We examine in detail the diagrammatic mechanisms which provide the change of sign between the single transverse spin asymmetries measured in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) and in the Drell-Yan process (DY). This asymmetry is known to arise due to the transverse spin dependence of the target proton combined with a $T$-odd complex phase. Using the discrete symmetry properties of transverse spinors, we show that the required complex phase originates in the denominators of rescattering diagrams and their respective cuts. For simplicity, we work in a model where the proton consists of a valence quark and a scalar diquark. We then show that the phases generated in SIDIS and in DY originate from distinctly different cuts in the amplitudes, which at first appears to obscure the relationship between the single-spin asymmetries in the two processes. Nevertheless, further analysis demonstrates that the contributions of these cuts are identical in the leading-twist Bjorken kinematics considered, resulting in the standard sign-flip relation between the Sivers functions in SIDIS and DY. Physically, this fundamental, but yet untested, prediction occurs because the Sivers effect in the Drell-Yan reaction is modified by the initial-state “lensing” interactions of the annihilating antiquark, in contrast to the final-state lensing which produces the Sivers effect in deep inelastic scattering.

Motivated by the experimental data, we study charmless $B_{u,d,s}\to VT$ ($V$ and $T$ denote light vector and tensor mesons, respectively) decays in the perturbative QCD approach. The predictions of branching ratios, polarization fractions, and direct $CP$ violations are given in detail. Specifically, within this approach we have calculated the polarization fractions and the branching ratios of $B\to \varphi (K_2^{*-},{\overline{K}}_2^{*0})$ which agree well with the observed experimental data; however, the branching ratios of $B\to \omega (K_2^{*-},{\overline{K}}_2^{*0})$ are hard to be explained, where the polarization fractions are well accommodated. The tree dominated channels with a vector meson emitted have a longitudinal polarization fraction of 90%, while the penguin dominating ones have subtle polarization fractions. Fortunately, most branching ratios of $B_{u,d}$ decays are of the order ${10}^{-6}$, which would be straightforward for experimental observations. For the $B_s$ decays the branching ratios can reach the order of ${10}^{-6}$ in tree dominated decays, while in penguin dominated decays those are of the order of ${10}^{-7}$ which require more experimental data to be observed.

We discuss the neutrino mass hierarchy determination with atmospheric neutrinos in Precision IceCube Next Generation Upgrade, based on a simulation with the GLoBES software including the full three flavor framework and parameter degeneracy, and we compare it to long-baseline experiment options. We demonstrate that the atmospheric mass hierarchy sensitivity depends on the achievable experiment properties, and we identify the main targets for optimization, whereas the impact of a large number of tested systematical errors turns out to be small. Depending on the values of ${\theta }_{23}$, $\delta$, and the true hierarchy, a 90% C.L. to $3\sigma$ discovery after three years of operation seems conceivable. We also emphasize the synergy with existing beam and reactor experiments, driven by $\mathrm{NO}\nu \mathrm{A}$, such as the complementary coverage of the parameter space. Finally, we point out that a low intensity neutrino beam with a relatively short decay pipe could be used to determine the mass hierarchy with a sensitivity comparable to the LBNE experiment irrespective of the directional resolution of the detector.

We continue our study of open-string perturbation theory on the lightcone worldsheet lattice, which is an $M\times N$ rectangular grid. Here $M$ is the number of $P^{+}$ units, and $N$ is the number of $i{x}^{+}$ units. We extend our previous analysis to the bosonic open-string one-planar-loop self-energy. We find that, when all open-string coordinates satisfy Neumann conditions, the ultraviolet worldsheet divergences associated with the closed-string tachyon and boundary effects can be canceled by renormalization of bulk ($A{M}^1$) and boundary ($B{M}^0$) worldsheet “cosmological constants.” The bulk divergence for the open string matches that for the closed string. The open-string tachyon mass shift displays the dilaton logarithmic divergence with the correct coefficient for its consistent absorption by renormalization of the string tension. The ultraviolet contribution to the open-string gluon mass shift vanishes, in accord with its interpretation as a gauge particle. We also find that when the bosonic string ends on a D-brane, additional negative powers of $\ln M$ multiply the bulk and boundary divergences. These can no longer be canceled by the “cosmological constants,” perhaps pointing to the need, in the presence of D-branes, for the cancellations of divergences provided by supersymmetry.

