Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

About: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is a education organization based out in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Magnetization & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 7786 authors who have published 21742 publications receiving 622368 citations. The organization is also known as: TIFR.

Supersymmetric Chern-Simons theories with vector matter

Abstract: In this paper we discuss SU(N) Chern-Simons theories at level k with both fermionic and bosonic vector matter. In particular we present an exact calculation of the free energy of the N = 2 supersymmetric model (with one chiral field) for all values of the `t Hooft coupling in the large N limit. This is done by using a generalization of the standard Hubbard-Stratanovich method because the SUSY model contains higher order polynomial interactions.

Secondary anisotropies of the CMB

Abstract: The Cosmic Microwave Background fluctuations provide a powerful probe of the dark ages of the universe through the imprint of the secondary anisotropies associated with the reionization of the universe and the growth of structure. We review the relation between the secondary anisotropies and the primary anisotropies that are directly generated by quantum fluctuations in the very early universe. The physics of secondary fluctuations is described, with emphasis on the ionization history and the evolution of structure. We discuss the different signatures arising from the secondary effects in terms of their induced temperature fluctuations, polarization and statistics. The secondary anisotropies are being actively pursued at present, and we review the future and current observational status.

Relativistic third-order dissipative fluid dynamics from kinetic theory

Abstract: We present the derivation of a novel third-order hydrodynamic evolution equation for the shear stress tensor from kinetic theory. The Boltzmann equation with a relaxation time approximation for the collision term is solved iteratively using a Chapman-Enskog-like expansion to obtain the nonequilibrium phase-space distribution function. Subsequently, the evolution equation for the shear stress tensor is derived from its kinetic definition up to third order in gradients. We quantify the significance of the new derivation within a one-dimensional scaling expansion and demonstrate that the results obtained using the third-order viscous equations derived here provides a very good approximation to the exact solution of the Boltzmann equation in a relaxation time approximation. We also show that the time evolution of pressure anisotropy obtained using our equations is in better agreement with transport results than that obtained with an existing third-order calculation based on the second law of thermodynamics.

Primary Black Hole Spin in OJ 287 as Determined by the General Relativity Centenary Flare

Abstract: OJ 287 is a quasi-periodic quasar with roughly 12 year optical cycles. It displays prominent outbursts that are predictable in a binary black hole model. The model predicted a major optical outburst in 2015 December. We found that the outburst did occur within the expected time range, peaking on 2015 December 5 at magnitude 12.9 in the optical R-band. Based on Swift/XRT satellite measurements and optical polarization data, we find that it included a major thermal component. Its timing provides an accurate estimate for the spin of the primary black hole, $\chi =0.313\pm 0.01$. The present outburst also confirms the established general relativistic properties of the system such as the loss of orbital energy to gravitational radiation at the 2% accuracy level, and it opens up the possibility of testing the black hole no-hair theorem with 10% accuracy during the present decade.

Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914

Abstract: Parameter estimates of GW150914 were obtained using Bayesian inference, based on three semi-analytic waveform models for binary black hole coalescences. These waveform models differ from each other in their treatment of black hole spins, and all three models make some simplifying assumptions, notably to neglect sub-dominant waveform harmonic modes and orbital eccentricity. Furthermore, while the models are calibrated to agree with waveforms obtained by full numerical solutions of Einstein's equations, any such calibration is accurate only to some non-zero tolerance and is limited by the accuracy of the underlying phenomenology, availability, quality, and parameter-space coverage of numerical simulations. This paper complements the original analyses of GW150914 with an investigation of the effects of possible systematic errors in the waveform models on estimates of its source parameters. To test for systematic errors we repeat the original Bayesian analysis on mock signals from numerical simulations of a series of binary configurations with parameters similar to those found for GW150914. Overall, we find no evidence for a systematic bias relative to the statistical error of the original parameter recovery of GW150914 due to modeling approximations or modeling inaccuracies. However, parameter biases are found to occur for some configurations disfavored by the data of GW150914: for binaries inclined edge-on to the detector over a small range of choices of polarization angles, and also for eccentricities greater than ~0.05. For signals with higher signal-to-noise ratio than GW150914, or in other regions of the binary parameter space (lower masses, larger mass ratios, or higher spins), we expect that systematic errors in current waveform models may impact gravitational-wave measurements, making more accurate models desirable for future observations.