# Posts Tagged presence

## Recent Postings from presence

### Search for aluminium monoxide in the winds of oxygen-rich AGB stars

Aluminium monoxide, AlO, is likely efficiently depleted from the gas around oxygen-rich evolved stars to form alumina clusters and dust seeds. Its presence in the extended atmospheres of evolved stars has been derived from optical spectroscopy. More recently, AlO gas was also detected at long wavelengths around the supergiant VY CMa and the oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star o Cet (Mira A). In search of AlO, we mined data obtained with APEX, the IRAM 30m telescope, Herschel/HIFI, SMA, and ALMA, which were primarily aimed at studying other molecular species. We report here on observations of AlO towards a sample of eight oxygen-rich AGB stars in different rotational transitions, up to seven for some stars. We present definite detections of one rotational transition of AlO for o Cet and R Aqr, and tentative detections of one transition for R Dor and o Cet, and two for IK Tau and W Hya. The presented spectra of WX Psc, R Cas, and TX Cam show no signature of AlO. For o Cet, R Aqr, and IK Tau, we find that the AlO(N=9-8) emission likely traces the inner parts of the wind, out to only a few tens of AU, where the gas has not yet reached its terminal velocity. The conclusive detections of AlO emission in the case of o Cet and R Aqr confirm the presence of AlO gas in outflows of AGB stars. The tentative detections further support this. Since most of the observations presented in this study were obtained with stronger emission from other species than AlO in mind, observations with higher sensitivity in combination with high angular resolution will improve our understanding of the presence and behaviour of AlO. From the current data sets we cannot firmly conclude whether there is a direct correlation between the wind properties and the detection rate of AlO emission. We hope that this study can serve as a stimulus to perform sample studies in search of AlO in oxygen-rich outflows.

### The loop gravity string

In this work we study canonical gravity in finite regions for which we introduce a generalisation of the Gibbons-Hawking boundary term including the Immirzi parameter. We study the canonical formulation on a spacelike hypersuface with a boundary sphere and show how the presence of this term leads to an unprecedented type of degrees of freedom coming from the restoration of the gauge and diffeomorphism symmetry at the boundary. In the presence of a loop quantum gravity state, these boundary degrees of freedom localize along a set of punctures on the boundary sphere. We demonstrate that these degrees of freedom are effectively described by auxiliary strings with a 3-dimensional internal target space attached to each puncture. We show that the string currents represent the local frame field, that the string angular momenta represent the area flux and that the string stress tensor represents the two dimensional metric on the boundary of the region of interest. Finally, we show that the commutators of these broken diffeomorphisms charges of quantum geometry satisfy at each puncture a Virasoro algebra with central charge $c=3$. This leads to a description of the boundary degrees of freedom in terms of a CFT structure with central charge proportional to the number of loop punctures. The boundary $SU(2)$ gauge symmetry is recovered via the action of the $U(1)^3$ Kac-Moody generators (associated with the string current) in a way that is the exact analog of an infinite dimensional generalization of the Schwinger spin-representation. We finally show that this symmetry is broken by the presence of background curvature.

### The loop gravity string [Cross-Listing]

In this work we study canonical gravity in finite regions for which we introduce a generalisation of the Gibbons-Hawking boundary term including the Immirzi parameter. We study the canonical formulation on a spacelike hypersuface with a boundary sphere and show how the presence of this term leads to an unprecedented type of degrees of freedom coming from the restoration of the gauge and diffeomorphism symmetry at the boundary. In the presence of a loop quantum gravity state, these boundary degrees of freedom localize along a set of punctures on the boundary sphere. We demonstrate that these degrees of freedom are effectively described by auxiliary strings with a 3-dimensional internal target space attached to each puncture. We show that the string currents represent the local frame field, that the string angular momenta represent the area flux and that the string stress tensor represents the two dimensional metric on the boundary of the region of interest. Finally, we show that the commutators of these broken diffeomorphisms charges of quantum geometry satisfy at each puncture a Virasoro algebra with central charge $c=3$. This leads to a description of the boundary degrees of freedom in terms of a CFT structure with central charge proportional to the number of loop punctures. The boundary $SU(2)$ gauge symmetry is recovered via the action of the $U(1)^3$ Kac-Moody generators (associated with the string current) in a way that is the exact analog of an infinite dimensional generalization of the Schwinger spin-representation. We finally show that this symmetry is broken by the presence of background curvature.

### Radio and infrared study of the star forming region IRAS 20286+4105

A multi-wavelength investigation of the star forming complex IRAS 20286+4105, located in the Cygnus-X region, is presented here. Near-infrared K-band data is used to revisit the cluster / stellar group identified in previous studies. The radio continuum observations, at 610 and 1280 MHz show the presence of a HII region possibly powered by a star of spectral type B0 - B0.5. The cometary morphology of the ionized region is explained by invoking the bow-shock model where the likely association with a nearby supernova remnant is also explored. A compact radio knot with non-thermal spectral index is detected towards the centre of the cloud. Mid-infrared data from the Spitzer Legacy Survey of the Cygnus-X region show the presence of six Class I YSOs inside the cloud. Thermal dust emission in this complex is modelled using Herschel far-infrared data to generate dust temperature and column density maps. Herschel images also show the presence of two clumps in this region, the masses of which are estimated to be {\sim} 175 M{\sun} and 30 M{\sun}. The mass-radius relation and the surface density of the clumps do not qualify them as massive star forming sites. An overall picture of a runaway star ionizing the cloud and a triggered population of intermediate-mass, Class I sources located toward the cloud centre emerges from this multiwavelength study. Variation in the dust emissivity spectral index is shown to exist in this region and is seen to have an inverse relation with the dust temperature.

### Inner mean-motion resonances with eccentric planets: A possible origin for exozodiacal dust clouds

High levels of dust have been detected in the immediate vicinity of many stars, both young and old. A promising scenario to explain the presence of this short-lived dust is that these analogues to the Zodiacal cloud (or exozodis) are refilled in situ through cometary activity and sublimation. As the reservoir of comets is not expected to be replenished, the presence of these exozodis in old systems has yet to be adequately explained. It was recently suggested that mean-motion resonances (MMR) with exterior planets on moderately eccentric ($\mathrm{e_p}\gtrsim 0.1$) orbits could scatter planetesimals on to cometary orbits with delays of the order of several 100 Myr. Theoretically, this mechanism is also expected to sustain continuous production of active comets once it has started, potentially over Gyr-timescales. We aim here to investigate the ability of this mechanism to generate scattering on to cometary orbits compatible with the production of an exozodi on long timescales. We combine analytical predictions and complementary numerical N-body simulations to study its characteristics. We show, using order of magnitude estimates, that via this mechanism, low mass discs comparable to the Kuiper Belt could sustain comet scattering at rates compatible with the presence of the exozodis which are detected around Solar-type stars, and on Gyr timescales. We also find that the levels of dust detected around Vega could be sustained via our proposed mechanism if an eccentric Jupiter-like planet were present exterior to the system's cold debris disc.

### Ghost and singularity free theories of gravity

Albert Einstein's General Relativity (GR) from 1916 has become the widely accepted theory of gravity and been tested observationally to a very high precision at different scales of energy and distance. At the same time, there still remain important questions to resolve. The presence of cosmological and black hole singularities are examples of problems at the classical level which strongly suggest the incompleteness of GR at short distances (high energy). Furthermore, at the quantum level GR is not UV complete, namely it is not perturbatively renormalizable. These two kind of questions, classical and quantum, could be closely related as both concern short-distance (high energy) physics. Most of the work try to solve these problems modifying GR by considering finite higher order derivative terms. Fourth Order Gravity, for example, turns out to be renormalizable, but at the same time it introduces ghost. To avoid both UV divergence and presence of ghost one could consider an infinite set of higher derivative terms, in particular in the form of an exponential. One could show that such a theory describes a gravity that, in the linear regime, can avoid both the presence of ghost and classical singularities (both black hole and cosmological singularities). In this master's thesis we review some of these aspects regarding gravitational interaction.

