arXiv subjects

A. Ringwald

Publications and source records attributed to A. Ringwald.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2002

Relic neutrino masses and the highest energy cosmic rays

We consider the possibility that a large fraction of the ultrahigh energy cosmic rays are decay products of Z bosons which were produced in the scattering of ultrahigh energy cosmic neutrinos on cosmological relic neutrinos. We compare the observed ultrahigh energy cosmic ray spectrum with the one predicted in the above Z-burst scenario and determine the required mass of the heaviest relic neutrino as well as the necessary ultrahigh energy cosmic neutrino flux via a maximum likelihood analysis. We show that the value of the neutrino mass obtained in this way is fairly robust against variations in presently unknown quantities, like the amount of neutrino clustering, the universal radio background, and the extragalactic magnetic field, within their anticipated uncertainties. Much stronger systematics arises from different possible assumptions about the diffuse background of ordinary cosmic rays from unresolved astrophysical sources. In the most plausible case that these ordinary cosmic rays are protons of extragalactic origin, one is lead to a required neutrino mass in the range 0.08 eV - 1.3 eV at the 68 % confidence level. This range narrows down considerably if a particular universal radio background is assumed, e.g. to 0.08 eV - 0.40 eV for a large one. The required flux of ultrahigh energy cosmic neutrinos near the resonant energy should be detected in the near future by AMANDA, RICE, and the Pierre Auger Observatory, otherwise the Z-burst scenario will be ruled out.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Determination of absolute neutrino masses from Z-bursts

Ultrahigh energy neutrinos (UHEν) scatter on relic neutrinos (Rν) producing Z bosons, which can decay hadronically producing protons (Z-burst). We compare the predicted proton spectrum with the observed ultrahigh energy cosmic ray (UHECR) spectrum and determine the mass of the heaviest Rνvia a maximum likelihood analysis. Our prediction depends on the origin of the power-like part of the UHECR spectrum: m_ν=2.75^{+1.28}_{-0.97} eV for Galactic halo and 0.26^{+0.20}_{-0.14} eV for extragalactic (EG) origin. The necessary UHEνflux should be detected in the near future.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Black Holes at Neutrino Telescopes

In scenarios with extra dimensions and TeV-scale quantum gravity, black holes are expected to be produced in the collision of light particles at center-of-mass energies above the fundamental Planck scale with small impact parameters. Black hole production and evaporation may thus be studied in detail at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). But even before the LHC starts operating, neutrino telescopes such as AMANDA/IceCube, ANTARES, Baikal, and RICE have an opportunity to search for black hole signatures. Black hole production in the scattering of ultrahigh energy cosmic neutrinos on nucleons in the ice or water may initiate cascades and through-going muons with distinct characteristics above the Standard Model rate. In this Letter, we investigate the sensitivity of neutrino telescopes to black hole production and compare it to the one expected at the Pierre Auger Observatory, an air shower array currently under construction, and at the LHC. We find that, already with the currently available data, AMANDA and RICE should be able to place sensible constraints in black hole production parameter space, which are competitive with the present ones from the air shower facilities Fly's Eye and AGASA. In the optimistic case that a ultrahigh energy cosmic neutrino flux significantly higher than the one expected from cosmic ray interactions with the cosmic microwave background radiation is realized in nature, one even has discovery potential for black holes at neutrino telescopes beyond the reach of LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Fundamental physics at an X-ray free electron laser

X-ray free electron lasers (FELs) have been proposed to be constructed both at SLAC in the form of the so-called Linac Coherent Light Source as well as at DESY, where the so-called XFEL laboratory is part of the design of the electron-positron linear collider TESLA. In addition to the immediate applications in condensed matter physics, chemistry, material science, and structural biology, X-ray FELs may be employed also to study some physics issues of fundamental nature. In this context, one may mention the boiling of the vacuum (Schwinger pair creation in an external field), horizon physics (Unruh effect), and axion production. We review these X-ray FEL opportunities of fundamental physics and discuss the necessary technological improvements in order to achieve these goals.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Collider versus Cosmic Ray Sensitivity to Black Hole Production

