Duality of a supersymmetric model with the Pati-Salam group
Recently one of the authors proposed a dual theory of a Supersymmetric Standard Model (SSM), in which it is naturally understood that at least one quark (the top quark) should be heavy, i.e., almost the same order as the weak scale, and the supersymmetric Higgs mass parameter $\mu$ can naturally be expected to be small. However, the model cannot have Yukawa couplings of the lepton sector. In this paper, we examine a dual theory of a Supersymmetric Model with the Pati-Salam gauge group $SU(4)_{PS}\times SU(2)_L\times SU(2)_R $ with respect to the gauge group $SU(4)_{PS}$. In this scenario, Yukawa couplings of the lepton sector can be induced. In this model the Pati-Salam breaking scale should be around the SUSY breaking scale.

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: On the Generalized Gluing and Resmoothing Theorem
abstract: The generalized gluing and resmoothing theorem originally proved by LeClair, Peskin and Preitschopf, gives a powerful formula for the fused vertex obtained by contracting any two vertices in string field theories. Although the theorem is naturally expected to hold for the vertices at any loop level, the original proof was restricted to the vertices at tree level. Here we present a simplified proof for the tree level theorem and then prove explicitly the extended version at one-loop level. We also find that a non-trivial sign factor, which depends on the string states to be contracted, appears in the theorem. This sign factor turns out to be essential for reproducing correctly the conformal field theory correlation function on the torus.

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: 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: 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: Cosmic density perturbations from late decaying scalar condensations
abstract: We study the cosmic density perturbations induced from fluctuation of the am- plitude of late-decaying scalar condensations (called �) in the scenario where the scalar fieldonce dominates the universe. In such a scenario, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation originates to decay products of the scalar condensa- tion and hence its anisotropy is affected by the fluctuation of �. It is shown that the present cosmic density perturbations can be dominantly induced from the primordial fluctuation of �, not from the fluctuation of the inflaton field. This scenario may change constraints on the source of the density perturbations, like inflation. In addi- tion, a correlated mixture of adiabatic and isocurvature perturbations may arise in such a scenario; possible signals in the CMB power spectrum are discussed. We also show that the simplest scenario of generating the cosmic density perturbations only from the primordial fluctuation of � (i.e., so-called "curvaton" scenario) is severely constrained by the current measurements of the CMB angular power spectrum if correlated mixture of the adiabatic and isocurvature perturbations are generated.

title: Generalized Higgs inflation
abstract: We study Higgs inflation in the context of generalized G-inflation, i.e. the most general single-field inflation model with second-order field equations. The four variants of Higgs inflation proposed so far in the literature can be accommodated at one time in our framework. We also propose yet another class of Higgs inflation, the running Einstein inflation model, that can naturally arise from the generalized G-inflation framework. As a result, five Higgs inflation models in all should be discussed on an equal footing. Concise formulas for primordial fluctuations in these generalized Higgs inflation models are provided, which will be helpful to determine which model is favored from the future experiments and observations such as the Large Hadron Collider and the Planck satellite.

title: The minimal curvaton-higgs model
abstract: We present the first full study of the minimal curvaton-higgs (MCH) model, which is a minimal interpretation of the curvaton scenario with one real scalar coupled to the standard model Higgs boson. The standard model coupling allows the dynamics of the model to be determined in detail, including effects from the thermal background and from radiative corrections to the potential. The relevant mechanisms for curvaton decay are incomplete non-perturbative decay (delayed by thermal blocking), followed by decay via a dimension-5 non-renormalisable operator. To avoid spoiling the predictions of big bang nucleosynthesis, we find the ``bare'' curvaton mass to be m? ? 8 ? 104GeV. To match observational data from Planck there is an upper limit on the curvaton-higgs coupling g, between 10?3 and 10?2, depending on the mass. This is due to interactions with the thermal background. We find that typically non-Gaussianities are small but that if fNL is observed in the near future then m?5 ? 109GeV, depending on Hubble scale during inflation. In a thermal dark matter model, the lower bound on m? can increase substantially. The parameter space may also be affected once the baryogenesis mechanism is specified.

title: Affleck-Dine baryogenesis with R-parity violation
abstract: We investigate whether the baryon asymmetry of the universe is explained in the framework of the supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model with R-parity violating interactions. It is shown that the Affleck-Dine mechanism naturally works via a trilinear interaction $LLE^c$, $LQD^c$, or $U^cD^cD^c$, if the magnitude of the coupling corresponding to the operator $\lambda$, $\lambda'$, or $\lambda''$ is sufficiently small. The formation of Q-balls and their subsequent evolution are also discussed. The present baryon asymmetry can be explained in the parameter region where R-parity is mildly violated $10^{-9}\lesssim\lambda,\lambda',\lambda''\lesssim 10^{-6}$ and the mass of the gravitino is relatively heavy $m_{3/2}\gtrsim 10^4\mathrm{GeV}$. On the other hand, it is difficult to explain the present baryon asymmetry for larger values of R-parity violating couplings $\lambda,\lambda',\lambda''\gtrsim 10^{-5}$, since Q-balls are likely to be destructed in the thermal environment and the primordial baryon number is washed away.

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.