We derive a formula for the halo/galaxy bispectrum on the basis of the integrated perturbation theory (iPT). In addition to the gravity-induced non-Gaussianity, we consider the non-Gaussianity of the primordial curvature perturbations and investigate in detail the effect of such primordial non-Gaussianity on the large-scale halo/galaxy bispectrum. In iPT, the effects of primordial non-Gaussianity are wholly encapsulated in the linear (primordial) polyspectra, and we systematically calculate the contributions to the large-scale behaviors arising from the three types of primordial bispectrum (local, equilateral, and orthogonal types), and primordial trispectrum of the local-type non-Gaussianity. We find that the equilateral- and orthogonal-type non-Gaussianities show distinct scale-dependent behaviors which can dominate the gravity-induced non-Gaussianity at very large scales. For the local-type non-Gaussianity, higher-order loop corrections are found to give a significantly large contribution to the halo/galaxy bispectrum of the squeezed shape and eventually dominate over the other contributions on large scales. A diagrammatic approach based on the iPT helps us to systematically investigate an impact of such higher-order contributions to the large-scale halo/galaxy bispectrum.

Cosmic magnetic fields are observed to be coherent on large scales and could have a primordial origin. Non-Gaussian signals in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) are generated by primordial magnetic fields as the magnetic stresses and temperature anisotropy they induce depend quadratically on the magnetic field. We compute the CMB scalar trispectrum on large angular scales, for nearly scale-invariant magnetic fields, sourced via the Sachs-Wolfe effect. The trispectra induced by magnetic energy density and by magnetic scalar anisotropic stress are found to have typical magnitudes of approximately ${10}^{-29}$ and ${10}^{-19}$, respectively. The scalar anisotropic stress trispectrum is also calculated in the flat-sky approximation and yields a similar result. Observational limits on CMB non-Gaussianity from the Planck mission data allow us to set upper limits of $B_0\lesssim 0.6\mathrm{nG}$ on the present value of the primordial cosmic magnetic field. Considering the inflationary magnetic curvature mode in the trispectrum can further tighten the magnetic field upper limit to $B_0\lesssim 0.05\mathrm{nG}$. These sub-nanoGauss constraints from the magnetic trispectrum are the most stringent limits so far on the strength of primordial magnetic fields, on megaparsec scales, significantly better than the limits obtained from the CMB bispectrum and the CMB power spectrum.

We estimate, in a large class of scenarios, the sensitivity to new physics in $B_d$ and $B_s$ mixings achievable with $50{\mathrm{ab}}^{-1}$ of Belle II and $50{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ of LHCb data. We find that current limits on new physics contributions in both $B_{d,s}$ systems can be improved by a factor of $\sim 5$ for all values of the $CP$-violating phases, corresponding to over a factor of 2 increase in the scale of new physics probed. Assuming the same suppressions by Cabbibo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements as those of the standard model box diagrams, the scale probed will be about 20 TeV for tree-level new physics contributions, and about 2 TeV for new physics arising at one loop. We also explore the future sensitivity to new physics in $K$ mixing. Implications for generic new physics and for various specific scenarios, such as minimal flavor violation, light third-generation dominated flavor violation, or $U(2)$ flavor models are studied.

The favored progenitor model for short $\gamma$-ray bursts (SGRBs) is the merger of two neutron stars that triggers an explosion with a burst of collimated $\gamma$-rays. Following the initial prompt emission, some SGRBs exhibit a plateau phase in their X-ray light curves that indicates additional energy injection from a central engine, believed to be a rapidly rotating, highly magnetized neutron star. The collapse of this “protomagnetar” to a black hole is likely to be responsible for a steep decay in X-ray flux observed at the end of the plateau. In this paper, we show that these observations can be used to effectively constrain the equation of state of dense matter. In particular, we show that the known distribution of masses in binary neutron star systems, together with fits to the X-ray light curves, provides constraints that exclude the softest and stiffest plausible equations of state. We further illustrate how a future gravitational wave observation with Advanced LIGO/Virgo can place tight constraints on the equation of state, by adding into the picture a measurement of the chirp mass of the SGRB progenitor.

