No-go theorems for generalized chameleon field theories.
The chameleon, or generalizations thereof, is a light scalar that couples to matter with gravitational strength, but whose manifestation depends on the ambient matter density. A key feature is that the screening mechanism suppressing its effects in high-density environments is determined by the local scalar field value. Under very general conditions, we prove two theorems limiting its cosmological impact: (i) the Compton wavelength of such a scalar can be at most ~/= 1 MPc at the present cosmic density, which restricts its impact to nonlinear scales; and (ii) the conformal factor relating Einstein- and Jordan-frame scale factors is essentially constant over the last Hubble time, which precludes the possibility of self-acceleration. These results imply that chameleonlike scalar fields have a negligible effect on the linear-scale growth history; theories that invoke a chameleonlike scalar to explain cosmic acceleration rely on a form of dark energy rather than a genuine modified gravity effect. Our analysis applies to a broad class of chameleon, symmetron, and dilaton theories.

title: The quantum mechanics of perfect fluids
abstract: We consider the canonical quantization of an ordinary fluid. The resulting long-distance effective field theory is derivatively coupled, and therefore strongly coupled in the UV. The system however exhibits a number of peculiarities, associated with the vortex degrees of freedom. On the one hand, these have formally a vanishing strong-coupling energy scale, thus suggesting that the effective theory’s regime of validity is vanishingly narrow. On the other hand, we prove an analog of Coleman’s theorem, whereby the semiclassical vacuum has no quantum counterpart, thus suggesting that the vortex premature strong-coupling phenomenon stems from a bad identification of the ground state and of the perturbative degrees of freedom. Finally, vortices break the usual connection between short distances and high energies, thus potentially impairing the unitarity of the effective theory.

title: Derrick’s theorem beyond a potential
abstract: Scalar field theories with derivative interactions are known to possess solitonic excitations, but such solitons are generally unsatisfactory because the effective theory fails precisely where nonlinearities responsible for the solitons are important. A new class of theories possessing (internal) galilean invariance can in principle bypass this difficulty. Here, we show that these galileon theories do not possess stable solitonic solutions. As a by-product, we show that no stable solitons exist for a different class of derivatively coupled theories, describing for instance the infrared dynamics of superfluids, fluids, solids and some k-essence models.

title: Classical stability of the Galileon
abstract: A bstractWe consider the classical equations of motion for a single Galileon field with generic parameters in the presence of non-relativistic sources. We introduce the concept of absolute stability of a theory: if one can show that a field at a single point — like infinity for instance — in spacetime is stable, then stability of the field over the rest of spacetime is guaranteed for any positive energy source configuration. The Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati (DGP) model is stable in this manner, and previous studies of spherically symmetric solutions suggest that certain classes of the single field Galileon (of which the DGP model is a subclass) may have this property as well. We find, however, that when general solutions are considered this is not the case. In fact, when considering generic solutions there are no choices of free parameters in the Galileon theory that will lead to absolute stability except the DGP choice. Our analysis indicates that the DGP model is an exceptional choice among the large class of possible single field Galileon theories. This implies that if general solutions (non-spherically symmetric) exist they may be unstable. Given astrophysical motivation for the Galileon, further investigation into these unstable solutions may prove fruitful.

title: INTERACTING GENERALIZED CHAPLYGIN GAS MODEL WITH HOLOGRAPHIC DARK ENERGY
abstract: In this paper we consider the interacting generalized Chaplygin gas model as a unified scheme, in which the holographic dark energy as the dark energy component interacts with the cold dark matter with wdm = 0. Concretely, we mainly discuss the two kinds of interactions between the dark energy and dark matter, and give the evolution trajectories of density parameter and equation of state of dark energy as well as the decelerate parameter. By analysis, we show that in both cases of Q = 3bHρde and Q = 3bHρGCG, the evolution laws and the present values of Ωde, wde and q are compatible with the astronomical observations, but the effects of the coupling constant and holographic constant on them are completely different.

title: Dark Current Simulation for Linear Collider Accelerator Structures
abstract: The dynamics of field-emitted electrons in the traveling wave fields of a constant gradient (tapered) disk-loaded waveguide is followed numerically. Previous simulations have been limited to constant impedance (uniform) structures for sake of simplicity since only the fields in a unit cell is needed. Using a finite element field solver on a parallel computer, the fields in the tapered structure can now be readily generated. We will obtain the characteristics of the dark current emitted from both structure types and compare the two results with and without the effect of secondary electrons. The NLC and JLC detuned structures are considered to study if dark current may pose a problem for high gradient acceleration in the next generation of Linear Colliders.

title: The Connection between jets, accretion disks, and black hole mass in blazars
abstract: The properties of relativistic radio jets are thought to be closely connected with the properties of accretion disks in active galactic nuclei. We explore this issue using a sample of 35 blazars with very long baseline observations, for which we can estimate the kinetic powers of their relativistic jets, the bolometric luminosity of their accretion disks, and the masses of their black holes. Contrary to previous claims, we find that the jet kinetic power is significantly correlated with the disk luminosity. This supports the notion that the disk is somehow coupled to the jet, even on parsec scales. Moreover, we show that the correlation improves by including the black hole mass as a second parameter. The dominance of the jet, parameterized as the ratio of the jet kinetic power to the disk luminosity, is largely controlled by and is inversely correlated with the Eddington ratio of the accretion disk. This empirical relation should serve as a useful guide for theoretical models for jet formation.

title: Hβ Profiles in Quasars: Evidence for an Intermediate-Line Region
abstract: We report on a systematic investigation of the H beta and Fe II emission lines in a sample of 568 quasars within z < 0.8 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The conventional broad H beta emission line can be decomposed into two components-one with intermediate velocity width and another with very broad width. The velocity shift and equivalent width of the intermediate-width component do not correlate with those of the very broad component of H beta but its velocity shift and width do resemble Fe II. Moreover, the width of the very broad component is roughly 2.5 times that of the intermediate-width component. These characteristics strongly suggest the existence of an intermediate-line region, whose kinematics seem to be dominated by infall, located at the outer portion of the broad-line region.

title: Design Issues for the ILC Positron Source
abstract: A positron source for the International Linear Collider (ILC) can be designed using either a multi-GeV electron beam or a multi-MeV photon beam impinging on a metal target. The major design issues are: choice of drive beam and its generation, choice of target material, the target station, positron capture section, target vault and beam transport to the ILC positron damping ring complex. This paper lists the ILC positron source requirements and their implications for the design of the positron source. A conceptual design for the ILC is expected to be finished in the next two years. With emphasis on this timescale, source design issues and possible solutions are discussed.