Search

Global fits explore different parameter regions of a given model and apply constraints obtained at many energy scales. This makes it challenging to perform global fits of simplified models, which may not be valid at high energies. In this study, we derive a unitarity bound for a simplified vector dark matter model with an s-channel vector mediator and apply it to global fits of this model with GAMBIT in order to correctly interpret missing energy searches at the LHC. Two parameter space regions emerge as consistent with all experimental constraints, corresponding to different annihilation modes of the dark matter. We show that although these models are subject to strong validity constraints, they are currently most strongly constrained by measurements less sensitive to the high-energy behaviour of the theory. Understanding when these models cannot be consistently studied will become increasingly relevant as they are applied to LHC Run 3 data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simplified models provide a useful way to study the impacts of a small number of new particles on experimental observables and the interplay of those observables, without the need to construct an underlying theory. In this study, we perform global fits of simplified dark matter models with GAMBIT using an up-to-date set of likelihoods for indirect detection, direct detection and collider searches. We investigate models in which a scalar or fermionic dark matter candidate couples to quarks via an s-channel vector mediator. Large parts of parameter space survive for each model. In the case of Dirac or Majorana fermion dark matter, excesses in LHC monojet searches and relic density limits tend to prefer the resonance region, where the dark matter has approximately half the mass of the mediator. A combination of vector and axial-vector couplings to the Dirac candidate also leads to competing constraints from direct detection and unitarity violation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vector dark matter with an s-channel vector mediator [Authors' comment: This supplementary repository is provided by Zenodo (DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7710586), and contains all plotting scripts and data samples required to reproduce the results shown in this study along with the full proof of equation A.1.]' It reads, 'Data Availability Statement This manuscript has associated data in a data repository. [Extracted from the article]

We critically examine recent claims of a high solar metallicity by von Steiger & Zurbuchen (2016, vSZ16) based on in situ measurements of the solar wind, rather than the standard spectroscopically inferred abundances (Asplund et al. 2009 , hereafter AGSS09). We test the claim by Vagnozzi et al. (2016) that a composition based on the solar wind enables one to construct a standard solar model in agreement with helioseismological observations and thus solve the decades-old solar modelling problem. We show that, although some helioseismological observables are improved compared to models computed with spectroscopic abundances, most are in fact worse. The high abundance of refractory elements leads to an overproduction of neutrinos, with a predicted 8B flux that is nearly twice its observed value, and 7Be and CNO fluxes that are experimentally ruled out at high confidence. A combined likelihood analysis shows that models using the vSZ16 abundances are worse than AGSS09 despite a higher metallicity. We also present astrophysical and spectroscopic arguments showing the vSZ16 composition to be an implausible representation of the solar interior, identifying the first ionization potential effect in the outer solar atmosphere and wind as the likely culprit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broad disagreement persists between helioseismological observables and predictions of solar models computed with the latest surface abundances. Here we show that most of these problems can be solved by the presence of asymmetric dark matter coupling to nucleons as the square of the momentum q exchanged in the collision. We compute neutrino fluxes, small frequency separations, surface helium abundances, sound speed profiles, and convective zone depths for a number of models, showing more than a 6σ preference for q2 models over others, and over the standard solar model. The preferred mass (3 GeV) and reference dark matter-nucleon cross section (10-37 cm2 at q0 = 40 MeV) are within the region of parameter space allowed by both direct detection and collider searches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of the Sun is an essential piece of reference data for astronomy, cosmology, astroparticle, space and geophysics: elemental abundances of essentially all astronomical objects are referenced to the solar composition, and basically every process involving the Sun depends on its composition. This article, dealing with the intermediate-mass elements Na to Ca, is the first in a series describing the comprehensive re-determination of the solar composition. In this series we severely scrutinise all ingredients of the analysis across all elements, to obtain the most accurate, homogeneous and reliable results possible. We employ a highly realistic 3D hydrodynamic model of the solar photosphere, which has successfully passed an arsenal of observational diagnostics. For comparison, and to quantify remaining systematic errors, we repeat the analysis using three different 1D hydrostatic model atmospheres (marcs, miss and Holweger & Müller 1974, Sol. Phys., 39, 19) and a horizontally and temporally-averaged version of the 3D model (〈3D〉). We account for departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) wherever possible. We have scoured the literature for the best possible input data, carefully assessing transition probabilities, hyperfine splitting, partition functions and other data for inclusion in the analysis. We have