In this paper, we present a new bifurcating electrically charged monopole-antimonopole pair (MAP) system of solutions when the Higgs self-coupling constant exceeds a certain critical value ${\lambda }_b$ for $\varphi$-winding number $n=2$, 3, and 4. Two new branching solutions bifurcate from ${\lambda }_b$ as $\lambda$ increases. These two new branching solutions possess higher energy than their corresponding fundamental solution. When $n=2$, the fundamental solution is a MAP solution, whereas the two new branching solutions are vortex-ring solutions. However, when $n=3$ and 4, the fundamental solutions are vortex-ring solutions, whereas the two branching solutions are MAP solutions. In these cases, the lower energy branch is a full MAP branch for ${\lambda }_b\le \lambda \le 144$. The higher energy branch is a MAP solution when ${\lambda }_b\le \lambda \le {\lambda }_t$. At $\lambda ={\lambda }_t$, the higher energy branch solution undergoes a transition from a MAP to a vortex-ring solution. The critical values ${\lambda }_b$ and ${\lambda }_t$ decrease in magnitude as the electric charge parameter $\eta$ increases from zero to one.

This paper develops a method for solving Einstein’s equation numerically on multicube representations of manifolds with arbitrary spatial topologies. This method is designed to provide a set of flexible, easy to use computational procedures that make it possible to explore the never before studied properties of solutions to Einstein’s equation on manifolds with arbitrary toplogical structures. A new covariant, first-order symmetric-hyperbolic representation of Einstein’s equation is developed for this purpose, along with the needed boundary conditions at the interfaces between adjoining cubic regions. Numerical tests are presented that demonstrate the long-term numerical stability of this method for evolutions of a complicated, time-dependent solution of Einstein’s equation coupled to a complex scalar field on a manifold with spatial topology $S^3$. The accuracy of these numerical test solutions is evaluated by performing convergence studies and by comparing the full nonlinear numerical results to the analytical perturbation solutions, which are also derived here.

The increasing role of general relativity in the dynamics of stellar systems with central massive black holes, in the generation of extreme mass-ratio inspirals and tidal disruption events, and in the evolution of hierarchical triple systems inspires a close examination of how post-Newtonian effects are incorporated into $N$-body dynamics. The majority of approaches incorporate relativity by adding to the Newtonian $N$-body equations the standard two-body post-Newtonian terms for a given star around the black hole or for the close binary in a triple system. We argue that, for calculating the evolution of such systems over time scales comparable to the relativistic pericenter advance time scale, it is essential to include “cross terms” in the equations of motion. These are post-Newtonian terms in the equation of motion of a given body that represent a coupling between the potential of the central black hole and the potential due to other stars in the system. For hierarchical triple systems, these are couplings between the potential of the inner binary and that of the distant third body. Over pericenter precession time scales, the effects of such terms can actually be “boosted” to amplitudes of Newtonian order. We write down the post-Newtonian $N$-body equations of motion including a central black hole in a truncated form that includes all the relevant cross terms, in a format ready to use for numerical implementation. We do the same for hierarchical triple systems, and illustrate explicitly the effects of cross terms on the orbit-averaged equations of evolution for the orbit elements of the inner binary for the special case where the third body is on a circular orbit. We also describe in detail the inspiration for this investigation: the seemingly trivial problem of the motion of a test body about a central body with a Newtonian quadrupole moment, including the relativistic pericenter advance, whose correct solution for the conserved total Newtonian energy requires including post-Newtonian cross terms between the mass monopole potential and the quadrupole potential.

We study the evolution of a homogeneous and isotropic spacetime for which the spatial sections have three-torus topology, coupled to a massless scalar field with small scalar perturbations within loop quantum cosmology. We consider a proposal for the effective dynamics based on a previous hybrid quantization completed by us. Consequently, we introduce a convenient gauge fixing and adopt reduced canonical variables adapted to that hybrid quantum description. Besides, we keep backreaction contributions on the background coming from terms quadratic in the perturbations in the action of the system. We carry out a numerical analysis assuming that the inhomogeneities were in a massless vacuum state at distant past (where the initial data are set). At distant future, we observe a statistical amplification of the modes amplitude in the infrared region, as well as a phase synchronization arising from quantum gravity phenomena. A description of the perturbations in terms of the Mukhanov–Sasaki gauge invariants provides the same qualitative results. Finally, we analyze some consequences of the backreaction in our effective description.

