Wide area large-scale structure (LSS) surveys are planning to map a substantial fraction of the visible Universe to quantify dark energy through baryon acoustic oscillations. At increasing redshift, for example, that probed by proposed 21-cm intensity mapping surveys, gravitational lensing potentially limits the fidelity (Hui et al., 2007) because it distorts the apparent matter distribution. In this paper we show that these distortions can be reconstructed, and actually used to map the distribution of intervening dark matter. The lensing information for sources at $z=1-3$ allows accurate reconstruction of the gravitational potential on large scales, $l\lesssim 100$, which is well matched for integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect measurements of dark energy and its sound speed, and a strong constraint for modified gravity models of dark energy. We built an optimal quadratic lensing estimator for non-Gaussian sources, which is necessary for LSS. The phenomenon of “information saturation” (Rimes & Hamilton, 2005) saturates reconstruction at mildly nonlinear scales, where the linear source power spectrum ${\Delta }^2\sim 0.2–0.5$, depending on power spectrum slope. Naive Gaussian estimators with nonlinear cutoff can be tuned to reproduce the optimal non-Gaussian errors within a factor of 2. We compute the effective number densities of independent lensing sources for LSS lensing, and find that they increase rapidly with redshifts. For LSS/21-cm sources at $z\sim 2–4$, the lensing reconstruction is limited by cosmic variance at $l\lesssim 100$.

We study how the influence of the shock wave appears in neutrino oscillations and the neutrino spectrum by using the density profile of the adiabatic explosion model of a core-collapse supernova, which is calculated in an implicit Lagrangian code for general relativistic spherical hydrodynamics. We calculate expected event rates of neutrino detection at Super-Kamiokande (SK) and Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) for various ${\theta }_{13}$ values and both normal and inverted hierarchies. The predicted event rates of ${\overline{\nu }}_e$ and ${\nu }_e$ depend on the mixing angle ${\theta }_{13}$ for the inverted and normal mass hierarchies, respectively, and the influence of the shock wave appears for about 2–8 s when ${sin}^{2}2{\theta }_{13}$ is larger than ${10}^{-3}$. These neutrino signals for the shock-wave propagation is decreased by $\lesssim 30\%$ for ${\overline{\nu }}_e$ in inverted hierarchy (SK) or by $\lesssim 15\%$ for ${\nu }_e$ in normal hierarchy (SNO) compared with the case without shock. The obtained ratio of the total event for high-energy neutrinos ($20\mathrm{MeV}\leqq E_{\nu }\leqq 60\mathrm{MeV}$) to low-energy neutrinos ($5\mathrm{MeV}\lesssim E_{\nu }\leqq 20\mathrm{MeV}$) is consistent with the previous studies in schematic semianalytic or other hydrodynamic models of the shock propagation. The time dependence of the calculated ratio of the event rates of high-energy neutrinos to the event rates of low-energy neutrinos is a very useful observable which is sensitive to ${\theta }_{13}$ and mass hierarchies. Namely, the time-dependent ratio shows a clearer signal of the shock-wave propagation that exhibits a remarkable decrease by at most a factor of $\sim 2$ for ${\overline{\nu }}_e$ in inverted hierarchy (SK), whereas it exhibits a smaller change by $\sim 10\%$ for ${\nu }_e$ in normal hierarchy (SNO). Observing the time-dependent high-energy to low-energy ratio of the neutrino events thus would provide a piece of very useful information to constrain ${\theta }_{13}$ and mass hierarchy and eventually help understand how the shock wave propagates inside the star.

Sensitivity of future laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors can be improved using squeezed light with frequency-dependent squeeze angle and/or amplitude, which can be created using additional so-called filter cavities. Here we compare performances of several variants of this scheme, proposed during the last few years, assuming the case of a single relatively short (tens of meters) filter cavity suitable for implementation already during the life cycle of the second-generation detectors, like Advanced LIGO. Using numerical optimization, we show that the phase filtering scheme proposed by Kimble et al [H. J. Kimble, Yu. Levin, A. B. Matsko, K. S. Thorne, and S. P. Vyatchanin, Phys. Rev. D 65, 022002 (2001).] looks like the best candidate for this scenario.

