524 research outputs found
Semi-inclusive vector meson production in DIS
We analyze one-particle inclusive DIS in the case when a spin-1 hadron (such
as a vector meson) is observed in the final state. We consider only leading
order contributions in 1/Q, but we include transverse momentum of partons.
Several new fragmentation functions appear in cross sections. One of them can
be measured in connection with the transverse-spin disbtribution function h_1.Comment: 3 pages, uses sprocl.sty, talk given at the DIS2000 conference,
Liverpool, England, April 2000, to appear in the conference proceeding
Coherence Time Effects on J/psi Production and Suppression in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions
Using a coherence time extracted from high precision proton-nucleus Drell-Yan
measurements and a nuclear absorption cross section extracted from pA
charmonium production experiments, we study J/psi production and absorption in
nucleus-nucleus collisions. We find that coherence time effects are large
enough to affect the measured J/psi-to-Drell-Yan ratio. The S+U data at 200A
GeV/c measured by NA38 are reproduced quantitatively without the introduction
of any new parameters. However, when compared with recent NA50 measurements for
Pb+Pb at 158A GeV/c, the data is not reproduced in trend or in magnitude.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure
A systematic study of J/psi suppression in cold nuclear matter
Based on a Glauber model, a statistical analysis of all mid-rapidity J/psi
hadroproduction and leptoproduction data on nuclear targets is carried out.
This allows us to determine the J/psi-nucleon inelastic cross section, whose
knowledge is crucial to interpret the J/psi suppression observed in heavy-ion
collisions, at SPS and at RHIC. The values of sigma are extracted from each
experiment. A clear tension between the different data sets is reported. The
global fit of all data gives sigma=3.4+/-0.2 mb, which is significantly smaller
than previous estimates. A similar value, sigma=3.5+/-0.2 mb, is obtained when
the nDS nuclear parton densities are included in the analysis, although we
emphasize that the present uncertainties on gluon (anti)shadowing do not allow
for a precise determination of sigma. Finally, no significant energy dependence
of the J/psi-N interaction is observed, unless strong nuclear modifications of
the parton densities are assumed.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure
Increased BDNF levels and NTRK2 gene association suggest a disruption of BDNF/TrkB signaling in autism
The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin fundamental for brain development and function, has previously been implicated in autism. In this study, the levels of BDNF in platelet-rich plasma were compared between autistic and control children, and the role of two genetic factors that might regulate this neurotrophin and contribute to autism etiology, BDNF and NTRK2, was examined. We found that BDNF levels in autistic children (n = 146) were significantly higher (t = 6.82; P < 0.0001) than in control children (n = 50) and were positively correlated with platelet serotonin distribution (r = 0.22; P = 0.004). Heritability of BDNF was estimated at 30% and therefore candidate genes BDNF and NTRK2 were tested for association with BDNF level distribution in this sample, and with autism in 469 trio families. Genetic association analysis provided no evidence for BDNF or NTRK2 as major determinants of the abnormally increased BDNF levels in autistic children. A significant association with autism was uncovered for six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) [0.004 (Z((1df)) = 2.85) < P < 0.039 (Z((1df)) = 2.06)] and multiple haplotypes [5 × 10(-4) (χ((3df)) = 17.77) < P < 0.042 (χ((9df)) = 17.450)] in the NTRK2 gene. These results do not withstand correction for multiple comparisons, however, reflect a trend toward association that supports a role of NTRK2 as a susceptibility factor for the disorder. Genetic variation in the BDNF gene had no impact on autism risk. By substantiating the previously observed increase in BDNF levels in autistic children in a larger patient set, and suggesting a genetic association between NTRK2 and autism, this study integrates evidence from multiple levels supporting the hypothesis that alterations in BDNF/tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) signaling contribute to an increased vulnerability to autism
Charmonium from Statistical Hadronization of Heavy Quarks -- a Probe for Deconfinement in the Quark-Gluon Plasma
We review the statistical hadronization picture for charmonium production in
ultra-relativistic nuclear collisions. Our starting point is a brief reminder
of the status of the thermal model description of hadron production at high
energy. Within this framework an excellent account is achieved of all data for
hadrons built of (u,d,s) valence quarks using temperature, baryo-chemical
potential and volume as thermal parameters. The large charm quark mass brings
in a new (non-thermal) scale which is explicitely taken into account by fixing
the total number of charm quarks produced in the collision. Emphasis is placed
on the description of the physical basis for the resulting statistical
hadronization model. We discuss the evidence for statistical hadronization of
charmonia by analysis of recent data from the SPS and RHIC accelerators.
