Nonparametric reconstruction of the dark energy equation of state from diverse data sets
The cause of the accelerated expansion of the Universe poses one of the most fundamental questions in physics today. In the absence of a compelling theory to explain the observations, a first task is to develop a robust phenomenological approach: If the acceleration is driven by some form of dark energy, then the phenomenology is determined by the form of the dark energy equation of state w(z) as a function of redshift. A major aim of ongoing and upcoming cosmological surveys is to measure w and its evolution at high accuracy. Since w(z) is not directly accessible to measurement, powerful reconstruction methods are needed to extract it reliably from observations. We have recently introduced a new reconstruction method for w(z) based on Gaussian process modeling. This method can capture nontrivial w(z) dependences and, most importantly, it yields controlled and unbiased error estimates. In this paper we extend the method to include a diverse set of measurements: baryon acoustic oscillations, cosmic microwave background measurements, and supernova data. We analyze currently available data sets and present the resulting constraints on w(z), finding that current observations are in very good agreement with a cosmological constant. In addition, we explore how well our methodmore » captures nontrivial behavior of w(z) by analyzing simulated data assuming high-quality observations from future surveys. We find that the baryon acoustic oscillation measurements by themselves already lead to remarkably good reconstruction results and that the combination of different high-quality probes allows us to reconstruct w(z) very reliably with small error bounds.« less

title: COSMIC EMULATION: THE CONCENTRATION-MASS RELATION FOR wCDM UNIVERSES
abstract: The concentration-mass relation for dark matter-dominated halos is one of the essential results expected from a theory of structure formation. We present a simple prediction scheme, a cosmic emulator, for the concentration-mass (c-M) relation as a function of cosmological parameters for wCDM models. The emulator is constructed from 37 individual models, with three nested N-body gravity-only simulations carried out for each model. The mass range covered by the emulator is 2 × 1012 M ☉ < M < 1015 M ☉ with a corresponding redshift range of z = 0-1. Over this range of mass and redshift, as well as the variation of cosmological parameters studied, the mean halo concentration varies from c ~ 2 to c ~ 8. The distribution of the concentration at fixed mass is Gaussian with a standard deviation of one-third of the mean value, almost independent of cosmology, mass, and redshift over the ranges probed by the simulations. We compare results from the emulator with previously derived heuristic analytic fits for the c-M relation, finding that they underestimate the halo concentration at high masses. Using the emulator to investigate the cosmology dependence of the c-M relation over the currently allowable range of values, we find—not surprisingly—that σ8 and ω m influence it considerably, but also that the dark energy equation-of-state parameter w has a substantial effect. In general, the concentration of lower-mass halos is more sensitive to changes in cosmological parameters as compared to cluster mass halos. The c-M emulator is publicly available from http://www.hep.anl.gov/cosmology/CosmicEmu.

title: DARK MATTER HALO PROFILES OF MASSIVE CLUSTERS: THEORY VERSUS OBSERVATIONS
abstract: Dark-matter-dominated cluster-scale halos act as an important cosmological probe and provide a key testing ground for structure formation theory. Focusing on their mass profiles, we have carried out (gravity-only) simulations of the concordance ΛCDM cosmology, covering a mass range of 2 × 1012 to 2 × 1015 h –1 M ☉ and a redshift range of z = 0-2, while satisfying the associated requirements of resolution and statistical control. When fitting to the Navarro-Frenk-White profile, our concentration-mass (c-M) relation differs in normalization and shape in comparison to previous studies that have limited statistics in the upper end of the mass range. We show that the flattening of the c-M relation with redshift is naturally expressed if c is viewed as a function of the peak height parameter, ν. Unlike the c-M relation, the slope of the c-ν relation is effectively constant over the redshift range z = 0-2, while the amplitude varies by ~30% for massive clusters. This relation is, however, not universal: using a simulation suite covering the allowed wCDM parameter space, we show that the c-ν relation varies by about ±20% as cosmological parameters are varied. At fixed mass, the c(M) distribution is well fit by a Gaussian with σ c /c 1/3, independent of the radius at which the concentration is defined, the halo dynamical state, and the underlying cosmology. We compare the ΛCDM predictions with observations of halo concentrations from strong lensing, weak lensing, galaxy kinematics, and X-ray data, finding good agreement for massive clusters (M vir > 4 × 1014 h –1 M ☉), but with some disagreements at lower masses. Because of uncertainty in observational systematics and modeling of baryonic physics, the significance of these discrepancies remains unclear.

title: Joint Efficient Dark-energy Investigation (JEDI): a Candidate Implementation of the NASA-DOE Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM)
abstract: JEDI will probe dark energy in three independent ways by measuring the expansion history of the universe: (1) using type Ia supernovae as cosmological standard candles over a range of distances, (2) using baryon oscillations as a cosmological standard ruler over a range of cosmic epochs, (3) mapping the weak gravitational lensing distortion by foreground galaxies of the images of background galaxies at different distances. JEDI will unravel the nature of dark energy with accuracy and precision. 
JEDI is a 2m-class space telescope with the unique ability of simultaneous wide-field imaging (0.8-4.2 micron in five bands) and multi-slit spectroscopy (0.8-3.2 micron) with a field of view of 1 square degree. What makes JEDI efficient is its ability to simultaneously obtain high signal-to-noise ratio, moderate resolution slit spectra for all supernovae and ~ 5000 galaxies in its wide field of view, and to combine imaging and spectroscopy so that the appropriate balance of time is devoted to each. 
JEDI will measure the cosmic expansion history H(z) as a free function to 10^9 galaxies to H \~ 25.