We study the evolution of an asymptotically free vectorial $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ gauge theory from the ultraviolet to the infrared and the resultant phase structure in the general case in which the theory contains fermions transforming according to several different representations of the gauge group. We discuss the sequential fermion condensation and dynamical mass generation that occur, and comment on the effect of bare fermion mass terms.

Many extensions of the standard model of particle physics predict the existence of charged Higgs bosons with substantial couplings to standard model particles, which would render them observable both directly at the LHC and indirectly at $B$-factories. For example, the charged Higgs boson couplings to fermions in two Higgs doublet models of type II are proportional to the ratio of the two Higgs doublet vacuum expectation values ($\tan \beta$) and fermionic mass factors and could thus be substantial at large $\tan \beta$ and/or for heavy fermions. In this work we perform a model-independent study of the charged Higgs boson couplings at the LHC and at $B$-factories for large values of $\tan \beta$. We have shown that at high luminosity it is possible to measure the couplings of a charged Higgs boson to the third generation of quarks up to an accuracy of 10%. We further argue that by combining the possible measurements of the LHC and the $B$-factories, it is possible to perform a universality test of charged Higgs boson couplings to quarks.

The Higgs triplet model contains two $CP$-even neutral scalar eigenstates, each having components from an isospin doublet and an isospin triplet scalar field. The mixing angle can be maximal if the masses of the scalar eigenstates are close to degeneracy. We quantify the dependence of the mixing angle on the mass splitting and on the vacuum expectation value of the neutral triplet scalar. We determine the parameter space for maximal mixing, and study the observability of both $CP$-even Higgs bosons at the CERN LHC.

We compute the next-to-next-to-leading-order QCD corrections to the gluon-fusion production of a Higgs boson in models with massive color-octet scalars in the $(\mathbf{8},\mathbf{1}{)}_{\mathbf{0}}$ representation using an effective-theory approach. We derive a compact analytic expression for the relevant Wilson coefficient, and explain an interesting technical aspect of the calculation that requires inclusion of the quartic-scalar interactions at next-to-next-to-leading order. We perform a renormalization-group analysis of the scalar couplings to derive the allowed regions of parameter space, and present phenomenological results for both the Tevatron and the LHC. The modifications of the Higgs production cross section are large at both colliders, and can increase the standard model rate by more than a factor of 2 in allowed regions of parameter space. We estimate that stringent constraints on the color-octet scalar parameters can be obtained using the Tevatron exclusion limit on Higgs production.

We investigate hadrons and direct photon production in $pp$ and $pA$ collisions at the energies of RHIC and LHC within the color-dipole approach employing various saturation models. We show that greatest sensitivity to saturation effects is reached at very forward rapidities for $pp$ collisions at LHC ($\sqrt{s}=14\mathrm{TeV}$). The ratio of direct-photon to pion $\gamma /{\pi }^0$ production can be about $20÷10$ (at $\eta =7÷8$). Therefore, direct photon production at forward rapidities should provide a rather clean probe. We calculate the rapidity dependence of the invariant cross section and find some peculiar enhancement at forward rapidities which is more pronounced for direct photon production. We show that this peak is further enhanced by saturation effects. We provide predictions for the nuclear modification factor $R_{pA}$ for pions and direct photon production in $pA$ collisions at LHC energy at midrapidity. We show within various saturation models that the pion Cronin enhancement at RHIC is replaced by a moderate suppression at LHC energy at midrapidity due to gluon shadowing effects. Cronin enhancement of direct photons can survive at LHC energy within models with a larger saturation scale.

