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This study presents bounds on transient variations of fundamental constants, with typical timescales ranging from minutes to months, using clocks in space. The underlying phenomenology describing such transient variations relies on models for Dark Matter (DM) which suggest possible encounters of macroscopic compact objects with the Earth, due to the motion of the solar system in the galactic halo. If such compact objects possess an effective feeble interaction with the ordinary matter beyond the gravitational one, it may result in effective transient variations of fundamental constants. Such variations leave signatures on clocks onboard GNSS satellites. In this paper, we introduce a phenomenological study dedicated to the search for such DM transient objects using the network of passive hydrogen masers (H-Masers) onboard Galileo satellites. We first model the signature of transient variations of fundamental constants as a frequency modulation in the difference between two satellite clocks, considering the satellite trajectories relative to the transient event. Then, we present first results based on a fast analysis method, the maximum reach analysis. The main result is a significant extension of the discovery range for DM transients, with a sensitivity never achieved before. We investigate indeed the range of transient sizes from $10^5$ to $10^9$ kilometres, which, apart from indirect and model-dependent non-transient effects, has never been explored previously., Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, version accepted for publication in Advances in Space Research

We show that Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and gravimeters on Earth and in space can potentially offer the most accurate direct measurement of local density of near-Earth asteroid-mass Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) and Dark Matter (DM) clumps in the solar system by means of gravitational influence. Using semi-analytical methods and Monte Carlo simulation, this paper revisits the analysis of the trajectories of DM clumps in the solar system, including both captured objects and hyperbolic trajectories. A link is thus made between the frequency and distance of Earth overflights for a given mass flux, and a direct measure of dark matter clump density in the solar system. We then model the signature of a close flyby of a DM object on orbital data from GNSS satellites and gravity measurements from gravimeters. We thus obtain a first assessment of the single probe sensitivity. It paves the way for an exhaustive statistical analysis of 28 years of gravimeters and GNSS data to obtain observational constraints on the density of the PBHs and DM clumps within the solar system, for the mass range $[10^8-10^{17}]$ kg. In addition, our methodology offers a possibility of direct detection in cases where DM clumps are endowed with an additional long-range clump-matter fifth-force beyond gravity., Comment: 27 pages, 30 figures

In this proceedings, we study the possible gravitational impact of primordial black holes (PBHs) or dark matter (DM) clumps on GNSS satellite orbits and gravimeter measurements. It provides a preliminary step to the future exhaustive statistical analysis over 28 years of gravimeter and GNSS data to get constraints over the density of asteroid-mass PBH and DM clumps inside the solar system. Such constraints would be the first to be obtained by direct observation on a terrestrial scale., Comment: Contribution to the 2023 Gravitation session of the 57th Rencontres de Moriond

This paper introduces new tests of fundamental physics by means of the analysis of disturbances on the GNSS signal propagation. We show how the GNSS signals are sensitive to a space variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ in a generic framework of effective scalar field theories beyond the Standard Model. This effective variation may originate from the crossing of the RF signals with dark matter clumps and/or solitonic structures. At the macroscopic scale, the subsequent disturbances are equivalent to those which occur during the propagation in an inhomogeneous medium. We thus propose an interpretation of the "measure" of the vacuum permeability as a test of fundamental physics. We show the relevance of our approach by a first quantification of the expected signature in a simple model of a variation of $\alpha$ according to a planar geometry. We use a test-bed model of domain walls for that purpose and focus on the measurable time delay in the GNSS signal carrier., Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures

Following a novel approach, all known basic mass generation mechanisms consistent with an exact abelian U(1) gauge symmetry are shown to be related through an intricate network of dualities whatever the spacetime dimension. This equivalence which applies in the absence of any supersymmetry, is however restricted by the presence of topological terms generating possible topological effects. In particular in 3+1 dimensions the duality relations between the Maxwell-Higgs model, the Stueckelberg and the topological mass generation mechanisms are then established following a careful treatment of the gauge symmetry content. This result offers a new framework for an effective description of superconductivity or topological defects built from fields beyond the SM., Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures

Abelian topologically massive gauge theories (TMGT) provide a topological mechanism to generate mass for any p-tensor boson in any dimension. Within the Hamiltonian formulation, the embedded topological field theory (TFT) is not made manifest. We therefore introduce a gauge invariant factorization of the classical phase space in two orthogonal sectors. The first of these sectors is that of gauge invariant dynamical variables with massive excitations. The second is that of a decoupled TFT. Through canonical quantization, a factorization of quantum states arises, enabling the projection from TMGT onto topological quantum field theories in a most transparent way., Comment: To appear in the Proceedings of the IV Summer School in Modern Mathematical Physics, 3-14 September 2006, Belgrade, Serbia, 8 pages

There exists a well-known duality between the Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory and the self-dual massive model in 2+1 dimensions. This dual description has been extended to topologically massive gauge theories (TMGT) in any dimension. This Letter introduces an unconventional approach to the construction of this type of duality through a reparametrisation of the master theory action. The dual action thereby obtained preserves the same gauge symmetry structure as the original theory. Furthermore, the dual action is factorised into a propagating sector of massive gauge invariant variables and a sector with gauge variant variables defining a pure topological field theory. Combining results obtained within the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations, a new completed structure for a gauge invariant dual factorisation of TMGT is thus achieved., Comment: 1+7 pages, no figures

Abelian topologically massive gauge theories (TMGT) provide a topological mechanism to generate mass for a bosonic p-tensor field in any spacetime dimension. These theories include the 2+1 dimensional Maxwell-Chern-Simons and 3+1 dimensional Cremmer-Scherk actions as particular cases. Within the Hamiltonian formulation, the embedded topological field theory (TFT) sector related to the topological mass term is not manifest in the original phase space. However through an appropriate canonical transformation, a gauge invariant factorisation of phase space into two orthogonal sectors is feasible. The first of these sectors includes canonically conjugate gauge invariant variables with free massive excitations. The second sector, which decouples from the total Hamiltonian, is equivalent to the phase space description of the associated non dynamical pure TFT. Within canonical quantisation, a likewise factorisation of quantum states thus arises for the full spectrum of TMGT in any dimension. This new factorisation scheme also enables a definition of the usual projection from TMGT onto topological quantum field theories in a most natural and transparent way. None of these results rely on any gauge fixing procedure whatsoever., Comment: 1+25 pages, no figures

We consider an Einstein-Yang-Mills Lagrangian in a five dimensional space-time including a cosmological constant. Assuming all fields to be independent of the extra coordinate, a dimensional reduction leads to an effective (3+1)-dimensional Einstein-Yang-Mills-Higgs-dilaton model where the cosmological constant induces a Liouville potential in the dilaton field. We construct spherically symmetric solutions analytically in specific limits and study the generic solutions for vanishing dilaton coupling numerically. We find that in this latter case the solutions bifurcate with the branch of (Anti-) de Sitter-Reissner-Nordstrom ((A)dSRN) solutions., Comment: 9 Latex pages, 3 PS-figures

We consider global monopoles in asymptotic de Sitter/ Anti- de Sitter space-time. We present the by our numerical analysis confirmed asymptotic behaviour of the metric and Goldstone field functions. We find that the appearance of horizons in this model depends strongly on the sign and value of the cosmological constant as well as on the value of the gravitational coupling. In Anti-de Sitter (AdS) space, we find that for a fixed value of the cosmological constant, global monopoles without horizons exist only up to a critical value of the gravitational coupling. Moreover, we observe (in contrast to another recent study) that the introduction of a cosmological constant can NOT render a positive mass of the global monopole., Comment: 8 Revtex pages, 4 PS figures; numerical results considerably extended,references added