put the lines we use through a very stringent quality check in terms of their observed profiles and atomic data, and discarded all that we suspect to be blended. Our final recommended 3D+NLTE abundances are: log εNa = 6:21 ± 0:04, log εMg = 7:59 ± 0:04, log εAl = 6:43 ± 0:04, log εSi = 7:51 ± 0:03, log εP = 5:41 ± 0:03, log εS = 7:13 ± 0:03, log εK = 5:04 ± 0:05 and log εCa = 6:32 ± 0:03. The uncertainties include both statistical and systematic errors. Our results are systematically smaller than most previous ones with the 1D semi-empirical Holweger & Müller model, whereas the h3Di model returns abundances very similar to the full 3D calculations. This analysis provides a complete description and a slight update of the results presented in Asplund et al. (2009, ARA&A, 47, 481) for Na to Ca, and includes full details of all lines and input data used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We re-evaluate the abundances of the elements in the Sun from copper (Z = 29) to thorium (Z = 90). Our results are mostly based on neutral and singly-ionised lines in the solar spectrum. We use the latest 3D hydrodynamic solar model atmosphere, and in a few cases also correct for departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) using non-LTE (NLTE) calculations performed in 1D. In order to minimise statistical and systematic uncertainties, we make stringent line selections, employ the highest-quality observational data and carefully assess oscillator strengths, hyperfine constants and isotopic separations available in the literature, for every line included in our analysis. Our results are typically in good agreement with the abundances in the most pristine meteorites, but there are some interesting exceptions. This analysis constitutes both a full exposition and a slight update of the relevant parts of the preliminary results we presented in Asplund et al. (2009, ARA&A, 47, 481), including full line lists and details of all input data that we have employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We redetermine the abundances of all iron group nuclei in the Sun, based on neutral and singly-ionised lines of Sc, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni in the solar spectrum. We employ a realistic 3D hydrodynamic model solar atmosphere, corrections for departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE), stringent line selection procedures and high quality observational data. We have scoured the literature for the best quality oscillator strengths, hyperfine constants and isotopic separations available for our chosen lines. We find log εSc = 3:16±0:04, log εTi = 4:93±0:04, log εV = 3:89±0:08, log εCr = 5:62±0:04, log εMn = 5:42±0:04, log εFe = 7:47±0:04, log εCo = 4:93 ± 0:05 and log εNi = 6:20 ± 0:04. Our uncertainties factor in both statistical and systematic errors (the latter estimated for possible errors in the model atmospheres and NLTE line formation). The new abundances are generally in good agreement with the CI meteoritic abundances but with some notable exceptions. This analysis constitutes both a full exposition and a slight update of the preliminary results we presented in Asplund et al. (2009, ARA&A, 47, 481), including full line lists and details of all input data we employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-term changes in efficacy have been postulated to enhance the ability of synapses to transmit information between neurons, and within neuronal networks. Even at the level of connections between single neurons, direct confirmation of this simple conjecture has proven elusive. By combining paired-cell recordings, realistic synaptic modeling, and information theory, we provide evidence that short-term plasticity can not only improve, but also reduce information transfer between neurons. We focus on a concrete example in rat neocortex, but our results may generalize to other systems. When information is contained in the timings of individual spikes, we find that facilitation, depression, and recovery affect information transmission in proportion to their impacts upon the probability of neurotransmitter release. When information is instead conveyed by mean spike rate only, the influences of short-term plasticity critically depend on the range of spike frequencies that the target network can distinguish (its effective dynamic range). Our results suggest that to efficiently transmit information, the brain must match synaptic type, coding strategy, and network connectivity during development and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform a detailed and systematic investigation of the possible impacts of dark stars on the reionization history of the universe, and its signatures in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We compute hydrogen reionization histories, CMB optical depths, and anisotropy power spectra for a range of stellar populations including dark stars. If dark stars capture large amounts of dark matter (DM) via nuclear scattering, reionization can be substantially delayed, leading to decreases in the integrated optical depth to last scattering and large-scale power in the EE polarization power spectrum. Using the integrated optical depth observed by the Wilkinson Microwave Anistropy Probe seven-year mission, in our canonical reionization model we rule out the section of parameter space where dark stars with high scattering-induced capture rates tie up ≳90% of all the first star-forming baryons, and live for ≳250 Myr. When nuclear scattering delivers only moderate amounts of DM, reionization can instead be sped up slightly, modestly increasing the CMB optical depth. If dark stars do not obtain any DM via nuclear scattering, effects on reionization and the CMB are negligible. The effects of dark stars on reionization and its CMB markers can be largely mimicked or compensated for by changes in the existing parameters of reionization models, making dark slats difficult