Can semi-classical wormholes solve the cosmological horizon problem?

Measurements of the cosmic microwave background (cmb) radiation provide the strongest evidence for the isotropy of the observable universe on the largest scales. However, thecmb is received from regions which were not in causal contact at the time of last scattering. This is the horizon problem and the generally accepted solution is to invoke an inflationary period in the early universe. We consider the possibility that the universe did not necessarily inflate, but was filled with a network of evolving wormholes connecting otherwise causally disjoint regions. These wormholes emerged naturally from the Planck epoch and need only have stayed open for a very brief time (t<10^–34 sec) in order to have thermalized the early universe.     

Can EMMA solve the puzzle of the knee?

The knee is a change in the slope of the cosmic ray spectrum at approximate energy of 3 PeV. There are multiple competing models for the knee giving conflicting predictions about this change for different masses of the primary particle. Accurate mass measurements of cosmic rays spectra around 3 PeV would be able to exclude some of these models. Cosmic-ray experiment EMMA uses a new method for studying the composition of cosmic rays at the knee area. It is able to determine the multiplicity, the lateral distribution, and the arrival direction of incoming muons produced early in the shower evolution on an event-by-event basis and deduce from these measurements the mass and the energy of the primary particle. EMMA is situated at the depth of 75 m in the Pyhäsalmi mine, Finland. This rock overburden, which corresponds to 210 m of water equivalent, gives EMMA a cut-off energy of 50 GeV for vertical muons. Since the simulations using different air-shower models give similar predictions for the lateral distribution of these high energy muons, we are confident that EMMA should yield a reliable and an air-shower model independent data on the composition of cosmic rays around the knee region.     

Can a large neutron excess help solve the baryon loading problem in gamma-Ray burst fireballs?

We point out that the baryon loading problem in gamma-ray burst (GRB) models can be ameliorated if a significant fraction of the baryons which inertially confine the fireball is converted to neutrons. A high neutron fraction can result in a reduced transfer of energy from relativistic light particles in the fireball to baryons. The energy needed to produce the required relativistic flow in the GRB is consequently reduced, in some cases by orders of magnitude. A high neutron-to-proton ratio has been calculated in neutron star-merger fireball environments. Significant neutron excess also could occur near compact objects with high neutrino fluxes.     

Can the breaking of time-reversal symmetry remove degeneracies in quantum mechanics?

Reduction of spatial symmetry can remove the degeneracy of energy levels in quantum mechanics. The break of time-reversal symmetry by inclusion of a dissipative environment can have a similar effect. The corresponding time-evolution of position and momentum fluctuations can be described by a nonlinear differential equation that can lead to bifurcations and, thus, splitting of energy levels.     

What is the problem in the locality problem?

In connection with my previous paper Locality, Reflection, and Wave-Particle Duality [Found. Phys. 17, 813 (1987)], in this paper I distinguish explicitly, in the locality problem, between assertions, deductively established results, interpretations, intuitions, and facts. This clarifies the structure of the problem.     

Kähler-curvature effects can solve the initial condition problem in inflation

In a large class of non-linear σ-models there at tree level important effects due to the curvature of the field manifold. We show how these can provide naturally the initial conditions necessary for inflation.     

The non-commutative oscillator, symmetry and the Landau problem

The isotropic oscillator on a plane is discussed where the coordinate and momentum space are both considered to be non-commutative. We also discuss the symmetry properties of the oscillator for three separate cases when the non-commutative parameters Θ and for x and p-space, respectively, satisfy specific relations. We compare the Landau problem with the isotropic oscillator on non-commutative space and obtain a relation between the two non-commutative parameters and the magnetic field of the Landau problem.     

Why “modal” interpretations of quantum mechanics don't solve the measurement problem

According to modal interpretations of quantum mechanics, an observable Q can possess a definite value even when the quantum state is not an eigenstate of Q. In this paper, I discuss some interpretive difficulties faced by modal theorists. First, expanding upon Albert and Loewer, I identify two reasons why real-life measurements are never ideal, and I discuss why these considerations bode ill for modal interpretations. Second, I show that modal interpretations provide a less satisfactory explanation of interference effects than is provided by pilot-wave interpretations.     

Can the spin-orbit interaction break the channel degeneracy (conservation) of the two-channel orbital Kondo problem?

Two-level systems (TLS) interacting with conduction electrons are possibly described by the two-channel Kondo Hamiltonian. In this case the channel degeneracy is due to the real spin of the electrons. The possibility of breaking that degeneracy (conservation) has interest on his own. In fact, we show that the interaction of the conduction electrons with a spin-orbit scatterer nearby the TLS leads to the breaking of the channel degeneracy (conservation) only in the case of electron-hole symmetry breaking. The generated channel symmetry breaking TLS-electron couplings are, however, too weak to result in any observable effects.Received: 21 October 2003, Published online: 8 December 2003PACS: 72.15.Cz Electrical and thermal conduction in amorphous and liquid metals and alloys - 72.10.Fk Scattering by point defects, dislocations, surfaces, and other imperfections (including Kondo effect) - 71.55.-i Impurity and defect levels     

Is monopole catalyzed nucleon decay detectable?

We point out that bound states of magnetic monopoles and nuclei could strongly enhance catalyzed nucleon decay, and compensate even for very large {O(10¹⁵)} suppressions of the intrinsic Callan-Rubakov cross sections. A scenario which avoids the neutron star bounds and which may lead to observable catalyzed nucleon decays is suggested.     

Is the standard model saved asymptotically by conformal symmetry?

Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics - It is pointed out that the top-quark and Higgs masses and the Higgs VEV with great accuracy satisfy the relations 4m 2 = 2m 2 = v 2, which are very...     

Could dynamical Lorentz symmetry breaking induce the superluminal neutrinos?

A toy fermion model coupled to the Lagrange multiplier constraint field is proposed. The possibility of superluminal neutrino propagation as a result of dynamical Lorentz symmetry breaking is studied.     

Is chiral symmetry restored in the excited meson spectrum?

The large degeneracy observed in the excited meson spectrum by the Cristal Barrel Collaboration in the experimental data on proton–antiproton annihilation in flight into mesons in the range 1.9–2.4 GeV has been interpreted as a signal of chiral symmetry restoration. In this work we suggest that such degeneracy may be an indication of the confinement potential modification by color screening. The experimental data can be fairly well reproduced in a constituent quark model with a screened linear confinement potential without changing the dynamical quark mass. Observables that could discriminate our model from those which explicitly restore the chiral symmetry are proposed.     

Can the Past Be Changed?

The paper shows that the past, history in a non-technical sense, can be changed in quantum mechanics. The first part of the paper reviews Deutsch's analysis in his paper of 1991. It is demonstrated that Deutsch assumes the existence of a multiplicity of essentially classical worlds. Such a multiplicity of worlds would allow the past to be changed in classical mechanics. It is argued that the existence of multiple classical worlds is not required by quantum mechanics. It is then shown that it is possible to change the past in conventional quantum mechanics even without the assumption of a multiplicity of worlds.