Universe, Volume 7, Issue 3 (March 2021) – 31 articles

The origin and phenomenology of the Fast Radio Burst (FRB) remains unknown despite more than a decade of efforts. Though several models have been proposed to explain the observed data, none is able to explain alone the variety of events so far recorded. The leading models consider magnetars as potential FRB sources. The recent detection of FRBs from the galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154 seems to support them. Still, emission duration and energetic budget challenge all these models. Like for other classes of objects initially detected in a single band, it appeared clear that any solution to the FRB enigma could only come from a coordinated observational and theoretical effort in an as wide as possible energy band. In particular, the detection and localisation of optical/NIR or/and high-energy counterparts seemed an unavoidable starting point that could shed light on the FRB physics. Multiwavelength (MWL) search campaigns were conducted for several FRBs, in particular for repeaters. Here we summarize the observational and theoretical results and the perspectives in view of the several new sources accurately localised that will likely be identified by various radio facilities worldwide. We conclude that more dedicated MWL campaigns sensitive to the millisecond–minute timescale transients are needed to address the various aspects involved in the identification of FRB counterparts. Dedicated instrumentation could be one of the key points in this respect. In the optical/NIR band, fast photometry looks to be the only viable strategy. Additionally, small/medium size radiotelescopes co-pointing higher energies telescopes look a very interesting and cheap complementary observational strategy. Full article

The main purpose of this paper is to show and introduce some new interpretative aspects of the concept of “emergent space” as geometric/topological approach in the cosmological field. We will present some possible applications of this theory, among which the possibility of considering a non-orientable wormhole, but mainly we provide a topological interpretation, using this new approach, to M-Theory and String Theory in 10 dimensions. Further, we present some conclusions which this new interpretation suggests, and also some remarks considering a unifying approach between strings and dark matter. The approach shown in the paper considers that reality, as it appears to us, can be the “emerging” part of a more complex hidden structure. Pacs numbers: 11.25.Yb; 11.25.-w; 02.40.Ky; 02.40.-k; 04.50.-h; 95.35.+d. Full article

In this paper, a probabilistic approach is used to derive a kind of abstract candidate for a natural Lagrangian in general relativity. The methods are very general, and the result is in a certain sense unique. However, to turn this abstract Lagrangian into an ordinary one, expressible in terms of the Riemann tensor, is so far an open problem. Some possible cosmological consequences are discussed. Full article

The fermion condensate (FC) is investigated for a (2+1)-dimensional massive fermionic field confined on a truncated cone with an arbitrary planar angle deficit and threaded by a magnetic flux. Different combinations of the boundary conditions are imposed on the edges of the cone. They include the bag boundary condition as a special case. By using the generalized Abel-Plana-type summation formula for the series over the eigenvalues of the radial quantum number, the edge-induced contributions in the FC are explicitly extracted. The FC is an even periodic function of the magnetic flux with the period equal to the flux quantum. Depending on the boundary conditions, the condensate can be either positive or negative. For a massless field the FC in the boundary-free conical geometry vanishes and the nonzero contributions are purely edge-induced effects. This provides a mechanism for time-reversal symmetry breaking in the absence of magnetic fields. Combining the results for the fields corresponding to two inequivalent irreducible representations of the Clifford algebra, the FC is investigated in the parity and time-reversal symmetric fermionic models and applications are discussed for graphitic cones. Full article

The search for neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay is currently a key topic in physics, due to its possible wide implications for nuclear physics, particle physics, and cosmology. The NUMEN project aims to provide experimental information on the nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) that are involved in the expression of 0νββ decay half-life by measuring the cross section of nuclear double-charge exchange (DCE) reactions. NUMEN has already demonstrated the feasibility of measuring these tiny cross sections for some nuclei of interest for the 0νββ using the superconducting cyclotron (CS) and the MAGNEX spectrometer at the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS.) Catania, Italy. However, since the DCE cross sections are very small and need to be measured with high sensitivity, the systematic exploration of all nuclei of interest requires major upgrade of the facility. R&D for technological tools has been completed. The realization of new radiation-tolerant detectors capable of sustaining high rates while preserving the requested resolution and sensitivity is underway, as well as the upgrade of the CS to deliver beams of higher intensity. Strategies to carry out DCE cross-section measurements with high-intensity beams were developed in order to achieve the challenging sensitivity requested to provide experimental constraints to 0νββ NMEs. Full article

