Universe, Volume 8, Issue 2 (February 2022) – 82 articles

The transverse momentum spectra of ${\pi }^{+}$ (${\pi }^{-}$)(${\pi }^{+}+{\pi }^{-}$) at 6.3, 17.3, 31, 900 and 7000 GeV are analyzed by the blast-wave model with Tsallis statistics (TBW) in proton-proton collisions. We took the value of flow profile $n_0$ = 1 and 2 in order to see the difference in the results of the extracted parameters in the two cases. Different rapidity slices at 31 GeV are also analyzed, and the values of the related parameters, such as kinetic freeze-out temperature, transverse flow velocity and kinetic freeze-out volume, are obtained. The above parameters rise with the increase of collision energy, while at 31 GeV, they decrease with increasing rapidity, except for the kinetic freeze-out volume, which increases. We also extracted the parameter q, which is an entropy-based parameter, and its rising trend is noticed with increasing collision energy, while at 31 GeV, no specific dependence of q is observed on rapidity. In addition, the multiplicity parameter $N_0$ and mean transverse momentum are extracted, which increase with increasing collision energy and decrease with increasing rapidity. We notice that the kinetic freeze-out temperature and mean transverse momentum are slightly larger with $n_0$ = 2, while the transverse flow velocity is larger in the case of $n_0$ = 1, but the difference is very small and hence insignificant. Full article

We have used publicly available kinematic data for the S2 star to constrain the parameter space of MOdified Gravity. Integrating geodesics and using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm, we have provided the first constraint on the scales of the Galactic Centre for the parameter $\alpha$ of the theory, which represents the fractional increment of the gravitational constant G with respect to its Newtonian value. Namely, $\alpha \lesssim 0.662$ at 99.7% confidence level (where $\alpha =0$ reduces the theory to General Relativity). Full article

In a quantum gravity theory, spacetime at mesoscopic scales can acquire a novel structure very different from the classical concept of general relativity. A way to effectively characterize the quantum nature of spacetime is through a momentum dependent space-time metric. There is a vast literature showing that this geometry is related to relativistic deformed kinematics, which is precisely a way to capture residual effects of a quantum gravity theory. In this work, we study the notion of surface gravity in a momentum dependent Schwarzschild black hole geometry. We show that using the two main notions of surface gravity in general relativity we obtain a momentum independent result. However, there are several definitions of surface gravity, all of them equivalent in general relativity when there is a Killing horizon. We show that in our scheme, despite the persistence of a Killing horizon, these alternative notions only agree in a very particular momentum basis, obtained in a previous work, so further supporting its physical relevance. Full article

For more than two decades, the ERNA collaboration has investigated nuclear processes of astrophysical interest through the direct measurement of cross sections or the identification of the nucleosynthesis effects. Measurements of cross-section, reported in this publication, of radiative capture reactions have been mainly conducted using the ERNA Recoil Mass Separator, and more recently with an array of charged particle detector telescopes designed for nuclear astrophysics measurements. Some results achieved with ERNA will be reviewed, with a focus on the results most relevant for nucleosynthesis in AGB and advanced burning phases. Full article

The dynamics of the positive ions created by particle interactions inside argon time projection chambers plays an important role in characterizing the next generation of massive detectors planned for the direct search for dark matter and the study of neutrino properties. We have constructed a 1 L liquid argon chamber (ARION: ARgon ION experiment) with a high voltage pulse generator capable of injecting, in a controlled manner, a sizeable ion current into the drift region. This chamber is capable of reproducing a volume charge similar to that found in large detectors, allowing its effects to be studied systematically. New experimental results regarding ion dynamics in the liquid and direct demonstration of ion feedback from the gas to the liquid are discussed in this paper. In addition, a novel technique to measure the drift velocity of argon ions is introduced along with preliminary results obtained in gas. Full article

We report neutron star predictions based on our most recent equations of state. These are derived from chiral effective field theory, which allows for a systematic development of nuclear forces, order by order. We utilize high-quality two-nucleon interactions and include all three-nucleon forces up to fourth order in the chiral expansion. Our ab initio predictions are restricted to the domain of applicability of chiral effective field theory. However, stellar matter in the interior of neutron stars can be up to several times denser than normal nuclear matter at saturation, and its composition is essentially unknown. Following established practices, we extend our microscopic predictions to higher densities matching piecewise polytropes. The radius of the average-size neutron star, about 1.4 solar masses, is sensitive to the pressure at normal densities, and thus it is suitable to constrain ab initio theories of the equation of state. For this reason, we focus on the radius of medium-mass stars. We compare our results with other theoretical predictions and recent constraints. Full article