### Ghost and singularity free theories of gravity [Replacement]

Albert Einstein's General Relativity (GR) from 1916 has become the widely accepted theory of gravity and been tested observationally to a very high precision at different scales of energy and distance. At the same time, there still remain important questions to resolve. The presence of cosmological and black hole singularities are examples of problems at the classical level which strongly suggest the incompleteness of GR at short distances (high energy). Furthermore, at the quantum level GR is not UV complete, namely it is not perturbatively renormalizable. These two kind of questions, classical and quantum, could be closely related as both concern short-distance (high energy) physics. Most of the work try to solve these problems modifying GR by considering finite higher order derivative terms. Fourth Order Gravity, for example, turns out to be renormalizable, but at the same time it introduces ghost. To avoid both UV divergence and presence of ghost one could consider an infinite set of higher derivative terms, in particular in the form of an exponential. One could show that such a theory describes a gravity that, in the linear regime, can avoid both the presence of ghost and classical singularities (both black hole and cosmological singularities). In this master's thesis we review some of these aspects regarding gravitational interaction.

### The Gribov problem in presence of background field for $SU(2)$ Yang-Mills theory [Cross-Listing]

The Gribov problem in the presence of a background field is analyzed: in particular, we study the Gribov copies equation in the Landau-De Witt gauge as well as the semi-classical Gribov gap equation. As background field, we choose the simplest non-trivial one which corresponds to a constant gauge potential with non-vanishing component along the Euclidean time direction. This kind of constant non-Abelian background fields is very relevant in relation with (the computation of) the Polyakov loop but it also appears when one considers the non-Abelian Schwinger effect. We show that the Gribov copies equation is affected directly by the presence of the background field, constructing an explicit example. The analysis of the Gribov gap equation shows that the larger the background field, the smaller the Gribov mass parameter. These results strongly suggest that the relevance of the Gribov copies (from the path integral point of view) decreases as the size of the background field increases.

### The Gribov problem in presence of background field for $SU(2)$ Yang-Mills theory

The Gribov problem in the presence of a background field is analyzed: in particular, we study the Gribov copies equation in the Landau-De Witt gauge as well as the semi-classical Gribov gap equation. As background field, we choose the simplest non-trivial one which corresponds to a constant gauge potential with non-vanishing component along the Euclidean time direction. This kind of constant non-Abelian background fields is very relevant in relation with (the computation of) the Polyakov loop but it also appears when one considers the non-Abelian Schwinger effect. We show that the Gribov copies equation is affected directly by the presence of the background field, constructing an explicit example. The analysis of the Gribov gap equation shows that the larger the background field, the smaller the Gribov mass parameter. These results strongly suggest that the relevance of the Gribov copies (from the path integral point of view) decreases as the size of the background field increases.

### Complex angular momenta approach for scattering problems in the presence of both monopoles and short range potentials [Cross-Listing]

It is analyzed the quantum mechanical scattering off a topological defect (such as a Dirac monopole) as well as a Yukawa-like potential(s) representing the typical effects of strong interactions. This system, due to the presence of a short-range potential, can be analyzed using the powerful technique of the complex angular momenta which, so far, has not been employed in the presence of monopoles (nor of other topological solitons). Due to the fact that spatial spherical symmetry is achieved only up to internal rotations, the partial wave expansion becomes very similar to the Jacob-Wick helicity amplitudes for particles with spin. However, since the angular-momentum operator has an extra "internal" contribution, fixed cuts in the complex angular momentum plane appear. Correspondingly, the background integral in the Regge formula does not decrease for large values of cos(Theta) (namely, large values of the Mandelstam variable s). Hence, the experimental observation of this kind of behavior could be a direct signal of non-trivial topological structures in strong interactions. The possible relations of these results with the soft Pomeron are shortly analyzed.

### Complex angular momenta approach for scattering problems in the presence of both monopoles and short range potentials [Cross-Listing]

It is analyzed the quantum mechanical scattering off a topological defect (such as a Dirac monopole) as well as a Yukawa-like potential(s) representing the typical effects of strong interactions. This system, due to the presence of a short-range potential, can be analyzed using the powerful technique of the complex angular momenta which, so far, has not been employed in the presence of monopoles (nor of other topological solitons). Due to the fact that spatial spherical symmetry is achieved only up to internal rotations, the partial wave expansion becomes very similar to the Jacob-Wick helicity amplitudes for particles with spin. However, since the angular-momentum operator has an extra "internal" contribution, fixed cuts in the complex angular momentum plane appear. Correspondingly, the background integral in the Regge formula does not decrease for large values of cos(Theta) (namely, large values of the Mandelstam variable s). Hence, the experimental observation of this kind of behavior could be a direct signal of non-trivial topological structures in strong interactions. The possible relations of these results with the soft Pomeron are shortly analyzed.

### Complex angular momenta approach for scattering problems in the presence of both monopoles and short range potentials

It is analyzed the quantum mechanical scattering off a topological defect (such as a Dirac monopole) as well as a Yukawa-like potential(s) representing the typical effects of strong interactions. This system, due to the presence of a short-range potential, can be analyzed using the powerful technique of the complex angular momenta which, so far, has not been employed in the presence of monopoles (nor of other topological solitons). Due to the fact that spatial spherical symmetry is achieved only up to internal rotations, the partial wave expansion becomes very similar to the Jacob-Wick helicity amplitudes for particles with spin. However, since the angular-momentum operator has an extra "internal" contribution, fixed cuts in the complex angular momentum plane appear. Correspondingly, the background integral in the Regge formula does not decrease for large values of cos(Theta) (namely, large values of the Mandelstam variable s). Hence, the experimental observation of this kind of behavior could be a direct signal of non-trivial topological structures in strong interactions. The possible relations of these results with the soft Pomeron are shortly analyzed.

### Generation of circular polarization of gamma ray bursts [Cross-Listing]

The generation of the circular polarization of Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) photons is discussed in this paper via their interactions with astroparticles in the presence or absence of background fields such as magnetic fields and non-commutative space time geometry. Solving quantum Boltzmann equation for GRB-photons as a photon ensemble, we discuss the generation of circular polarization (as Faraday conversion phase shift $\Delta \phi_{FC}$) of GRBs in the following cases: (i) intermediate interactions, i.e. the Compton scattering of GRBs in the galaxy cluster magnetic field and in the presence of non-commutative space time geometry, as well as the scattering of GRBs in cosmic neutrino background (CNB), and in cosmic microwave background (CMB); (ii) interactions with particles and fields in shock wave, i.e. the Compton scattering of GRBs with accelerated charged particles in the presence of magnetic fields. We found that (i) after shock wave crossing, the most contribution of $\Delta \phi_{FC}$ for energetic GRBs (in order GeV and larger) comes from GRB-CMB interactions, however for low energy GRBs the contributions of the Compton scattering of GRBs in the galaxy cluster magnetic field dominate; (ii) in shock wave crossing, the magnetic filed has significant effects on converting GRB's linear polarization to circular one, this effect can be used to better understanding magnetic profile in shock wave. The main aim of this work is a emphasis that the studying and measuring the circular polarization of GRBs are helpful for better understanding of physics and mechanism of the generation of GRBs and their interactions before reaching us.