Nuclear equation of state is often described in the framework of energy density functional. However, the isovector channel in most functionals has been poorly constrained, mainly due to rather limited available experimental data to probe it. Only recently, the relativistic nuclear energy density functional with an effective point-coupling interaction was constrained by supplementing the ground-state properties of nuclei with the experimental data on dipole polarizability and isoscalar monopole resonance energy in ${}^{208}$Pb, resulting in DD-PCX parameterization. In this work, we pursue a complementary approach by introducing a family of 8 relativistic point-coupling functionals that reproduce the same nuclear ground-state properties, including binding energies and charge radii, but in addition have a constrained value of symmetry energy at saturation density in the range J = 29, 30, …, 36 MeV. In the next step, this family of functionals is employed in studies of excitation properties such as dipole polarizability and magnetic dipole transitions, and the respective experimental data are used to validate the optimal choice of functional as well as to assess reliable values of the symmetry energy and slope of the symmetry energy at saturation. Full article

We consider the low-temperature expansion of the Casimir-Polder free energy for an atom and graphene by using the Poisson representation of the free energy. We extend our previous analysis on the different relations between chemical potential $\mu$ and mass gap parameter m. The key role plays the dependence of graphene conductivities on the $\mu$ and m. For simplicity, we made the manifest calculations for zero values of the Fermi velocity. For $\mu >m$, the thermal correction $\sim T^2$, and for $\mu <m$, we confirm the recent result of Klimchitskaya and Mostepanenko, that the thermal correction $\sim T^5$. In the case of exact equality $\mu =m$, the correction $\sim T$. This point is unstable, and the system falls to the regime with $\mu >m$ or $\mu <m$. The analytical calculations are illustrated by numerical evaluations for the Hydrogen atom/graphene system. Full article

We revisit the problem of the Casimir force between high-T_c superconductors below and above the critical temperature for the superconducting transition. Ceramic superconductors exhibit a different temperature dependence of the reflectivity when switching from the normal to the superconducting state. We leverage this unique characteristic with respect to ordinary metals to claim that these kind of materials can prove useful as an alternative system where the long-standing discussion on the role of electronic relaxation can be addressed. Furthermore, we show that the two main damping mechanisms associated with free and mid-infrared electrons dominate at very distinct scales, meaning that they can be considered separately when the Casimir force is measured as a function of slab distance. This facilitates the experimental identification of the role of the two electronic relaxation contributions to the force. Full article

A generally covariant $U{\left(1\right)}^3$ gauge theory describing the $G_N\to 0$ limit of Euclidean general relativity is an interesting test laboratory for general relativity, specially because the algebra of the Hamiltonian and diffeomorphism constraints of this limit is isomorphic to the algebra of the corresponding constraints in general relativity. In the present work, we the study boundary conditions and asymptotic symmetries of the $U{\left(1\right)}^3$ model and show that while asymptotic spacetime translations admit well-defined generators, boosts and rotations do not. Comparing with Euclidean general relativity, one finds that the non-Abelian part of the $SU\left(2\right)$ Gauss constraint, which is absent in the $U{\left(1\right)}^3$ model, plays a crucial role in obtaining boost and rotation generators. Full article

