Dark energy: A brief review
The problem of dark energy is briefly reviewed in both theoretical and observational aspects. In the theoretical aspect, dark energy scenarios are classified into symmetry, anthropic principle, tuning mechanism, modified gravity, quantum cosmology, holographic principle, back-reaction and phenomenological types. In the observational aspect, we introduce cosmic probes, dark energy related projects, observational constraints on theoretical models and model independent reconstructions.

title: Revisit of Tension in Recent SNIa Datasets
abstract: Although today there are many observational methods, Type Ia supernovae (SNIa) is still one of the most powerful tools to probe the mysterious dark energy (DE). The most recent SNIa datasets are the 307 SNIa "Union" dataset \cite{kow08} and the 397 SNIa "Constitution" dataset \cite{hic09}. In a recent work \cite{wei10}, Wei pointed out that both Union and Constitution datasets are in tension with the observations of cosmic microwave background (CMB) and baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO), and suggested that two truncated versions of Union and Constitution datasets, namely "UnionT" and "", should be used to constrain various DE models. But in \cite{wei10}, only the $\Lambda$CDM model is used to select the outliers from the Union and the Constitution dataset. In principle, since different DE models may select different outliers, the truncation procedure should be performed for each different DE model. In the present work, by performing the truncation procedure of \cite{wei10} for 10 different models, we demonstrate that the impact of different models is negligible, and the approach adopted in \cite{wei10} is valid. Moreover, by using the 4 SNIa datasets mentioned above, as well as the observations of CMB and BAO, we perform best-fit analysis on the 10 models. It is found that: (1) For each DE model, the truncated SNIa datasets not only greatly reduce $\chi_{min}^{2}$ and $\chi_{min}^{2}/dof$, but also remove the tension between SNIa data and other cosmological observations. (2) The CMB data is very helpful to break the degeneracy among different parameters, and plays a very important role in distinguishing different DE models. (3) The current observational data are still too limited to distinguish all DE models.

title: New primordial-magnetic-field limit from the latest LIGO S5 data
abstract: Since the energy momentum tensor of a magnetic field always contains a spin-2 component in its anisotropic stress, stochastic primordial magnetic field (PMF) in the early universe must generate stochastic gravitational-wave (GW) background. This process will greatly affect the relic gravitational wave (RGW), which is one of the major scientific goals of the laser interferometer GW detections. Recently, the fifth science (S5) run of laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory (LIGO) gave a latest upper limit Omega(GW) < 6.9 x 10(-6) on the RGW background. Utilizing this upper limit, we derive new PMF limits: for a scale of galactic cluster lambda = 1 Mpc, the amplitude of PMF, that produced by the electroweak phase transition, has to be weaker than B(lambda) <= 4 x 10(-7) G; for a scale of supercluster lambda = 100 Mpc, the amplitude of PMF has to be weaker than B(lambda) <= 9 x 10(-11) G. In this manner, GW observation has potential to make interesting contributions to the study of primordial magnetic field.

title: Thermodynamics of Schwarzschild de Sitter spacetimes: variable cosmological constant

title: Cosmic Age Test in Inhomogeneous Cosmological Models Mimicking $\Lambda$CDM on the Light-Cone
abstract: The possibility of reconstructing a spherically symmetric inhomogeneous Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) model with Lambda CDM observations has drawn much attention. Recently, an inhomogeneous LTB model having the same luminosity-distance and light-cone mass density of the homogeneous Lambda CDM model was reconstructed. From the Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe 7-year measurements together with other cosmological observations, we calculate the cosmic age at our position in this LTB model, and obtain a constraint t(LTB) < 11.7 Gyr at 1 sigma confidence level. We find that this result is, although 2 Gyr younger compared with the age of the homogeneous Lambda CDM model, still within 1 sigma agreement with the constraint of cosmic age given by current astronomical measurements. We expect that in the future, with the help of more advanced observations, we can distinguish the reconstructed inhomogeneous LTB model from the homogeneous Lambda CDM model.