### Generation of circular polarization of gamma ray bursts

The generation of the circular polarization of Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) photons is discussed in this paper via their interactions with astroparticles in the presence or absence of background fields such as magnetic fields and non-commutative space time geometry. Solving quantum Boltzmann equation for GRB-photons as a photon ensemble, we discuss the generation of circular polarization (as Faraday conversion phase shift $\Delta \phi_{FC}$) of GRBs in the following cases: (i) intermediate interactions, i.e. the Compton scattering of GRBs in the galaxy cluster magnetic field and in the presence of non-commutative space time geometry, as well as the scattering of GRBs in cosmic neutrino background (CNB), and in cosmic microwave background (CMB); (ii) interactions with particles and fields in shock wave, i.e. the Compton scattering of GRBs with accelerated charged particles in the presence of magnetic fields. We found that (i) after shock wave crossing, the most contribution of $\Delta \phi_{FC}$ for energetic GRBs (in order GeV and larger) comes from GRB-CMB interactions, however for low energy GRBs the contributions of the Compton scattering of GRBs in the galaxy cluster magnetic field dominate; (ii) in shock wave crossing, the magnetic filed has significant effects on converting GRB's linear polarization to circular one, this effect can be used to better understanding magnetic profile in shock wave. The main aim of this work is a emphasis that the studying and measuring the circular polarization of GRBs are helpful for better understanding of physics and mechanism of the generation of GRBs and their interactions before reaching us.

### The upper critical magnetic field of holographic superconductor with conformally invariant power-Maxwell electrodynamics

The properties of $(d-1)$-dimensional $s$-wave holographic superconductor in the presence of power-Maxwell field is explored. We study the probe limit in which the scalar and gauge fields do not backreact on the background geometry. Our study is based on the matching of solutions on the boundary and on the horizon at some intermediate point. At first, the case without external magnetic field is considered, and the critical temperature is obtained in terms of the charge density, the dimensionality, and the power-Maxwell exponent. Then, a magnetic field is turned on in the $d$-dimensional bulk which can influence the $(d-1)$-dimensional holographic superconductor at the boundary. The phase behavior of the corresponding holographic superconductor is obtained by computing the upper critical magnetic field in the presence of power-Maxwell electrodynamics, characterized by the power exponent $q$. Interestingly, it is observed that in the presence of magnetic field, the physically acceptable phase behavior of the holographic superconductor is obtained for $q={d}/{4}$, which guaranties the conformal invariance of the power-Maxwell Lagrangian. The case of physical interest in five spacetime dimensions ($d=5$, and $q=5/4$) is considered in detail, and compared with the results obtained for the usual Maxwell electrodynamics $q=1$ in the same dimensions.

### Intervening Mg II absorption systems from the SDSS DR12 quasar spectra

We present the catalogue of the Mg II absorption systems detected at a high significance level using an automated search algorithm in the spectra of quasars from the twelfth data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. A total of 266,433 background quasars were searched for the presence of absorption systems in their spectra. The continuum modelling for the quasar spectra was performed using a mean filter. A pseudo-continuum derived using a median filter was used to trace the emission lines. The absorption system catalogue contains 39,694 Mg II systems detected at a 6.0, 3.0$\sigma$ level respectively for the two lines of the doublet. The catalogue was constrained to an absorption line redshift of 0.35 $\le$ z$_{2796}$ $\le$ 2.3. The rest-frame equivalent width of the $\lambda$2796 line ranges between 0.2 $\le$ W$_r$ $\le$ 6.2 \AA. Using Gaussian-noise only simulations we estimate a false positive rate of 7.7 per cent in the catalogue. We measured the number density $\partial N^{2796}/\partial z$ of Mg II absorbers and find evidence for steeper evolution of the systems with W$_r \ge$ 1.2 \AA\ at low redshifts (z$_{2796}$ $\le$ 1.0), consistent with other earlier studies. A suite of null tests over the redshift range 0.5 $\le$ z$_{2796}$ $\le$ 1.5 was used to study the presence of systematics and selection effects like the dependence of the number density evolution of the absorption systems on the properties of the background quasar spectra. The null tests do not indicate the presence of any selection effects in the absorption catalogue if the quasars with spectral signal-to-noise level less than 5.0 are removed. The resultant catalogue contains 36,981 absorption systems. The Mg II absorption catalogue is publicly available.

### Intervening Mg II absorption systems from the SDSS DR12 quasar spectra [Replacement]

We present the catalogue of the Mg II absorption systems detected at a high significance level using an automated search algorithm in the spectra of quasars from the twelfth data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. A total of 266,433 background quasars were searched for the presence of absorption systems in their spectra. The continuum modelling for the quasar spectra was performed using a mean filter. A pseudo-continuum derived using a median filter was used to trace the emission lines. The absorption system catalogue contains 39,694 Mg II systems detected at a 6.0, 3.0$\sigma$ level respectively for the two lines of the doublet. The catalogue was constrained to an absorption line redshift of 0.35 $\le$ z$_{2796}$ $\le$ 2.3. The rest-frame equivalent width of the $\lambda$2796 line ranges between 0.2 $\le$ W$_r$ $\le$ 6.2 $\AA$. Using Gaussian-noise only simulations we estimate a false positive rate of 7.7 per cent in the catalogue. We measured the number density $\partial N^{2796}/\partial z$ of Mg II absorbers and find evidence for steeper evolution of the systems with W$_r \ge$ 1.2 $\AA$ at low redshifts (z$_{2796}$ $\le$ 1.0), consistent with other earlier studies. A suite of null tests over the redshift range 0.5 $\le$ z$_{2796}$ $\le$ 1.5 was used to study the presence of systematics and selection effects like the dependence of the number density evolution of the absorption systems on the properties of the background quasar spectra. The null tests do not indicate the presence of any selection effects in the absorption catalogue if the quasars with spectral signal-to-noise level less than 5.0 are removed. The resultant catalogue contains 36,981 absorption systems. The Mg II absorption catalogue is publicly available and can be downloaded from the link http://srini.ph.unimelb.edu.au/mgii.php.

### Intervening Mg II absorption systems from the SDSS DR12 quasar spectra [Replacement]

We present the catalogue of the Mg II absorption systems detected at a high significance level using an automated search algorithm in the spectra of quasars from the twelfth data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. A total of 266,433 background quasars were searched for the presence of absorption systems in their spectra. The continuum modelling for the quasar spectra was performed using a mean filter. A pseudo-continuum derived using a median filter was used to trace the emission lines. The absorption system catalogue contains 39,694 Mg II systems detected at a 6.0, 3.0$\sigma$ level respectively for the two lines of the doublet. The catalogue was constrained to an absorption line redshift of 0.35 $\le$ z$_{2796}$ $\le$ 2.3. The rest-frame equivalent width of the $\lambda$2796 line ranges between 0.2 $\le$ W$_r$ $\le$ 6.2 $\AA$. Using Gaussian-noise only simulations we estimate a false positive rate of 7.7 per cent in the catalogue. We measured the number density $\partial N^{2796}/\partial z$ of Mg II absorbers and find evidence for steeper evolution of the systems with W$_r \ge$ 1.2 $\AA$ at low redshifts (z$_{2796}$ $\le$ 1.0), consistent with other earlier studies. A suite of null tests over the redshift range 0.5 $\le$ z$_{2796}$ $\le$ 1.5 was used to study the presence of systematics and selection effects like the dependence of the number density evolution of the absorption systems on the properties of the background quasar spectra. The null tests do not indicate the presence of any selection effects in the absorption catalogue if the quasars with spectral signal-to-noise level less than 5.0 are removed. The resultant catalogue contains 36,981 absorption systems. The Mg II absorption catalogue is publicly available and can be downloaded from the link http://srini.ph.unimelb.edu.au/mgii.php

### Near-IR imaging towards a puzzling YSO precessing jet

At present there are many studies concerning jets towards low-mass young stellar objects, while equivalent studies towards massive or intermediate-mass young stellar objects are scarce. In a previous study, we found highly misaligned molecular outflows towards the infrared point source IRS. Using near-IR data acquired with Gemini-NIRI at the JHKs-broad-bands and narrow-bands centered at the emission lines of [FeII], H2 1-0 S(1), H2 2-1 S(1), Br-gamma, and CO 2-0 (bh), we studied the circumstellar environment of IRS with an angular resolution between 0.35" and 0.45". The emission in the JHKs-broad-bands shows, with great detail, the presence of a cone-like shape nebula extending to the north/northeast of the point source, which appears to be attached to it by a jet-like structure. In the three bands the nebula is resolved in a twisted-shaped feature composed by two arc-like features and a bow shock-like structure seen mainly in the Ks-band, which strongly suggests the presence of a precessing jet. An analysis of proper motions based on our Gemini observations and UKIDSS data gives additional support to the precession scenario. We are presenting one of the best resolved cone-like nebula likely related to a precessing jet up to date. The analysis of the observed near-infrared lines shows that the H2 is collisionally excited, and the spatially coincidence of the [FeII] and H2 emissions in the closer arc-like feature suggests that this region is affected by a J-shock. The second arc-like feature presents H2 emission without [FeII] which suggests the presence of a nondisociative C-shock or a less energetic J-shock. The H2 1-0 S(1) continuum subtracted image, reveals several knots and filaments at a larger spatial scale around IRS, in perfect matching with the distribution of the red and blueshifted molecular outflows discovered in our previous work.

