Tuesdays 10:30 - 11:30 | Fridays 11:30 - 12:30
Showing votes from 2016-01-22 12:30 to 2016-01-26 11:30 | Next meeting is Tuesday May 12th, 10:30 am.
We estimate the expected event rate of gravitational wave signals from mergers of supermassive black holes that could be resolved by a space-based interferometer, such as the Evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA), utilising cosmological hydrodynamical simulations from the EAGLE suite. These simulations assume a $\Lambda$CDM cosmogony with state-of-the-art subgrid models for radiative cooling, star formation, stellar mass loss, and feedback from stars and accreting black holes. They have been shown to reproduce the observed galaxy population with unprecedented fidelity. We combine the merger rates of supermassive black holes in EAGLE with a model to calculate the gravitational waves signals from the intrinsic parameters of the black holes. The EAGLE models predict $\sim2$ detections per year by a gravitational wave detector such as eLISA. We find that these signals are largely dominated by mergers between $10^5 \textrm{M}_{\odot} h^{-1}$ seed mass black holes merging at redshifts between $z\sim2.5$ and $z\sim0.5$. In order to investigate the dependence on the assumed black hole seed mass, we introduce an additional model with black hole seed mass an order of magnitude smaller than in our reference model. We find that the merger rate is similar in both models, but that the scenarios could be distinguished through their detected gravitational waveforms. Hence, the characteristic gravitational wave signals detected by eLISA will provide profound insight into the origin of supermassive black holes and the initial mass distribution of black hole seeds.
We investigate the cosmological applications of new gravitational scalar-tensor theories, which are novel modifications of gravity possessing 2+2 propagating degrees of freedom, arising from a Lagrangian that includes the Ricci scalar and its first and second derivatives. Extracting the field equations we obtain an effective dark energy sector that consists of both extra scalar degrees of freedom, and we determine various observables. We analyze two specific models and we obtain a cosmological behavior in agreement with observations, i.e. transition from matter to dark energy era, with the onset of cosmic acceleration. Additionally, for a particular range of the model parameters, the equation-of-state parameter of the effective dark energy sector can exhibit the phantom-divide crossing. These features reveal the capabilities of these theories, since they arise solely from the novel, higher-derivative terms.
Strongly gravitationally lensed quasar-galaxy systems allow us to compare competing cosmologies as long as one can be reasonably sure of the mass distribution within the intervening lens. In this paper, we assemble a catalog of 69 such systems, and carry out a one-on-one comparison between the standard model, LCDM, and the R_h=ct Universe. We find that both models account for the lens observations quite well, though the precision of these measurements does not appear to be good enough to favor one model over the other. Part of the reason is the so-called bulge-halo conspiracy that, on average, results in a baryonic velocity dispersion within a fraction of the optical effective radius virtually identical to that expected for the whole luminous-dark matter distribution. Given the limitations of doing precision cosmological testing using the current sample, we also carry out Monte Carlo simulations based on the current lens measurements to estimate how large the source catalog would have to be in order to rule out either model at a ~99.7% confidence level. We find that if the real cosmology is LCDM, a sample of ~200 strong gravitational lenses would be sufficient to rule out R_h=ct at this level of accuracy, while ~300 strong gravitational lenses would be required to rule out LCDM if the real Universe were instead R_h=ct. The difference in required sample size reflects the greater number of free parameters available to fit the data with LCDM. We point out that, should the R_h=ct Universe eventually emerge as the correct cosmology, its lack of any free parameters for this kind of work will provide a remarkably powerful probe of the mass structure in lensing galaxies, and a means of better understanding the origin of the bulge-halo conspiracy.
Scalar-tensor theories of gravity can lead to modifications of the gravitational force inside astrophysical objects. We exhibit that compact stars such as white dwarfs provide a unique set-up to test such deviations from Newtonian gravitational physics inside the stars. We obtain stringent and independent constraints on the parameter $\Upsilon$ characterizing the deviations from gravity using the mass-radius relation, the Chandrasekhar mass limit and the maximal rotational frequency of white dwarfs. We find that white dwarfs impose stronger constraints on $\Upsilon$ than the red and brown dwarfs.
A new model of nonlinear electrodynamics with a dimensional parameter $\beta$ coupled to gravity is considered. We show that an accelerated expansion of the universe takes place if the nonlinear electromagnetic field is the source of the gravitational field. A pure magnetic universe is investigated and the magnetic field drives the universe to accelerate. In this model, after the big bang, the universe undergoes inflation, and the accelerated expansion and then decelerates approaching Minkowski spacetime asymptotically. We demonstrate the causality of the model and a classical stability at the deceleration phase.
Given a set of multipartite entangled states, can we find a common state to prepare them by local operations and classical communication? Such a state, if exists, will be a common resource for the given set of states. We completely solve this problem for bipartite pure states case by explicitly constructing a unique optimal common resource state for any given set of states. In the multipartite setting, the general problem becomes quite complicated, and we focus on finding nontrivial common resources for the whole multipartite state space of given dimensions. We show that GHZ_3 is a nontrivial common resource for three-qubit systems.