An analysis of the vector meson spectrum from lattice QCD

We re-analyse meson sector data from the CP-PACS collaboration's dynamical simulations. Our analysis uses several different approaches, and compares the standard naive linear fit with the Adelaide Anzatz. We find that setting the scale using the J parameter gives remarkable agreement among data sets. Our predictions for the rho and phi masses have very small statistical errors, ~ 3 MeV, but the discrepancy between the different fitting approaches is ~ 40 MeV.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, proceedings for Lattice2003(Spectrum

Shuttle TPS thermal performance and analysis methodology

Thermal performance of the thermal protection system was approximately as predicted. The only extensive anomalies were filler bar scorching and over-predictions in the high Delta p gap heating regions of the orbiter. A technique to predict filler bar scorching has been developed that can aid in defining a solution. Improvement in high Delta p gap heating methodology is still under study. Minor anomalies were also examined for improvements in modeling techniques and prediction capabilities. These include improved definition of low Delta p gap heating, an analytical model for inner mode line convection heat transfer, better modeling of structure, and inclusion of sneak heating. The limited number of problems related to penetration items that presented themselves during orbital flight tests were resolved expeditiously, and designs were changed and proved successful within the time frame of that program

Chiral and Continuum Extrapolation of Partially-Quenched Lattice Results

The vector meson mass is extracted from a large sample of partially quenched, two-flavor lattice QCD simulations. For the first time, discretisation, finite-volume and partial quenching artefacts are treated in a unified framework which is consistent with the low-energy behaviour of QCD. This analysis incorporates the leading infrared behaviour dictated by chiral effective field theory. As the two-pion decay channel cannot be described by a low-energy expansion alone, a highly-constrained model for the decay channel of the rho-meson is introduced. The latter is essential for extrapolating lattice results from the quark-mass regime where the rho is observed to be a physical bound state.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures; revised version appearing in PL

Chiral and Continuum Extrapolation of Partially-Quenched Hadron Masses

Using the finite-range regularisation (FRR) of chiral effective field theory, the chiral extrapolation formula for the vector meson mass is derived for the case of partially-quenched QCD. We re-analyse the dynamical fermion QCD data for the vector meson mass from the CP-PACS collaboration. A global fit, including finite lattice spacing effects, of all 16 of their ensembles is performed. We study the FRR method together with a naive polynomial approach and find excellent agreement ~1% with the experimental value of M_rho from the former approach. These results are extended to the case of the nucleon mass.Comment: 6 pages, Contribution to Lattice2005, PoS styl

Unified chiral analysis of the vector meson spectrum from lattice QCD

The chiral extrapolation of the vector meson mass calculated in partially-quenched lattice simulations is investigated. The leading one-loop corrections to the vector meson mass are derived for partially-quenched QCD. A large sample of lattice results from the CP-PACS Collaboration is analysed, with explicit corrections for finite lattice spacing artifacts. To incorporate the effect of the opening decay channel as the chiral limit is approached, the extrapolation is studied using a necessary phenomenological extension of chiral effective field theory. This chiral analysis also provides a quantitative estimate of the leading finite volume corrections. It is found that the discretisation, finite-volume and partial quenching effects can all be very well described in this framework, producing an extrapolated value of M_\rho in excellent agreement with experiment. This procedure is also compared with extrapolations based on polynomial forms, where the results are much less enlightening.Comment: 30 pages, 13 fig

Observations of transients and pulsars with LOFAR international stations

The LOw FRequency ARray - LOFAR is a new radio telescope that is moving the science of radio pulsars and transients into a new phase. Its design places emphasis on digital hardware and flexible software instead of mechanical solutions. LOFAR observes at radio frequencies between 10 and 240 MHz where radio pulsars and many transients are expected to be brightest. Radio frequency signals emitted from these objects allow us to study the intrinsic pulsar emission and phenomena such as propagation effects through the interstellar medium. The design of LOFAR allows independent use of its stations to conduct observations of known bright objects, or wide field monitoring of transient events. One such combined software/hardware solution is called the Advanced Radio Transient Event Monitor and Identification System (ARTEMIS). It is a backend for both targeted observations and real-time searches for millisecond radio transients which uses Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) technology to remove interstellar dispersion and detect millisecond radio bursts from astronomical sources in real-time using a single LOFAR station.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the Electromagnetic Radiation from Pulsars and Magnetars conference, Zielona Gora, 2012. 4 pages, 1 figur

A Comparison of Artifacts and Activities among Mound Area Contexts at Town Creek, A Mississippian Site in Piedmont North Carolina

Mississippian chiefdoms of the southeastern United States have commonly been characterized by the presence of large towns, a dependence upon maize-agriculture, and the presence of large platform mounds. Research regarding the role of platform mounds within these societies has been particularly intensive, and interpretations regarding the use of these mounds have varied. The major premise of this thesis is to determine variation among mound contexts at Town Creek by utilizing comparative indices. These comparisons found important differences in the activities represented in a premound midden, two mound-flank middens, and contexts associated with mound-summit structures. Also, a radiocarbon date of A.D. 1285-1400 was obtained for one of the flank middens, which is consistent with a previous interpretation of when mound construction began at the site. This date will help refine the site's existing mound-construction chronology.  M.A