Inflation, Cosmic Perturbations and Non-Gaussianities
We review the theory of inflationary perturbations. Perturbations at both linear and nonlinear orders are reviewed. We also review a variety of inflation models, emphasizing their signatures on cosmic perturbations.

title: Quasi-Single Field Inflation and Non-Gaussianities
abstract: In quasi-single field inflation models, massive isocurvature modes, that are coupled to the inflaton and have mass of order the Hubble parameter, can have nontrivial impacts on density perturbations, especially non-Gaussianities. We study a simple example of quasi-single field inflation in terms of turning inflaton trajectory. Large bispectra with a one-parameter family of novel shapes arise, lying between the well-known local and equilateral shape. The trispectra can also be very large and its magnitude tNL can be much larger than fNL2.

title: CMB statistical anisotropies of classical and quantum origins
abstract: We examine the impact of different anisotropic relics on inflation, in particular the predictions on the density perturbations. These relics can be the source of the large scale anomalies in the cosmic microwave background. There are two different types of background relics, one from the matter sector and the other purely from the metric. Although the angular-dependence of the statistical anisotropy in both cases are degenerate, the scale-dependence are observationally distinctive. In addition, we demonstrate that non-Bunch-Davies vacuum states can extend the statistical anisotropy to much shorter scales, and leave a scale-dependence that is insensitive to the different backgrounds but sensitive to the initial quantum state.

title: Non-Gaussianity, isocurvature perturbation, gravitational waves, and a no-go theorem for the isocurvaton
abstract: We investigate the isocurvaton model, in which the isocurvature perturbation plays a role in suppressing the curvature perturbation, and large non-Gaussianity and gravitational waves can be produced with no isocurvature perturbation for dark matter. We show that in the slow-roll noninteracting multifield theory, the isocurvaton mechanism cannot be realized. This result can also be generalized to most of the studied models with generalized kinetic terms. We also study the implications for the curvaton model. We show that there is a combined constraint for curvaton on non-Gaussianity, gravitational waves, and isocurvature perturbation. The technique used in this paper can also help to simplify some calculations in the mixed inflaton and curvaton models. We also investigate the possibility of producing large negative non-Gaussianity and nonlocal non-Gaussianity in the curvaton model.

title: Quadra-Spectrum and Quint-Spectrum from Inflation and Curvaton Models
abstract: We calculate the quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum, corresponding to five and six point correlation functions of the curvature perturbation. For single field inflation with standard kinetic term, the quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum are small, which are suppressed by slow roll parameters. The calculation can be generalized to multiple fields. When there is no entropy perturbation, the quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum are suppressed as well. With the presence of entropy perturbation, the quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum can get boosted. We illustrate this boost in the multi-brid inflation model. For the curvaton scenario, the quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum are also large in the small r limit. We also calculate representative terms of quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum for inflation with generalized kinetic terms, and estimate their order of magnitude for quasi-single field inflation.

title: Curvaton dynamics and the non-linearity parameters in the curvaton model
abstract: We investigate the curvaton dynamics and the non-linearity parameters in the curvaton model with a potential slightly deviating from the quadratic form in detail. The non-linearity parameter gNL will show up due to the curvaton self-interaction. We also point out that the leading order of the non-quadratic term in the curvaton potential can be negative, for example in the axion-type curvaton model. If a large positive gNL is detected, the axion-type curvaton model will be preferred.

title: BBN and CMB constraints on universal lepton asymmetry, quintessential inflation, and brane world cosmology
abstract: Recent progress in cosmological deep survey has clarified progressively the origin and distribution of matter and evolution of Galaxies in the Universe. The origin of the light elements in the Big-Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) has been a topic of broad interest for its significance in constraining the dark matter component in the Universe, and also in seeking for the cosmological model which best fits the recent data of cosmic microwave background (CMB) fluctuations.

