rule that forbids such superpositions. The proof is based on the asymptotic symmetry algebra.

We employ recently developed approximation methods in the hybrid quantization of the Gowdy $T^3$ model with linear polarization and a massless scalar field to obtain physically interesting solutions of this inhomogeneous cosmology. More specifically, we propose some particular approximate solutions of the quantum Gowdy model constructed in such a way that, for the Hamiltonian constraint, they effectively behave as those corresponding to a flat homogeneous and isotropic universe filled with a perfect fluid, even though these quantum states are far from being homogeneous and isotropic. We analyze how one can get different perfect fluid effective behaviors, including the cases of dust, radiation, and a cosmological constant.

We show a possible origin of fast radio bursts. They arise from the collisions between axion stars and neutron stars. The bursts are emitted in atmospheres of the neutron stars. The observed frequencies of the bursts are given by the axion mass $m_a$ such as $m_a/2\pi \simeq 2.4\mathrm{GHz}(m_a/{10}^{-5}\mathrm{eV})$. By the comparison of the theoretical with observed event rate $\sim {10}^{-3}$ per year in a galaxy, we can determine the mass $\sim {10}^{-12}{M}_{\odot }$ of the axion stars. The mass is identical to the one estimated as the masses of axion miniclusters. Using these values, we can explain short durations ($\sim \mathrm{ms}$) and amount of radiation energies ($\sim {10}^{43}\mathrm{GeV}$) of the bursts.

In this paper, we introduce a Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) Bianchi type I (plane symmetric) model of the Universe. We study and solve Einstein field equations. We investigate the effects of such a model of the Universe; in particular, these results are important in understanding the effect of the combined presence of an inhomogeneous and anisotropic universe. The observational magnitude-redshift data deviated from the UNION 2 catalog have been analyzed in the framework of this LTB anisotropic universe, and the fit has been achieved without the inclusion of any dark energy.

We show how to obtain a Bayesian estimate of the rates or numbers of signal and background events from a set of events when the shapes of the signal and background distributions are known, can be estimated, or approximated; our method works well even if the foreground and background event distributions overlap significantly and the nature of any individual event cannot be determined with any certainty. We give examples of determining the rates of gravitational-wave events in the presence of background triggers from a template bank when noise parameters are known and/or can be fit from the trigger data. We also give an example of determining globular-cluster shape, location, and density from an observation of a stellar field that contains a nonuniform background density of stars superimposed on the cluster stars.

We compute the thermomagnetic correction to the quark-gluon vertex in the presence of a weak magnetic field within the hard thermal loop approximation. The vertex satisfies a QED-like Ward identity with the quark self-energy. The only vertex components that get modified are the longitudinal ones. The calculation provides a first principles result for the quark anomalous magnetic moment at high temperature in a weak magnetic field. We extract the effective thermomagnetic quark-gluon coupling and show that this decreases as a function of the field strength. The result supports the idea that the properties of the effective quark-gluon coupling in the presence of a magnetic field are an important ingredient for understanding the inverse magnetic catalysis phenomenon.

We introduce a set of minimal simplified models for dark matter interactions with the Standard Model, connecting the two sectors via either a scalar or pseudoscalar particle. These models have a wider regime of validity for dark matter searches at the LHC than the effective field theory approach, while still allowing straightforward comparison to results from noncollider dark matter detection experiments. Such models also motivate dark matter searches in multiple correlated channels. In this paper, we constrain scalar and pseudoscalar simplified models with direct and indirect detection experiments, as well as from existing LHC searches with missing energy plus tops, bottoms, or jets, using the exact loop-induced coupling with gluons. This calculation significantly affects key differential cross sections at the LHC, and must be properly included. We make connections with the Higgs sector, and conclude with a discussion of future searches at the LHC.

Higgs triplet models are known to have difficulties obtaining agreement with electroweak precision data and in particular constraints on the $\rho$ parameter. Either a global $SU(2{)}_L\otimes SU(2{)}_R$ symmetry has to be imposed on the scalar potential at the electroweak scale, as done in the well-known Georgi-Machacek (GM) model, or the triplet vacuum expectation values must be very small. We construct a supersymmetric model that can satisfy constraints on the $\rho$ parameter, even if these two conditions are not fulfilled. We supersymmetrize the GM model by imposing the $SU(2{)}_L\otimes SU(2{)}_R$ symmetry at a scale $\mathcal{M}$, which we argue should be at or above the messenger scale, where supersymmetry breaking is transmitted to the observable sector. We show that scales $\mathcal{M}$ well above 100 TeV and sizable contributions from the triplets to electroweak symmetry breaking can be comfortably accommodated. We discuss the main phenomenological properties of the model and demonstrate that the departure from custodial symmetry at the electroweak scale, due to radiative breaking, can show up at the LHC as a deviation in the “universal” relation for the Higgs couplings to $WW$ and $ZZ$. As a by-product of supersymmetry, we also show that one can easily obtain both large tree-level and one-loop corrections to the Higgs mass. This allows for top squarks that can be significantly lighter and with smaller mixing than those needed in the MSSM.

