Unified dark fluid with constant adiabatic sound speed and cosmic constraints
As is known above 90% of the energy content in Universe is made of unknown dark component. Usually this dark fluid is separated into two parts: dark matter and dark energy. However, it may be a mixture of these two energy components, or just one exotic unknown fluid. This property is dubbed as dark degeneracy. With this motivation, in this paper, a unified dark fluid having constant adiabatic sound speed $c_s^2=\alpha$, which is in the range $[0,1]$, is studied. At first, via the energy conservation equation, its energy density, $\rho_d/\rho_{d0}=(1-B_s)+B_s a^{-3(1+\alpha)}$ where $B_s$ is related to integration constant from energy conservation equation as another model parameter, is presented. Then by using Markov Chain Monte Carlo method with currently available cosmic observational data sets which include type Ia supernova Union 2, baryon acoustic oscillation and WMAP 7-year data of cosmic background radiation, we show that small values of $\alpha$ are favored in this unified dark fluid model. Furthermore, we show that smaller values of $\alpha<10^{-5}$ are required to match matter (baryon) power spectrum from SDSS DR7.

title: Cosmological constraints on a decomposed Chaplygin gas
abstract: Any unified dark matter cosmology can be decomposed into dark matter interacting with vacuum energy, without introducing any additional degrees of freedom. We present observational constraints on an interacting vacuum plus dark energy corresponding to a generalized Chaplygin gas cosmology. We consider two distinct models for the interaction leading to either a barotropic equation of state or dark matter that follows geodesics, corresponding to a rest-frame sound speed equal to the adiabatic sound speed or zero sound speed, respectively. For the barotropic model, the most stringent constraint on α comes from the combination of CMB+SNIa+LSS(m) gives α<5.66×10 −6 at the 95% confidence level, which indicates that the barotropic model must be extremely close to the ΛCDM cosmology. For the case where the dark matter follows geodesics, perturbations have zero sound speed, and CMB+SNIa+gISW then gives the much weaker constraint −0.15

title: CMB Temperature and Matter Power Spectrum in a Decay Vacuum Dark Energy Model
abstract: In this paper, a decay vacuum model $\bar{\rho}_\Lambda=3\sigma M_p^2H_0 H$ is revisited by detailed analysis of background evolution and perturbation equations. We show the imprints on CMB temperature and matter power spectrum from the effective coupling terms between dark sectors by comparing to the standard cosmological constant model and observational data points (WMAP7 and SDSS DR7). We find that the decay vacuum model can describe the expansion rate at late times as well as the standard cosmological constant model but it fails to simultaneously reproduce the observed CMB and matter power spectrum. Its generalization $\bar{\rho}_\Lambda=3M_p^2(\xi_1 H_0 H+\xi_2 H^2)$ is also discussed. Detailed analysis of the background evolution shows that the dimensionless parameter $\xi_{2}$ would be zero to avoid the unnatural 'fine tuning' and to keep the positivity of energy density of dark matter and dark energy in the early epoch.

title: Revisiting generalized Chaplygin gas as a unified dark matter and dark energy model
abstract: In this paper, we revisit the generalized Chaplygin gas (GCG) model as a unified dark matter and dark energy model. The energy density of GCG model is given as ρGCG/ρGCG0=[Bs+(1−Bs)a−3(1+α)]1/(1+α), where α and Bs are two model parameters which will be constrained by type Ia supernova as standard candles, baryon acoustic oscillation as standard rulers and the seventh year full WMAP data points. In this paper, we will not separate GCG into dark matter and dark energy parts any more as adopted in the literature. By using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, we find the results $\alpha=0.00126_{-0.00126- 0.00126}^{+ 0.000970+ 0.00268}$ and $B_{s}= 0.775_{-0.0161- 0.0338}^{+ 0.0161+ 0.0307}$.

title: Reconstructing dark energy potentials from parameterized deceleration parameters
abstract: In this paper, the properties of dark energy are investigated according to the parameterized deceleration parameter q(z), which is used to describe the extent of the accelerating expansion of the universe. The potential of dark energy V() and the cosmological parameters, such as the dimensionless energy density ωo, Ωm, and the state parameter w, are connected to it. Concretely, by giving two kinds of parameterized deceleration parameters q(z) = a + bz/(1 + z) and q(z) = 1/2 + (az + b)/(1 + z)2, the evolution of these parameters and the reconstructed potentials V() are plotted and analysed. It is found that the potentials run away with the evolution of universe.