title: Prospects in extended inflation

title: Performance of a new LMRPC prototype for the STAR MTD system
abstract: A new prototype of a Long-Strip Multi-Gap Resistive Plate Chamber (LMRPC) for the STAR Muon Telescope Detector (MTD) at RHIC has been developed. This prototype has an active area of 52 x 90 cm(2) and consists of six 250 mu m wide gaps. Each detector has 12 strips, read-out at both ends, which are each 3.8 cm wide and 90 cm long with 0.6 cm intervals. In cosmic-ray tests, the efficiency was larger than 95% and the time resolution was similar to 75 ps for the 94% Freon, 5% iso-butane, and 1% SF6 gas mixture. There was good uniformity in the performance across the different strips. The module was also tested in a proton beam at IHEP in Beijing. The efficiency was close to 100% and the best timing resolution achieved was 55 ps for the 90% Freon, 5% iso-butane, and 5% SF6 gas mixture. Trigger scans along and across the strip direction were also performed. Crown

title: Supernova Pencil Beam Survey
abstract: Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) can be calibrated to be good standard candles at cosmological distances. We propose a supernova pencil beam survey that could yield between dozens and hundreds of SNe Ia in redshift bins of 0.1 up to z = 1.5, which would complement space-based supernova searches and enable the proper consideration of the systematic uncertainties of SNe Ia as standard candles, in particular, luminosity evolution and gravitational lensing. We simulate SNe Ia luminosities by adding weak lensing noise (using empirical fitting formulae) and scatter in SN Ia absolute magnitudes to standard candles placed at random redshifts. We show that flux averaging is powerful in reducing the combined noise due to gravitational lensing and scatter in SN Ia absolute magnitudes. The supernova number count is not sensitive to matter distribution in the universe; it can be used to test models of cosmology or to measure the supernova rate. The supernova pencil beam survey can yield a wealth of data which should enable accurate determination of the cosmological parameters and the supernova rate, and provide valuable information on the formation and evolution of galaxies. The supernova pencil beam survey can be accomplished on a dedicated 4 m telescope with a square degree field of view. This telescope can be used to conduct other important observational projects compatible with the supernova pencil beam survey, such as QSOs, Kuiper belt objects, and, in particular, weak lensing measurements of field galaxies, and the search for gamma-ray burst afterglows.

title: Cross identification between X-ray and Optical Clusters of Galaxies in the SDSS DR7 Field
abstract: We use the ROSAT all sky survey X-ray cluster catalogs and the optical SDSS DR7 galaxy and group catalogs to cross-identify X-ray clusters with their optical counterparts, resulting in a sample of 201 X-ray clusters in the sky coverage of SDSS DR7. We investigate various correlations between the optical and X-ray properties of these X-ray clusters, and find that the following optical properties are correlated with the X-ray luminosity: the central galaxy luminosity, the central galaxy mass, the characteristic group luminosity ($\propto \Lx^{0.43}$), the group stellar mass ($\propto \Lx^{0.46}$), with typical 1-$\sigma$ scatter of $\sim 0.67$ in $\log \Lx$. Using the observed number distribution of X-ray clusters, we obtain an unbiased scaling relation between the X-ray luminosity, the central galaxy stellar mass and the characteristic satellite stellar mass as ${\log L_X} = -0.26 + 2.90 [\log (M_{\ast, c} + 0.26 M_{\rm sat}) -12.0]$ (and in terms of luminosities, as ${\log L_X} = -0.15 + 2.38 [\log (L_{c} + 0.72 L_{\rm sat}) -12.0]$). We find that the systematic difference between different halo mass estimations, e.g., using the ranking of characteristic group stellar mass or using the X-ray luminosity scaling relation can be used to constrain cosmology. Comparing the properties of groups of similar stellar mass (or optical luminosities) and redshift that are X-ray luminous or under-luminous, we find that X-ray luminous groups have more faint satellite galaxies and higher red fraction in their satellites. The cross-identified X-ray clusters together with their optical properties are provided in