### $\infty-\infty$: vacuum energy and virtual black-holes [Replacement]

We discuss other contributions to the vacuum energy of quantum field theories and quantum gravity, which have not been considered in literature. As is well known, the presence of virtual particles in vacuum provides the so famous and puzzling contributions to the vacuum energy. As is well known, these mainly come from loop integrations over the four-momenta space. However, we argue that these also imply the presence of a mass density of virtual particles in every volume cell of space-time. The most important contribution comes from quantum gravity $S^{2}\times S^{2}$ bubbles, corresponding to virtual black hole pairs. The presence of virtual masses could lead to another paradox: the space-time itself would have an intrinsic virtual mass density contribution leading to a disastrous contraction - as is known, no negative masses exist in general relativity. We dub this effect {\it the cosmological problem of second type}: if not other counter-terms existed, the vacuum energy would be inevitably destabilized by virtual-mass contributions. It would be conceivable that the cosmological problem of second type could solve the first one. Virtual masses renormalize the vacuum energy to an unpredicted parameter, as in the renormalization procedure of the Standard Model charges. In the limit of $M_{Pl}\rightarrow \infty$ (Pauli-Villars limit), virtual black holes have a mass density providing an infinite counter-term to the vacuum energy divergent contribution $M_{Pl} \rightarrow \infty$ (assuming $M_{UV}=M_{Pl}$). Therefore, in the same Schwinger-Feynman-Tomonaga attitude, the problem of a divergent vacuum energy could be analogous to the {\it put-by-hand} procedure used for Standard Model parameters.

### $\infty-\infty$: vacuum energy and virtual black-holes [Replacement]

We discuss other contributions to the vacuum energy of quantum field theories and quantum gravity, which have not been considered in literature. As is well known, the presence of virtual particles in vacuum provides the so famous and puzzling contributions to the vacuum energy. As is well known, these mainly come from loop integrations over the four-momenta space. However, we argue that these also imply the presence of a mass density of virtual particles in every volume cell of space-time. The most important contribution comes from quantum gravity $S^{2}\times S^{2}$ bubbles, corresponding to virtual black hole pairs. The presence of virtual masses could lead to another paradox: the space-time itself would have an intrinsic virtual mass density contribution leading to a disastrous contraction - as is known, no negative masses exist in general relativity. We dub this effect {\it the cosmological problem of second type}: if not other counter-terms existed, the vacuum energy would be inevitably destabilized by virtual-mass contributions. It would be conceivable that the cosmological problem of second type could solve the first one. Virtual masses renormalize the vacuum energy to an unpredicted parameter, as in the renormalization procedure of the Standard Model charges. In the limit of $M_{Pl}\rightarrow \infty$ (Pauli-Villars limit), virtual black holes have a mass density providing an infinite counter-term to the vacuum energy divergent contribution $M_{Pl} \rightarrow \infty$ (assuming $M_{UV}=M_{Pl}$). Therefore, in the same Schwinger-Feynman-Tomonaga attitude, the problem of a divergent vacuum energy could be analogous to the {\it put-by-hand} procedure used for Standard Model parameters.

### $\infty-\infty$: vacuum energy and virtual black-holes [Replacement]

We discuss other contributions to the vacuum energy of quantum field theories and quantum gravity, which have not been considered in literature. As is well known, the presence of virtual particles in vacuum provides the so famous and puzzling contributions to the vacuum energy. As is well known, these mainly come from loop integrations over the four-momenta space. However, we argue that these also imply the presence of a mass density of virtual particles in every volume cell of space-time. The most important contribution comes from quantum gravity $S^{2}\times S^{2}$ bubbles, corresponding to virtual black hole pairs. The presence of virtual masses could lead to another paradox: the space-time itself would have an intrinsic virtual mass density contribution leading to a disastrous contraction - as is known, no negative masses exist in general relativity. We dub this effect {\it the cosmological problem of second type}: if not other counter-terms existed, the vacuum energy would be inevitably destabilized by virtual-mass contributions. It would be conceivable that the cosmological problem of second type could solve the first one. Virtual masses renormalize the vacuum energy to an unpredicted parameter, as in the renormalization procedure of the Standard Model charges. In the limit of $M_{Pl}\rightarrow \infty$ (Pauli-Villars limit), virtual black holes have a mass density providing an infinite counter-term to the vacuum energy divergent contribution $M_{Pl} \rightarrow \infty$ (assuming $M_{UV}=M_{Pl}$). Therefore, in the same Schwinger-Feynman-Tomonaga attitude, the problem of a divergent vacuum energy could be analogous to the {\it put-by-hand} procedure used for Standard Model parameters.

### $\infty-\infty$: vacuum energy and virtual black-holes [Cross-Listing]

We discuss other contributions to the vacuum energy of quantum field theories and quantum gravity, which have not been considered in literature. As is well known, the presence of virtual particles in vacuum provides the so famous and puzzling contributions to the vacuum energy. As is well known, these mainly come from loop integrations over the four-momenta space. However, we argue that these also imply the presence of a mass density of virtual particles in every volume cell of space-time. The most important contribution comes from quantum gravity $S^{2}\times S^{2}$ bubbles, corresponding to virtual black hole pairs. The presence of virtual masses could lead to another paradox: the space-time itself would have an intrinsic virtual mass density contribution leading to a disastrous contraction - as is known, no negative masses exist in general relativity. We dub this effect {\it the cosmological problem of second type}: if not other counter-terms existed, the vacuum energy would be inevitably destabilized by virtual-mass contributions. It would be conceivable that the cosmological problem of second type could solve the first one. Virtual masses renormalize the vacuum energy to an unpredicted parameter, as in the renormalization procedure of the Standard Model charges. In the limit of $M_{Pl}\rightarrow \infty$ (Pauli-Villars limit), virtual black holes have a mass density providing an infinite counter-term to the vacuum energy divergent contribution $M_{Pl} \rightarrow \infty$ (assuming $M_{UV}=M_{Pl}$). Therefore, in the same Schwinger-Feynman-Tomonaga attitude, the problem of a divergent vacuum energy could be analogous to the {\it put-by-hand} procedure used for Standard Model parameters.

### $\infty-\infty$: vacuum energy and virtual black-holes [Replacement]

We discuss other contributions to the vacuum energy of quantum field theories and quantum gravity, which have not been considered in literature. As is well known, the presence of virtual particles in vacuum provides the so famous and puzzling contributions to the vacuum energy. As is well known, these mainly come from loop integrations over the four-momenta space. However, we argue that these also imply the presence of a mass density of virtual particles in every volume cell of space-time. The most important contribution comes from quantum gravity $S^{2}\times S^{2}$ bubbles, corresponding to virtual black hole pairs. The presence of virtual masses could lead to another paradox: the space-time itself would have an intrinsic virtual mass density contribution leading to a disastrous contraction - as is known, no negative masses exist in general relativity. We dub this effect {\it the cosmological problem of second type}: if not other counter-terms existed, the vacuum energy would be inevitably destabilized by virtual-mass contributions. It would be conceivable that the cosmological problem of second type could solve the first one. Virtual masses renormalize the vacuum energy to an unpredicted parameter, as in the renormalization procedure of the Standard Model charges. In the limit of $M_{Pl}\rightarrow \infty$ (Pauli-Villars limit), virtual black holes have a mass density providing an infinite counter-term to the vacuum energy divergent contribution $M_{Pl} \rightarrow \infty$ (assuming $M_{UV}=M_{Pl}$). Therefore, in the same Schwinger-Feynman-Tomonaga attitude, the problem of a divergent vacuum energy could be analogous to the {\it put-by-hand} procedure used for Standard Model parameters.