Decays of the ${\rm Y}(5\mathrm{S})$ resonance to channels with $B^{+}$ and $B^0$ mesons are studied using a $23.6{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ data sample collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ collider. Fully reconstructed $B^{+}\to J/\psi K^{+}$, $B^0\to J/\psi K^{*0}$, $B^{+}\to {\overline{D}}^0{\pi }^{+}$, and $B^0\to D^{-}{\pi }^{+}$ decays are used to obtain the charged and neutral $B$ production rates per $b\overline{b}$ event, $f(B^{+})=({72.1}_{-3.8}^{+3.9}\pm 5.0)\%$ and $f(B^0)=({77.0}_{-5.6}^{+5.8}\pm 6.1)\%$. Assuming equal rates to $B^{+}$ and $B^0$ mesons in all channels produced at the ${\rm Y}(5\mathrm{S})$ energy, we measure the fractions for transitions to two-body and three-body channels with $B$ meson pairs, $f(B\overline{B})=({5.5}_{-0.9}^{+1.0}\pm 0.4)\%$, $f(B{\overline{B}}^{*}+B^{*}\overline{B})=(13.7\pm 1.3\pm 1.1)\%$, $f(B^{*}{\overline{B}}^{*})=({37.5}_{-1.9}^{+2.1}\pm 3.0)\%$, $f(B\overline{B}\pi )=(0.0\pm 1.2\pm 0.3)\%$, $f(B{\overline{B}}^{*}\pi +B^{*}\overline{B}\pi )=({7.3}_{-2.1}^{+2.3}\pm 0.8)\%$, and $f(B^{*}{\overline{B}}^{*}\pi )=({1.0}_{-1.3}^{+1.4}\pm 0.4)\%$. The latter three fractions are obtained assuming isospin conservation.

We examine an extension of the quintom scenario of dark energy, in which a canonical scalar field and a phantom field are coupled through a kinetic interaction. We perform a phase-space analysis and show that the kinetic coupling gives rise to novel cosmological behavior. In particular, we obtain both quintessence-like and phantomlike late-time solutions, as well as solutions that cross the phantom divide during the evolution of the Universe.

We study the two-flavor Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model with the Polyakov loop in the presence of a strong magnetic field and a chiral chemical potential ${\mu }_5$, which mimics the effect of imbalanced chirality due to QCD instanton and/or sphaleron transitions. First, we focus on the properties of chiral symmetry breaking and deconfinement crossover under the strong magnetic field. Then we discuss the role of ${\mu }_5$ on the phase structure. Finally, the chirality charge, electric current, and their susceptibility, which are relevant to the chiral magnetic effect, are computed in the model.

We present a study of ${\tau }^{-}\to {\pi }^{-}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\nu }_{\tau }$, ${\tau }^{-}\to K^{-}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\nu }_{\tau }$, ${\tau }^{-}\to K^{-}{K}^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\nu }_{\tau }$, and ${\tau }^{-}\to K^{-}{K}^{+}{K}^{-}{\nu }_{\tau }$ decays using a $666{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ data sample collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ collider at and near a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV. The branching fractions are measured to be $\mathcal{B}({\tau }^{-}\to {\pi }^{-}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\nu }_{\tau })=(8.42\pm {0.00}_{-0.25}^{+0.26})\times {10}^{-2}$, $\mathcal{B}({\tau }^{-}\to K^{-}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\nu }_{\tau })=(3.30\pm {0.01}_{-0.17}^{+0.16})\times {10}^{-3}$, $\mathcal{B}({\tau }^{-}\to K^{-}{K}^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\nu }_{\tau })=(1.55\pm {0.01}_{-0.05}^{+0.06})\times {10}^{-3}$, and $\mathcal{B}({\tau }^{-}\to K^{-}{K}^{+}{K}^{-}{\nu }_{\tau })=(3.29\pm {0.17}_{-0.20}^{+0.19})\times {10}^{-5}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. These branching fractions do not include contributions from modes in which a ${\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}$ pair originates from a $K_S^0$ decay. We also present the unfolded invariant mass distributions for these decays.

We search for vortices in a generalized Abelian Chern-Simons model with a nonstandard kinetic term. We illustrate our results, plotting and comparing several features of the vortex solution of the generalized model with those of the vortex solution found in the standard Chern-Simons model.

The prototypical Casimir effect arises when a scalar field is confined between parallel Dirichlet boundaries. We study corrections to this when the boundaries themselves have apertures and edges. We consider several geometries: a single plate with a slit in it, perpendicular plates separated by a gap, and two parallel plates, one of which has a long slit of large width, related to the case of one plate being semi-infinite. We develop a general formalism for studying such problems, based on the wave functional for the field in the gap between the plates. This formalism leads to a lower-dimensional theory defined on the open regions of the plates or boundaries. The Casimir energy is then given in terms of the determinant of the nonlocal differential operator which defines the lower-dimensional theory. We develop perturbative methods for computing these determinants. Our results are in good agreement with known results based on Monte Carlo simulations. The method is well suited to isolating the diffractive contributions to the Casimir energy.