We study the phase structure of lattice QCD with heavy quarks at finite temperature and density by a histogram method. We determine the location of the critical point at which the first-order deconfining transition in the heavy-quark limit turns into a crossover at intermediate quark masses through a change of the shape of the histogram under variation of coupling parameters. We estimate the effect of the complex phase factor, which causes the sign problem at finite density, and show that, in heavy-quark QCD, the effect is small around the critical point. We determine the critical surface in $2+1$ flavor QCD in the heavy-quark region at all values of the chemical potential $\mu$ including $\mu =\infty$.

The requirement for the absence of spontaneous symmetry breaking in the $d=1$ dimension has been used to optimize the regulator dependence of functional renormalization group equations in the framework of the sine-Gordon scalar field theory. Results obtained by the optimization of this kind were compared to those of the Litim-Pawlowski and the principle of minimal sensitivity optimization scenarios. The optimal parameters of the compactly supported smooth (CSS) regulator, which recovers all major types of regulators in appropriate limits, have been determined beyond the local potential approximation, and the Litim limit of the CSS was found to be the optimal choice.

We consider gravity coupled to a second metric in the strong coupling limit, where the second kinetic term is absent. This system belongs to the recently discussed class of models of “gravity with auxiliary fields” by Pani et al. We prove that, in vacuum, these theories are always equivalent to general relativity with a cosmological constant, even in the case where the auxiliary field equations contain identities leaving undetermined functions. In the situation where some functions are undetermined, the actual value of the cosmological constant is dictated by an initial condition, and not by the parameters in the action.

In the present work we study GUT Coleman-Weinberg inflation with a nonminimal coupling to gravity. In this kind of model one usually finds that either the nonminimal coupling to gravity is large $\xi \gg 1$ or the inflaton self-coupling is unnaturally small $\lambda \sim 10^{-13}$.

We show that a nonrelativistic particle in a combined field of a magnetic monopole and $1/r^2$ potential reveals a hidden, partially free dynamics when the strength of the central potential and the charge-monopole coupling constant are mutually fitted to each other. In this case the system admits both a conserved Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector and a dynamical conformal symmetry. The supersymmetrically extended system corresponds then to a background of a self-dual or anti-self-dual dyon. It is described by a quadratically extended Lie superalgebra $D(2,1;\alpha )$ with $\alpha =1/2$, in which the bosonic set of generators is enlarged by a generalized Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector and its dynamical integral counterpart related to Galilei symmetry, as well as by the chiral ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$-grading operator. The odd part of the nonlinear superalgebra comprises a complete set of $24=2\times 3\times 4$ fermionic generators. Here a usual duplication comes from the ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$-grading structure; the second factor can be associated with a triad of scalar integrals—the Hamiltonian, the generator of special conformal transformations, and the squared total angular momentum vector, while the quadruplication is generated by a chiral spin vector integral which exits due to the (anti-)self-dual nature of the electromagnetic background.

We develop the formalism that incorporates quantum anomalies in the effective field theory of nondissipative fluids. We consider the effect of adding a Wess-Zumino-like term to the low-energy effective action to account for anomalies. In this paper we restrict to two spacetime dimensions. We find modifications to the constitutive relations for the current and the stress-energy tensor, and, more interestingly, half a new propagating mode (one-and-a-halfth sound): a left- or right-moving wave with propagation speed that goes to zero with the anomaly coefficient. Unlike for the chiral magnetic wave in four dimensions, this mode propagates even in the absence of external fields. We check our results against a more standard, purely hydrodynamical derivation. Unitarity of the effective field theory suggests an upper bound on the anomaly coefficient in hydrodynamics.

We determine the scale of the logarithm in the Froissart bound on total cross sections using absolute bounds on the D-wave below threshold for pion-pion scattering. For example, for ${\pi }^0{\pi }^0$ scattering, we show that for c.m. energy $\sqrt{s}\to \infty$, ${\overline{\sigma }}_{\text{tot}}(s,\infty )\equiv s{\int }_s^{\infty }d{s}^{\prime }{\sigma }_{\text{tot}}(s^{\prime })/{s^{\prime }}^2\le \pi {(m_{\pi })}^{-2}{[\ln (s/s_0)+(1/2)\ln \ln (s/s_0)+1]}^2$, where $1/s_0=17\pi \sqrt{\pi /2}{m}_{\pi }^{-2}$.

