Conveners
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
- Aurelien Barrau (LPSC Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie (LPSC), Grenoble)
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
- Laura Covi (DESY)
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
- Laura Covi (DESY)
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
- Aurelien Barrau (LPSC Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie (LPSC), Grenoble)
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
- Stefan Westerhoff (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Marc Moniez
(IN2P3-CNRS)
23/07/2010, 14:00
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
Wide field astronomy has recently produced important results for the dark matter and dark energy problematics. I will summarize the scientific impact of the ongoing wide field surveys and focus on the future LSST program (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope). This program will use a 8.4 m diameter telescope, equipped with a 3.2 Gpixel wide field camera. Cosmological studies is one of his main objectives.
Prof.
Claudia de Rham
(Geneva University)
23/07/2010, 14:20
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
The idea of degravitation is to account for the small late time acceleration of the Universe by modifying gravity at large distances. After reviewing the fundamental aspects of degravitation, I will discuss the importance of interactions in models that can exhibit degravitation, and present the Galileon as a broader class of modifications of gravity. Finally I will establish a link between the...
Jason Steffen
(Fermilab)
23/07/2010, 14:40
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
A scalar field is a favorite candidate for the particle responsible for dark energy. However, few theoretical means exist that can simultaneously explain the observed acceleration of the Universe and evade tests of gravity. The chameleon mechanism, whereby the properties of a particle depend upon the local environment, is one possible avenue. I present the results of the Chameleon Afterglow...
Dr
Roman Nevzorov
(University of Hawaii)
23/07/2010, 14:55
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
It is well known that in no--scale supergravity global symmetries protect local supersymmetry (SUSY) and a zero value for the cosmological constant. The breakdown of these symmetries that ensures the vanishing of the vacuum energy density near
the physical vacuum leads to the natural realization of the multiple point principle (MPP) assumption, i.e. results in the set of degenerate vacua...
Mitsuo J. Hayashi
(Tokai University)
23/07/2010, 15:10
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
By using a string-inspired modular invariant supergravity model, which was proved well to explain WMAP observations appropriately, a mechanism of preheating just after the end of inflation is investigated. By using the canonically normalized and diagonalized scalars, the decay rates of these fields are calculated inflaton S into gauge sector fields.
The reheating temperature is estimated by...
Dr
Fabien Cavalier
(Laboratoire de l'Accelerateur Lineaire Orsay)
23/07/2010, 15:25
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
After several years of construction and commissioning, LIGO, GEO600 and Virgo gravitational waves detectors have reached or exceeded their foreseen sensitivities and are in operation for few years. Even if a first detection remains unlikely with these sensitivities, meaningful results from the astrophysical point of view have been obtained on gamma-ray bursts or pulsars for example. For the...
Dr
Marek Kos
(Syracuse University/CDMS)
24/07/2010, 09:00
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) is a world leader in sensitivity to Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). CDMS uses a combination of ionization and phonon energy to identify nuclear recoils arising from potential WIMP scatters. As published in Science vol. 327 p.1619, exposure from the final run of the CDMS-II detectors totalled 612 kg-days for the Ge detectors after...
Shin Ted Lin
(Academia Sinica)
24/07/2010, 09:20
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
Experiments with sub-keV sensitivities open a window to search for WIMPs at the mass range of less than 10 GeV and for axions through resonant absorption. We will present data taken with a 500-g Point Contact Germanium detector at the Kuo-Sheng Neutrino Laboratory in 2009-2010, which improve over previous sensitivities [1]. A dedicated experiment is now under preparation at the new China...
Prof.
Carter Hall
(University of Maryland)
24/07/2010, 09:35
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
Cosmological and astrophysical measurements indicate that our galaxy is filled with a new type of matter previously unknown to physics. This "dark matter" apparently has no electromagnetic or strong interactions, but an interaction of the strength of the weak nuclear force is strongly suggested by the data. The LUX collaboration is attempting to detect the faint signature of weakly interacting...
Jason Kumar
(University of Hawaii)
24/07/2010, 09:50
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
The recently proposed WIMPless dark matter scenario provides a dark matter candidate which can have a wide range of possible masses, while still retaining the naturally correct thermal relic density of the WIMP scenario. WIMPless dark matter thus leads to a broad array of possible signatures at current and upcoming experiments. We review the WIMPless scenario and discuss detection strategies....
Prof.
Pyungwon Ko
(KIAS)
24/07/2010, 10:10
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
We consider a hidden sector with new confining gauge theory similar to ordinary QCD, and show that the lightest mesons in the hidden sector (hidden sector pion h) are automatically stable as a consequence of flavor conservation of hidden sector strong interaction.There would be more than one neutral Higgs-like scalar bosons, and they could decay mainly into the CDM pair, if that decay channel...
Prof.
Shou-Hua Zhu
(ITP, Peking University)
24/07/2010, 11:00
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
Dark matter signature can be observed via the cosmic ray (electron/positron, neutrino, gamma, etc), as well as at LHC and/or low energy colliders (e.g. BES). In this talk, I will review our recent several studies on these aspects.
Prof.
Robert Johnson
(University of California at Santa Cruz)
24/07/2010, 11:20
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, formerly named GLAST, is a mission in low-Earth orbit to observe gamma rays from the cosmos in the broad energy range from 20 MeV to >300 GeV, with supporting observations of gamma-ray bursts from 8 keV to 30 MeV. The telescope far surpasses previous generations in its ability to detect and localize faint gamma-ray sources, as well as its ability to see...
Jean-Francois Glicenstein
(CEA)
24/07/2010, 11:40
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
The H.E.S.S. experiment is an array of four identical imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes in the Southern hemisphere, designed to observe very high energy gamma-rays (E $>$ 100 GeV). The annihilation of dark matter particles in large mass density astrophysical objects could produce detectable very high energy gamma-rays. The HESS collaboration has searched for a dark matter annihilation...