With use of a 6-form field strength of ten-dimensional type IIA supergravity over ${\mathrm{AdS}}_4\times C{P}^3$, when $S^7/Z_k$ is considered as a $S^1$ Hopf fibration on $C{P}^3$, we earn a fully localized solution in the bulk of Euclideanized ${\mathrm{AdS}}_4$. Indeed, this object appears in the external space because of wrapping a D4(M5)-brane over some parts of the respective internal spaces. Interestingly, this supersymmetry breaking $SU(4)\times U(1)$-singlet mode exists in already known spectra when one uses the ${\mathbf{8}}_c$ gravitino representation of $SO(8)$. To adjust the boundary theory, we should swap the original ${\mathbf{8}}_s$ and ${\mathbf{8}}_c$ representations for supercharges and fermions in the Aharony-Bergman-Jafferis-Maldacena model. The procedure could later be interpreted as adding an anti-D4(M5)-brane to the prime $\mathcal{N}=6$ membrane theory, resulting in a $\mathcal{N}=0$ antimembrane theory while other symmetries are preserved. Then, according to the well-known state-operator correspondence rules, we find a proper dual operator with the conformal dimension of ${\Delta }_{+}=3$ that matches to the bulk massless pseudoscalar state. After that, by making use of some fitting Ansätze for the used matter fields, we arrive at an exact boundary solution and comment on the other related issues as well.

We start with a four-dimensional (4D) system only with local nilpotent fermionic symmetry, and show that massive $N=1$ supergravity is realized as a special case. Our field content in 4D is $(e_{\mu }{}^m,{\psi }_{\mu },\omega _{\mu }{}^{rs},\chi )$, where ${\psi }_{\mu }$ is a vector-spinor in the Majorana representation in four dimenisons, while $\chi$ is a compensator Majorana spinor, and $\omega _{\mu }{}^{rs}$ is the Lorentz connection in the first-order formalism. Applying a similar method to ten dimensions, we start with the field content $(e_{\mu }{}^m,{\psi }_{\mu },\omega _{\mu }{}^{rs},A_{\mu \nu \rho },B_{\mu \nu },\lambda ,\phi ,\chi )$ with nilpotent fermionic symmetry, and show that the conventional massive type-IIA supergravity comes out as a special case of our system. These explicit results indicate that the most known massive supergravity theories are just special cases of more fundamental systems with nilpotent fermionic symmetry. Our nilpotent fermionic charge $N_{\alpha }$ satisfying $\{N_{\alpha },N_{\beta }\}=0$ resembles the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin charge $Q_{\mathrm{B}}$ in topological field theory with the “twisting of supersymmetry.” If we interpret our charge $N_{\alpha }$ as twisted supersymmetry, it becomes clear how our system evades the Haag-Lopuszański-Sohnius theorem for the uniqueness of supergravity.

Using gauge invariant quark Green’s functions, defined with path-ordered gluon field phase factors along polygonal lines, and functional relations among them, two compatible bound state equations of the Dirac type are established for quark-antiquark systems, each relative to the quark or to the antiquark of the system. The kernels of the bound state equations are defined through a series of Wilson loop averages along closed polygonal contours and their functional derivatives on them. A sufficient criterion for spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking is derived, relating the Goldstone boson wave function in the zero total momentum limit with the scalar part of the gauge invariant quark two-point Green’s function.