We employ a novel method to analyze Euclidean correlation functions entering the calculation of hadron energies in lattice QCD. The method is based on the sampling of all possible solutions allowed by the spectral decomposition of the hadron correlators. We demonstrate the applicability of the method by studying the nucleon excited states in the positive- and negative-parity channels over a pion mass range of about 400 to 150 MeV. The results are compared to the standard variational approach routinely used to study excited states within lattice QCD. The main advantage of our new approach is its ability to unambiguously determine all excited states to which the Euclidean time correlation function is sensitive.

The pseudoscalar tensor states, ${\pi }_2$, ${\eta }_2$, and $K_2$, are systematically studied through the Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka- allowed two-body strong decays, including both the observed states reported by the Particle Data Group and the predicted states. Phenomenological analysis combined with the experimental data not only can test the assignments to these discussed states, but it can also predict more abundant information on their partial decay widths, which is helpful in the experimental study of these observed and predicted pseudotensor states.

We investigate the nature of the deconfinement and Roberge-Weiss transition in the heavy quark regime for finite real and imaginary chemical potential within the functional approach to continuum QCD. We extract the critical phase boundary between the first-order and crossover regions and also explore tricritical scaling. Our results confirm previous ones from finite volume lattice studies.

We show that the discovery of baryon number violation in two processes, with at least one obeying the selection rule $\mathrm{\Delta }(B-L)=\pm 2$, can determine the Majorana character of neutrinos. Thus, observing $p\to e^{+}{\pi }^0$ and $n\to e^{-}{\pi }^{+}$ decays, or $p\to e^{+}{\pi }^0$ and $n-\overline{n}$ oscillations, or $n\to e^{-}{\pi }^{+}$ and $n-\overline{n}$ oscillations would establish that neutrinos are Majorana particles. We discuss this in a model-independent effective operator approach.

When a continuous symmetry is spontaneously broken in nonrelativistic systems, there appear either type-I or type-II Nambu-Goldstone modes (NGMs) with linear or quadratic dispersion relations, respectively. When the equation of motion or the potential term has an enhanced symmetry larger than that of Lagrangian or Hamiltonian, there can appear quasi-NGMs if it is spontaneously broken. We construct a theory to count the numbers of type-I and type-II quasi-NGMs and NGMs, when the potential term has a symmetry of a noncompact group. We show that the counting rule based on the Watanabe-Brauner matrix is valid only in the absence of quasi-NGMs because of non-Hermitian generators, while that based on the Gram matrix [D. A. Takahashi and M. Nitta, Ann. Phys. (Amsterdam) 354, 101 (2015)] is still valid in the presence of quasi-NGMs. We show that there exist two types of type-II gapless modes, a genuine NGM generated by two conventional zero modes (ZMs) originated from the Lagrangian symmetry, and quasi-NGM generated by a coupling of one conventional ZM and one quasi-ZM, which is originated from the enhanced symmetry, or two quasi-ZMs. We find that, depending on the moduli, some NGMs can change to quasi-NGMs and vice versa with preserving the total number of gapless modes. The dispersion relations are systematically calculated by a perturbation theory. The general result is illustrated by the complex linear $O(N)$ model, containing the two types of type-II gapless modes and exhibiting the change between NGMs and quasi-NGMs.

To assess the possibility of homogeneous nucleation of quark matter in magnetars, we investigate the formation of chirally symmetric droplets in a cold and dense environment in the presence of an external magnetic field. As a framework, we use the one-loop effective potential of the two-flavor quark-meson model. Within the thin-wall approximation, we extract all relevant nucleation parameters and provide an estimate for the typical time scales for the chiral phase conversion in magnetized compact star matter. We show how the critical chemical potential, critical radius, correlation length and surface tension are affected, and how their combination to define the nucleation time seems to allow for nucleation of quark droplets in magnetar matter even for not so small values of the surface tension.

We derive an initial value formulation for dynamical Chern-Simons gravity, a modification of general relativity involving parity-violating higher derivative terms. We investigate the structure of the resulting system of partial differential equations thinking about linearization around arbitrary backgrounds. This type of consideration is necessary if we are to establish well-posedness of the Cauchy problem. Treating the field equations as an effective field theory we find that weak necessary conditions for hyperbolicity are satisfied. For the full field equations we find that there are states from which subsequent evolution is not determined. Generically the evolution system closes, but is not hyperbolic in any sense that requires a first order pseudodifferential reduction. In a cursory mode analysis we find that the equations of motion contain terms that may cause ill-posedness of the initial value problem.

In this paper we present the results of a coherent narrow-band search for continuous gravitational-wave signals from the Crab and Vela pulsars conducted on Virgo VSR4 data. In order to take into account a possible small mismatch between the gravitational-wave frequency and two times the star rotation frequency, inferred from measurement of the electromagnetic pulse rate, a range of 0.02 Hz around two times the star rotational frequency has been searched for both the pulsars. No evidence for a signal has been found and 95% confidence level upper limits have been computed assuming both that polarization parameters are completely unknown and that they are known with some uncertainty, as derived from x-ray observations of the pulsar wind torii. For Vela the upper limits are comparable to the spin-down limit, computed assuming that all the observed spin-down is due to the emission of gravitational waves. For Crab the upper limits are about a factor of 2 below the spin-down limit, and represent a significant improvement with respect to past analysis. This is the first time the spin-down limit is significantly overcome in a narrow-band search.