Oscar Adriani
(INFN Firenze)
24/07/2010, 12:00
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
Data on antiproton, proton, positron, electron cosmic rays between tens MeV and hundreds GeV have been obtained in four years in flight by the PAMELA experiment. The results have been theoretically studied in an extensive way as dark matter annihilation signals, as well as pulsar contributions and new mechanisms of acceleration and propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy. The instrument...
Esther Ferrer Ribas
(Laboratoire de l''Accelerateur Lineaire (LAL) (IN2P3) (LAL))
24/07/2010, 12:15
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
The status of the solar axion search with the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) will be discussed. Results from the first part of CAST phase II where the magnet bores were filled with 4He gas at variable pressure in order to scan ma up to 0.4 eV will be presented. From the absence of excess X-rays when the magnet was pointing to the Sun, we set a typical upper limit on the axion-photon...
Dr
Chad Finley
(Stockholm University)
24/07/2010, 14:00
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
Observations spanning TeV gamma rays to EeV cosmic rays suggest that a correlated flux of neutrinos within this energy range should also exist. The principal mission of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory is to detect these high energy neutrinos and identify their sources. The leading candidates are objects long suspected of accelerating cosmic rays, including supernova remnants, active galactic...
Prof.
Maurizio Spurio
(University of Bologna and INFN)
24/07/2010, 14:20
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
The ANTARES high-energy neutrino telescope is a three-dimensional array of 885 photomultipliers distributed over 12 lines, installed deep in the Mediterranean Sea and completed in May 2008. The detector is optimized for the detection of muon neutrinos in an energy range from a few hundred GeV up to 1 PeV. The main goal of the experiment is to probe the Universe by means of neutrino events in...
Prof.
Dejan Stojkovic
(SUNY at Buffalo)
24/07/2010, 14:40
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
Stellar evolution from a protostar to neutron star is of one of the best studied subjects in modern astrophysics. Yet, it appears that there is still a lot to learn about the extreme conditions where the fundamental particle physics meets strong gravity regime. After all of the thermonuclear fuel is spent, and after the supernova explosion, but before the remaining mass crosses its own...
Prof.
David Hanna
(McGill University)
24/07/2010, 14:55
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) is an array of four 12-m atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes located near Tucson, Arizona, USA. It is sensitive to astrophysical gamma rays at energies above 100 GeV. Since becoming fully operational in September 2007, VERITAS has detected a variety of sources, including active galactic nuclei, pulsar wind nebulae, and supernova...
Stefan Westerhoff
(University of Wisconsin-Madison)
24/07/2010, 15:15
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
Milagro, a water Cherenkov air shower detector located in the Jemez Mountains, operated from 2000 to 2008. With its wide field of view and nearly continuous operation, Milagro has shed new light on the TeV sky. As a gamma-ray detector, it has detected and monitored known sources such as the Crab Nebula and Markarian 421, and it has discovered TeV emission from a number of other sources. As...
Giovanni Marsella
(Università del Salento and INFN Lecce)
24/07/2010, 15:30
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
The ARGO-YBJ experiment, installed at the Yangbajing Cosmic Ray Laboratory (Tibet, China), at 4300 m a.s.l., is a detector 100x110m^2 large, made by a layer of Resistive Plate Counters (RPCs) consisting of a central carpet with almost full coverage extending over an area of about 5.500 m^2, surrounded by a guard ring with partial coverage. The high space-time granularity, the full-coverage...
Prof.
Martin Pohl
(Université de Genève)
24/07/2010, 16:15
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
I review the present experimental situation of high energy cosmic rays, in the GeV to multi-TeV region. Performance of existing instruments, spectrum and composition measurements are presented. Future instruments and their expected contributions to questions like cosmic ray origin, acceleration and propagation, as well as non-standard sources like dark matter are commented on.
pierre sokolsky
(university of Utah)
24/07/2010, 16:35
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
The High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) experiment studied ultrahigh energy cosmic rays using the fluorescence technique. HiRes had two fluorescence sites located atop desert mountains in west-central Utah, and ran from 1997-2006. Results from the complete HiRes data set will be presented, on the spectrum, composition, and anisotropy of cosmic rays.
Gordon Thomson
(University of Utah)
24/07/2010, 16:55
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
The Telescope Array (TA) Experiment is a hybrid experiment located in west-central Utah that studies ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. The TA experiment has a surface detector of 507 scintillation counters deployed on a 1.2 km grid, and three fluorescence detector stations arranged around the surface detector which overlook it. TA is the largest cosmic ray detector in the northern hemisphere. ...
Karl-Heinz Kampert
(Universität Wuppertal)
24/07/2010, 17:10
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
The Pierre Auger Observatory is a hybrid air shower experiment which uses multiple detection techniques to investigate the origin, spectrum, and composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. We present recent results on these topics and discuss their implications to the understanding the origin of the most energetic particles in nature as well as for physics beyond the Standard Model, such as...
Prof.
Glennys Farrar
(New York University)
24/07/2010, 17:30
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
Data relating to the composition and sources of UHECRs appear to be self-contradictory. The observations will be reviewed and the question will be addressed of whether there is any way to reconcile the observations. Different options and possible interpretations will be discussed.
Dr
Michael Unger
(Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)
24/07/2010, 17:45
11 - Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Parallel Session Talk
NA61/SHINE is a fixed-target experiment to study hadron production in hadron-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN SPS. Due to the very good acceptance and particle identification in forward direction, NA61/SHINE is well suited for measuring particle production to improve the reliability of air shower simulations. We show the energy and phase space regions of secondary particles...