Gravitational waves provide a novel and powerful way to test astrophysical models of compact objects, early universe processes, beyond the Standard Model particle physics, dark matter candidates, Einstein’s theory of General Relativity and extended gravity models, and even quantum gravity candidate theories. A short introduction to the gravitational-wave background and the method we are using to detect it will be presented. Constraints on various astrophysical/cosmological models from the non-detectability of the gravitational-wave background will be discussed. Gravitational waves from transients will be highlighted and their physical implications will be summarised. Full article

This study focuses on the impact of the cosmological constant on hyperbolically symmetric matter configurations in a static background. I extend the work of Herrera et al. 2021. and describe the influences of such a repulsive character on a few realistic features of hyperbolical anisotropic fluids. After describing the Einstein-$\mathrm{\Lambda }$ equations of motion, I elaborate the corresponding mass function along with its conservation laws. In our study, besides observing negative energy density, I notice the formation of a Minkowskian core as matter content is compelled not to follow inward motion near the axis of symmetry. Three families of solutions are found in the $\mathrm{\Lambda }$-dominated epoch. The first is calculated by keeping the Weyl scalar to a zero value, while the second solution maintains zero complexity in the subsequent changes of the hyperbolical compact object. However, the last model encompasses stiff fluid within the self-gravitating system. Such a type of theoretical setup suggests its direct link to study a few particular quantum scenarios where negative behavior of energy density is noticed at the $\mathrm{\Lambda }$-dominated regime. Full article

Radioactive nuclei are the key to understanding the circumstances of the birth of our Sun because meteoritic analysis has proven that many of them were present at that time. Their origin, however, has been so far elusive. The ERC-CoG-2016 RADIOSTAR project is dedicated to investigating the production of radioactive nuclei by nuclear reactions inside stars, their evolution in the Milky Way Galaxy, and their presence in molecular clouds. So far, we have discovered that: (i) radioactive nuclei produced by $slow$ (${}^{107}$Pd and ${}^{182}$Hf) and $rapid$ (${}^{129}$I and ${}^{247}$Cm) neutron captures originated from stellar sources —asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars and compact binary mergers, respectively—within the galactic environment that predated the formation of the molecular cloud where the Sun was born; (ii) the time that elapsed from the birth of the cloud to the birth of the Sun was of the order of 10${}^7$ years, and (iii) the abundances of the very short-lived nuclei ${}^{26}$Al, ${}^{36}$Cl, and ${}^{41}$Ca can be explained by massive star winds in single or binary systems, if these winds directly polluted the early Solar System. Our current and future work, as required to finalise the picture of the origin of radioactive nuclei in the Solar System, involves studying the possible origin of radioactive nuclei in the early Solar System from core-collapse supernovae, investigating the production of ${}^{107}$Pd in massive star winds, modelling the transport and mixing of radioactive nuclei in the galactic and molecular cloud medium, and calculating the galactic chemical evolution of ${}^{53}$Mn and ${}^{60}$Fe and of the p-process isotopes ${}^{92}$Nb and ${}^{146}$Sm. Full article

We are focused on the idea that observables in quantum physics are a bit more then just hermitian operators and that this is, in general, a “tricky business”. The origin of this idea comes from the fact that there is a subtle difference between symmetric, hermitian, and self-adjoint operators which are of immense importance in formulating Quantum Mechanics. The theory of self-adjoint extensions is presented through several physical examples and some emphasis is given on the physical implications and applications. Full article

Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars are among the most important astrophysical sites influencing the nucleosynthesis and the chemical abundances in the Universe. From a pure nuclear point of view, several processes take part during this peculiar stage of stellar evolution thus requiring detailed experimental cross section measurements. Here, we report on the most recent results achieved via the application of the Trojan Horse Method (THM) and Asymptotic Normalization Coefficient (ANC) indirect techniques, discussing the details of the experimental procedure and the deduced reaction rates. In addition, we report also on the on going studies of interest for AGB nucleosynthesis. Full article