### $\infty-\infty$: vacuum energy and virtual black-holes [Replacement]

We discuss other contributions to the vacuum energy of quantum field theories and quantum gravity, which have not been considered in literature. As is well known, the presence of virtual particles in vacuum provides the so famous and puzzling contributions to the vacuum energy. As is well known, these mainly come from loop integrations over the four-momenta space. However, we argue that these also imply the presence of a mass density of virtual particles in every volume cell of space-time. The most important contribution comes from quantum gravity $S^{2}\times S^{2}$ bubbles, corresponding to virtual black hole pairs. The presence of virtual masses could lead to another paradox: the space-time itself would have an intrinsic virtual mass density contribution leading to a disastrous contraction - as is known, no negative masses exist in general relativity. We dub this effect {\it the cosmological problem of second type}: if not other counter-terms existed, the vacuum energy would be inevitably destabilized by virtual-mass contributions. It would be conceivable that the cosmological problem of second type could solve the first one. Virtual masses renormalize the vacuum energy to an unpredicted parameter, as in the renormalization procedure of the Standard Model charges. In the limit of $M_{Pl}\rightarrow \infty$ (Pauli-Villars limit), virtual black holes have a mass density providing an infinite counter-term to the vacuum energy divergent contribution $M_{Pl} \rightarrow \infty$ (assuming $M_{UV}=M_{Pl}$). Therefore, in the same Schwinger-Feynman-Tomonaga attitude, the problem of a divergent vacuum energy could be analogous to the {\it put-by-hand} procedure used for Standard Model parameters.

### $\infty-\infty$: vacuum energy and virtual black-holes [Replacement]

We discuss other contributions to the vacuum energy of quantum field theories and quantum gravity, which have not been considered in literature. As is well known, the presence of virtual particles in vacuum provides the so famous and puzzling contributions to the vacuum energy. As is well known, these mainly come from loop integrations over the four-momenta space. However, we argue that these also imply the presence of a mass density of virtual particles in every volume cell of space-time. The most important contribution comes from quantum gravity $S^{2}\times S^{2}$ bubbles, corresponding to virtual black hole pairs. The presence of virtual masses could lead to another paradox: the space-time itself would have an intrinsic virtual mass density contribution leading to a disastrous contraction - as is known, no negative masses exist in general relativity. We dub this effect {\it the cosmological problem of second type}: if not other counter-terms existed, the vacuum energy would be inevitably destabilized by virtual-mass contributions. It would be conceivable that the cosmological problem of second type could solve the first one. Virtual masses renormalize the vacuum energy to an unpredicted parameter, as in the renormalization procedure of the Standard Model charges. In the limit of $M_{Pl}\rightarrow \infty$ (Pauli-Villars limit), virtual black holes have a mass density providing an infinite counter-term to the vacuum energy divergent contribution $M_{Pl} \rightarrow \infty$ (assuming $M_{UV}=M_{Pl}$). Therefore, in the same Schwinger-Feynman-Tomonaga attitude, the problem of a divergent vacuum energy could be analogous to the {\it put-by-hand} procedure used for Standard Model parameters.

### $\infty-\infty$: vacuum energy and virtual black-holes [Replacement]

We discuss other contributions to the vacuum energy of quantum field theories and quantum gravity, which have not been considered in literature. As is well known, the presence of virtual particles in vacuum provides the so famous and puzzling contributions to the vacuum energy. As is well known, these mainly come from loop integrations over the four-momenta space. However, we argue that these also imply the presence of a mass density of virtual particles in every volume cell of space-time. The most important contribution comes from quantum gravity $S^{2}\times S^{2}$ bubbles, corresponding to virtual black hole pairs. The presence of virtual masses could lead to another paradox: the space-time itself would have an intrinsic virtual mass density contribution leading to a disastrous contraction - as is known, no negative masses exist in general relativity. We dub this effect {\it the cosmological problem of second type}: if not other counter-terms existed, the vacuum energy would be inevitably destabilized by virtual-mass contributions. It would be conceivable that the cosmological problem of second type could solve the first one. Virtual masses renormalize the vacuum energy to an unpredicted parameter, as in the renormalization procedure of the Standard Model charges. In the limit of $M_{Pl}\rightarrow \infty$ (Pauli-Villars limit), virtual black holes have a mass density providing an infinite counter-term to the vacuum energy divergent contribution $M_{Pl} \rightarrow \infty$ (assuming $M_{UV}=M_{Pl}$). Therefore, in the same Schwinger-Feynman-Tomonaga attitude, the problem of a divergent vacuum energy could be analogous to the {\it put-by-hand} procedure used for Standard Model parameters.

### Entangling Higgs production associated with a single top and a top-quark pair in the presence of anomalous top-Yukawa coupling

The ATLAS and CMS collaborations observed the excess in the associated Higgs production with a top-quark pair ($t\bar t h$) and reported the signal strengths of $\mu_{tth}^{\rm ATLAS}=1.81\pm 0.80$ and $\mu_{tth}^{\rm CMS}=2.75\pm 0.99$ based on the data collected at $\sqrt{s}$= 7 and 8 TeV. In this work, we attempt to interpret the excess by exploiting the strong entanglement between the associated Higgs production with a single top quark ($thX$) and $t\bar t h$ production in the presence of anomalous top-Yukawa coupling. As well known, $t\bar t h$ production only depends on the absolute value of the top-Yukawa coupling. Meanwhile, in $thX$ production, this degeneracy is lifted through the strong interference between the two main contributions which are proportional to the top-Yukawa and the gauge-Higgs couplings, respectively. Especially, when the relative sign of the top-Yukawa coupling with respect to the gauge-Higgs coupling is reversed, the $thX$ cross section can be enhanced by more than one order of magnitude. We perform a detailed study of the influence of $thX$ production on $t\bar{t}h$ production in the presence of the anomalous top-Yukawa coupling. While assuming the Standard Model (SM) value for the gauge-Higgs coupling, we vary the top-Yukawa coupling within the range allowed by the current LHC Higgs data. We consider the Higgs decay modes into multileptons, $b\bar b$ and $\gamma\gamma$ putting a particular emphasis on the same sign dilepton events. We also discuss the prospects for the LHC Run-2 on how to disentangle $thX$ production from $t\bar{t}h$ one and how to probe the anomalous top-Yukawa coupling.

### Non-minimally coupled dark fluid in Schwarzschild spacetime [Cross-Listing]

If one assumes a particular form of non-minimal coupling, called the conformal coupling, of a perfect fluid with gravity in the fluid-gravity Lagrangian then one gets modified Einstein field equation. In the modified Einstein equation, the effect of the non-minimal coupling does not vanish if one works with spacetimes for which the Ricci scalar vanishes. In the present work we use the Schwarzschild metric in the modified Einstein equation, in presence of non-minimal coupling with a fluid, and find out the energy-density and pressure of the fluid. In the present case the perfect fluid is part of the solution of the modified Einstein equation. We also solve the modified Einstein equation, using the flat spacetime metric and show that in presence of non-minimal coupling one can accommodate a perfect fluid of uniform energy-density and pressure in the flat spacetime. In both the cases the fluid pressure turns out to be negative. Except these non-trivial solutions it must be noted that the vacuum solutions also remain as trivial valid solutions of the modified Einstein equation in presence of non-minimal coupling.

