The communitys reliance on simplified descriptions of WIMP-nucleus interactions reflects the absence of analysis tools that integrate general theories of dark matter with standard treatments of nuclear response functions. To bridge this gap, we have
constructed a public-domain Mathematica package for WIMP analyses based on our effective theory formulation. Script inputs are 1) the coefficients of the effective theory, through which one can characterize the low-energy consequences of arbitrary ultraviolet theories of WIMP interactions; and 2) one-body density matrices for commonly used targets, the most compact description of the relevant nuclear physics. The generality of the effective theory expansion guarantees that the script will remain relevant as new ultraviolet theories are explored; the use of density matrices to factor the nuclear physics from the particle physics will allow nuclear structure theorists to update the script as new calculations become available, independent of specific particle-physics contexts. The Mathematica package outputs the resulting response functions (and associated form factors) and also the differential event rate, once a galactic WIMP velocity profile is specified, and thus in its present form provides a complete framework for experimental analysis. The Mathematica script requires no a priori knowledge of the details of the non-relativistic effective field theory or nuclear physics, though the core concepts are reviewed here and in arXiv:1203.3542.
The history and phenomenology of hadronic parity nonconservation (PNC) is reviewed. We discuss the current status of the experimental tests and theory. We describe a re-analysis of the asymmetry for polarized proton-proton scattering that, when combi
ned with other experimental constraints and with a recent lattice QCD calculation of the weak pion-nucleon coupling, reveals a much more consistent pattern of PNC couplings. In particular, isoscalar coupling strengths are similar to but somewhat larger than the best value estimate of Donoghue, Desplanques, and Holstein, while both lattice QCD and experiment indicate a suppressed parity-nonconserving pion-nucleon coupling. We discuss the relationship between meson-exchange models of hadronic PNC and formulations based on effective theory, stressing their general compatibility as well as the challenge presented to theory by experiment, as several of the most precise measurements involve significant momentum scales. Future directions are proposed.
We present two new primary mechanisms for the synthesis of the rare nucleus 9Be, both triggered by nu-induced production of 3H followed by 4He(3H,gamma)7Li in the He shells of core-collapse supernovae. For progenitors of ~8M_sun, 7Li(3H,n_0)9Be occur
s during the rapid expansion of the shocked He shell. Alternatively, for ultra-metal-poor progenitors of ~11-15M_sun, 7Li(n,gamma)8Li(n,gamma)9Li(e^-anti-nu_e)9Be occurs with neutrons produced by 4He(anti-nu_e,e^+n)3H, assuming a hard effective anti-nu_e spectrum from oscillations (which also leads to heavy element production through rapid neutron capture) and a weak explosion (so the 9Be survives shock passage). We discuss the associated production of 7Li and 11B, noting patterns in LiBeB production that might distinguish the new mechanisms from others.