In the present article, we investigate the physical acceptability of the spatially homogeneous and isotropic Friedmann–Lemâitre–Robertson–Walker line element filled with two fluids, with the first being pressureless matter and the second being different types of holographic dark energy. This geometric and material content is considered within the gravitational field equations of the $f(T,B)$ (where T is the torsion scalar and the B is the boundary term) gravity in Hubble’s cut-off. The cosmological parameters, such as the Equation of State (EoS) parameter, during the cosmic evolution, are calculated. The models are stable throughout the universe expansion. The region in which the model is presented is dependent on the real parameter $\delta$ of holographic dark energies. For all $\delta \ge 4.5$, the models vary from $\Lambda$CDM era to the quintessence era. Full article

Single-particle level energies form a significant input in nuclear physics calculations where single-particle degrees of freedom are taken into account, including microscopic interacting boson model investigations. The single-particle energies may be treated as input parameters that are fitted to reach an optimal fit to the data. Alternatively, they can be calculated using a mean field potential, or they can be extracted from available experimental data, as is done in the current study. The role of single-particle level energies in the microscopic interacting boson model calculations is discussed with special emphasis on recent double beta decay calculations. Full article

We consider the Dirac equation and Maxwell’s electrodynamics in $\mathbb{R}\times S^3$ spacetime, where a three-dimensional sphere is the Hopf bundle $S^3\to S^2$. In both cases, discrete spectra of classical solutions are obtained. Based on the solutions obtained, the quantization of free, noninteracting Dirac and Maxwell fields is carried out. The method of nonperturbative quantization of interacting Dirac and Maxwell fields is suggested. The corresponding operator equations and the infinite set of the Schwinger–Dyson equations for Green’s functions is written down. We write a simplified set of equations describing some physical situations to illustrate the suggested scheme of nonperturbative quantization. Additionally, we discuss the properties of quantum states and operators of interacting fields. Full article

Technological progress has made possible precise measurements of the Casimir forces at distances less than $100$ nm. It has enabled stronger constraints on the non-Newtonian forces at short separations and improved control of micromechanical devices. Experimental information on the forces below $30$ nm is sparse and not precise due to pull-in instability and surface roughness. Recently, a method of adhered cantilever was proposed to measure the forces at small distances, which does not suffer from the pull-in instability. Deviation of the cantilever from a classic shape carries information on the forces acting nearby the adhered end. We calculate the force between a flat cantilever and rough Au plate and demonstrate that the effect of roughness dominates when the bodies approach the contact. Short-distance repulsion operating at the contact is included in the analysis. Deviations from the classic shape due to residual stress, inhomogeneous thickness of the cantilever, and finite compliance of the substrate are analysed. It is found that a realistic residual stress gives a negligible contribution to the shape, while the finite compliance and inhomogeneous thickness give measurable contributions that have to be subtracted from the raw data. Full article

The modulational instability (MI) of ion-acoustic (IA) waves (IAWs) and associated IA rogue waves (IARWs) are studied in double-pair plasma containing inertial positive and negative ions, inertialess non-extensive electrons and iso-thermal positrons. A standard nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) is derived by employing reductive perturbation method. It can be seen from the numerical analysis that the plasma system supports both modulationally stable (unstable) parametric regime in which the dispersive and nonlinear coefficients of the NLSE have opposite (same) sign. It is also found that the basic features of IAWs (viz., MI criteria of IAWs, amplitude, and width of the IARWs, etc.) are rigorously changed by the plasma parameters such as mass, charge state, and number density of the plasma species. The outcomes of our present investigation should be useful in understanding the propagation of nonlinear electrostatic IAWs and associated IARWs in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. Full article

The main difficulties in constructing a viable early Universe bouncing model are: to bypass the observational and theoretical no-go theorem, to construct a stable non-singular bouncing phase, and perhaps, the major concern of it is to construct a stable attractor solution which can evade the Belinsky–Khalatnikov–Lifshitz (BKL) instability as well. In this article, in the homogeneous and isotropic background, we extensively study the stability analysis of the recently proposed viable non-minimal bouncing theory in the presence of an additional barotropic fluid and show that, the bouncing solution remains stable and can evade BKL instability for a wide range of the model parameter. We provide the expressions that explain the behavior of the Universe in the vicinity of the required fixed point i.e., the bouncing solution and compare our results with the minimal theory and show that ekpyrosis is the most stable solution in any scenario. Full article

