Classical Solutions and Order of Zeros in Open String Field Theory
Earlier an analytic approach is proposed for classical solutions describing tachyon vacuum in open string field theory. Based on the approach, we construct a certain class of classical solutions written in terms of holomorphic functions with higher order zeros. Taking the simplest among the new classical solutions, we study the cohomology of the new BRS charge and make a numerical analysis of the vacuum energy. The results indicate that the new non-trivial solution is another analytic candidate for the tachyon vacuum.

title: Marginal and Scalar Solutions in Cubic Open String Field Theory
abstract: We find marginal and scalar solutions in cubic open string field theory by using left-right splitting properties of a delta function. The marginal solution represents a marginal deformation generated by a U(1) current, and it is a generalized solution of the Wilson lines one given by the present authors. The scalar solution has a well-defined universal Fock space expression, and it is expressed as a singular gauge transform of the trivial vacuum. The expanded theory around it is unable to be connected with the original theory by the string field redefinition.

title: Marginal deformations and closed string couplings in open string field theory
abstract: We investigate analytic classical solutions in open string field theory which are constructed in terms of marginal operators. In the classical background, we evaluate a coupling between an on-shell closed string state and the open string field. The resulting coupling exhibits periodic behavior as expected from the marginal boundary deformation of background Wilson lines or a marginal tachyon lump. We confirm that the solutions in open string field theory correspond to a class of marginal deformations in conformal field theory.

title: Level truncation analysis of exact solutions in open string field theory
abstract: We evaluate vacuum energy density of Schnabl's solution using the level truncation calculation and the total action including interaction terms. The level truncated solution provides vacuum energy density expected both for tachyon vacuum and trivial pure gauge. We discuss the role of the phantom term to reproduce correct vacuum energy.

title: Tachyon condensation and universal solutions in string field theory
abstract: We investigate a non-perturbative vacuum in open string field theory expanded around the analytic classical solution which has been found in the universal Fock space generated by matter Virasoro generators and ghost oscillators. We carry out level-truncation analyses up to level (6,18) in the theory around one-parameter families of the solution. We observe that the value of the vacuum energy cancels the D-brane tension as the approximation level is increased, but this non-perturbative vacuum disappears at the boundary of the parameter space. These results provide strong evidence for the conjecture that, although the universal solutions are pure gauge in almost all the parameter space, they are regarded as the tachyon vacuum solution at the boundary.

title: Closed string amplitudes in open string field theory
abstract: We investigate gauge invariant operators corresponding to on-shell closed string states in open string field theory. Using both oscillator representation and conformal mapping techniques, we calculate a two closed string tachyon amplitude that connects two gauge invariant operators by an open string propagator. We find that this amplitude is in a complete agreement with the usual disc amplitude.

title: Spectator field models in light of spectral index after Planck
abstract: We revisit spectator field models including curvaton and modulated reheating scenarios, specifically focusing on their viability in the new Planck era, based on the derived expression for the spectral index in general spectator field models. Importantly, the recent Planck observations give strong preference to a red-tilted power spectrum, while the spectator field models tend to predict a scale-invariant one. This implies that, during inflation, either (i) the Hubble parameter varies significantly as in chaotic inflation, or (ii) a scalar potential for the spectator field has a relatively large negative curvature. Combined with the tight constraint on the non-Gaussianity, the Planck data provides us with rich implications for various spectator field models.

title: Cosmic Microwave Background from Late-Decaying Scalar Condensations
abstract: We study the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy in the scenario with late-decaying scalar condensations which arise in many class of cosmological scenarios based on supersymmetric models. With such a scalar condensation \phi, the CMB radiation we observe today originates to \phi and hence the CMB anisotropy is affected if \phi has a primordial fluctuation. In particular, if all the components in the universe (i.e., radiation, baryon, cold dark matter, and so on) are generated from the decay product of \phi, the dominant source of the cosmic density perturbations can be the primordial fluctuation of \phi, not the fluctuation of the inflaton field. In this case, the constraints on the inflation models can be drastically relaxed. In other case, the baryon or the CDM may not be from the decay product of \phi and correlated mixture of the adiabatic and isocurvature fluctuations can be generated. If so, the CMB angular power spectrum may not be the same as the adiabatic result and the on-going MAP experiment may observe a deviation from the prediction of the standard inflationary scenario.

title: Applications and Imaging Techniques of a Si/CdTe Compton Gamma-Ray Camera
abstract: By using a new Compton camera consisting of a silicon double-sided strip detector (Si-DSD) and a CdTe doublesided strip detector (CdTe-DSD), originally developed for the ASTRO-H satellite mission, an experiment involving imaging radioisotopes was conducted to study their feasibility for hotspot monitoring. In addition to the hotspot imaging already provided by commercial imaging systems, identification of various radioisotopes is possible thanks to the good energy resolution obtained by the semiconductor detectors. Three radioisotopes of 133 Ba (356 keV), 22 Na (511 keV) and 137 Cs (662 keV) were individually imaged by applying event selection in the energy window and the gamma-ray images were correctly overlapped by an optical picture. Detection efficiency of 1.68 ×10 −4 (effective area: 1.7×10 −3 cm 2 ) and angular resolution of 3.8 degrees were obtained by stacking five detector modules for a 662 keV gamma ray. The higher detection efficiency required in specific use can be achieved by stacking more detector modules.

title: Cosmological Avatars of the Landscape II: CMB and LSS Signatures
abstract: This is the second paper in the series that confronts predictions of a model of the landscape with cosmological observations. We show here how the modifications of the Friedmann equation due to the decohering effects of long wavelength modes on the wave function of the Universe defined on the landscape leave unique signatures on the CMB spectra and large scale structure (LSS). We show that the effect of the string corrections is to suppress {sigma}{sub 8} and the CMB temperature-temperature (TT) spectrum at large angles, thereby bringing WMAP and SDSS data for {sigma}{sub 8} into agreement. We find interesting features imprinted on the matter power spectrum P(k): power is suppressed at large scales indicating the possibility of primordial voids competing with the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect. Furthermore, power is enhanced at structure and substructure scales, k{approx_equal}10{sup -2-0}h Mpc{sup -1}. Our smoking gun for discriminating this proposal from others with similar CMB and LSS predictions comes from correlations between cosmic shear and temperature anisotropies, which here indicate a noninflationary channel of contribution to LSS, with unique ringing features of nonlocal entanglement displayed at structure and substructure scales.

title: Density perturbations from modulated decay of the curvaton
abstract: We study density perturbations, including their non-Gaussianity, in models in which the decay rate of the curvaton depends on another light scalar field, denoted the modulaton. Although this model shares some similarities with the standard curvaton and modulated reheating scenarios, it exhibits interesting predictions for fNL and gNL that are specific to this model. We also discuss the possibility that both modulaton and curvaton fluctuations contribute to the final curvature perturbation. Our results naturally include the standard curvaton and modulated reheating scenarios as specific limits and are thus useful to present a unified treatment of these models and their variants.