to disentangle from astrophysical uncertainties, but also widening the range of standard parameters in reionization models that can be made consistent with observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some of the first stars could be cooler and more massive than standard stellar models would suggest, due to the effects of dark matter annihilation in their cores. It has recently been argued that such objects may attain masses in the range and that such supermassive dark stars should be within reach of the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Notwithstanding theoretical difficulties with this proposal, we argue here that some of these objects should also be readily detectable with both the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based 8–10 m class telescopes. Existing survey data already place strong constraints on dark stars at . We show that such objects must be exceedingly rare or short lived to have avoided detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In regions of very high dark matter density such as the Galactic Centre, the capture and annihilation of WIMP dark matter by stars has the potential to significantly alter their evolution. We describe the dark stellar evolution code DarkStars, and present a series of detailed grids of WIMP-influenced stellar models for main-sequence stars. We describe the changes in stellar structure and main-sequence evolution which occur as a function of the rate of energy injection by WIMPs, for masses of and metallicities . We show what rates of energy injection can be obtained using realistic orbital parameters for stars at the Galactic Centre, including detailed consideration of the velocity and density profiles of dark matter. Capture and annihilation rates are strongly boosted when stars follow elliptical rather than circular orbits. If there is a spike of dark matter induced by the supermassive black hole at the Galactic Centre, single solar mass stars following orbits with periods as long as 50 yr and eccentricities as low as 0.9 could be significantly affected. Binary systems with similar periods about the Galactic Centre could be affected on even less eccentric orbits. The most striking observational effect of this scenario would be the existence of a binary consisting of a low-mass protostar and a higher mass evolved star. The observation of low-mass stars and/or binaries on such orbits would either provide a detection of WIMP dark matter, or place stringent limits on the combination of the WIMP mass, spin-dependent nuclear-scattering cross-section, halo density and velocity distribution near the Galactic Centre. In some cases, the derived limits on the WIMP mass and spin-dependent nuclear-scattering cross-section would be of comparable sensitivity to current direct-detection experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Global and Modular Beyond-Standard Model Inference Tool (GAMBIT) is an open source software framework for performing global statistical fits of particle physics models, using a wide range of particle and astroparticle data. In this review, we describe the design principles of the package, the statistical and sampling frameworks, the experimental data included, and the first two years of physics results generated with it. This includes supersymmetric models, axion theories, Higgs portal dark matter scenarios and an extension of the Standard Model to include right-handed neutrinos. Owing to the broad spectrum of physics scenarios tackled by the GAMBIT community, this also serves as a convenient, self-contained review of the current experimental and theoretical status of the most popular models of dark matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce the GAMBIT Universal Model Machine (GUM), a tool for automatically generating code for the global fitting software framework GAMBIT, based on Lagrangian-level inputs. GUM accepts models written symbolically in FeynRules and SARAH formats, and can use either tool along with MadGraph and CalcHEP to generate GAMBIT model, collider, dark matter, decay and spectrum code, as well as GAMBIT interfaces to corresponding versions of SPheno, micrOMEGAs, Pythia and Vevacious (C). In this paper we describe the features, methods, usage, pathways, assumptions and current limitations of GUM. We also give a fully worked example, consisting of the addition of a Majorana fermion simplified dark matter model with a scalar mediator to GAMBIT via GUM, and carry out a corresponding fit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the GAMBIT global fitting framework, we constrain the MSSM with an eV-scale gravitino as the lightest supersymmetric particle, and the six electroweakinos (neutralinos and charginos) as the only other light new states. We combine 15 ATLAS and 12 CMS searches at 13 TeV, along with a large collection of ATLAS and CMS measurements of Standard Model signatures. This model, which we refer to as the G ~ -EWMSSM, exhibits quite varied collider phenomenology due to its many permitted electroweakino production processes and decay modes. Characteristic G ~ -EWMSSM signal events have two or more Standard Model bosons and missing energy due to the escaping gravitinos. While much of the G ~ -EWMSSM parameter space is excluded, we find several viable parameter regions that predict phenomenologically rich scenarios with multiple neutralinos and charginos within the kinematic reach of the LHC during Run 3, or the High Luminosity LHC. In particular, we identify scenarios with Higgsino-dominated electroweakinos as light as 140 GeV that are consistent with our combined set of collider searches and measurements. The full set of G ~ -EWMSSM parameter samples and GAMBIT input files generated for this work is available via Zenodo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Dark stars at the Galactic Centre: The main sequence," that was published in a previous issue of the journal, is presented.

