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Dark matter and the age of globular clustersThe ability of weakly interacting particles called cosmions to suppress convection in the cores of horizontal-branch stars is investigated numerically. It is found that such convection-breaking in horizontal-branch stars by cosmions or by any other novel mode of energy transfer induces thermal relaxation oscillations with a period of about 500,000 yr, corresponding to the core Kelvin-Helmholtz time scale. These thermal pulses can be understood analytically in terms of a simple two-zone model. Observationally, the brightness and brightness dispersion of horizontal-branch stars increases, the periods of RR Lyrae stars change over a pulsation time scale, and the duration of central helium burning slightly decreases. None of these effects is in conflict with observations but, on the contrary, point to a speculative resolution of the age problem for globular clusters and to an alternative explanation of the period fluctuations of RR Lyrae stars.
Document ID
19900035542
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Dearborn, David
(Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore, CA, United States)
Raffelt, Georg
(Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Livermore, CA, United States)
Salati, Pierre
(Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Livermore, CA, United States)
Silk, Joseph
(California, University Berkeley, United States)
Bouquet, Alain
(CNRS Laboratoire d'Annecy le Vieux de Physique des Particules, Annecy-le-Vieux, France)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
January 25, 1990
Publication Information
Publication: Nature
Volume: 343
ISSN: 0028-0836
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
90A22597
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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