### Non-minimally coupled dark fluid in Schwarzschild spacetime [Replacement]

If one assumes a particular form of non-minimal coupling, called the conformal coupling, of a perfect fluid with gravity in the fluid-gravity Lagrangian then one gets modified Einstein field equation. In the modified Einstein equation, the effect of the non-minimal coupling does not vanish if one works with spacetimes for which the Ricci scalar vanishes. In the present work we use the Schwarzschild metric in the modified Einstein equation, in presence of non-minimal coupling with a fluid, and find out the energy-density and pressure of the fluid. In the present case the perfect fluid is part of the solution of the modified Einstein equation. We also solve the modified Einstein equation, using the flat spacetime metric and show that in presence of non-minimal coupling one can accommodate a perfect fluid of uniform energy-density and pressure in the flat spacetime. In both the cases the fluid pressure turns out to be negative. Except these non-trivial solutions it must be noted that the vacuum solutions also remain as trivial valid solutions of the modified Einstein equation in presence of non-minimal coupling.

### Non-minimally coupled dark fluid in Schwarzschild spacetime [Replacement]

If one assumes a particular form of non-minimal coupling, called the conformal coupling, of a perfect fluid with gravity in the fluid-gravity Lagrangian then one gets modified Einstein field equation. In the modified Einstein equation, the effect of the non-minimal coupling does not vanish if one works with spacetimes for which the Ricci scalar vanishes. In the present work we use the Schwarzschild metric in the modified Einstein equation, in presence of non-minimal coupling with a fluid, and find out the energy-density and pressure of the fluid. In the present case the perfect fluid is part of the solution of the modified Einstein equation. We also solve the modified Einstein equation, using the flat spacetime metric and show that in presence of non-minimal coupling one can accommodate a perfect fluid of uniform energy-density and pressure in the flat spacetime. In both the cases the fluid pressure turns out to be negative. Except these non-trivial solutions it must be noted that the vacuum solutions also remain as trivial valid solutions of the modified Einstein equation in presence of non-minimal coupling.

### Non-minimally coupled dark fluid in Schwarzschild spacetime

If one assumes a particular form of non-minimal coupling, called the conformal coupling, of a perfect fluid with gravity in the fluid-gravity Lagrangian then one gets modified Einstein field equation. In the modified Einstein equation, the effect of the non-minimal coupling does not vanish if one works with spacetimes for which the Ricci scalar vanishes. In the present work we use the Schwarzschild metric in the modified Einstein equation, in presence of non-minimal coupling with a fluid, and find out the energy-density and pressure of the fluid. In the present case the perfect fluid is part of the solution of the modified Einstein equation. We also solve the modified Einstein equation, using the flat spacetime metric and show that in presence of non-minimal coupling one can accommodate a perfect fluid of uniform energy-density and pressure in the flat spacetime. In both the cases the fluid pressure turns out to be negative. Except these non-trivial solutions it must be noted that the vacuum solutions also remain as trivial valid solutions of the modified Einstein equation in presence of non-minimal coupling.

### Deep LMT/AzTEC millimeter observations of Epsilon Eridani and its surroundings

Epsilon Eridani is a nearby, young Sun-like star that hosts a ring of cool debris analogous to the solar system's Edgeworth-Kuiper belt. Early observations at (sub-)mm wavelengths gave tentative evidence of the presence of inhomogeneities in the ring, which have been ascribed to the effect of a putative low eccentricity planet, orbiting close to the ring. The existence of these structures have been recently challenged by high resolution interferometric millimeter observations. Here we present the deepest single-dish image of Epsilon Eridani at millimeter wavelengths, obtained with the Large Millimeter Telescope Alfonso Serrano (LMT). The main goal of these LMT observations is to confirm (or refute) the presence of non-axisymmetric structure in the disk. The dusty ring is detected for the first time along its full projected elliptical shape. The radial extent of the ring is not spatially resolved and shows no evidence, to within the uncertainties, of dust density enhancements. Additional features of the 1.1 mm map are: (i) the presence of significant flux in the gap between the ring and the star, probably providing the first exo-solar evidence of Poynting-Robertson drag, (ii) an unambiguous detection of emission at the stellar position with a flux significantly above that expected from Epsilon Eridani's photosphere, and (iii) the identification of numerous unresolved sources which could correspond to background dusty star-forming galaxies.

### Analysis of four-zero textures in $3+1$ framework

The presence of a zero texture in the neutrino mass matrix can indicate the presence of an underlying symmetry which can generate neutrino mass and mixing. In this paper, for the first time we study the four-zero textures of the low energy neutrino mass matrix in the presence of an extra light-sterile neutrino i.e., the 3+1 neutrino scheme. In our analysis we find that out of the 210 possible four-zero textures only 15 textures are allowed. We divide the allowed four-zero textures into two classes -- class $A$ in which the value of mass matrix element $M_{ee}$ is zero and class $B$ in which $M_{ee}$ is non-zero. In this way we obtain ten possible four-zero textures in class $A$ and five possible four-zero textures in class $B$. In our analysis we find that, for normal hierarchy the allowed number of textures in class $A$ ($B$) is nine (three). For the case of inverted hierarchy we find that, two textures in class $A$ are disallowed and these textures are different from the disallowed textures for normal hierarchy in class $A$. However, we find that all the five textures in class $B$ are allowed for the inverted hierarchy. Based on analytic expressions for the elements $M_{\alpha\beta}$, we discuss the reasons for certain textures being disallowed. We also discuss the correlations between the different parameters of the allowed textures. Finally, we present the implications of our study on experimental searches for neutrinoless double beta decay.

### Analysis of four-zero textures in $3+1$ framework [Replacement]

The presence of a zero texture in the neutrino mass matrix can indicate the presence of an underlying symmetry which can generate neutrino mass and mixing. In this paper, for the first time we study the four-zero textures of the low energy neutrino mass matrix in the presence of an extra light-sterile neutrino i.e., the 3+1 neutrino scheme. In our analysis we find that out of the 210 possible four-zero textures only 15 textures are allowed. We divide the allowed four-zero textures into two classes -- class $A$ in which the value of mass matrix element $M_{ee}$ is zero and class $B$ in which $M_{ee}$ is non-zero. In this way we obtain ten possible four-zero textures in class $A$ and five possible four-zero textures in class $B$. In our analysis we find that, for normal hierarchy the allowed number of textures in class $A$ ($B$) is nine (three). For the case of inverted hierarchy we find that, two textures in class $A$ are disallowed and these textures are different from the disallowed textures for normal hierarchy in class $A$. However, we find that all the five textures in class $B$ are allowed for the inverted hierarchy. Based on analytic expressions for the elements $M_{\alpha\beta}$, we discuss the reasons for certain textures being disallowed. We also discuss the correlations between the different parameters of the allowed textures. Finally, we present the implications of our study on experimental searches for neutrinoless double beta decay.

### Observational Signatures of a Massive Distant Planet on the Scattering Disk [Replacement]

The orbital element distribution of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) with large pericenters has been suggested to be influenced by the presence of an undetected, large planet at >200 AU from the Sun. To find additional observables caused by this scenario, we here present the first detailed emplacement simulation in the presence of a massive ninth planet on the distant Kuiper Belt. We perform 4 Gyr N-body simulations with the currently known Solar System planetary architecture, plus a 10 Earth mass planet with similar orbital parameters to those suggested by Trujillo & Sheppard (2014) or Batygin & Brown (2016), and 10^5 test particles in an initial planetesimal disk. We find that including a distant superearth-mass planet produces a substantially different orbital distribution for the scattering and detached TNOs, raising the pericenters and inclinations of moderate semimajor axis (50<a<500 AU) objects. We test whether this signature is detectable via a simulator with the observational characteristics of four precisely characterized TNO surveys. We find that the qualitatively very distinct Solar System models that include a ninth planet are essentially observationally indistinguishable from an outer Solar System produced solely by the four giant planets. We also find that the mass of the Kuiper Belt's current scattering and detached populations is required to be 3-10 times larger in the presence of an additional planet. We do not find any evidence for clustering of orbital angles in our simulated TNO population. Wide-field, deep surveys targeting inclined high-pericenter objects will be required to distinguish between these different scenarios.

