Related papers: Universes without the Weak Force: Astrophysical Pr…
Understanding the equation of state of dense nuclear matter is a fundamental challenge for nuclear physics. It is especially timely and interesting challenge as we have reached a period where neutron stars, which contain the most dense…
If the universe is slightly non-extensive, and the distribution functions are not exactly given by those of Boltzmann-Gibbs, the primordial production of light elements will be non-trivially modified. In particular, the principle of…
A new observation of D in a primordial gas cloud, made using the high resolution spectrograph at the Keck telescope, indicates an abundance $ D/H =(1.9-2.5) \times 10^{-4}$ \cite{SCHR}. Since deuterium is destroyed by stars, and the…
The history of dark universe physics can be traced from processes in the very early universe to the modern dominance of dark matter and energy. Here, we review the possible nontrivial role of strong interactions in cosmological effects of…
A nucleus is a quantum many body system made of strongly interacting Fermions, protons and neutrons (nucleons). This produces a rich Nuclear Equation of State whose knowledge is crucial to our understanding of the composition and evolution…
Primordial nucleosynthesis provides a probe of the Universe during its early evolution. Given the progress exploring the constituents, structure, and recent evolution of the Universe, it is timely to review the status of Big Bang…
Within the context of hot big-bang cosmology, a cosmic background of presently low energy neutrinos is predicted to exist in concert with the photons of the cosmic background radiation. The number density of the cosmological neutrinos is of…
Recent observations of Type Ia supernovae provide evidence for the acceleration of our universe, which leads to the possibility that the universe is entering an inflationary epoch. We simulate it under a ``big bounce'' model, which contains…
We discuss a quantum-statistical feature of non-relativistic identical fermions whose interaction is predominantly attractive at low energies. Specifically, we consider exotic, multi-neutron nuclei. From the enhancement of an arbitrarily…
In the framework of the standard, hot big bang cosmological model the dynamics of the early evolution of the universe is controlled by the energy density of relativistic particles, among which neutrinos play an important role. In…
Theories with several hundred axion fields have enormous numbers of distinct meta-stable minima. A small fraction of these local minima have vacuum energy compatible with current measurements of dark energy. The potential also contains…
We calculate the reaction cross-sections for the fusion of hydrogen and deuterium in strong magnetic fields as are believed to exist in the atmospheres of neutron stars. We find that in the presence of a strong magnetic field ($B \gsim…
Nucleon spin fluctuations in a dense medium reduce the ``naive'' values of weak interaction rates (neutrino opacities, neutrino emissivities). We extend previous studies of this effect to the degenerate case which is appropriate for neutron…
We study the primordial neutron to baryon ratio in a cosmological expanding background within the context of non-extensive statistics, in a fully analytical approach. First order corrections to the weak interaction rates and energy…
The fragile light elements lithium, beryllium, and boron are easily destroyed in stellar interiors, and are thus superb probes of physical processes occuring in the outer stellar layers. The light elements are also excellent tracers of the…
The importance of the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) as a unique tool for studying neutrino properties is discussed, and the recent steps towards a self-consistent and robust handling of the weak reaction decoupling from the thermal bath as…
Cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations suggest the possibility of an extra dark radiation component, while the current evidence from big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) is more ambiguous. Dark radiation from a decaying particle can…
The gravitino may well play an important role in cosmology, not only because its interactions are Planck-suppressed and therefore long-lived, but also because it is copiously produced via various processes such as particle scatterings in…
Theories beyond the standard model include a number of new particles some of which might be light and weakly coupled to ordinary matter. Such particles affect equation of state of nuclear matter and can shift admissible masses of neutron…
The flux of neutrinos and photons originating from cosmic ray interactions with the interstellar medium in the galaxy is calculated based on current models for high energy particle interactions. The contribution from a possible dark matter…