Thermodynamics of Schwarzschild de Sitter spacetimes: variable cosmological constant

title: The first laws of thermodynamics of the (2+1)-dimensional BTZ black holes and Kerr-de Sitter spacetimes
abstract: We investigate the first law of thermodynamics in the case of the (2+1)-dimensional BTZ black holes and Kerr-de Sitter spacetimes, in particular, we focus on the integral mass formulas. It is found that by assuming the cosmological constant as a variable state parameter, both the differential and integral mass formulas of the first law of black hole thermodynamics in the asymptotic flat spacetimes can be directly extended to those of rotating black holes in anti-de Sitter and de Sitter backgrounds. It should be pointed that these formulas come into existence in any dimensions also.

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: Revisit of cosmic age problem
abstract: We investigate the cosmic age problem associated with 9 extremely old globular clusters in M31 galaxy and 1 very old high-z quasar automatic plate-measuring machine 08279 + 5255 at z = 3.91. These 9 globular clusters have not been used to study the cosmic age problem in the previous literature. By evaluating the age of the Universe in the Lambda cold dark matter model with the observational constraints from the Type Ia supernovae, the baryon acoustic oscillations, the cosmic microwave background, and the independent H(0) measurements, we find that the existence of 5 globular clusters and 1 high-z quasar are in tension (over 2 sigma confidence level) with the current cosmological observations. So if the age estimates of these objects are correct, the cosmic age puzzle still remains in the standard cosmology. Moreover, we extend our investigations to the cases of the interacting dark energy models. It is found that although the introduction of the interaction between dark sectors can give a larger cosmic age, the interacting dark energy models still have difficulty to pass the cosmic age test.

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: 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: Metal abundance and kinematical properties of the M81 globular cluster system
abstract: We present metal abundance properties of 144 globular clusters associated with M81. These globulars represent the largest globular cluster sample in M81 till now. Our main results are: the distribution of metallicities is bimodal, with metallicity peaks at [Fe/H] ≈ −1.51 and −0.58, and the metal-poor globular clusters tend to be less spatially concentrated than the metal-rich ones; the metal-rich globular clusters in M81 do not demonstrate a centrally concentrated spatial distribution like the metal-rich ones in M31 do; like our Galaxy and M31, the globular clusters in M81 have a small radial metallicity gradient. These results are consistent with those obtained from a small sample of M81 globular clusters. In addition, this paper shows that there is evidence that a strong rotation of the M81 globular cluster system around the minor axis exists, and that rotation is present in the metal-rich globular cluster subsample, but the metal-poor globular cluster subsample shows no evidence of rotation. The most significant difference between the rotation of the metal-rich and metal-poor globular clusters occurs at intermediate projected galactocentric radii. Our results confirm the conclusion of Schroder et al. that M81’s metal-rich globular clusters at intermediate projected radii are associated with a thick disk of M81.

title: Measurement of the top-quark mass in the lepton+jets channel using a matrix element technique with the CDF II detector
abstract: A measurement of the top-quark mass is presented using Tevatron data from proton-antiproton collisions at center-of-mass energy {radical}(s)=1.96 TeV collected with the CDF II detector. Events are selected from a sample of candidates for production of tt pairs that decay into the lepton+jets channel. The top-quark mass is measured with an unbinned maximum likelihood method where the event probability density functions are calculated using signal and background matrix elements, as well as a set of parametrized jet-to-parton transfer functions. The likelihood function is maximized with respect to the top-quark mass, the signal fraction in the sample, and a correction to the jet energy scale (JES) calibration of the calorimeter jets. The simultaneous measurement of the JES correction ({Delta}{sub JES}) amounts to an additional in situ jet energy calibration based on the known mass of the hadronically decaying W boson. Using the data sample of 578 lepton+jets candidate events, corresponding to 3.2 fb{sup -1} of integrated luminosity, the top-quark mass is measured to be m{sub t}=172.4{+-}1.4(stat+{Delta}{sub JES}){+-}1.3(syst) GeV/c{sup 2}.

title: THE X-RAY ORIGIN OF HERBIG AeBe SYSTEMS: NEW INSIGHTS
abstract: We present a statistical study of the X-ray emission toward 22 Herbig AeBe stars (HAEBE) using the Chandra archive. We probe the origin of the X-rays toward Herbig stars: are they intrinsic?This question is addressed by correlations between the physical stellar properties and the X-ray emission. There is a weak correlation between the continuum radio emission at λ = 3.6 cm and L X, which suggests that the X-ray emission depends upon the source. On the other hand, no correlation was found with the stellar rotational period, but that only excludes solar-like magnetic activity as the origin of the X-rays. Most importantly, the X-ray luminosity of HAEBE has a different distribution from that of T Tauri stars, suggesting that X-ray emission from an unseen late-type star companion can be ruled out with an 80% confidence level. This implies that the HAEBE must have magnetic activity. In addition, we report the observation of five sources for the first time, in three detections.

title: Gauge independence and chiral symmetry breaking in a strong magnetic field
abstract: The gauge independence of the dynamical fermion mass generated through chiral symmetry breaking in QED in a strong, constant external magnetic field is critically examined. We present a (first, to the best of our knowledge) consistent truncation of the Schwinger–Dyson equations in the lowest Landau level approximation. We demonstrate that the dynamical fermion mass, obtained as the solution of the truncated Schwinger–Dyson equations evaluated on the fermion mass shell, is manifestly gauge independent.

title: Reconsideration of the Regge-Wheeler equation
abstract: Reconsideration of the Regge-Wheeler equation is processed by using the Painlev\'{e} coordinate and "good" timelier to define the initial time. We find that: the Regge-Wheeler equation could has positive imaginary frequency. Because the Regge-Wheeler equation is the odd (angular) perturbation to the Schwarzschild black hole, the conclusion is that the Schwarzschild black hole is unstable with respect to the rotating perturbation.