The functional renormalization group flow of a scalar field theory with quartic couplings and a sharp spatial momentum cutoff is presented in four-dimensional Minkowski space-time for the bare action by retaining the entanglement of the IR and the UV particle modes. It is argued that the open interaction channels have to be taken into account in quantum field theory defined by the help of a cutoff, and a non-perturbative UV-IR entanglement is found in closed or almost closed models. Full article

We show that upon applying Palatini $f\left(R\right)$, characterized by an $\alpha R^2$ term, within a scenario motivated by a temporal variation of strong coupling constant, then one obtains a quadratic kinetic energy. We do not drop this term, but rather study two extreme cases: $\alpha <<1$ and $\alpha >>1$. In both cases, one can generate a kinematically-induced inflationary paradigm. In order to fit the Planck 2018 data, the $\alpha >>1$ case, called k-inflation, requires a fine tuning adjustment with nonvanishing nonminimal coupling to gravity parameter $\xi$, whereas the $\alpha <<1$ case, studied in the constant-roll regime, can fit the data for vanishing $\xi$. The varying strong coupling inflation scenario remains viable when implemented through a warm inflation scenario with or without $f\left(R\right)$ gravity. Full article

This paper carries out a comparative investigation of the Total Electron Content (TEC) values calculated by using the NeQuick-2 and IRI-Plas 2017 models. The investigation was carried out for the solar maximum year of 2013–2014 with data from eight GPS stations within the equatorial and low latitude regions. The results show that both models agree quite well with the observed TEC values obtained from GPS measurements in all the stations, although with some overestimations and underestimations observed during the daytime and nighttime hours. The NeQuick-2 model, in general, performed better in months, seasons, and in most of the stations when the IRI-Plas overestimates the GPS-TEC. However, it is interesting to know that with an increase in solar activity in some seasons, the quality of forecasting IRI-Plas can improve, whereas for the NeQuick-2 model, it decreases, but this is not true for all the seasons and all the stations. Factors causing the discrepancies in the IRI-Plas data model might be caused by the plasmaspheric part included in the IRI, and it is found to be maximum at the MBAR (34%) station, whereas that of the NeQuick-2 data model is found to be maximum at the ADIS (47.7%) station. There is a latitudinal dependence for both models in which the prediction error decreases with the increasing latitudes. Full article

In this paper, an improved multi-source thermal model is used to analyze the transverse momentum spectra in $pp$ collisions at high energies, ranging from $\sqrt{{\mathit{s}}_{\mathit{NN}}}$ = 62.4 GeV to 7 TeV. Via a detailed comparison between the model results and experimental data at RHIC and LHC energies, the thermodynamic properties of particle production are decided. It is shown that the excitation factors of emission sources depend linearly on ln$\sqrt{{\mathit{s}}_{\mathit{NN}}}$ in the framework. Based on the variation regularity of the source excitation factors, transverse momentum spectra are predicted in $pp$ collisions at higher energies; potential future $pp$ colliders operating at $\sqrt{{\mathit{s}}_{\mathit{NN}}}$ = 33 and 100 TeV. Full article

Globular clusters are both primary fossils of galactic evolution and formation and are ideal laboratories for constraining the evolution of low-mass and metal-poor stars. RR Lyrae and type II Cepheid variables are low-mass, radially pulsating stars that trace old-age stellar populations. These stellar standard candles in globular clusters are crucial for measuring their precise distances and, in turn, absolute ages, and for the calibration of the extragalactic distance scale. Herein, the evolutionary stages of RR Lyrae and type II Cepheids are discussed, and their pulsation properties, including the light curves, color–magnitude and period–amplitude diagrams, and period–luminosity relations in globular clusters at optical and infrared wavelengths are presented. The RR Lyrae visual magnitude–metallicity relation and the multiband period–luminosity–metallicity relations in globular clusters covering a wide metallicity range are also discussed in detail for their application to the RR Lyrae-based distance scale. Full article