title: CHAOS IN TIME-DEPENDENT VARIATIONAL APPROXIMATIONS TO QUANTUM DYNAMICS
abstract: Dynamical chaos has recently been shown to exist in the Gaussian approximation in quan-tum mechanics and in the self-consistent mean ﬁeld approach to studying the dynamics ofquantum ﬁelds. In this study, we ﬁrst show that any variationalapproximationto the dynam-ics of a quantum system based on the Dirac action principle leads to a classical Hamiltoniandynamics for the variational parameters. Since this Hamiltonian is generically nonlinearand nonintegrable, the dynamics thus generated can be chaotic, in distinction to the exactquantum evolution. We then restrict attention to a system of two biquadratically coupledquantum oscillators and study two variational schemes, the leading order large N (fourcanonical variables) and Hartree (six canonical variables) approximations. The chaos seenin the approximate dynamics is an artifact of the approximations: this is demonstrated bythe fact that its onset occurs on the same characteristic time scale as the breakdown of theapproximations when compared to numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schr¨odingerequation.PACS numbers: 05.45. +b, 03.65. Sq, 2.30 Wd,

title: COMPUTATIONAL CHALLENGES IN HIGH INTENSITY ION BEAM PHYSICS

title: Measurement of leading neutron production in deep-inelastic scattering at HERA
abstract: The production of leading neutrons, where the neutron carries a large fraction xL of the incoming proton’s longitudinal momentum, is studied in deep-inelastic positron-proton scattering at HERA. The data were taken with the H1 detector in the years 2006 and 2007 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 122 pb−1. The semi-inclusive cross section is measured in the phase space defined by the photon virtuality 6<Q2<100 GeV2, Bjorken scaling variable 1.5⋅10−4<x<3⋅10−2, longitudinal momentum fraction 0.32<xL<0.95 and neutron transverse momentum pT<0.2 GeV. The leading neutron structure function, $F_{2}^{LN(3)}(Q^{2},x,x_{L})$, and the fraction of deep-inelastic scattering events containing a leading neutron are studied as a function of Q2, x and xL. Assuming that the pion exchange mechanism dominates leading neutron production, the data provide constraints on the shape of the pion structure function.

title: Three- and four-jet production at low x at HERA
abstract: Three- and four-jet production is measured in deep-inelastic ep scattering at low x and Q2 with the H1 detector using an integrated luminosity of 44.2 pb-1. Several phase space regions are selected for the three-jet analysis in order to study the underlying parton dynamics from global topologies to the more restrictive regions of forward jets close to the proton direction. The measurements of cross sections for events with at least three jets are compared to fixed order QCD predictions of ${\mathcal{O}}(\alpha_{{\text{s}}}^2)$ and ${\mathcal{O}}(\alpha_{{\text{s}}}^3)$ and with Monte Carlo simulation programs where higher order effects are approximated by parton showers. A good overall description is provided by the ${\mathcal{O}}(\alpha_{{\text{s}}}^3)$ calculation. Too few events are predicted at the lowest x∼10-4, especially for topologies with two forward jets. This hints to large contributions at low x from initial state radiation of gluons close to the proton direction and unordered in transverse momentum. The Monte Carlo program in which gluon radiation is generated by the colour dipole model gives a good description of both the three- and the four-jet data in absolute normalisation and shape.

title: Search for First Generation Leptoquarks in ep Collisions at HERA
abstract: A search for first generation scalar and vector leptoquarks produced in ep collisions is performed by the H1 experiment at HERA. The full H1 data sample is used in the analysis, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 446 pb(-1). No evidence for the production of leptoquarks is observed in final states with a large transverse momentum electron or with large missing transverse momentum, and constraints on leptoquark models are derived. For leptoquark couplings of electromagnetic strength lambda = 0.3, first generation leptoquarks with masses up to 800 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level.

title: Combined measurement and QCD analysis of the inclusive e±p scattering cross sections at HERA
abstract: A combination is presented of the inclusive deep inelastic cross sections measured by the H1 and ZEUS Collaborations in neutral and charged current unpolarised e±p scattering at HERA during the period 1994-2000. The data span six orders of magnitude in negative four-momentum-transfer squared, Q2, and in Bjorken x. The combination method used takes the correlations of systematic uncertainties into account, resulting in an improved accuracy. The combined data are the sole input in a NLO QCD analysis which determines a new set of parton distributions, HERAPDF1.0, with small experimental uncertainties. This set includes an estimate of the model and parametrisation uncertainties of the fit result.

title: Search for physics beyond the standard model in events with a Z boson, jets, and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV
abstract: A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model (BSM) in events with a Z boson, jets, and missing transverse energy (MET). This signature is motivated by BSM physics scenarios, including supersymmetry. The study is performed using a sample of proton-proton collision data collected at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.98 inverse femtobarns. The contributions from the dominant standard model backgrounds are estimated from data using two complementary strategies, the jet-Z balance technique and a method based on modeling MET with data control samples. In the absence of evidence for BSM physics, we set limits on the non-standard-model contributions to event yields in the signal regions and interpret the results in the context of simplified model spectra. Additional information is provided to facilitate tests of other BSM physics models.