We study the bosonization of massless fermions in three-dimensional space-time. Using the path-integral approach as well as the operator formalism, we investigate new duality relations between fermionic and bosonic theories. In particular, we show that a theory of massless fermions is dual, within a quadratic approximation in the fields, to three different but equivalent bosonic theories: a nonlocal Maxwell–Chern-Simons–type theory, a nonlocal self-dual–type vector theory, and a local free massless bosonic theory. The equivalence is proven at the level of current correlation functions and current algebra analysis.

We examine data from the DAMA, CoGeNT, CRESST-II and CDMS/Si direct detection experiments in the context of multicomponent hidden sector dark matter. The models considered feature a hidden sector with two or more stable particles charged under an unbroken $U(1{)}^{\prime }$ gauge interaction. The new gauge field can interact with the standard $U(1{)}_Y$ via renormalizable kinetic mixing, leading to Rutherford-type elastic scattering of the dark matter particles off ordinary nuclei. We consider the simplest generic model of this type, with a hidden sector composed of two stable particles, $F_1$ and $F_2$. We find that this simple model can simultaneously explain the DAMA, CoGeNT, CRESST-II and CDMS/Si data. This explanation has some tension with the most recent results from the XENON100 experiment.

We study particle production in infrared-modified gravitational theories in the contemporary universe. It is shown that in astronomical systems with rising mass density, the curvature scalar may oscillate with very high frequency. These oscillations lead to efficient particle production and in an interesting range of model parameters could be a source of energetic cosmic rays. This effect either excludes some models of modified gravity or suggests a new mechanism of cosmic ray production.

Matched filtering is a popular data analysis framework used to search for gravitational wave signals emitted by compact object binaries. The templates used in matched filtering searches are constructed predominantly from the quadrupolar mode since this is the energetically most dominant mode. However, for highly precessing binaries or binaries with moderately large mass ratios, quadrupole templates lose sensitivity for a significant fraction of source orientations. We investigate how the inclusion of higher modes in the templates alleviates this loss of sensitivity and thus increases the prospects for detecting gravitational waves. Specifically, we use numerical relativity waveforms from the late inspiral and coalescence of binary black holes to identify mode hierarchies from which one can construct templates that cover the entire sky of binary orientations. The ordering in these hierarchies depends on the characteristics of the binary system and the mode strengths. The proposed hierarchies could assist in deciding which modes to add to template banks according to their ability to maximize sky coverage.

We observe that the replacement of the Riemann curvature with the generalized Riemann curvature in the corrections to type-II supergravity at order ${\alpha }^{\prime 3}$, which are in terms of the contractions of four Riemann curvatures $R^4$, is not fully consistent with the S-matrix elements in the superstring theory. In particular, they produce nonzero S-matrix elements for an odd number of B-field strengths which are not consistent with the string theory results. Using the consistency of the couplings with the linear T duality as a guiding principle, we consider all T-duality-invariant couplings and fix their coefficients by requiring them to be consistent with the S-matrix elements. The new Lagrangian density is then equivalent to the placement of the generalized Riemann curvature into the expression $t_8{t}_8{R}^4$.

The estimation of the $B$-mode angular power spectrum of polarized anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background is a key step towards a full exploitation of the scientific potential of this probe. In the context of pseudospectrum methods the major challenge is related to a contamination of the $B$-mode spectrum estimate with the residual power of the much larger $E$-mode. This so-called $E$-to-$B$ leakage is unavoidably present whenever only an incomplete sky map is available, as is the case for any realistic observation. The leakage has to be then minimized or removed and ideally in such a way that neither a bias nor extra variance is introduced. In this paper, we compare from these two perspectives three different methods proposed recently in this context [K. M. Smith, Phys. Rev. D 74, 083002 (2006); W. Zhao and D. Baskaran, Phys. Rev. D 82, 023001 (2010); J. Kim and P. Naselsky, Astron. Astrophys. 519, A104 (2010)], which we first introduce within a common algebraic framework of the so-called $\chi$ fields and then study their performance on two different experimental configurations: one corresponding to a small-scale experiment covering 1% of the sky motivated by current ground-based or balloon-borne experiments, and another to a nearly full-sky experiment, e.g., a possible cosmic microwave background $B$-mode satellite mission. We find that although all these methods allow us to reduce significantly the level of the $E$-to-$B$ leakage, it is the method of Smith that at the same time ensures the smallest error bars in all experimental configurations studied here, owing to the fact that it permits straightforwardly an optimization of the sky apodization of the polarization maps used for the estimation. For a satellite-like experiment, this method enables a detection of the $B$-mode power spectrum at large angular scales but only after appropriate binning. The method of Zhao and Baskaran is a close runner-up in the case of a nearly full-sky coverage.