The field theoretic renormalization group is applied to the strongly nonlinear stochastic advection-diffusion equation. The turbulent advection is modelled by the Kazantsev–Kraichnan “rapid-change” ensemble. As a requirement of the renormalizability, the model necessarily involves infinite number of coupling constants (“charges”). The one-loop counterterm is calculated explicitly. The corresponding renormalization group equation demonstrates existence of a pair of two-dimensional surfaces of fixed points in the infinite-dimensional parameter space. If the surfaces contain infrared attractive regions, the problem allows for the large-scale, long-time scaling behaviour. For the first surface (advection is irrelevant), the critical dimensions of the scalar field ${\Delta }_{\theta }$, the response field ${\Delta }_{{\theta }^{\prime }}$ and the frequency ${\Delta }_{\omega }$ are nonuniversal (through the dependence on the effective couplings) but satisfy certain exact identities. For the second surface (advection is relevant), the dimensions are universal and they are found exactly. Full article

In cosmology, the analysis of observational evidence is very important when testing theoretical models of the Universe. Artificial neural networks are powerful and versatile computational tools for data modelling and have recently been considered in the analysis of cosmological data. The main goal of this paper is to provide an introduction to artificial neural networks and to describe some of their applications to cosmology. We present an overview on the fundamentals of neural networks and their technical details. Through three examples, we show their capabilities in the modelling of cosmological data, numerical tasks (saving computational time), and the classification of stellar objects. Artificial neural networks offer interesting qualities that make them viable alternatives for data analysis in cosmological research. Full article

Bigravity is one of the most natural modifications of General Relativity (GR), as it is based on the equivalence principle. However, its canonical structure appears rather complicated because of the unusual form of the interaction between two metrics. As a consequence, there are different approaches that are difficult to compare in detail. This work is a first attempt to obtain a synthetic picture of the Hamiltonian formalism for bigravity. Here, we are trying to combine two rather different approaches to gain a binocular view of the theory. The first publications on the subject were based on metric formalism. It was proved that both massive gravity and bigravity with de Rham–Gabadadze–Tolley (dRGT) potential were free of Boulware–Deser (BD) ghosts. This proof was based on the transformation of variables involving a $3\times 3$-matrix which could be treated as the root of a quadratic equation involving two spatial metrics and a new 3-vector introduced instead of the standard shift variable. Therefore, this matrix occurred as an implicit function of the abovementioned variables. After a substantial amount of time, it became possible to calculate the algebra of constraints in full using this method. However, in another approach also based on metric variables and implicit functions, similar calculations were completed earlier. It is not a new matrix, but the potential itself has been taken as an implicit function of two spatial metrics and four functions constructed of two pairs of lapses and shifts. Finally, a straightforward route to canonical bigravity is to apply tetrad (or vierbein) variables. The matrix square root involved in the dRGT potential can be explicitly extracted if tetrads fulfill the symmetry condition. A full treatment has been developed in first-order formalism by treating tetrads and connections as independent variables. In that case, the theory contains many more variables and constraints than in metric formalism. An essential simplification occurs in second-order vierbein formalism. The potential is given explicitly as a polynomial of bilinear combinations of the two tetrads. The $3\times 3$-matrix introduced in the pioneer papers can be expressed explicitly through canonical coordinates, and the celebrated transformation of variables arises in the Dirac constraint analysis. Full article

The Cosmic Neutrino Background (C$\nu$B) anisotropies for massive neutrinos are a unique probe of large-scale structure formation. The redshift-distance measure is completely different for massive neutrinos as compared to electromagnetic radiation. The C$\nu$B anisotropies in massive neutrinos grow in response to non-relativistic motion in gravitational potentials seeded by relatively high k-modes. Differences in the early phases of large-scale structure formation in warm dark matter (WDM) versus cold dark matter (CDM) cosmologies have an impact on the magnitude of the C$\nu$B anisotropies for contributions to the angular power spectrum that peak at high k-modes. We take the examples of WDM consisting of 2, 3, or 7 keV sterile neutrinos and show that the C$\nu$B anisotropies for 0.05 eV neutrinos drop off at high-l multipole moment in the angular power spectrum relative to CDM. At the same angular scales that one can observe baryonic acoustical oscillations in the CMB, the C$\nu$B anisotropies begin to become sensitive to differences in WDM and CDM cosmologies. The precision measurement of high-l multipoles in the C$\nu$B neutrino sky map is a potential possibility for the PTOLEMY experiment with thin film targets of spin-polarized atomic tritium superfluid that exhibit significant quantum liquid amplification for non-relativistic relic neutrino capture. Full article

