Dark Energy with Phantom Crossing and the H0 Tension

We investigate the possibility of phantom crossing in the dark energy sector and the solution for the Hubble tension between early and late universe observations. We use robust combinations of different cosmological observations, namely the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), local measurement of Hubble constant (H0), Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) and SnIa for this purpose. For a combination of CMB+BAO data that is related to early universe physics, phantom crossing in the dark energy sector was confirmed at a 95% confidence level and we obtained the constraint H0=71.0−3.8+2.9 km/s/Mpc at a 68% confidence level, which is in perfect agreement with the local measurement by Riess et al. We show that constraints from different combinations of data are consistent with each other and all of them are consistent with phantom crossing in the dark energy sector. For the combination of all data considered, we obtained the constraint H0=70.25±0.78 km/s/Mpc at a 68% confidence level and the phantom crossing happening at the scale factor am=0.851−0.031+0.048 at a 68% confidence level.     

Individual and center-of-mass resonances in the motional spectrum of an electron cloud in a Penning trap

We have examined experimentally the motional spectrum of an electron cloud confined in a Penning trap. When the axial oscillation is excited by a radio frequency field the resonance exhibits a double structure. Both components depend differently on the number of trapped electrons and have different shape and width. We conclude that one of them corresponds to the excitation of the individual electrons while the other is the center-of-mass mode of the cloud. The threshold behaviour of the center-of-mass resonance suggests that it is a parametric instability of a Mathieu type equation of motion. Received 11 July 2001 and Received in final form 12 November 2001     

Simulation model for shapiro time delay and light deflection experiments

The time delay experiment proposed by I.I. Shapiro in 1964 and conducted in the seventies was the most precise experiment of general relativity until that time. Further experimentation has improved the accuracy level of both the time delay and the light deflection experiments. A simulation model is proposed that involves only a simple mass and time transformation factor involving velocity of light. The light deflection and the time delay experiments are numerically simulated using this model that does not use the general relativistic equations. The computed values presented in this paper compare well with recent levels of accuracy of their respective experimental results.     

Tunable narrow-band infrared emitters from hexagonal lattices

In this work, we present both the theoretical basis as well as supporting experimental measurements for development of a novel mid-infrared thermally stimulated narrow band emitter with a spectral bandwidth of less than 10%. To achieve this, we utilize a metallized-surface 2D photonic crystal of air voids in a silicon background with hexagonal structure symmetry. Our results are based on the generation of discrete surface plasmon (SP) modes in the thin metallized layer residing on the top surface. This yields a series of adequately spaced discrete peaks in the reflection spectrum, dominated by a single sharp feature corresponding to the lowest plasmon order, in an otherwise uniform highly reflective spectrum (>90%) over most of the IR spectrum. This, in turn, gives rise to a sharp absorption feature with a correspondingly narrow thermal emission peak in the emission spectrum. Transfer matrix calculations simulate well both the position and strengths of the absorption peaks. By altering the period of the surface photonic lattice, the SP peak and emissive band can be tuned to the desired wavelength. These devices promise a new class of tunable infrared emitters with high power in a narrow spectral bandwidth. Such narrow band sources are critical to achieving high efficiency gas sensors.     

Working group report: Neutrino and astroparticle physics

This is the report of neutrino and astroparticle physics working group at WHEPP-7. Discussions and work on CP violation in long baseline neutrino experiments, ultra high energy neutrinos, supernova neutrinos and water Cerenkov detectors are discussed.