title: GENERALIZED HOLOGRAPHIC DARK ENERGY AND ITS OBSERVATIONAL CONSTRAINTS
abstract: In the original holographic dark energy (HDE) model, the dark energy density is proposed to be rho(de) = 3c(2)M(P)(2)L(-2), with c a dimensionless constant characterizing the properties of the HDE. In this work, we propose the generalized holographic dark energy (GHDE) model by considering the parameter c as a redshift-dependent function c(z). We derive all the physical quantities of the GHDE model analytically, and fit the c(z) by trying four kinds of parametrizations. The cosmological constraints of the c(z) are obtained from the joint analysis of the present SNLS3+BAO+CMB+H-0 data. We find that, compared with the original HDE model, the GHDE models can provide a better fit to the data. For example, the GHDE model with JBP-type c(z) can reduce the chi(2)(min) of the HDE model by 2.16. We also find that, unlike the original HDE model with a phantom-like behavior in the future, the GHDE models can present many more different possibilities, i.e. it allows the GHDE in the future to be either quintessence-like, cosmological constant-like, or phantom-like, depending on the forms of c(z).

title: Combination of the top-quark mass measurements from the Tevatron collider
abstract: We thank the Fermilab staff and technical staffs of the 
participating institutions for their vital contributions and 
acknowledge support from the DOE and NSF (USA), ARC 
(Australia), CNPq, FAPERJ, FAPESP, and FUNDUNESP 
(Brazil), NSERC (Canada), NSC, CAS, and CNSF 
(China), Colciencias (Colombia), MSMT and GACR 
(Czech Republic), the Academy of Finland, CEA, and 
CNRS/IN2P3 (France), BMBF and DFG (Germany), 
DAE and DST (India), SFI (Ireland), INFN (Italy), 
MEXT (Japan), the Korean World Class University 
Program and NRF (Korea), CONACyT (Mexico), FOM 
(Netherlands), MON, NRC KI, and RFBR (Russia), the 
Slovak R&D Agency, the Ministerio de Ciencia e 
Innovacio´n, and Programa Consolider-Ingenio 2010 
(Spain), The Swedish Research Council (Sweden), SNSF 
(Switzerland), STFC and the Royal Society (United 
Kingdom), and the A. P. Sloan Foundation (USA).

title: Challenges to the DGP model from horizon-scale growth and geometry
abstract: We conduct a Markov Chain Monte Carlo study of the Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati (DGP) selfaccelerating braneworld scenario given the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy, supernovae and Hubble constant data by implementing an effective dark energy prescription for modified gravity into a standard Einstein-Boltzmann code. We find no way to alleviate the tension between distance measures and horizon scale growth in this model. Growth alterations due to perturbations propagating into the bulk appear as excess CMB anisotropy at the lowest multipoles. In a flat

title: Is modified gravity required by observations? An empirical consistency test of dark energy models
abstract: We apply the technique of parameter splitting to existing cosmological data sets, to check for a generic failure of dark energy models. Given a dark energy parameter, such as the energy density {omega}{sub {lambda}} or equation of state w, we split it into two meta-parameters with one controlling geometrical distances, and the other controlling the growth of structure. Observational data spanning Type Ia Supernovae, the cosmic microwave background (CMB), galaxy clustering, and weak gravitational lensing statistics are fit without requiring the two meta-parameters to be equal. This technique checks for inconsistency between different data sets, as well as for internal inconsistency within any one data set (e.g., CMB or lensing statistics) that is sensitive to both geometry and growth. We find that the cosmological constant model is consistent with current data. Theories of modified gravity generally predict a relation between growth and geometry that is different from that of general relativity. Parameter splitting can be viewed as a crude way to parametrize the space of such theories. Our analysis of current data already appears to put sharp limits on these theories: assuming a flat universe, current data constrain the difference {delta}{omega}{sub {lambda}}={omega}{sub {lambda}}(geom)-{omega}{sub {lambda}}(grow) to be -0.0044{sub -0.0057-0.0119}{sup +0.0058+0.0108} (68%more » and 95% C.L. respectively); allowing the equation of state w to vary, the difference {delta}w=w(geom)-w(grow) is constrained to be 0.37{sub -0.36-0.53}{sup +0.37+1.09}. Interestingly, the region w(grow)>w(geom), which should be generically favored by theories that slow structure formation relative to general relativity, is quite restricted by data already. We find w(grow)<-0.80 at 2{sigma}. As an example, the best-fit flat Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati model approximated by our parametrization lies beyond the 3{sigma} contour for constraints from all the data sets.« less

title: Collective and noncollective states in Sb-116

title: A mechanism for the formation of knots, kinks and discontinuous events in the plasma tail of comets