Search Results (20)

“If one could ever prove the existence of gravitational waves, the processes responsible for their generation would probably be much more curious and interesting than even the waves themselves.” (Gustav Mie, 1868–1957). The discovery of gravitational waves has opened new windows on astrophysics, cosmology and physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). Measurements by the LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA Collaborations of stellar–mass binaries and neutron star mergers have shown that gravitational waves travel at close to the velocity of light and constrain BSM possibilities, such as a graviton mass and Lorentz violation in gravitational wave propagation. Follow-up measurements of neutron star mergers have provided evidence for the production of heavy elements, possibly including some essential for human life. The gravitational waves in the nanoHz range observed by Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) may have been emitted by supermassive black hole binaries, but might also have originated from BSM cosmological scenarios such as cosmic strings, or phase transitions in the early Universe. The answer to the question in the title may be provided by gravitational-wave detectors at higher frequencies, such as LISA and atom interferometers. KCL-PH-TH/2024-05. Full article

In this paper, I investigate gravitational thermodynamics of the Einstein–Maxwell–scalar system in three dimensions without a cosmological constant. In a previous work by Krishnan, Shekhar, and Bala Subramanian, it was argued that this system has no BH saddles, but has only empty (flat space) saddles and boson star saddles. It was then concluded that the structure of the thermodynamic phase space is much simpler than in the higher-dimensional cases. I will show that, in addition to the known boson star and empty saddles, three more types of saddles exist in this system: the BG saddle, its hairy generalization, and a novel configuration called the boson star-PL saddle. As a result, the structure is richer than one might naively expect and is very similar to the higher-dimensional ones. Full article

Neutron stars (NSs), among the densest objects in the universe, are exceptional laboratories for investigating the properties of dark matter (DM). Recent theoretical and observational developments have heightened interest in exploring the impact of DM on NS structure, giving rise to the concept of dark matter admixed neutron stars (DANSs). This review examines how NSs can accumulate DM over time, potentially altering their fundamental properties. We explore the leading models describing DM behavior within NSs, focusing on the effects of both bosonic and fermionic candidates on key features such as mass, radius, and tidal deformability. Additionally, we review how DM can modify the cooling and heating processes, trigger the formation of a black hole, and impact gravitational wave (GW) emissions from binary systems. By synthesizing recent research, this work highlights how DANSs might produce observable signatures, offering new opportunities to probe DM’s properties through astrophysical phenomena. Full article

The ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) puzzle is reviewed under the hints of a few basic results: clustering, anisotropy, asymmetry, bending, and composition changes with energies. We show how the lightest UHECR nuclei from the nearest AGN or Star-Burst sources, located inside a few Mpc Local Sheets, may explain, at best, the observed clustering of Hot Spots at tens EeV energy. Among the possible local extragalactic candidate sources, we derived the main contribution of very few galactic sources. These are located in the Local Sheet plane within a distance of a few Mpc, ejecting UHECR at a few tens of EeV energy. UHECR also shine at lower energies of several EeV, partially feeding the Auger dipole by LMC and possibly a few nearer galactic sources. For the very recent highest energy UHECR event, if a nucleon, it may be explained by a model based on the scattering of UHE ZeV neutrinos on low-mass relic neutrinos. Such scatterings are capable of correlating, via Z boson resonance, the most distant cosmic sources above the GZK bound with such an enigmatic UHECR event. Otherwise, these extreme events, if made by the heaviest composition, could originate from the largest bending trajectory of heaviest nuclei or from nearby sources, even galactic ones. In summary, the present lightest to heavy nuclei model UHECR from the Local Sheet could successfully correlate UHECR clustering with the nearest galaxies and AGN. Heavy UHECR may shine by being widely deflected from the Local Sheet or from past galactic, GRB, or SGR explosive ejection. Full article

To this day, the nature of dark matter (DM) remains elusive despite all our efforts. This type of matter has not been directly observed, so we infer its gravitational effect. Since galaxies and supermassive objects like these are most likely to contain DM, we assume that dense objects such as neutron stars (NSs) are also likely to host DM. The NS is considered the best natural laboratory for testing theories and collecting observational data. We mainly focus on two types of DM particles, fermions and bosons, with a mass range of [0.01–1.5] GeV and repulsive interactions of about [${10}^{-4}$–${10}^{-1}$] ${\mathrm{MeV}}^{-1}$. Using a two-fluid model to solve the TOV equations, we find stable configurations that span hundreds of kilometers and weigh tens or even hundreds of solar masses. To visualize results, we think of a giant invisible compact DM object and the NS in the center as the core, the only visible part. Stability criteria are met for these configurations, so collapsing into a black hole is unlikely. We go further and use this work for smaller formations that exist inside the mysterious Mass Gap. We also find stable configurations of 3–4 solar masses, with NS-DM mixing capable of describing the mass gap. Regardless, the present theoretical prediction, if combined with corresponding observations, could shed light on the existence of DM and even more on its fundamental properties. Full article