In scenarios with extra dimensions and TeV-scale quantum gravity, black holes are expected to be produced copiously at center-of-mass energies above the fundamental Planck scale. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) may thus turn into a factory of black holes, at which their production and evaporation may be studied in detail. But even before the LHC starts operating, the Pierre Auger Observatory for cosmic rays, presently under construction, has an opportunity to search for black hole signatures. Black hole production in the scattering of ultrahigh energy cosmic neutrinos on nucleons in the atmosphere may initiate quasi-horizontal air showers far above the Standard Model rate. In this letter, we compare the sensitivity of LHC and Auger to black hole production by studying their respective reach in black hole production parameter space. Moreover, we present constraints in this parameter space from the non-observation of horizontal showers by the Fly's Eye collaboration. We find that if the ultrahigh energy neutrino flux is at the level expected from cosmic ray interactions with the cosmic microwave background radiation, Auger has only a small window of opportunity to detect black holes before the start of the LHC. If, on the other hand, larger ultrahigh energy neutrino fluxes on the level of the upper limit from ``hidden'' hadronic astrophysical sources are realized in nature, then the first signs of black hole production may be observed at Auger. Moreover, in this case, the Fly's Eye constraints, although more model dependent, turn out to be competitive with other currently available constraints on TeV-scale gravity which are mainly based on interactions associated with Kaluza-Klein gravitons.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Possible detection of relic neutrinos and their mass

Recently the possibility was widely discussed that a large fraction of the highest energy cosmic rays may be decay products of Z bosons which were produced in the resonant annihilation of ultrahigh energy cosmic neutrinos on cosmological relic neutrinos. If one takes this so-called Z-burst scenario seriously, one may infer the mass of the heaviest relic neutrino as well as the necessary ultrahigh energy cosmic neutrino flux from a comparison of the predicted Z-burst spectrum with the observed cosmic ray spectrum.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Possible detection of relic neutrinos and determination of their mass: quantitative analysis

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Pair Production from Vacuum at the Focus of an X-Ray Free Electron Laser

There are definite plans for the construction of X-ray free electron lasers (FEL), both at DESY, where the so-called XFEL is part of the design of the electron-positron linear collider TESLA, as well as at SLAC, where the so-called Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) has been proposed. Such an X-ray laser would allow for high-field science applications: One could make use of not only the high energy and transverse coherence of the X-ray beam, but also of the possibility of focusing it to a spot with a small radius, hopefully in the range of the laser wavelength. Along this route one obtains very large electric fields, much larger than those obtainable with any optical laser of the same power. In this letter we discuss the possibility of obtaining an electric field so high that electron-positron pairs are spontaneously produced in vacuum (Schwinger pair production). We find that if X-ray optics can be improved to approach the diffraction limit of focusing, and if the power of the planned X-ray FELs can be increased to the terawatt region, then there is ample room for an investigation of the Schwinger pair production mechanism.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Zooming-in on Instantons at HERA

In view of the intriguing, preliminary search results for instanton-induced events at HERA from the H1 collaboration, some important remaining theoretical issues are discussed. Notably, the question is addressed, to which extent the H1 analysis may be directly compared to our original predictions from instanton-perturbation theory, since certain fiducial cuts are lacking in the H1 data. Various theoretical uncertainties are evaluated and their impact on the observed excess is discussed. An improved understanding of the experimental findings along with an encouraging over-all agreement with our original predictions seems to emerge.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Instantons in Deep-Inelastic Scattering

In view of the new (preliminary) search results for instanton-induced events at HERA from the H1 collaboration, we present a brief discussion of (controllable) theoretical uncertainties, both in the event topology and the calculated rate.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

QCDINS 2.0 - A Monte Carlo generator for instanton-induced processes in deep-inelastic scattering

