Holographic cosmology 3.0
We present a new version of holographic cosmology, which is compatible with present observations. A primordial p = ρ phase of the universe is followed by a brief matter dominated era and a brief period of inflation, whose termination heats the universe. The flatness and horizon problems are solved by the p = ρ dynamics. The model is characterized by two parameters, which should be calculated in a more fundamental approach to the theory. For a large range in the phenomenologically allowed parameter space, the observed fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background were generated during the p = ρ era, and are exactly scale invariant. The scale invariant spectrum cuts off sharply at both upper and lower ends, and this may have observational consequences. We argue that the amplitude of fluctuations is small but cannot yet calculate it precisely.

title: Lectures on Holographic Space Time
abstract: Summary of three talks on the Holographic Space Time models of early universe cosmology, particle physics, and the asymptotically de Sitter final state of our universe.

title: Remodeling the Pentagon After the Events of 2/23/06
abstract: The meta-stable SUSY breaking mechanism of Intriligator Seiberg and Shih can be used to simplify the Pentagon model of TeV scale physics. The simplified model has only a single scalar field and no troublesome low energy axion. One significant signature is $l^+ l^- X$ plus missing energy, where $X$ might be the two photons of gauge mediated models, but is likely to be different. There is a new strongly interacting sector with a scale around 1.5 TeV. The penta-hadrons of this sector have masses of order 6 TeV or more. Dark matter is probably the pseudo-goldstone boson of spontaneously broken penta-baryon number. This can be a viable dark matter candidate if an appropriate asymmetry in penta-baryon number is generated in the early universe. The pseudo-Goldstone particle has a mass of $\sim 1$ eV and is produced predominantly in flavor changing charged current decays of ordinary particles. The model solves the flavor problems of SUSY, but has two low energy CP violating phases, whose value is strongly constrained by experiment.

title: Breaking SUSY on the Horizon
abstract: I present a heuristic calculation of the critical exponent relating the gravitino mass to the cosmological constant in a de Sitter universe. The ingredients for the calculation are the area law for entropy, an R symmetry of the low energy effective Lagrangian, and a crude picture of the degenerate levels of the cosmological horizon.

title: Cosmological SUSY Breaking and the Pyramid Scheme

title: Holographic Space-time and Newton's Law
abstract: We derive Newton's Law from the formalism of Holographic Space-Time (HST). More precisely, we show that for a large class of Hamiltonians of the type proposed previously for the HST description of a geodesic in Minkowski space, the eikonal for scattering of two massless particles at large impact parameter scales as expected with the impact parameter and the energies of the particles in the center of mass (CM) frame. We also discuss the criteria for black hole production in this collision, and find an estimate, purely within the HST framework, for the impact parameter at which it sets in, which coincides with the estimate based on general relativity.

title: Partial radiogenic heat model for Earth revealed by geoneutrino measurements
abstract: The Earth has cooled since its formation, yet the decay of radiogenic isotopes, and in particular uranium, thorium and 
potassium, in the planet’s interior provides a continuing heat source. The current total heat flux from the Earth to space is 44:2±1.0 TW, but the relative contributions from residual primordial heat and radiogenic decay remain uncertain. However, radiogenic decay can be estimated from the flux of geoneutrinos, electrically neutral particles that are emitted during radioactive decay and can pass through the Earth virtually unaffected. Here we combine precise measurements of the geoneutrino flux from the Kamioka Liquid-Scintillator Antineutrino Detector, Japan, with existing measurements from the Borexino detector, Italy.We find that decay of uranium-238 and thorium-232 together contribute 20.0^(+8.8)_(-8.6)TW to Earth’s heat 
flux. The neutrinos emitted from the decay of potassium-40 are below the limits of detection in our experiments, but are known to contribute 4TW. Taken together, our observations indicate that heat from radioactive decay contributes about half of Earth’s total heat flux. We therefore conclude that Earth’s primordial heat supply has not yet been exhausted.

title: The low energy spectrum of TeO2 bolometers: results and dark matter perspectives for the CUORE-0 and CUORE experiments
abstract: We collected 19.4 days of data from four 750g TeO2 bolometers, and in three of them we were able to set the energy threshold around 3 keV using a new analysis technique. We found a background rate ranging from 25 cpd/keV/kg at 3 keV to 2 cpd/keV/kg at 25 keV, and a peak at 4.7 keV. The origin of this peak is presently unknown, but its presence is confirmed by a reanalysis of 62.7 kg.days of data from the finished CUORICINO experiment. Finally, we report the expected sensitivities of the CUORE-0 (52 bolometers) and CUORE (988 bolometers) experiments to a WIMP annual modulation signal.

title: A circulating hydrogen ultra-high purification system for the MuCap experiment
abstract: The MuCap experiment is a high-precision measurement of the rate for the basic electroweak process of muon capture, μ − +p→n+ ν μ . The experimental approach is based on an active target consisting of a time projection chamber (TPC) operating with pure hydrogen gas. The hydrogen has to be kept extremely pure and at a stable pressure. A Circulating Hydrogen Ultra-high Purification System was designed at the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (PNPI) to continuously clean the hydrogen from impurities. The system is based on an adsorption cryo pump to stimulate the hydrogen flow and on a cold adsorbent for the hydrogen cleaning. It was installed at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in 2004 and performed reliably during three experiment runs. During several months long operating periods the system maintained the hydrogen purity in the detector on the level of 20 ppb for moisture, which is the main contaminant, and of better than 7 and 5 ppb for nitrogen and oxygen, respectively. The pressure inside the TPC was stabilized to within 0.024% of 10 bar at a hydrogen flow rate of three standard liters per minute.

title: ODYSSEUS: description of and results from a strong-strong beam-beam simulation for storage rings
abstract: ODYSSEUS is a simulation of the beam-beam interaction in e/sup +/e/sup -/ storage ring colliders which is specifically intended to reveal the dynamic collective behavior of the colliding beams. This program is a true six-dimensional strong-strong simulation in which the electromagnetic fields of longitudinal slices of the colliding beams are recalculated for each slice collision. Broadband wake fields are included. No constraints are placed on the distribution of particles in the beams. The program achieves its speed through adaptively choosing between alternative electromagnetic field calculation methods. Benchmarking tests and various results are presented.

title: Measurement of the 8B solar neutrino flux with the KamLAND liquid scintillator detector
abstract: We report a measurement of the neutrino-electron elastic scattering rate from ^8B solar neutrinos based on a 123 kton-day exposure of KamLAND. The background-subtracted electron recoil rate, above a 5.5-MeV analysis threshold is 1.49 ± 0.14(stat) ± 0.17(syst) events per kton-day. Interpreted as due to a pure electron flavor flux with a ^8B neutrino spectrum, this corresponds to a spectrum integrated flux of 2.77 ± 0.26(stat) ± 0.32(syst) ×10^6 cm^(−2_s^(−1). The analysis threshold is driven by ^(208)Tl present in the liquid scintillator, and the main source of systematic uncertainty is due to background from cosmogenic ^(11)Be. The measured rate is consistent with existing measurements and with standard solar model predictions which include matter-enhanced neutrino oscillation.