### Three supernova shells around a young star cluster in M33

Using a specialized technique sensitive to the presence of expanding ionized gas we have detected a set of three concentric expanding shells in an HII region in the nearby spiral galaxy M33. After mapping the kinematics in H{\alpha} with Fabry-Perot spectroscopy we used slit spectra to measure the intensities of the [SII] doublet at {\lambda}{\lambda} 671.9, 673.1 nm and the [NII] doublet at {\lambda}{\lambda} 645.8, 658.3 nm to corroborate the kinematics and apply diagnostic tests using line ratios. These showed that the expanding shells are shock dominated as would be the case if they had originated with supernova explosions. Estimating their kinetic energies we find fairly low values, indicating a fairly advanced stage of evolution. We obtain density, mass and parent star mass estimates, which, along with the kinetic energies, are inconsistent with the simplest models of shock-interstellar medium interaction. We propose that the presence and properties of an inhomogeneous medium offer a scenario which can account for these observations, and discuss the implications. Comparing our results with data from the literature supports the combined presence of an HII region and supernova remnant material at the observed position.

### Large Non-Gaussianity in Non-Minimally Coupled Derivative Inflation with Gauss-Bonnet Correction

We study a nonminimal derivative inflationary model in the presence of the Gauss-Bonnet term. To have a complete treatment of the model, we consider a general form of the nonminimal derivative function and also the Gauss-Bonnet coupling term. By following the ADM formalism, expanding the action up to the third order in the perturbations and using the correlation functions, we study the perturbation and its non-Gaussian feature in details. We also study the consistency relation that gets modified in the presence of the Gauss-Bonnet term in the action. We compare the results of our consideration in confrontation with Planck2015 observational data and find some constraints on the model's parameters. Our treatment shows that this model in some ranges of the parameters is consistent with the observational data. Also, in some ranges of model's parameters, the model predicts blue-tilted power spectrum. Finally, we show that nonminimal derivative model in the presence of the GB term has capability to have large non-Gaussianity.

### Large Non-Gaussianity in Non-Minimally Coupled Derivative Inflation with Gauss-Bonnet Correction [Cross-Listing]

We study a nonminimal derivative inflationary model in the presence of the Gauss-Bonnet term. To have a complete treatment of the model, we consider a general form of the nonminimal derivative function and also the Gauss-Bonnet coupling term. By following the ADM formalism, expanding the action up to the third order in the perturbations and using the correlation functions, we study the perturbation and its non-Gaussian feature in details. We also study the consistency relation that gets modified in the presence of the Gauss-Bonnet term in the action. We compare the results of our consideration in confrontation with Planck2015 observational data and find some constraints on the model's parameters. Our treatment shows that this model in some ranges of the parameters is consistent with the observational data. Also, in some ranges of model's parameters, the model predicts blue-tilted power spectrum. Finally, we show that nonminimal derivative model in the presence of the GB term has capability to have large non-Gaussianity.

### Large Non-Gaussianity in Non-Minimally Coupled Derivative Inflation with Gauss-Bonnet Correction [Cross-Listing]

We study a nonminimal derivative inflationary model in the presence of the Gauss-Bonnet term. To have a complete treatment of the model, we consider a general form of the nonminimal derivative function and also the Gauss-Bonnet coupling term. By following the ADM formalism, expanding the action up to the third order in the perturbations and using the correlation functions, we study the perturbation and its non-Gaussian feature in details. We also study the consistency relation that gets modified in the presence of the Gauss-Bonnet term in the action. We compare the results of our consideration in confrontation with Planck2015 observational data and find some constraints on the model's parameters. Our treatment shows that this model in some ranges of the parameters is consistent with the observational data. Also, in some ranges of model's parameters, the model predicts blue-tilted power spectrum. Finally, we show that nonminimal derivative model in the presence of the GB term has capability to have large non-Gaussianity.

### The connection between the host halo and the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way

Many properties of the Milky Way's dark matter halo, including its mass assembly history, concentration, and subhalo population, remain poorly constrained. We explore the connection between these properties of the Milky Way and its satellite galaxy population, especially the implication of the presence of the Magellanic Clouds for the properties of the Milky Way halo. Using a suite of high-resolution N-body simulations of Milky Way-mass halos, we find that the presence of Magellanic Cloud-like satellites strongly correlates with the assembly history, concentration, and subhalo population of the host halo, such that Milky Way-mass systems with Magellanic Clouds have lower concentration, more rapid recent accretion, and more massive subhalos than typical halos of the same mass. Using a flexible semi-analytic galaxy formation model that is tuned to reproduce the stellar mass function of the classical dwarf galaxies of the Milky Way with Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo, we show that adopting host halos with different mass-assembly histories and concentrations can lead to different best-fit models for galaxy-formation physics, especially for the strength of feedback. These biases arise because the presence of the Magellanic Clouds boosts the overall population of high-mass subhalos, thus requiring a different stellar-mass-to-halo-mass ratio to match the data. These biases also lead to significant differences in the mass--metallicity relation, the kinematics of low-mass satellites, and the number counts of small satellites associated with the Magellanic Clouds. Observations of these satellite properties can thus provide useful constraints on the properties of the Milky Way halo.

### The connection between the host halo and the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way [Replacement]

Many properties of the Milky Way's dark matter halo, including its mass assembly history, concentration, and subhalo population, remain poorly constrained. We explore the connection between these properties of the Milky Way and its satellite galaxy population, especially the implication of the presence of the Magellanic Clouds for the properties of the Milky Way halo. Using a suite of high-resolution $N$-body simulations of Milky Way-mass halos with a fixed final Mvir ~ 10^{12.1}Msun, we find that the presence of Magellanic Cloud-like satellites strongly correlates with the assembly history, concentration, and subhalo population of the host halo, such that Milky Way-mass systems with Magellanic Clouds have lower concentration, more rapid recent accretion, and more massive subhalos than typical halos of the same mass. Using a flexible semi-analytic galaxy formation model that is tuned to reproduce the stellar mass function of the classical dwarf galaxies of the Milky Way with Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo, we show that adopting host halos with different mass-assembly histories and concentrations can lead to different best-fit models for galaxy-formation physics, especially for the strength of feedback. These biases arise because the presence of the Magellanic Clouds boosts the overall population of high-mass subhalos, thus requiring a different stellar-mass-to-halo-mass ratio to match the data. These biases also lead to significant differences in the mass--metallicity relation, the kinematics of low-mass satellites, the number counts of small satellites associated with the Magellanic Clouds, and the stellar mass of Milky Way itself. Observations of these galaxy properties can thus provide useful constraints on the properties of the Milky Way halo.

### DEMNUni: ISW, Rees-Sciama, and weak-lensing in the presence of massive neutrinos

We present, for the first time in the literature, a full reconstruction of the total (linear and non-linear) ISW/Rees-Sciama effect in the presence of massive neutrinos, together with its cross-correlations with CMB-lensing and weak-lensing signals. The present analyses make use of all-sky maps extracted via ray-tracing across the gravitational potential distribution provided by the "Dark Energy and Massive Neutrino Universe" (DEMNUni) project, a set of large-volume, high-resolution cosmological N-body simulations, where neutrinos are treated as separate collisionless particles. We correctly recover, at $1-2\%$ accuracy, the linear predictions from CAMB. Concerning the CMB-lensing and weak-lensing signals, we also recover, with similar accuracy, the signal predicted by Boltzmann codes, once non-linear neutrino corrections to Halofit are accounted for. Interestingly, in the ISW/Rees-Sciama signal, and its cross correlation with lensing, we find an excess of power with respect to the massless case, due to free streaming neutrinos, roughly at the transition scale between the linear and non-linear regimes. The excess is $\sim 5-10\%$ at $l\sim 100$ for the ISW/Rees-Sciama auto power spectrum, depending on the total neutrino mass $M_\nu$, and becomes a factor of $\sim 4$ for $M_\nu=0.3$ eV, at $l\sim 600$, for the ISW/Rees-Sciama cross power with CMB-lensing. This effect should be taken into account for the correct estimation of the CMB temperature bispectrum in the presence of massive neutrinos.