Small-scale dark matter structure within the Milky Way is expected to affect pulsar timing. The change in gravitational potential induced by a dark matter halo passing near the line of sight to a pulsar would produce a varying delay in the light travel time of photons from the pulsar. Individual transits produce an effect that would either be too rare or too weak to be detected in 30-yr pulsar observations. However, a population of dark matter subhaloes would be expected to produce a detectable effect on the measured properties of pulsars if the subhaloes constitute a significant fraction of the total halo mass. The effect is to increase the dispersion of measured period derivatives across the pulsar population. By statistical analysis of the ATNF pulsar catalogue, we place an upper limit on this dispersion of log σṗ ≤ -17.05. We use this to place strong upper limits on the number density of ultracompact minihaloes within the Milky Way. These limits are completely independent of the particle nature of dark matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultracompact minihaloes (UCMHs) have been proposed as a type of dark matter substructure seeded by large-amplitude primordial perturbations and topological defects. UCMHs are expected to survive to the present era, allowing constraints to be placed on their cosmic abundance using observations within our own Galaxy. Constraints on their number density can be linked to conditions in the early Universe that impact structure formation, such as increased primordial power on small scales, generic weak non-Gaussianity, and the presence of cosmic strings. We use new constraints on the abundance of UCMHs from pulsar timing to place generalized limits on the parameters of each of these cosmological scenarios. At some scales, the limits are the strongest to date, exceeding those from dark matter annihilation. Our new limits have the added advantage of being independent of the particle nature of dark matter, as they are based only on gravitational effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for flavour-changing neutral current effects in B-meson decays is a powerful probe of physics beyond the Standard Model. Deviations from SM behaviour are often quantified by extracting the preferred values of the Wilson coefficients of an operator product expansion. We use the FlavBit module of the GAMBIT package to perform a simultaneous global fit of the Wilson coefficients C 7 , C 9 , and C 10 using a combination of all current data on b → s μ + μ - transitions. We further extend previous analyses by accounting for the correlated theoretical uncertainties at each point in the Wilson coefficient parameter space, rather than deriving the uncertainties from a Standard Model calculation. We find that the best fit deviates from the SM value with a significance of 6.6 σ . The largest deviation is associated with a vector coupling of muons to b and s quarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excess of electron recoil events seen by the XENON1T experiment has been interpreted as a potential signal of axion-like particles (ALPs), either produced in the Sun, or constituting part of the dark matter halo of the Milky Way. It has also been explained as a consequence of trace amounts of tritium in the experiment. We consider the evidence for the solar and dark-matter ALP hypotheses from the combination of XENON1T data and multiple astrophysical probes, including horizontal branch stars, red giants, and white dwarfs. We briefly address the influence of ALP decays and supernova cooling. While the different datasets are in clear tension for the case of solar ALPs, all measurements can be simultaneously accommodated for the case of a sub-dominant fraction of dark-matter ALPs. Nevertheless, this solution requires the tuning of several a priori unknown parameters, such that for our choices of priors a Bayesian analysis shows no strong preference for the ALP interpretation of the XENON1T excess over the background hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimisation problems are ubiquitous in particle and astrophysics, and involve locating the optimum of a complicated function of many parameters that may be computationally expensive to evaluate. We describe a number of global optimisation algorithms that are not yet widely used in particle astrophysics, benchmark them against random sampling and existing techniques, and perform a detailed comparison of their performance on a range of test functions. These include four analytic test functions of varying dimensionality, and a realistic example derived from a recent global fit of weak-scale supersymmetry. Although the best algorithm to use depends on the function being investigated, we are able to present general conclusions about the relative merits of random sampling, Differential Evolution, Particle Swarm Optimisation, the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy, Bayesian Optimisation, Grey Wolf Optimisation, and the PyGMO Artificial Bee Colony, Gaussian Particle Filter and Adaptive Memory Programming for Global Optimisation algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of higher-order cross-sections is an important component in the search for new physics, both at hadron colliders and elsewhere. For most new physics