The standard model of elementary interactions has long qualified as a theory of matter, in which the postulated conservation laws (one baryonic and three leptonic) acquire theoretical meaning. However, recent observations of lepton number violations—neutrino oscillations—demonstrate its incompleteness. We discuss why these considerations suggest the correctness of Ettore Majorana’s ideas on the nature of neutrino mass and add further interest to the search for an ultra-rare nuclear process in which two particles of matter (electrons) are created, commonly called neutrinoless double beta decay. The approach of the discussion is mainly historical, and its character is introductory. Some technical considerations, which highlight the usefulness of Majorana’s representation of gamma matrices, are presented in the appendix. Full article

We study the quantum radiation of particle production by vacuum from an ultra-relativistic moving mirror (dynamical Casimir effect) solution that allows (possibly for the first time) analytically calculable time evolution of particle creation and an Airy particle spectral distribution. The reality of the beta Bogoliubov coefficients is responsible for the simplicity, and the mirror is asymptotically inertial at the speed of light, with finite energy production. We also discuss general relations regarding negative energy flux, the transformation to the 1-D Schrödinger equation, and the incompleteness of entanglement entropy. Full article

We review the effective field theory associated with the superfluid phonons that we use for the study of transport properties in the core of superfluid neutrons stars in their low temperature regime. We then discuss the shear and bulk viscosities together with the thermal conductivity coming from the collisions of superfluid phonons in neutron stars. With regard to shear, bulk, and thermal transport coefficients, the phonon collisional processes are obtained in terms of the equation of state and the superfluid gap. We compare the shear coefficient due to the interaction among superfluid phonons with other dominant processes in neutron stars, such as electron collisions. We also analyze the possible consequences for the r-mode instability in neutron stars. As for the bulk viscosities, we determine that phonon collisions contribute decisively to the bulk viscosities inside neutron stars. For the thermal conductivity resulting from phonon collisions, we find that it is temperature independent well below the transition temperature. We also obtain that the thermal conductivity due to superfluid phonons dominates over the one resulting from electron-muon interactions once phonons are in the hydrodynamic regime. As the phonons couple to the Z electroweak gauge boson, we estimate the associated neutrino emissivity. We also briefly comment on how the superfluid phonon interactions are modified in the presence of a gravitational field or in a moving background. Full article

Double charge exchange (DCE) reactions could provide experimentally driven information about nuclear matrix elements of interest in the context of neutrinoless double-$\beta$ decay. To achieve this goal, a detailed description of the reaction mechanism is mandatory. This requires the full characterization of the initial and final-state interactions, which are poorly known for many of the projectile-target systems involved in future DCE studies. Among these, we intend to study the ${}^{20}$Ne + ${}^{130}$Te and ${}^{18}$O + ${}^{116}$Sn systems at 15.3 AMeV, which are particularly relevant due to their connection with the ${}^{130}$Te${\to }^{130}$Xe and ${}^{116}$Cd${\to }^{116}$Sn double-$\beta$ decays. We measure the elastic and inelastic scattering cross-section angular distributions and compare them with theoretical calculations performed in the optical model, one-step distorted wave Born approximation, and coupled-channel approaches using the São Paulo double-folding optical potential. A good description of the experimental data in the whole explored range of transferred momenta is obtained provided that couplings with the 2${}_1^{+}$ states of the projectile and target are explicitly included within the coupled-channel approach. These results are relevant also in the analysis of other quasi-elastic reaction channels in these systems, in which the same couplings should be included. Full article