Furthermore we discuss an extension of this model towards lower beam energies
and develop arguments about the prospects to observe medium modifications of
open and hidden charm hadrons. With the imminent start of the LHC accelerator
at CERN, exciting prospects for charmonium production studies at the very high
energy frontier come into reach. We present arguments that, at such energies,
charmonium production becomes a fingerprint of deconfinement: even if no
charmonia survive in the quark-gluon plasma, statistical hadronization at the
QCD phase boundary of the many tens of charm quarks expected in a single
central Pb-Pb collision could lead to an enhanced, rather than suppressed
production probability when compared to results for nucleon-nucleon reactions
scaled by the number of hard collisions in the Pb-Pb system.Comment: review article, 27 pages, Landoldt review volume "Relativistic Heavy
Ion Physics", Reinhard Stock, edito
New hadrons as ultra-high energy cosmic rays
Ultra-high energy cosmic ray (UHECR) protons produced by uniformly
distributed astrophysical sources contradict the energy spectrum measured by
both the AGASA and HiRes experiments, assuming the small scale clustering of
UHECR observed by AGASA is caused by point-like sources. In that case, the
small number of sources leads to a sharp exponential cutoff at the energy
E<10^{20} eV in the UHECR spectrum. New hadrons with mass 1.5-3 GeV can solve
this cutoff problem. For the first time we discuss the production of such
hadrons in proton collisions with infrared/optical photons in astrophysical
sources. This production mechanism, in contrast to proton-proton collisions,
requires the acceleration of protons only to energies E<10^{21} eV. The diffuse
gamma-ray and neutrino fluxes in this model obey all existing experimental
limits. We predict large UHE neutrino fluxes well above the sensitivity of the
next generation of high-energy neutrino experiments. As an example we study
hadrons containing a light bottom squark. These models can be tested by
accelerator experiments, UHECR observatories and neutrino telescopes.Comment: 17 pages, revtex style; v2: shortened, as to appear in PR
Measurement of the B0 Lifetime and Oscillation Frequency using B0->D*+l-v decays
The lifetime and oscillation frequency of the B0 meson has been measured
using B0->D*+l-v decays recorded on the Z0 peak with the OPAL detector at LEP.
The D*+ -> D0pi+ decays were reconstructed using an inclusive technique and the
production flavour of the B0 mesons was determined using a combination of tags
from the rest of the event. The results t_B0 = 1.541 +- 0.028 +- 0.023 ps, Dm_d
= 0.497 +- 0.024 +- 0.025 ps-1 were obtained, where in each case the first
error is statistical and the second systematic.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.
WW Production Cross Section and W Branching Fractions in e+e- Collisions at 189 GeV
From a data sample of 183 pb^-1 recorded at a center-of-mass energy of roots
= 189 GeV with the OPAL detector at LEP, 3068 W-pair candidate events are
selected. Assuming Standard Model W boson decay branching fractions, the W-pair
production cross section is measured to be sigmaWW = 16.30 +- 0.34(stat.) +-
0.18(syst.) pb. When combined with previous OPAL measurements, the W boson
branching fraction to hadrons is determined to be 68.32 +- 0.61(stat.) +-
0.28(syst.) % assuming lepton universality. These results are consistent with
Standard Model expectations.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.
Observation of Scaling Violations in Scaled Momentum Distributions at HERA
Charged particle production has been measured in deep inelastic scattering
(DIS) events over a large range of and using the ZEUS detector. The
evolution of the scaled momentum, , with in the range 10 to 1280
, has been investigated in the current fragmentation region of the Breit
frame. The results show clear evidence, in a single experiment, for scaling
violations in scaled momenta as a function of .Comment: 21 pages including 4 figures, to be published in Physics Letters B.
Two references adde
Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector
A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results
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