Background: From new results presented in the literature we discuss the hypothesis, presented in an our previous work, that the ultrafast periodic spectral modulations at $f_S=0.607\pm 0.08$ THz found in the spectra of 236 stars of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) were due to oscillations induced by dark matter (DM) cores in their centers that behave as oscillating boson stars. Two other frequencies were found by Borra in the redshift-corrected SDSS galactic spectra, $f_{1,G}={9.71}_{-0.19}^{+0.20}$ THz and $f_{2,G}={9.17}_{-0.16}^{+0.18}$ THz; the latter was then shown by Hippke to be a spurious frequency introduced by the data analysis procedure. Results: Within the experimental errors, the frequency $f_{1,G}$ is the beating of the two frequencies, the spurious one, $f_{2,G}$ and $f_S$ that was also independently detected in a real solar spectrum, but not in the Kurucz’s artificial solar spectrum by Hippke, suggesting that $f_S$ could actually be a real frequency. Independent SETI observations by Isaacson et al., taken at different epochs, of four of these 236 stars could not confirm with high confidence—without completely excluding—the presence of $f_S$ in their power spectra and with the same power initially observed. Instead, the radio SETI deep-learning analysis with artificial intelligence (AI) gave an indirect confirmation of the presence of $f_S$ through the detection of a narrowband Doppler drifting of the observed radio signals in two stars, over a sample of 7 with a high S/N. These two stars belong to the set of the 236 SDSS stars. Numerical simulations confirm that this drifting can be due to frequency and phase modulation in time of the observed frequencies (1.3–1.7 GHz) with $f_S$. Conclusions: Assuming the DM hypothesis, the upper mass limit of the axion-like DM particle is $m_a\simeq 2.4\times {10}^3\mathsf{\mu }\mathrm{eV}$, in agreement with the results from the gamma ray burst GRB221009A, laser interferometry experiments, suggesting new physics with additional axion-like particle fields for the muon g-2 anomaly. Full article

The presence of dark matter (DM) within neutron stars (NSs) can be introduced by different accumulation scenarios in which DM and baryonic matter (BM) may interact only through the gravitational force. In this work, we consider asymmetric self-interacting bosonic DM, which can reside as a dense core inside the NS or form an extended halo around it. It is seen that depending on the boson mass ($m_{\chi }$), self-coupling constant ($\lambda$) and DM fraction ($F_{\chi }$), the maximum mass, radius and tidal deformability of NSs with DM admixture will be altered significantly. The impact of DM causes some modifications in the observable features induced solely by the BM component. Here, we focus on the widely used nuclear matter equation of state (EoS) called DD2 for describing NS matter. We show that by involving DM in NSs, the corresponding observational parameters will be changed to be consistent with the latest multi-messenger observations of NSs. It is seen that for $m_{\chi }\gtrsim 200$ MeV and $\lambda \lesssim 2\pi$, DM-admixed NSs with $4\%\lesssim F_{\chi }\lesssim 20\%$ are consistent with the maximum mass and tidal deformability constraints. Full article

Dark matter could accumulate around neutron stars in sufficient amounts to affect their global properties. In this work, we study the effect of a specific model for dark matter—a massive and self-interacting vector (spin-1) field—on neutron stars. We describe the combined systems of neutron stars and vector dark matter using Einstein–Proca theory coupled to a nuclear matter term and find scaling relations between the field and metric components in the equations of motion. We construct equilibrium solutions of the combined systems, compute their masses and radii, and also analyze their stability and higher modes. The combined systems admit dark matter (DM) core and cloud solutions. Core solutions compactify the neutron star component and tend to decrease the total mass of the combined system. Cloud solutions have the inverse effect. Electromagnetic observations of certain cloud-like configurations would appear to violate the Buchdahl limit. This could make Buchdahl-limit-violating objects smoking gun signals for dark matter in neutron stars. The self-interaction strength is found to significantly affect both mass and radius. We also compare fermion Proca stars to objects where the dark matter is modeled using a complex scalar field. We find that fermion Proca stars tend to be more massive and geometrically larger than their scalar field counterparts for equal boson masses and self-interaction strengths. Both systems can produce degenerate masses and radii for different amounts of DM and DM particle masses. Full article