In the paper, we consider two models in which dark energy is coupled with either dust matter or dark matter, and discuss the conditions that allow more time for structure formation to take place at high redshifts. These models are expected to have a larger age of the universe than that of $\mathsf{\Lambda }$CDM [universe consists of cold dark matter (CDM) and dark energy (a cosmological constant, $\mathsf{\Lambda }$)], so it can explain the formation of high redshift gravitationally bound systems which the $\mathsf{\Lambda }$CDM model cannot interpret. We use the observational Hubble parameter data (OHD) and Hubble parameter obtained from cosmic chronometers method ($H\left(z\right)$) in combination with baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) data to constrain these models. With the best-fitting parameters, we discuss how the age, the deceleration parameter, and the energy density parameters evolve in the new universes, and compare them with that of $\mathsf{\Lambda }$CDM. Full article

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are recently discovered mysterious single pulses of radio emission, mostly coming from cosmological distances (∼1 Gpc). Their short duration, ∼1 ms, and large luminosity demonstrate coherent emission. I review the basic physics of coherent emission mechanisms proposed for FRBs. In particular, I discuss the curvature emission of bunches, the synchrotron maser, and the emission of radio waves by variable currents during magnetic reconnection. Special attention is paid to magnetar flares as the most promising sources of FRBs. Non-linear effects are outlined that could place bounds on the power of the outgoing radiation. Full article

We calculate the vacuum (Casimir) energy for a scalar field with ${\varphi }^4$ self-interaction in (1 + 1) dimensions non perturbatively, i.e., in all orders of the self-interaction. We consider massive and massless fields in a finite box with Dirichlet boundary conditions and on the whole axis as well. For strong coupling, the vacuum energy is negative indicating some instability. Full article

Liquid xenon is one of the leading targets to search for dark matter via its elastic scattering on nuclei or electrons. Due to their low-threshold and low-background capabilities, liquid xenon detectors can also detect coherent elastic neutrino–nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) or neutrino–electron scattering. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of a compact and movable liquid xenon detector with an active target mass of O(10∼100) kg and single-electron sensitivity to detect CE$\nu$NS from anti-neutrinos from a nuclear reactor. Assuming a single- and few-electron background rate at the level achieved by the XENON10/100 experiments, we expect a 5-$\sigma$ detection of CE$\nu$NS with less than 400 kg-days of exposure. We further investigate the sensitivity of such a detector to neutrino magnetic moment with neutrino electron scattering. If an electronic recoil background rate of 0.01∼0.1 events/keV/kg/day above 1 keV can be achieved with adequate shielding, a liquid xenon detector can reach a neutrino magnetic moment sensitivity of ${10}^{-11}{\mu }_B$, which would improve upon the current most-constraining laboratory limits from the GEMMA and Borexino experiments. Additionally, such a detector would be able to probe the region compatible with a magnetic moment interpretation of the low-energy excess electronic recoil events recently reported by XENON1T. Full article

The gravitational wave event, GW190521, is the most massive binary black hole merger observed by ground-based gravitational wave observatories LIGO/Virgo to date. While the observed gravitational wave signal is mainly in the merger and ringdown phases, the inspiral gravitational wave signal of the GW190521-like binary will be more visible to space-based detectors in the low-frequency band. In addition, the ringdown gravitational wave signal will be louder in the next generation (3G) of ground-based detectors in the high-frequency band, displaying the great potential of multiband gravitational wave observations. In this paper, we explore the scientific potential of multiband observations of GW190521-like binaries with a milli-Hz gravitational wave observatory: LISA; a deci-Hz observatory: B-DECIGO; and (next generation of) hecto-Hz observatories: aLIGO and ET. In the case of quasicircular evolution, the triple-band observations of LISA, B-DECIGO, and ET will provide parameter estimation errors of the masses and spin amplitudes of component black holes at the level of order of 1–10%. This would allow consistency tests of general relativity in the strong field at an unparalleled precision, particularly with the “B-DECIGO + ET” observation. In the case of eccentric evolution, the multiband signal-to-noise ratio found in “B-DECIGO + ET” observation would be larger than 100 for a five-year observation prior to coalescence, even with high final eccentricities. Full article