title: HIERARCHY IN HOŘAVA-LIKE GRAVITY
abstract: We investigate a Hořava-like gravity model in (4+1)-dimensional space–time. Differing from the original one, we put a critical exponent z to the extra space dimension, which preserves the 4-dimensional diffeomorphism. Surprisingly, we obtain a mass hierarchy in a way completely different from the Randall–Sundrum model, we also obtain an exponential factor solution with the use of Ricci-like flow. More interesting relations with AdS5/CFT4 are further demonstrated. Since AdS/CFT is a realization of holography, we conclude that the Hořava-like gravity may be also a realization of holography.

title: Probing dark energy using its density instead of its equation of state
abstract: The variation of dark energy density with redshift, ρ X ( z ) , provides a critical clue to the nature of dark energy. Since ρ X ( z ) depends on the dark energy equation of state w X ( z ) through an integral, ρ X ( z ) can be constrained more tightly than w X ( z ) given the same observational data. We demonstrate this explicitly using current type Ia supernova (SN Ia) data [the Tonry/Barris sample], together with the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) shift parameter from CMB data (WMAP, CBI, and ACBAR), and the large scale structure (LSS) growth factor from 2dF galaxy survey data. We assume a flat universe, and use Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique in our analysis. We find that, while w X ( z ) extracted from current data is consistent with a cosmological constant at 68% C.L., ρ X ( z ) (which has far smaller uncertainties) is not. Our results clearly show the advantage of using ρ X ( z ) , instead of w X ( z ) , to probe the variation of dark energy.

title: A relativistic mixing-layer model for jets in low-luminosity radio galaxies
abstract: We present an analytical model for jets in Fanaroff & Riley Class I (FR I) radio galaxies, in which an initially laminar, relativistic flow is surrounded by a shear layer. We apply the appropriate conservation laws to constrain the jet parameters, starting the model where the radio emission is observed to brighten abruptly. We assume that the laminar flow fills the jet there and that pressure balance with the surroundings is maintained from that point outwards. Entrainment continuously injects new material into the jet and forms a shear layer, which contains material from both the environment and the laminar core. The shear layer expands rapidly with distance until finally the core disappears, and all of the material is mixed into the shear layer. Beyond this point, the shear layer expands in a cone and decelerates smoothly. We apply our model to the well-observed FR I source 3C 31 and show that there is a self-consistent solution. We derive the jet power, together with the variations of mass flux and entrainment rate with distance from the nucleus. The predicted variation of bulk velocity with distance in the outer parts of the jets is in good agreement with model fits to Very Large Array observations. Our prediction for the shape of the laminar core can be tested with higher-resolution imaging.

title: Some issues concerning holographic dark energy
abstract: We study the perturbation of holographic dark energy and find it to be stable. We study the fate of the universe when interacting holographic dark energy is present, and discuss a simple phenomenological classification of the interacting holographic dark energy models. We also discuss the cosmic coincidence problem in the context of holographic dark energy. We find that the coincidence problem cannot be completely solved by adding an interacting term. Inflation may provide a better solution of the coincidence problem.

title: Recent results from E802 and E859
abstract: Recent single-particle inclusive measurements and two-particle correlation data from E802 and its succesor, E859, are presented. The K + / π + ratio observed for collisions of 14.6 A·GeV 28 Si ions on various targets is presented as a function of both forward and transverse energy. Source sizes are determined via interferometry using π + , π − , K + and proton pairs.

title: Dark Energy Search with Supernovae
abstract: To determine the nature of dark energy from observational data, it is important that we use model-independent and optimal methods. We should probe dark energy using its density (allowed to be a free function of cosmic time) instead of its equation of state. We should minimize gravitational lensing effect on supernovae by flux-averaging. We need to include complementary data (for example, from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and large scale structure (LSS)) in a consistent manner to help break the degeneracy between the dark energy density and the matter density fraction. We should push for ambitious future supernova surveys that can observe a large number of supernovae at the highest possible redshifts. I discuss these and other issues that will be important in our quest to unravel the mystery of the nature of dark energy. Current supernova, CMB, and LSS data already rule out dark energy models with dark energy densities that vary greatly with time; with the cosmological constant model providing an excellent fit to the data. A precise measurement of dark energy density as a free function of cosmic time will have a fundamental impact on particle physics and cosmology.