In this paper, we study the 3-point correlation function of primordial gravitational waves generated in the de Sitter background in the framework of the general covariant Hořava-Lifshitz gravity with an arbitrary coupling constant $\lambda$. We find that, at cubic order, the interaction Hamiltonian receives contributions from four terms built of the three-dimensional Ricci tensor $R_{ij}$ of the leaves $t=\mathrm{\text{constant}}$. In particular, the 3D Ricci scalar $R$ yields the same $k$ dependence as that in general relativity, but with different magnitude due to coupling with the $U(1)$ field $A$ and a UV history. Interestingly, the two terms $R_{ij}{R}^{ij}$ and (${\nabla }^i{R}^{jk}$) (${\nabla }_i{R}_{jk}$) exhibit peaks at the squeezed limit. We show that this is due to the effects of the polarization tensors. The signal generated by the fourth term, $R_j^i{R}_k^j{R}_i^k$, favors the equilateral shape when spins of the three tensor fields are the same, but peaks in between the equilateral and squeezed limits when spins are mixed. The consistency with the recently released Planck observations on non-Gaussianity is also discussed and it is found that $(H/M_{*}{)}^2(H/M_{\mathrm{pl}})\le {10}^{-8}$, where $M_{*}$ denotes the suppression energy of high-order operators, $M_{\mathrm{pl}}$ the Planck mass, and $H$ the energy of inflation.

The exterior gravitational field of a slowly rotating neutron star can be characterized by its multipole moments, the first few being the neutron star mass, moment of inertia, and quadrupole moment to quadratic order in spin. In principle, all of these quantities depend on the neutron star’s internal structure, and thus, on unknown nuclear physics at supranuclear energy densities, all of which is usually parametrized through an equation of state. We here find relations between the moment of inertia, the Love numbers and the quadrupole moment (I-Love-Q relations) that do not depend sensitively on the neutron star’s internal structure. Such universality may arise for two reasons: (i) these relations depend most sensitively on the internal structure far from the core, where all realistic equations of state mostly approach each other; (ii) as the neutron star compactness increases, the I-Love-Q trio approaches that of a black hole, which does not have an internal-structure dependence. Three important consequences derive from these I-Love-Q relations. On an observational astrophysics front, the measurement of a single member of the I-Love-Q trio would automatically provide information about the other two, even when the latter may not be observationally accessible. On a gravitational-wave front, the I-Love-Q relations break the degeneracy between the quadrupole moment and the neutron star spins in binary inspiral waveforms, allowing second-generation ground-based detectors to determine the (dimensionless) averaged spin to $\mathcal{O}(10)\%$, given a sufficiently large signal-to-noise ratio detection. On a fundamental physics front, the I-Love-Q relations allow for tests of general relativity in the neutron star strong field that are both theory and internal-structure independent. As an example, by combining gravitational-wave and electromagnetic observations, one may constrain dynamical Chern-Simons gravity in the future by more than six orders of magnitude more stringently than Solar System and table-top constraints.