We present a time-dependent and spatially inhomogeneous solution that interpolates the extremal Reissner-Nordström (RN) black hole and the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) universe with arbitrary power-law expansion. It is an exact solution of the $D$-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton system, where two Abelian gauge fields couple to the dilaton with different coupling constants, and the dilaton field has a Liouville-type exponential potential. It is shown that the system satisfies the weak energy condition. The solution involves two harmonic functions on a ($D-1$)-dimensional Ricci-flat base space. In the case where the harmonics have a single-point source on the Euclidean space, we find that the spacetime describes a spherically symmetric charged black hole in the FLRW universe, which is characterized by three parameters: the steepness parameter of the dilaton potential $n_T$, the U(1) charge $Q$, and the nonextremality $\tau$. In contrast with the extremal RN solution, the spacetime admits a nondegenerate Killing horizon unless these parameters are finely tuned. The global spacetime structures are discussed in detail.

Realistic models of particle physics include many scalar fields. These fields generically have nonminimal couplings to the Ricci curvature scalar, either as part of a generalized Einstein theory or as necessary counterterms for renormalization in curved background spacetimes. We develop a gauge-invariant formalism for calculating primordial perturbations in models with multiple nonminimally coupled fields. We work in the Jordan frame (in which the nonminimal couplings remain explicit) and identify two distinct sources of entropy perturbations for such models. One set of entropy perturbations arises from interactions among the multiple fields. The second set arises from the presence of nonminimal couplings. Neither of these varieties of entropy perturbations will necessarily be suppressed in the long-wavelength limit, and hence they can amplify the curvature perturbation $\zeta$, even for modes that have crossed outside the Hubble radius. Models that overproduce long-wavelength entropy perturbations endanger the close fit between predicted inflationary spectra and empirical observations.

Alternative cosmologies, based on extensions of general relativity, predict modified thermal histories in the early Universe during the pre-big bang nucleosynthesis era, an epoch which is not directly constrained by cosmological observations. When the expansion rate is enhanced with respect to the standard case, thermal relics typically decouple with larger relic abundances. The correct value of the relic abundance is therefore obtained for larger annihilation cross sections, as compared to standard cosmology. A direct consequence is that indirect detection rates are enhanced. Extending previous analyses of ours, we derive updated astrophysical bounds on the dark matter annihilation cross sections and use them to constrain alternative cosmologies in the pre-big bang nucleosynthesis era. We also determine the characteristics of these alternative cosmologies in order to provide the correct value of relic abundance for a thermal relic for the (large) annihilation cross section required to explain the PAMELA results on the positron fraction, therefore providing a “cosmological boost” solution to the dark matter interpretation of the PAMELA data.

We examine whether the accretion of dark matter onto neutron stars could ever have any visible external effects. Captured dark matter which subsequently annihilates will heat the neutron stars, although it seems the effect will be too small to heat close neutron stars at an observable rate while those at the galactic center are obscured by dust. Nonannihilating dark matter would accumulate at the center of the neutron star. In a very dense region of dark matter such as that which may be found at the center of the galaxy, a neutron star might accrete enough to cause it to collapse within a period of time less than the age of the Universe. We calculate what value of the stable dark matter-nucleon cross section would cause this to occur for a large range of masses.

The seesaw mechanism is conceived on the basis that a mass scale, $\xi$, and a dimensionless scale, $s$, can be fine-tuned in order to control the dynamics of active and sterile neutrinos through cosmon-type equations of motion: the seesaw cosmon equations. This allows for sterile neutrinos to be a dark matter candidate. In this scenario, the dynamical masses and energy densities of active and sterile neutrinos can be consistently embedded into the generalized Chaplygin gas (GCG), the unified dark sector model. In addition, dark matter adiabatically coupled to dark energy allows for a natural decoupling of the (active) mass varying neutrino component from the dark sector. Thus mass varying neutrinos turn into a secondary effect. Through the scale parameters, $\xi$ and $s$, the proposed scenario allows for a convergence among three distinct frameworks: the cosmon scenario, the seesaw mechanism for mass generation, and the GCG model. It is found that the equation of state of the perturbations is the very one of the GCG background cosmology so that all the results from this approach are maintained, being smoothly modified by active neutrinos. Constrained by the seesaw relations, it is shown that the mass varying mechanism is responsible for the stability against linear perturbations and is indirectly related to the late time cosmological acceleration.