0000000001107316
AUTHOR
Carlos Peña Garay
Before and after: how has the SNO neutral current measurement changed things?
We present Before and After global oscillation solutions, as well as predicted Before and After values and ranges for ten future solar neutrino observables (for BOREXINO, KamLAND, SNO, and a generic p-p neutrino detector). The 'Before' case includes all solar neutrino data (and some theoretical improvements) available prior to April 20, 2002 and the After case includes, in addition, the new SNO data on the CC, NC, and day-night asymmetry. We have performed global analyses using the full SNO day-night energy spectrum and, alternatively, using just the SNO NC and CC rates and the day-night asymmetry. The LMA solution is the only currently allowed MSW oscillation solution at similar to99% CL. …
Health and disease imprinted in the time variability of the human microbiome
Human microbiota plays an important role in determining changes from health to disease. Increasing research activity is dedicated to understand its diversity and variability. We analyse 16S rRNA and whole genome sequencing (WGS) data from the gut microbiota of 97 individuals monitored in time. Temporal fluctuations in the microbiome reveal significant differences due to factors that affect the microbiota such as dietary changes, antibiotic intake, early gut development or disease. Here we show that a fluctuation scaling law describes the temporal variability of the system and that a noise-induced phase transition is central in the route to disease. The universal law distinguishes healthy fr…
Looking for Axion Dark Matter in Dwarf Spheroidals
We study the extent to which the decay of cold dark matter axions can be probed with forthcoming radio telescopes such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA). In particular we focus on signals arising from dwarf spheroidal galaxies, where astrophysical uncertainties are reduced and the expected magnetic field strengths are such that signals arising from axion decay may dominate over axion-photon conversion in a magnetic field. We show that with $\sim100$ hours of observing time, SKA could improve current sensitivity by a factor of about five.
Unveiling Bacterial Interactions through Multidimensional Scaling and Dynamics Modeling
AbstractWe propose a new strategy to identify and visualize bacterial consortia by conducting replicated culturing of environmental samples coupled with high-throughput sequencing and multidimensional scaling analysis, followed by identification of bacteria-bacteria correlations and interactions. We conducted a proof of concept assay with pine-tree resin-based media in ten replicates, which allowed detecting and visualizing dynamical bacterial associations in the form of statistically significant and yet biologically relevant bacterial consortia.
Present and future bounds on nonstandard neutrino interactions
We consider Non-Standard neutrino Interactions (NSI), described by four-fermion operators of the form ((nu) over bar (alpha)gammanu(beta)) ((f) over bar gammaf), where f is an electron or first generation quark. We assume these operators are generated at dimension greater than or equal to 8, so the related vertices involving charged leptons, obtained by an SU(2) transformation nu(delta)-->e(delta), do not appear at tree level. These related vertices necessarily arise at one loop, via W exchange. We catalogue current constraints from sin(2)theta(W) measurements in neutrino scattering, from atmospheric neutrino observations, from LEP, and from bounds on the related charged lepton operators. W…
Precision Measurement of the (7)Be Solar Neutrino Interaction Rate in Borexino
A direct measurement of the 0.862 MeV 7Be solar neutrino interaction rate performed with the Borexino detector at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso yields 46.0±1.5stat+1.6−1.5syst counts/day/(100 tons). Our result is the first direct measurement of a sub-MeV solar neutrino rate with an accuracy better than 5%. The hypothesis of no oscillation for 7Be solar neutrinos is rejected at 4.9σ C.L. Using the latest Standard Solar Model (SSM) flux predictions, the result leads directly to a precise determination of the survival probability for solar νe's in vacuum, and permits us to probe with unprecedented sensitivity the transition between the matter-enhanced and vacuum-dominated neutrino os…
Axion Searches with Microwave Filters: the RADES project
We propose, design and construct a variant of the conventional axion haloscope concept that could be competitive in the search for dark matter axions of masses in the decade 10–100 μeV. Theses masses are located somewhat above the mass range in which existing experiments have reached sensitivity to benchmark QCD axion models. Our haloscope consists of an array of small microwave cavities connected by rectangular irises, in an arrangement commonly used in radio-frequency filters. The size of the unit cavity determines the main resonant frequency, while the possibility to connect a large number of cavities allows to reach large detection volumes. We develop the theoretical framework of the de…
Cancelling out systematic uncertainties
We present a method to minimize, or even cancel out, the nuisance parameters affecting a measurement. Our approach is general and can be applied to any experiment or observation. We compare it with the bayesian technique used to deal with nuisance parameters: marginalization, and show how the method compares and improves by avoiding biases. We illustrate the method with several examples taken from the astrophysics and cosmology world: baryonic acoustic oscillations, cosmic clocks, Supernova Type Ia luminosity distance, neutrino oscillations and dark matter detection. By applying the method we recover some known results but also find some interesting new ones. For baryonic acoustic oscillati…