We propose the $2+1$ flavor chiral susceptibility criterion to identify the chiral phase transition of the $2+1$ flavor quark system and take it to determine the phase boundary and the critical end point (CEP) in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. We give explicitly the phase diagram of the $2+1$ flavor quark system in terms of the temperature, quark chemical potential and strange quark mass and that in terms of the temperature, quark chemical potential, and flavor-mixing interaction strength. We locate the CEP of the $2+1$ quark system with physical masses at $({\mu }_E,T_E)=(316.2\mathrm{MeV},68.1\mathrm{MeV})$. We show that increasing the mass of the strange quark lowers the temperature and enhances the chemical potential of the CEP if the mass is not quite large, and there exists a critical flavor-mixing interaction strength $(K{\Lambda }^5{)}_c\approx 6.05$ for the crossover to turn into a first order phase transition. Increasing the flavor-mixing strength beyond the critical one induces the temperature of the CEP to increase drastically and raises slightly at first and then descends the chemical potential.

The newly observed hidden-charm meson $Z_c^{+}(3900)$ and a possible partner state $Z_c^{{}^{\prime }+}$ with quantum numbers $J^P=1^{+}$ are considered as hadronic molecules composed of $\overline{D}{D}^{*}$ and ${\overline{D}}^{*}{D}^{*}$, respectively. We give predictions for the decay widths of the strong two-body transitions $Z_c^{+}\to H+{\pi }^{+}$ and $Z_c^{{}^{\prime }+}\to H+{\pi }^{+}$ with $H=\Psi (nS)$, $h_c(mP)$ in a phenomenological Lagrangian approach.

We calculate in detail the annihilation of muonium (Mu) into ${\nu }_e{\overline{\nu }}_{\mu }$ and ${\nu }_e{\overline{\nu }}_{\mu }\gamma$ states. For $\mathrm{Mu}\to {\nu }_e{\overline{\nu }}_{\mu }$, we obtain the branching ratio $\mathrm{Br}=6.6\times {10}^{-12}$, and for $\mathrm{Mu}\to {\nu }_e{\overline{\nu }}_{\mu }\gamma$ in the limit of high-energy photons, we obtain $\mathrm{Br}=4.3\times {10}^{-11}$.

We present results for a time-dependent Dalitz plot measurement of $CP$-violating asymmetries in the mode $B^0\to {\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\pi }^0$. The data set is derived from the complete sample of $471\times {10}^6$ $B\overline{B}$ meson pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ collider at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory operating on the ${\rm Y}(4S)$ resonance. We extract parameters describing the time-dependent $B^0\to \rho \pi$ decay probabilities and $CP$ asymmetries, including $\mathcal{C}=0.016\pm 0.059\pm 0.036$, $\Delta \mathcal{C}=0.234\pm 0.061\pm 0.048$, $\mathcal{S}=0.053\pm 0.081\pm 0.034$, and $\Delta \mathcal{S}=0.054\pm 0.082\pm 0.039$, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. We perform a two-dimensional likelihood scan of the direct $CP$-violation asymmetry parameters for $B^0\to {\rho }^{\pm }{\pi }^{\mp }$ decays, finding the change in ${\chi }^2$ between the minimum and the origin (corresponding to no direct $CP$ violation) to be $\Delta {\chi }^2=6.42$. We present information on the $CP$-violating parameter $\alpha$ in a likelihood scan that incorporates $B^{\pm }\to \rho \pi$ measurements. To aid in the interpretation of our results, statistical robustness studies are performed to assess the reliability with which the true values of the physics parameters can be extracted. Significantly, these studies indicate that $\alpha$ cannot be reliably extracted with our current sample size, though the other physics parameters are robustly extracted.

We study the dynamics of entanglement entropy for weakly excited states in conformal field theories by using anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory (AdS/CFT). This is aimed at a first step to finding a counterpart of the Einstein equation in CFT language. In particular, we point out that the entanglement entropy satisfies differential equations that directly correspond to the Einstein equation in several setups of AdS/CFT. We also define a quantity called entanglement density in higher dimensional field theories and study its dynamical property for weakly excited states in conformal field theories.