processes of interest, total cross-sections are known at next-to-leading order (NLO) in the strong coupling α s , and often beyond, via either higher-order terms at fixed powers of α s , or multi-emission resummation. However, the computation time for such higher-order cross-sections is prohibitively expensive, and precludes efficient evaluation in parameter-space scans beyond two dimensions. Here we describe the software tool xsec, which allows for fast evaluation of cross-sections based on the use of machine-learning regression, using distributed Gaussian processes trained on a pre-generated sample of parameter points. This first version of the code provides all NLO Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model strong-production cross-sections at the LHC, for individual flavour final states, evaluated in a fraction of a second. Moreover, it calculates regression errors, as well as estimates of errors from higher-order contributions, from uncertainties in the parton distribution functions, and from the value of α s . While we focus on a specific phenomenological model of supersymmetry, the method readily generalises to any process where it is possible to generate a sufficient training sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce DarkBit, an advanced software code for computing dark matter constraints on various extensions to the Standard Model of particle physics, comprising both new native code and interfaces to external packages. This release includes a dedicated signal yield calculator for gamma-ray observations, which significantly extends current tools by implementing a cascade-decay Monte Carlo, as well as a dedicated likelihood calculator for current and future experiments ( gamLike). This provides a general solution for studying complex particle physics models that predict dark matter annihilation to a multitude of final states. We also supply a direct detection package that models a large range of direct detection experiments ( DDCalc), and that provides the corresponding likelihoods for arbitrary combinations of spin-independent and spin-dependent scattering processes. Finally, we provide custom relic density routines along with interfaces to DarkSUSY, micrOMEGAs, and the neutrino telescope likelihood package nulike. DarkBit is written in the framework of the Global And Modular Beyond the Standard Model Inference Tool ( GAMBIT), providing seamless integration into a comprehensive statistical fitting framework that allows users to explore new models with both particle and astrophysics constraints, and a consistent treatment of systematic uncertainties. In this paper we describe its main functionality, provide a guide to getting started quickly, and show illustrative examples for results obtained with DarkBit (both as a stand-alone tool and as a GAMBIT module). This includes a quantitative comparison between two of the main dark matter codes ( DarkSUSY and micrOMEGAs), and application of DarkBit 's advanced direct and indirect detection routines to a simple effective dark matter model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe ColliderBit, a new code for the calculation of high energy collider observables in theories of physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). ColliderBit features a generic interface to BSM models, a unique parallelised Monte Carlo event generation scheme suitable for large-scale supercomputer applications, and a number of LHC analyses, covering a reasonable range of the BSM signatures currently sought by ATLAS and CMS. ColliderBit also calculates likelihoods for Higgs sector observables, and LEP searches for BSM particles. These features are provided by a combination of new code unique to ColliderBit, and interfaces to existing state-of-the-art public codes. ColliderBit is both an important part of the GAMBIT framework for BSM inference, and a standalone tool for efficiently applying collider constraints to theories of new physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavour physics observables are excellent probes of new physics up to very high energy scales. Here we present FlavBit, the dedicated flavour physics module of the global-fitting package GAMBIT. FlavBit includes custom implementations of various likelihood routines for a wide range of flavour observables, including detailed uncertainties and correlations associated with LHCb measurements of rare, leptonic and semileptonic decays of B and D mesons, kaons and pions. It provides a generalised interface to external theory codes such as SuperIso, allowing users to calculate flavour observables in and beyond the Standard Model, and then test them in detail against all relevant experimental data. We describe FlavBit and its constituent physics in some detail, then give examples from supersymmetry and effective field theory illustrating how it can be used both as a standalone library for flavour physics, and within GAMBIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce ScannerBit, the statistics and sampling module of the public, open-source global fitting framework GAMBIT. ScannerBit provides a standardised interface to different sampling algorithms, enabling the use and comparison of multiple computational methods for inferring profile likelihoods, Bayesian posteriors, and other statistical