Inspired by the well-known anomaly in the lifetime of the neutron, we investigated its consequences inside neutron stars. We first assessed the viability of the neutron decay hypothesis suggested by Fornal and Grinstein within neutron stars, in terms of the equation of state and compatibility with observed properties. This was followed by an investigation of the constraint information on neutron star cooling that can be placed on the decay rate of the dark boson into standard model particles, in the context of various BSM ideas. Full article

Neutron stars are like nuclear physics laboratories, providing a unique opportunity to apply and search for new physics. In that spirit, we explored novel concepts of nuclear physics studied in a neutron star environment. Firstly, we investigated the reported 17 MeV boson, which has been proposed as an explanation to the ${}^8$Be, ${}^4$He and ${}^{12}$C anomaly, in the context of its possible influence on the neutron star structure, defining a universal Equation of State. Next, we investigated the synthesis of hyper-heavy elements under conditions simulating the neutron star environment. Full article

Within the scope of the Symmetry journal special issue on: “The Nuclear Physics of Neutron Stars”, we complemented the nuclear equation of state (EoS) with a hypothetical $17$ MeV boson and observed that only instances with an admixture of 30%–40% satisfy all of the constraints. The successful EoS resulted in a radius of around 13 km for a neutron star with mass $M_{NS}\approx 1.4M\odot$ and in a maximum mass of around $M_{NS}\approx 2.5M\odot$. The value of the radius is in agreement with the recent measurement by NICER. The maximum mass is also in agreement with the mass of the remnant of the gravitational wave event GW190814. Thus, it appears that these EoSs satisfy all of the existing experimental constraints and can be considered as universal nuclear equations of state. Full article

Continuous gravitational waves are long-lasting forms of gravitational radiation produced by persistent quadrupolar variations of matter. Standard expected sources for ground-based interferometric detectors are neutron stars presenting non-axisymmetries such as crustal deformations, r-modes or free precession. More exotic sources could include decaying ultralight boson clouds around spinning black holes. A rich suite of data-analysis methods spanning a wide bracket of thresholds between sensitivity and computational efficiency has been developed during the last decades to search for these signals. In this work, we review the current state of searches for continuous gravitational waves using ground-based interferometer data, focusing on searches for unknown sources. These searches typically consist of a main stage followed by several post-processing steps to rule out outliers produced by detector noise. So far, no continuous gravitational wave signal has been confidently detected, although tighter upper limits are placed as detectors and search methods are further developed. Full article

Evidence is reported that topological effects in graph-shaped arrays of superconducting islands can condition superconducting energy gap and transition temperature. The carriers giving rise to the new phase are couples of electrons (Cooper pairs) which, in the superconducting state, behave as predicted for bosons in our structures. The presented results have been obtained both on star and double comb-shaped arrays and the coupling between the islands is provided by Josephson junctions whose potential can be tuned by external magnetic field or temperature. Our peculiar technique for probing distribution on the islands is such that the hopping of bosons between the different islands occurs because their thermal energy is of the same order of the Josephson coupling energy between the islands. Both for star and double comb graph topologies the results are in qualitative and quantitative agreement with theoretical predictions. Full article

We review the effective field theory associated with the superfluid phonons that we use for the study of transport properties in the core of superfluid neutrons stars in their low temperature regime. We then discuss the shear and bulk viscosities together with the thermal conductivity coming from the collisions of superfluid phonons in neutron stars. With regard to shear, bulk, and thermal transport coefficients, the phonon collisional processes are obtained in terms of the equation of state and the superfluid gap. We compare the shear coefficient due to the interaction among superfluid phonons with other dominant processes in neutron stars, such as electron collisions. We also analyze the possible consequences for the r-mode instability in neutron stars. As for the bulk viscosities, we determine that phonon collisions contribute decisively to the bulk viscosities inside neutron stars. For the thermal conductivity resulting from phonon collisions, we find that it is temperature independent well below the transition temperature. We also obtain that the thermal conductivity due to superfluid phonons dominates over the one resulting from electron-muon interactions once phonons are in the hydrodynamic regime. As the phonons couple to the Z electroweak gauge boson, we estimate the associated neutrino emissivity. We also briefly comment on how the superfluid phonon interactions are modified in the presence of a gravitational field or in a moving background. Full article

We present an overview of multisoliton chains arising in various non-integrable field theories and discuss different mechanisms which may lead to the occurrence of such axially-symmetric classical solutions. We explain the pattern of interactions between different solitons, in particular Q-balls, Skyrmions, and monopoles, and show how chains of interacting non-BPS solitons may form in a dynamic equilibrium between repulsive and attractive forces. Full article