For a pure SU(2) Yang–Mills theory in 4D, we revisit the spatial (3D), ball-like region of radius $r_0$ in its bulk subject to the pressureless, deconfining phase at $T_0=1.32T_c$, where $T_c$ denotes the critical temperature for the onset of the deconfining–preconfining phase transition. Such a region possesses finite energy density and represents the self-intersection of a figure-eight shaped center-vortex loop if a BPS monopole of core radius ∼$\frac{r_0}{52.4}$, isolated from its antimonopole by repulsion externally invoked through a transient shift of (anti)caloron holonomy (pair creation), is trapped therein. The entire soliton (vortex line plus region of self-intersection of mass $m_0$ containing the monopole) can be considered an excitation of the pressureless and energyless ground state of the confining phase. Correcting an earlier estimate of $r_0$, we show that the vortex-loop self-intersection region associates to the central part of a(n) (anti)caloron and that this region carries one unit of electric U(1) charge via the (electric-magnetic dually interpreted) charge of the monopole. The monopole core quantum vibrates at a thermodynamically determined frequency ${\omega }_0$ and is unresolved. For a deconfining-phase plasma oscillation about the zero-pressure background at $T=T_0$, we compute the lowest frequency ${\Omega }_0$ within a neutral and homogeneous spatial ball (no trapped monopole) in dependence of its radius $R_0$. For $R_0=r_0$ a comparison of ${\Omega }_0$ with ${\omega }_0$ reveals that the neutral plasma oscillates much slower than the same plasma driven by the oscillation of a monopole core. Full article

Following analogies with relativistic point particles and Schild strings, we show that the Einstein gravity and its strong coupling regime (or the Planck mass going to zero) are related to each other through a Laplace transform. The Feynman propagator of gravity in the strong coupling regime satisfies a functional diffusion equation in the three-metric space with the evolution parameter being the volume of spacetime. We conjecture that the relationship between both regimes is consistent with the existence of an evolution operator in which time is replaced by the volume of spacetime. Full article

Recently, the current authors have formulated and extensively explored a rather novel Painlevé–Gullstrand variant of the slow-rotation Lense–Thirring spacetime, a variant which has particularly elegant features—including unit lapse, intrinsically flat spatial 3-slices, and a separable Klein–Gordon equation (wave operator). This spacetime also possesses a non-trivial Killing tensor, implying separability of the Hamilton–Jacobi equation, the existence of a Carter constant, and complete formal integrability of the geodesic equations. Herein, we investigate the geodesics in some detail, in the general situation demonstrating the occurrence of “ultra-elliptic” integrals. Only in certain special cases can the complete geodesic integrability be explicitly cast in terms of elementary functions. The model is potentially of astrophysical interest both in the asymptotic large-distance limit and as an example of a “black hole mimic”, a controlled deformation of the Kerr spacetime that can be contrasted with ongoing astronomical observations. Full article

We discuss thermofield double QFT at real time, in the large N limit. First, we establish a (dynamical) symmetry, which we argue holds in general for the real-time portion of the Schwinger–Kelydish contour. At large N, this symmetry is seen to generate a one-parameter degeneracy of stationary collective solutions. The construction is explicitly worked out on an example of the $O\left(N\right)$ vector QFT. As a nontrivial application, we describe the construction of the corresponding (large N) thermofield double state in real-time collective formalism. Full article

The Primordial Group hypothesis states that only sufficiently young open clusters (OCs) can be multiple, and old OCs are essentially isolated. We tested this postulate through four different studies using a manual search of Gaia EDR3 and extensive literature. First, we revisited the work of de La Fuente Marcos and de La Fuente Marcos (2009), which states that only ca. 40% of OC pairs are of primordial origin. However, no plausible binary system among their proposed OC pairs having at least one member older than 0.1 Gyr was found. Second, we researched the OCs < 0.01 Gyr old in Tarricq et al. (2021) and found that ca. 71% of them remain in their primordial groups. Third, a similar study of the oldest OCs (age > 4 Gyr) showed that they are essentially alone. Forth, the well-known case of the double cluster in Perseus and some other binary systems described in the literature were also shown to accommodate the title hypothesis. A simplified bimodal model allows for retrieval of the overall fraction of related OCs (approximately 12–16%) from our results, assuming that young clusters remain associated at ~0.04 Gyr. The obtained results further support that OCs are born in groups (Casado 2021). Full article

The Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc (LSC) is the Spanish national hub for low radioactivity techniques and the associated scientific and technological applications. The concentration of the airborne radon is a major component of the radioactive budget in the neighborhood of the detectors. The LSC hosts a Radon Abatement System, which delivers a radon suppressed air with $1.1\pm 0.2$ mBq/m${}^3$ of ${}^{222}$Rn. The radon content in the air is continuously monitored with an Electrostatic Radon Monitor. Measurements with the double beta decay demonstrators NEXT-NEW and CROSS and the gamma HPGe detectors show the important reduction of the radioactive background due to the purified air in the vicinity of the detectors. We also discuss the use of this facility in the LSC current program which includes NEXT-100, low background biology experiments and radiopure copper electroformation equipment placed in the radon-free clean room. Full article

The unprecedented quality of the astrometric measurements obtained with the ESA Gaia spacecraft have initiated a revolution in Milky Way astronomy. Studies of star clusters in particular have been transformed by the precise proper motions and parallaxes measured by Gaia over the entire sky as well as Gaia’s deep all-sky photometry. This paper presents an overview of the many topics of cluster science that have been impacted by the Gaia DR1, DR2, and EDR3 catalogues from their release to the end of the year 2021. These topics include the identification of known clusters and the discovery of new objects, the formation of young clusters and associations, and the long-term evolution of clusters and their stellar content. In addition to the abundance of scientific results, Gaia is changing the way astronomers work with high-volume and high-dimensionality datasets and is teaching us precious lessons to deal with its upcoming data releases and with the large-scale astronomical surveys of the future. Full article

Open clusters appear as simple objects in many respects, with a high degree of homogeneity in their (initial) chemical composition, and the typical solar-scaled abundance pattern that they exhibit for the majority of the chemical species. The striking singularity is represented by heavy elements produced from the slow process of the neutron-capture reactions. In particular, young open clusters (ages less than a few hundred Myr) give rise to the so-called barium puzzle: that is an extreme enhancement in their [Be/Fe] ratios, up to a factor of four of the solar value, which is not followed by other nearby s-process elements (e.g., lanthanum and cerium). The definite explanation for such a peculiar trend is still wanting, as many different solutions have been envisaged. We review the status of this field and present our new results on young open clusters and the pre-main sequence star RZ Piscium. Full article

In this article, we review the status of the tension between the long-baseline accelerator neutrino experiments T2K and NOνA. The tension arises mostly due to the mismatch in the apappearance data of the two experiments. We explain how this tension arises based on ${\nu }_{\mu }\to {\nu }_e$ and ${\overline{\nu }}_{\mu }\to {\overline{\nu }}_e$ oscillation probabilities. We define the reference point of vacuum oscillation, maximal ${\theta }_{23}$ and ${\delta }_{\mathrm{CP}}$ and compute the ${\nu }_e/{\overline{\nu }}_e$ appearance events for each experiment. We then study the effects of deviating the unknown parameters from the reference point and the compatibility of any given set of values of unknown parameters with the data from T2K and NOνA. T2K observes a large excess in the ${\nu }_e$ appearance event sample compared to the expected ${\nu }_e$ events at the reference point, whereas NOνA observes a moderate excess. The large excess in T2K dictates that ${\delta }_{\mathrm{CP}}$ be anchored at −90° and that ${\theta }_{23} > \pi /4$ with a preference for normal hierarchy. The moderate excess at NOνA leads to two degenerate solutions: (a) NH, $0 < {\delta }_{\mathrm{CP}} < 180°$, and ${\theta }_{23} > \pi /4$; (b) IH, $-180° < {\delta }_{\mathrm{CP}} < 0$, and ${\theta }_{23} > \pi /4$. This is the main cause of tension between the two experiments. We review the status of three beyond standard model (BSM) physics scenarios, (a) non-unitary mixing, (b) Lorentz invariance violation, and (c) non-standard neutrino interactions, to resolve the tension. Full article