In this work we study the three-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric Chern-Simons-matter model in a noncommutative space-time. We construct the action of the noncommutative $U(N)$ non-Abelian model in terms of explicit $\mathcal{N}=2$ supervariables by dimensionally reducing a four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=1$ supermultiplet. We also obtain the on-shell $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric model writing it in terms of $\mathcal{N}=1$ superfields. In the noncommutative Abelian case, we show that linear UV divergences are canceled in Feynman diagrams and logarithmic divergences are absent up to one-loop order, stating that our model is free of UV/IR mixing.

In the present paper, we analyze a toy model for $f(\varphi ,R)$ gravity which has the form of a power-law modified gravity in which the exponent is space-time dependent. Namely, we investigate the effects of adding to the Hilbert-Einstein action an $R^{\varphi }$ term. We present possible equivalences of the model with known models of modified gravity theories and examine the problem of matter stability in this model. Like $f(R)$-gravity toy models, the present one offers the possibility of unifying the early- and the late-time evolution of the Universe. We show that the behavior of the scalar field depends globally on the size of the Universe and locally on the surrounding environment. For the early Universe a huge cosmological constant appears that might drive inflation. For the late times a tiny cosmological constant appears globally.

We study the post-Newtonian limit in the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity with a scalar field which nonminimally couples to gravity. The metric perturbation is obtained from the vierbein field expansion with respect to the Minkowski background. Due to the structure of the teleparallel gravity Lagrangian, the potential of the scalar field shows no effect to the parametrized post-Newtonian parameters, and compatible results with Solar System observations are found.

We show that the interaction of an axion field, or in general a pseudoscalar field, with the axial-vector current generated by an electron through a derivative-type coupling can give rise to a time-dependent mixing of opposite-parity states in atomic and molecular systems. Likewise, the analogous interaction of an axion field with the axial-vector current generated by a nucleon can give rise to time-dependent mixing of opposite-parity states in nuclear systems. This mixing can induce oscillating electric dipole moments, oscillating parity nonconservation effects and oscillating anapole moments in such systems. By adjusting the energy separation between the opposite-parity states of interest to match the axion mass energy, axion-induced experimental observables can be enhanced by many orders of magnitude. Oscillating atomic electric dipole moments can also be generated by axions through hadronic mechanisms, namely the P,T-violating nucleon-nucleon interaction and through the axion-induced electric dipole moments of valence nucleons, which comprise the nuclei. The axion field is modified by Earth’s gravitational field. The interaction of the spin of either an electron or nucleon with this modified axion field leads to axion-induced observable effects. These effects, which are of the form $\mathbf{g}·\mathbf{\sigma }$, differ from the axion-wind effect, which has the form ${\mathbf{p}}_{\mathrm{a}}·\mathbf{\sigma }$.

Complimenting recent work on the effective field theory of cosmological large scale structures, here we present detailed approximate analytical results and further pedagogical understanding of the method. We start from the collisionless Boltzmann equation and integrate out short modes of a dark matter/dark energy dominated universe ($\mathrm{\Lambda }\mathrm{CDM}$) whose matter is comprised of massive particles as used in cosmological simulations. This establishes a long distance effective fluid, valid for length scales larger than the nonlinear scale $\sim 10\mathrm{Mpc}$, and provides the complete description of large scale structure formation. Extracting the time dependence, we derive recursion relations that encode the perturbative solution. This is exact for the matter dominated era and quite accurate in $\mathrm{\Lambda }\mathrm{CDM}$ also. The effective fluid is characterized by physical parameters, including sound speed and viscosity. These two fluid parameters play a degenerate role with each other and lead to a relative correction from standard perturbation theory of the form $\sim 10^{-6}{c}^2{k}^2/H^2$. Starting from the linear theory, we calculate corrections to cosmological observables, such as the baryon-acoustic-oscillation peak, which we compute semianalytically at one-loop order. Due to the nonzero fluid parameters, the predictions of the effective field theory agree with observation much more accurately than standard perturbation theory and we explain why. We also discuss corrections from treating dark matter as interacting or wavelike and other issues.