For the Szekeres system which describes inhomogeneous and anisotropic spacetimes we make use of a point-like Lagrangian, which describes the evolution of the physical variables of the Szekeres model, in order to perform a canonical quantization and to study the quantum potentiality of the Szekeres system in the content of de Broglie–Bohm theory. We revise previous results on the subject and we find that for a specific family of trajectories with initial conditions which satisfy a constraint equation, there exists additional conservation laws for the classical Szekeres system which are used to define differential operators and to solve the Wheeler–DeWitt equation. From the new conservation laws we construct a wave function which provides a nonzero quantum potential term that modifies the Szekeres system. The quantum potential corresponds to new terms in the dynamical system such that new asymptotic solutions with a nonzero energy momentum tensor of an anisotropic fluid exist. Therefore, the silent property of the Szekeres spacetimes is violated by quantum correction terms, which results in the quantum potential adding pressure to the solution. Full article

We review the canonical transformation in quantum physics known as the Bogoliubov transformation and present its application to the general theory of quantum field mixing and oscillations with an arbitrary number of mixed particles with either boson or fermion statistics. The mixing relations for quantum states are derived directly from the definition of mixing for quantum fields and the unitary inequivalence of the Fock space of energy and flavor eigenstates is shown by a straightforward algebraic method. The time dynamics of the interacting fields is then explicitly solved and the flavor oscillation formulas are derived in a unified general formulation with emphasis on antiparticle content and effect introduced by nontrivial flavor vacuum. Full article

Dark matter may be composed of self-interacting ultralight quantum fields that form macroscopic objects. An example of which includes Q-balls, compact non-topological solitons predicted by a range of theories that are viable dark matter candidates. As the Earth moves through the galaxy, interactions with such objects may leave transient perturbations in terrestrial experiments. Here we propose a new dark matter signature: an asymmetry (and other non-Gaussianities) that may thereby be induced in the noise distributions of precision quantum sensors, such as atomic clocks, magnetometers, and interferometers. Further, we demonstrate that there would be a sizeable annual modulation in these signatures due to the annual variation of the Earth velocity with respect to dark matter halo. As an illustration of our formalism, we apply our method to 6 years of data from the atomic clocks on board GPS satellites and place constraints on couplings for macroscopic dark matter objects with radii $R<{10}^4\mathrm{km}$, the region that is otherwise inaccessible using relatively sparse global networks. Full article

We present the result of our examination of quantum structures called quantum spikes. The classical spikes that are known in gravitational systems, occur in the evolution of the inhomogeneous spacetimes. A different kind of spikes, which we name strange spikes, can be seen in the dynamics of the homogeneous sector of the Belinski–Khalatnikov–Lifshitz scenario. They can be made visible if the so-called inhomogeneous initial data are used. The question to be explored is whether the strange spikes may survive quantization. The answer is in the affirmative. However, this is rather a subtle effect that needs further examination using sophisticated analytical and numerical tools. The spikes seem to be of fundamental importance, both at classical and quantum levels, as they may serve as seeds of real structures in the universe. Full article

Quantum gravity is expected to resolve the singularities of classical general relativity. Based on destructive interference of singular spacetime-configurations in the path integral, we find that higher-order curvature terms may allow to resolve black-hole singularities both in the spherically symmetric and axisymmetric case. In contrast, the Einstein action does not provide a dynamical mechanism for singularity-resolution through destructive interference of these configurations. Full article

We review the hypothetical interactions predicted beyond the Standard Model which could be constrained by using the results of tabletop laboratory experiments. These interactions are described by the power-type potentials with different powers, Yukawa potential, other spin-independent potentials, and by the spin-dependent potentials of different kinds. In all these cases the current constraints on respective hypothetical interactions are considered which follow from the Casimir effect and some other tabletop physics. The exotic particles and constraints on them are discussed in the context of problems of the quantum vacuum, dark energy, and the cosmological constant. Full article