quantities. The current version offers random, grid, raster, nested sampling, differential evolution, Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and ensemble Monte Carlo samplers. We also announce the release of a new standalone differential evolution sampler, Diver, and describe its design, usage and interface to ScannerBit. We subject Diver and three other samplers (the nested sampler MultiNest, the MCMC GreAT, and the native ScannerBit implementation of the ensemble Monte Carlo algorithm T-Walk) to a battery of statistical tests. For this we use a realistic physical likelihood function, based on the scalar singlet model of dark matter. We examine the performance of each sampler as a function of its adjustable settings, and the dimensionality of the sampling problem. We evaluate performance on four metrics: optimality of the best fit found, completeness in exploring the best-fit region, number of likelihood evaluations, and total runtime. For Bayesian posterior estimation at high resolution, T-Walk provides the most accurate and timely mapping of the full parameter space. For profile likelihood analysis in less than about ten dimensions, we find that Diver and MultiNest score similarly in terms of best fit and speed, outperforming GreAT and T-Walk; in ten or more dimensions, Diver substantially outperforms the other three samplers on all metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dark halo substructure may reveal itself through secondary, small-scale gravitational lensing effects on light sources that are macrolensed by a foreground galaxy. Here, we explore the prospects of using Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations of multiply-imaged quasar jets to search for submilliarcsecond-scale image distortions produced by various forms of dark substructures in the 103–108 M⊙ mass range. We present lensing simulations relevant for the angular resolutions attainable with the existing European VLBI Network, the global VLBI array and an upcoming observing mode in which the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) is connected to the global VLBI array. While observations of this type would not be sensitive to standard cold dark matter subhaloes, they can be used to detect the more compact forms of halo substructure predicted in alternative structure formation scenarios. By mapping approximately five strongly lensed systems, it should be possible to detect or robustly rule out primordial black holes in the 103–106 M⊙ mass range if they constitute ≳1 per cent of the dark matter in these lenses. Ultracompact minihaloes are harder to detect using this technique, but 106–108 M⊙ ultracompact minihaloes could in principle be detected if they constitute ≳10 per cent of the dark matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first Population III stars are predicted to form in minihaloes at z ≈ 10–30. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), tentatively scheduled for launch in 2018, will probably be able to detect some of the first galaxies, but whether it will also be able to detect the first stars remains more doubtful. Here, we explore the prospects of detecting an isolated Population III star or a small cluster of Population III stars down to z = 2 in either lensed or unlensed fields. Our calculations are based on realistic stellar atmospheres and take into account the potential flux contribution from the surrounding H ii region. We find that unlensed Population III stars are beyond the reach of JWST, and that even lensed Population III stars will be extremely difficult to detect. However, the main problem with the latter approach is not necessarily that the lensed stars are too faint, but that their surface number densities are too low. To detect even one 60 M⊙ Population III star when pointing JWST through the galaxy cluster MACS J0717.5+3745, the lensing cluster with the largest Einstein radius detected so far, the cosmic star formation rate of Population III stars would need to be approximately an order of magnitude higher than predicted by the most optimistic current models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solar chemical composition is an important ingredient in our understanding of the formation, structure, and evolution of both the Sun and our Solar System. Furthermore, it is an essential reference standard against which the elemental contents of other astronomical objects are compared. In this review, we evaluate the current understanding of the solar photospheric composition. In particular, we present a redetermination of the abundances of nearly all available elements, using a realistic new three-dimensional (3D), time-dependent hydrodynamical model of the solar atmosphere. We have carefully considered the atomic input data and selection of spectral lines, and accounted for departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) whenever possible. The end result is a comprehensive and homogeneous compilation of the solar elemental abundances. Particularly noteworthy findings are significantly lower abundances of C, N, O, and Ne compared to the widely used values of a decade ago. The new solar chemical composition is supported by a high degree of internal consistency between available abundance indicators, and by agreement with values obtained in