[ExI] A possible mechanism for Vinge's Zones of Thought?

[Dave Sill]

>From Google+:

``"a chameleonic scalar field that both evolves cosmologically and takes
different values depending on the local matter density" would totally
explain the Zones of Thought in A Fire Upon the Deep''

http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.4376

*Dark Matter with Density-Dependent Interactions*
*
*
*Kimberly K. Boddy, Sean M. Carroll, Mark Trodden*
*(Submitted on 21 Aug 2012 (v1), last revised 31 Aug 2012 (this version,
v2))*
*The decay and annihilation cross-sections of dark matter particles may
depend on the value of a chameleonic scalar field that both evolves
cosmologically and takes different values depending on the local matter
density. This possibility introduces a separation between the physics
relevant for freeze-out and that responsible for dynamics and detection in
the late universe. We investigate how such dark sector interactions might
be implemented in a particle physics Lagrangian and consider how current
and upcoming observations and experiments bound such dark matter
candidates. A specific model allows for an increase in the annihilation
cross-section by a factor of $10^6$ between freeze-out and today, while
different choices of parameters allow for scattering cross-sections near
the astrophysical bounds.*

I'm not a physicist. Can anyone explain this in layman's terms?

-Dave
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