Relaxing constraints on inflation models with curvaton
We consider the effects of the curvaton, late-decaying scalar condensation, to observational constraints on inflation models. From current observations of cosmic density fluctuations, severe constraints on some classes of inflation models are obtained, in particular, on the chaotic inflation with higher-power monomials, the natural inflation, and the new inflation. We study how the curvaton scenario changes (and relaxes) the constraints on these models.

title: On the determination of neutrino masses and dark energy evolution from the cross-correlation of CMB and LSS
abstract: We discuss the possibilities of the simultaneous determination of the neutrino masses and the evolution of dark energy from future cosmological observations such as cosmic microwave background (CMB), large scale structure (LSS) and the cross-correlation between them. Recently it has been discussed that there is a degeneracy between the neutrino masses and the equation of state for dark energy. It is also known that there are some degeneracies among the parameters describing the dark energy evolution. We discuss the implications of these for the cross-correlation of CMB with LSS in some detail. Then we consider to what extent we can determine the neutrino masses and the dark energy evolution using the expected data from CMB, LSS and their cross-correlation.

title: Bigger Rip with no dark energy
abstract: By studying a modified Friedmann equation which arises in an extension of general relativity which accommodates a time-dependent fundamental length L ( t ), we consider cosmological models where the scale factor diverges with an essential singularity at a finite future time. Such models have no dark energy in the conventional sense of energy possessing a simple pressure–energy relationship. Data on supernovae restrict the time from the present until the Rip to be longer than the current age of the Universe.

title: Constraining SuperWIMPy and Warm Subhalos with Future Submillilensing
abstract: We propose to observe QSO-galaxy strong lens systems to give a new constraint on the damping scale of the initial fluctuations. We find that the future observation of submilliarc scale astrometric shifts of the multiple lensed images of QSOs would find ∼ 10 ( 3 – 9 ) M ⊙ subhalos inside the macrolens halo. The superweakly interacting massive particles (superWIMPs) produced from a WIMP decay and the warm dark matter (WDM) particles that predict a comoving damping scale larger than ∼ 2 kpc can be constrained if ∼ 10 3 M ⊙ subhalos are detected.

title: Neutrino mass from cosmology: impact of high-accuracy measurement of the Hubble constant
abstract: Non-zero neutrino mass would affect the evolution of the Universe in observable ways, and a strong constraint on the mass can be achieved using combinations of cosmological data sets. We focus on the power spectrum of cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies, the Hubble constant H0, and the length scale for baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) to investigate the constraint on the neutrino mass, mν. We analyze data from multiple existing CMB studies (WMAP5, ACBAR, CBI, BOOMERANG, and QUAD), recent measurement of H0 (SHOES), with about two times lower uncertainty (5 %) than previous estimates, and recent treatments of BAO from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We obtained an upper limit of mν < 0.2eV (95 % C.L.), for a flat ΛCDM model. This is a 40 % reduction in the limit derived from previous H0 estimates and one-third lower than can be achieved with extant CMB and BAO data. We also analyze the impact of smaller uncertainty on measurements of H0 as may be anticipated in the near term, in combination with CMB data from the Planck mission, and BAO data from the SDSS/BOSS program. We demonstrate the possibility of a 5σ detection for a fiducial neutrino mass of 0.1 eV or a 95 % upper limit of 0.04 eV for a fiducial of mν = 0 eV. These constraints are about 50 % better than those achieved without external constraint. We further investigate the impact on modeling where the dark-energy equation of state is constant but not necessarily -1, or where a non-flat universe is allowed. In these cases, the next-generation accuracies of Planck, BOSS, and 1 % measurement of H0 would all be required to obtain the limit mν < 0.05−0.06 eV (95 % C.L.) for the fiducial of mν = 0 eV. The independence of systematics argues for pursuit of both BAO and H0 measurements.

title: Correlated Isocurvature Fluctuation of Quintessence and Curvaton Scenario
abstract: We consider cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy in models with quintessence taking into account of isocurvature fluctuation in the quintessence. It is shown that, if the primordial fluctuation of the quintessence has a correlation with the adiabatic density fluctuations, CMB angular power spectrum $C_l$ at low multipoles can be suppressed. Possible scenario of generating correlated mixture of the quintessence and adiabatic fluctuations is also discussed.

title: Tachyon vacuum of bosonic open string field theory in marginally deformed backgrounds
abstract: We consider bosonic open string field theory in marginally deformed backgrounds, which is obtained by expanding the string field around identity-based solutions associated with marginal deformations. We find a new set of string fields that satisfies the KB calgebra, but the nilpotent kinetic operator is that of the theory expanded around the identity-based marginal solution. By use of these string fields, we construct the tachyon vacuum solution in marginally deformed backgrounds. The vacuum energy density is equivalent to that of the tachyon vacuum without marginal deformations. The gauge invariant overlap is changed according to the effect of marginal deformations, as expected from known results in conformal field theory (CFT). These results suggest that the vacuum energy is zero for the identity-based marginal solutions in the original theory.

title: Observables for identity-based tachyon vacuum solutions
abstract: We consider a modified KBc algebra in bosonic open string field theory expanded around identity-based scalar solutions. By use of the algebra, classical solutions on the background are constructed and observables for them, including energy densities and gauge invariant overlaps, are calculable. These results are applied to evaluate observables analytically for both of the identity-based trivial pure gauge solution and the identity-based tachyon vacuum solution.

title: Vacuum Structure around Identity-Based Solutions
abstract: We explore vacuum structure in bosonic open string field theory expanded around an identity based solution parameterized by $a$ (>= -1/2). Analyzing the expanded theory by using level truncation approximation up to level 14, we find that the theory has a stable vacuum solution for $a$>-1/2. The vacuum energy and the gauge invariant overlap numerically approach those of the tachyon vacuum solution with increasing truncation level. Also we find that, at $a$=-1/2, there exists an unstable vacuum solution in the expanded theory and it rapidly becomes the trivial zero configuration just above $a$=-1/2. The numerical behavior of the two gauge invariants suggests that the unstable solution corresponds to the perturbative open string vacuum. These results reasonably support the expectation that the identity based solution is a trivial pure gauge configuration for $a$>-1/2, but it can be regarded as the tachyon vacuum solution at $a$=-1/2.

title: Marginal deformations and classical solutions in open superstring field theory
abstract: We construct a class of classical solutions in the Berkovits' open superstring field theory. The resulting solutions correspond to marginal boundary deformations in conformal field theory. The vacuum energy vanishes exactly for the solutions. Investigating the theory expanded around one of the solutions, we find that it reflects the effect of background Wilson lines. The solution has a well-defined Fock space expression and it is invariant under space-time supersymmetry transformation.

title: Hierarchical Mass Matrices in a Minimal SO(10) Grand Unification I
abstract: We continue to investigate the minimal SO(10) × U(1)H model which we proposed recently. Renormalization group analysis of the model results in natural predictions of quark-lepton masses and Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix along with neutrino mixings adequate for solar neutrino oscillation. . JSPS Research Fellow. e-mail address: tomo@gauge.scphys.kyoto-u.ac.jp JSPS Research Fellow.