A model-independent analysis of the dependence of the anomalous J/psi suppression on the number of participant nucleons

A recently published experimental dependence of the J/psi to Drell-Yan ratio on the measured, by a zero degree calorimeter, forward energy E_ZDC in Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN SPS is analyzed. Using a model-independent approach it is shown that the data are at variance with an earlier published experimental dependence of the same quantity on the transverse energy of neutral hadrons E_T. The discrepancy is related to a moderate centrality region: 100 < N_p < 200 (N_p is the number of participant nucleons) and is peculiar only to the data obtained within the `minimum bias' analysis (using the `theoretical Drell-Yan'). This could result from systematic experimental errors in the minimum bias sample. A possible source of the errors is discussed.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 3 PS-figures. V2: Misprints are correcte

Gauge Fluctuations in Superconducting Films

In this paper we consider a superconducting film modeled by the Ginzburg-Landau model, confined between two parallel planes a distance $L$ apart from one another. Our approach is based on the Gaussian effective potential in the transverse unitarity gauge, which allows to treat gauge contributions in a compact form. Using techniques from dimensional and $zeta$-function regularizations, modified by the confinement conditions, we investigate the critical temperature as a function of the film thickness $L$. The contributions from the scalar self-interaction and from the gauge fluctuations are clearly identified. The model suggests the existence of a minimal critical thickness below which superconductivity is suppressed.Comment: 6 pages Revtex, no figure

Lagrangian formulation for noncommutative nonlinear systems

In this work we use the well known formalism developed by Faddeev and Jackiw to introduce noncommutativity within two nonlinear systems, the SU(2) Skyrme and O(3) nonlinear sigma models. The final result is the Lagrangian formulations for the noncommutative versions of both models. The possibility of obtaining different noncommutative versions for these nonlinear systems is demonstrated.Comment: 8 pages. Revex 4.

Properties of bars in the local universe

We studied the fraction and properties of bars in a sample of about 3000 galaxies extracted from SDSS-DR5. This represents a volume limited sample with galaxies located between redshift 0.01-20, and inclination i < 60. Interacting galaxies were excluded from the sample. The fraction of barred galaxies in our sample is 45%. We found that 32% of S0s, 55% of early-type spirals, and 52% of late-type spirals are barred galaxies. The bars in S0s galaxies are weaker than those in later-type galaxies. The bar length and galaxy size are correlated, being larger bars located in larger galaxies. Neither the bar strength nor bar length correlate with the local galaxy density. On the contrary, the bar properties correlate with the properties of their host galaxies. Galaxies with higher central light concentration host less and weaker bars.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure to appear in the proceedings of "Formation and Evolution of Galaxy Disks", Rome, October 2007, Eds. J. Funes and E. M. Corsin

Clan structure analysis and new physics signals in pp collisions at LHC

The study of possible new physics signals in global event properties in pp collisions in full phase space and in rapidity intervals accessible at LHC is presented. The main characteristic is the presence of an elbow structure in final charged particle MD's in addition to the shoulder observed at lower c.m. energies.Comment: 9 pages, talk given at Focus on Multiplicity (Bari, Italy, June 2004

Magnetic effects on spontaneous symmetry breaking/restoration in a toroidal topology

We study temperature and finite-size effects on the spontaneous symmetry breaking/restoration for a scalar field model under the influence of an external magnetic field, at finite chemical potential. We use the 2PI formalism and consider the large-$N$ limit. We find that there is a minimal size of the system to sustain the broken phase, which diminishes as the applied field increases but is independent of the chemical potential. We analyze the critical curves and show that the magnetic field enhances the broken-phase regions, while increasing the chemical potential leads to a diminishement of the critical temperature.Comment: Five pages, five figures, version as accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.