the Solar Neighborhood and from the most pristine meteorites. There is, however, a stark conflict with standard models of the solar interior according to helloseismology, a discrepancy that has yet to find a satisfactory resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Searches for supersymmetric electroweakinos have entered a crucial phase, as the integrated luminosity of the Large Hadron Collider is now high enough to compensate for their weak production cross-sections. Working in a framework where the neutralinos and charginos are the only light sparticles in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, we use GAMBIT to perform a detailed likelihood analysis of the electroweakino sector. We focus on the impacts of recent ATLAS and CMS searches with of 13 TeV proton-proton collision data. We also include constraints from LEP and invisible decays of the Z and Higgs bosons. Under the background-only hypothesis, we show that current LHC searches do not robustly exclude any range of neutralino or chargino masses. However, a pattern of excesses in several LHC analyses points towards a possible signal, with neutralino masses of = (8–155, 103–260, 130–473, 219–502) GeV and chargino masses of = (104–259, 224–507) GeV at the 95% confidence level. The lightest neutralino is mostly bino, with a possible modest Higgsino or wino component. We find that this excess has a combined local significance of 3.3 σ , subject to a number of cautions. If one includes LHC searches for charginos and neutralinos conducted with 8 TeV proton-proton collision data, the local significance is lowered to 2.9 σ . We briefly consider the implications for dark matter, finding that the correct relic density can be obtained through the Higgs-funnel and Z-funnel mechanisms, even assuming that all other sparticles are decoupled. All samples, GAMBIT input files and best-fit models from this study are available on Zenodo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present global analyses of effective Higgs portal dark matter models in the frequentist and Bayesian statistical frameworks. Complementing earlier studies of the scalar Higgs portal, we use GAMBIT to determine the preferred mass and coupling ranges for models with vector, Majorana and Dirac fermion dark matter. We also assess the relative plausibility of all four models using Bayesian model comparison. Our analysis includes up-to-date likelihood functions for the dark matter relic density, invisible Higgs decays, and direct and indirect searches for weakly-interacting dark matter including the latest XENON1T data. We also account for important uncertainties arising from the local density and velocity distribution of dark matter, nuclear matrix elements relevant to direct detection, and Standard Model masses and couplings. In all Higgs portal models, we find parameter regions that can explain all of dark matter and give a good fit to all data. The case of vector dark matter requires the most tuning and is therefore slightly disfavoured from a Bayesian point of view. In the case of fermionic dark matter, we find a strong preference for including a CP-violating phase that allows suppression of constraints from direct detection experiments, with odds in favour of CP violation of the order of 100:1. Finally, we present DDCalc2.0.0, a tool for calculating direct detection observables and likelihoods for arbitrary non-relativistic effective operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scalar singlet dark matter is one of the simplest and most predictive realisations of the WIMP (weakly-interacting massive particle) idea. Although the model is constrained from all directions by the latest experimental data, it still has viable regions of parameter space. Another compelling aspect of scalar singlets is their ability to stabilise the electroweak vacuum. Indeed, models of scalar dark matter are not low-energy effective theories, but can be valid all the way to the Planck scale. Using the GAMBIT framework, we present the first global fit to include both the low-energy experimental constraints and the theoretical constraints from UV physics, considering models with a scalar singlet charged under either a Z2 or a Z3 symmetry. We show that if the model is to satisfy all experimental constraints, completely stabilise the electroweak vacuum up to high scales, and also remain perturbative to those scales, one is driven to a relatively small region of parameter space. This region has a Higgs-portal coupling slightly less than 1, a dark matter mass of 1-2 TeV and a spin-independent nuclear scattering cross-section around 10-45cm2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cosmological inflation generates primordial density perturbations on all scales, including those far too small to contribute to the cosmic microwave background. At these scales, isolated ultracompact minihalos of dark matter can form well before standard structure formation, if the perturbations have sufficient amplitude. Minihalos affect pulsar timing data and are potentially bright sources of gamma rays. The resulting constraints significantly extend the observable window of inflation in the presence of cold dark matter, coupling two of the key problems in modern cosmology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]