We describe a Monte Carlo event generator for the simulation of QCD-instanton induced processes in deep-inelastic scattering (HERA). The QCDINS package is designed as an ``add-on'' hard process generator interfaced to the general hadronic event simulation package HERWIG. It incorporates the theoretically predicted production rate for instanton-induced events as well as the essential characteristics that have been derived theoretically for the partonic final state of instanton-induced processes: notably, the flavour democratic and isotropic production of the partonic final state, energy weight factors different for gluons and quarks, and a high average multiplicity O(10) of produced partons with a Poisson distribution of the gluon multiplicity. While the subsequent perturbative evolution of the generated partons is always handled by the HERWIG package, the final hadronization step may optionally be performed also by means of the general hadronic event simulation package JETSET.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Theory and Phenomenology of Instantons at HERA

We review our on-going theoretical and phenomenological investigation of the prospects to discover QCD-instantons in deep-inelastic scattering at HERA.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

QCD Instanton-induced Processes in Deep-Inelastic Scattering - Search Strategies and Model Dependencies

We investigate possible search strategies for QCD-instanton induced processes at HERA in the deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) regime. Our study is based on the Monte Carlo generator QCDINS for instanton-induced events and the standard generators for normal DIS events. It appears possible to isolate an instanton enriched data sample via an optimized multi-dimensional cut scenario for a set of six most instanton-sensitive DIS observables. As a further central point, we investigate the stability of our results with respect to a variation of the (hadronization) models available for the simulation of both normal DIS and instanton-induced events. Dependencies on the variation of certain inherent parameters are also studied. Within the ``bandwidth'' of variations considered, we find that the normal DIS background is typically much more sensitive to model variations than the I-induced signal.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Instantons in the QCD Vacuum and in Deep Inelastic Scattering

We give a brief status report on our on-going investigation of the prospects to discover QCD instantons in deep inelastic scattering (DIS) at HERA. A recent high-quality lattice study of the topological structure of the QCD vacuum is exploited to provide crucial support of our predictions for DIS, based on instanton perturbation theory.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Confronting Instanton Perturbation Theory with QCD Lattice Results

We exploit a recent lattice investigation (UKQCD) on the topological structure of the (quenched) QCD vacuum, in order to gain information on crucial building blocks of instanton perturbation theory. A central motivation is to further constrain our previous predictions of instanton-induced hard scattering processes. First, we address the generic problem of extracting quantitative information from cooled lattice data. We find a new scaling variable, interpreted as a "cooling radius", which allows to combine lattice data for a whole range of lattice spacings and cooling sweeps. This variable strongly helps to extract information on the uncooled distributions of interest. After performing the continuum extrapolation of the instanton size and instanton-anti-instanton distance distributions, we find striking agreement with the theoretical predictions from instanton-perturbation theory, for instanton sizes below 0.5 fm and distances above 0.5 fm, respectively. These results imply first direct support for the validity of the known valley interaction between instantons and anti-instantons.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1998

QCD-Instantons at HERA -- An Introduction

We review our ongoing theoretical and phenomenological study of the discovery potential for instanton-induced events in deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) at HERA. Constraints from recent lattice simulations will be exploited and translated into a ``fiducial'' kinematical region for our predictions of the instanton-induced DIS cross-section.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1998

Instanton Searches at HERA

The present status of our ongoing systematic study of the discovery potential of QCD-instanton induced events in deep-inelastic scattering at HERA is briefly reviewed. We emphasize our recent progress in predicting the cross-sections of instanton-induced processes. Our finalized predictions include a dramatic improvement of the residual renormalization-scale dependencies and the specification of a ``fiducial'' kinematical region in the relevant Bjorken variables extracted from recent lattice simulations. Published upper limits on instanton-induced cross-sections based on single observables in the final state such as the flow of strange particles and the multiplicity distribution of charged particles are already of the order of our estimate. Thus, a decisive search for instanton-induced events in deep-inelastic scattering at HERA, based on a multi-observable analysis, seems feasible.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1998

Searching for QCD-Instantons at HERA

We review the present status of our ongoing systematic study of the discovery potential of QCD-instanton induced events in deep-inelastic scattering at HERA.

hep-ph↗