### DEMNUni: ISW, Rees-Sciama, and weak-lensing in the presence of massive neutrinos [Replacement]

We present, for the first time in the literature, a full reconstruction of the total (linear and non-linear) ISW/Rees-Sciama effect in the presence of massive neutrinos, together with its cross-correlations with CMB-lensing and weak-lensing signals. The present analyses make use of all-sky maps extracted via ray-tracing across the gravitational potential distribution provided by the "Dark Energy and Massive Neutrino Universe" (DEMNUni) project, a set of large-volume, high-resolution cosmological N-body simulations, where neutrinos are treated as separate collisionless particles. We correctly recover, at $1-2\%$ accuracy, the linear predictions from CAMB. Concerning the CMB-lensing and weak-lensing signals, we also recover, with similar accuracy, the signal predicted by Boltzmann codes, once non-linear neutrino corrections to Halofit are accounted for. Interestingly, in the ISW/Rees-Sciama signal, and its cross correlation with lensing, we find an excess of power with respect to the massless case, due to free streaming neutrinos, roughly at the transition scale between the linear and non-linear regimes. The excess is $\sim 5-10\%$ at $l\sim 100$ for the ISW/Rees-Sciama auto power spectrum, depending on the total neutrino mass $M_\nu$, and becomes a factor of $\sim 4$ for $M_\nu=0.3$ eV, at $l\sim 600$, for the ISW/Rees-Sciama cross power with CMB-lensing. This effect should be taken into account for the correct estimation of the CMB temperature bispectrum in the presence of massive neutrinos.

### $\zeta^2$ Ret, its debris disk, and its lonely stellar companion $\zeta^1$ Ret. Different $T_{\mathrm{c}}$ trends for different spectra

Several studies have reported a correlation between the chemical abundances of stars and condensation temperature (known as Tc trend). Very recently, a strong Tc trend was reported for the $\zeta$ Reticuli binary system, which consists of two solar analogs. The observed trend in $\zeta^2$ Ret relative to its companion was explained by the presence of a debris disk around $\zeta^2$ Ret. Our goal is to re-evaluate the presence and variability of the Tc trend in the $\zeta$ Reticuli system and to understand the impact of the presence of the debris disk on a star. We used very high-quality spectra of the two stars retrieved from the HARPS archive to derive very precise stellar parameters and chemical abundances. We derived the stellar parameters with the classical (nondifferential) method, while we applied a differential line-by-line analysis to achieve the highest possible precision in abundances, which are fundamental to explore for very tiny differences in the abundances between the stars. We confirm that the abundance difference between $\zeta^2$ Ret and $\zeta^1$ Ret shows a significant ($\sim$ 2 $\sigma$) correlation with Tc. However, we also find that the Tc trends depend on the individual spectrum used (even if always of very high quality). In particular, we find significant but varying differences in the abundances of the same star from different individual high-quality spectra. Our results for the $\zeta$ Reticuli system show, for example, that nonphysical factors, such as the quality of spectra employed and errors that are not accounted for, can be at the root of the Tc trends for the case of individual spectra.

### Cosmology in massive gravity with effective composite metric [Cross-Listing]

This paper is dedicated to scrutinizing the cosmology in massive gravity. A matter field of the dark sector is coupled to an effective composite metric while a standard matter field couples to the dynamical metric in the usual way. For this purpose, we study the dynamical system of cosmological solutions by using phase analysis, which provides an overview of the class of cosmological solutions in this setup. This also permits us to study the critical points of the cosmological equations together with their stability. We show the presence of stable attractor de Sitter critical points relevant to the late-time cosmic acceleration. Furthermore, we study the tensor, vector and scalar perturbations in the presence of standard matter fields and obtain the conditions for the absence of ghost and gradient instabilities. Hence, massive gravity in the presence of the effective composite metric can accommodate interesting dark energy phenomenology, that can be observationally distinguished from the standard model according to the expansion history and cosmic growth.

### Cosmology in massive gravity with effective composite metric

This paper is dedicated to scrutinizing the cosmology in massive gravity. A matter field of the dark sector is coupled to an effective composite metric while a standard matter field couples to the dynamical metric in the usual way. For this purpose, we study the dynamical system of cosmological solutions by using phase analysis, which provides an overview of the class of cosmological solutions in this setup. This also permits us to study the critical points of the cosmological equations together with their stability. We show the presence of stable attractor de Sitter critical points relevant to the late-time cosmic acceleration. Furthermore, we study the tensor, vector and scalar perturbations in the presence of standard matter fields and obtain the conditions for the absence of ghost and gradient instabilities. Hence, massive gravity in the presence of the effective composite metric can accommodate interesting dark energy phenomenology, that can be observationally distinguished from the standard model according to the expansion history and cosmic growth.

### Cosmology in massive gravity with effective composite metric [Cross-Listing]

This paper is dedicated to scrutinizing the cosmology in massive gravity. A matter field of the dark sector is coupled to an effective composite metric while a standard matter field couples to the dynamical metric in the usual way. For this purpose, we study the dynamical system of cosmological solutions by using phase analysis, which provides an overview of the class of cosmological solutions in this setup. This also permits us to study the critical points of the cosmological equations together with their stability. We show the presence of stable attractor de Sitter critical points relevant to the late-time cosmic acceleration. Furthermore, we study the tensor, vector and scalar perturbations in the presence of standard matter fields and obtain the conditions for the absence of ghost and gradient instabilities. Hence, massive gravity in the presence of the effective composite metric can accommodate interesting dark energy phenomenology, that can be observationally distinguished from the standard model according to the expansion history and cosmic growth.

### Dynamically flavored description of holographic QCD in the presence of a magnetic field [Replacement]

We construct the gravitational solution of the Witten-Sakai-Sugimoto model by re-solving the type IIA supergravity with the backreaction from flavor branes in the presence of a magnetic field. We study the dual field theory at the leading order in the ratio of the number of flavors and colors, also in the Veneziano limit. It shows the gravitational solutions are analytic with small magnetic field both in the confined and deconfined case. Some physical properties related to the hadronic physics in the presence of a magnetic field are discussed by our confined backreaction solution holographically. And after renormalizing the Euclidean (bulk plus flavor) action by employing the covariant counterterms for this model, we compare the free energy of both phases and obtain the holographic phase diagram with the contributions from the flavors and the magnetic field. Our holographic phase diagram is in agreement with lattice QCD result qualitatively, which thus can be interpreted as the inhibition of confinement and chiral symmetry breaking by the magnetic field.

### Dynamically flavored description of holographic QCD in the presence of a magnetic field [Replacement]

We construct the gravitational solution of the Witten-Sakai-Sugimoto model by introducing a magnetic field on the flavor brane. By taking into account their backreaction, we re-solve the type IIA supergravity in the presence of the magnetic field. Our calculations show the gravitational solutions are magnetic-dependent and analytic both in the confined and deconfined case. We study the dual field theory at the leading order in the ratio of the number of flavors and colors, also in the Veneziano limit. And some physical properties related to the hadronic physics in an external magnetic field are discussed by using our confined backreaction solution holographically. We also study the thermodynamics and holographic renormalization of this model in both phases by our magnetic-dependent solution. Since the backreaction of the magnetic field is considered in our gravitational solution, it allows us to study the Hawking-Page transition with flavors and colors of this model in the presence of the magnetic field. And we therefore obtain the holographic phase diagram with the contributions from the flavors and the magnetic field. Our holographic phase diagram is in agreement with lattice QCD result qualitatively, which thus can be interpreted as the inhibition of confinement and chiral symmetry breaking by the magnetic field.