Search Strategies for Non-Standard Higgs Bosons at Future e^+e^- Colliders

Already in the simplest two-Higgs-doublet model with CP violation in the Higgs sector, the $3\times3$ mixing matrix for the neutral Higgs bosons can substantially modify their couplings, thereby endangering the ``classical'' Higgs search strategies. However, there are sum rules relating Yukawa and Higgs-Z couplings which ensure that the ZZ, b\anti b and t\anti t couplings of a given neutral 2HDM Higgs boson cannot all be simultaneously suppressed. This result implies that any single Higgs boson will be detectable at an e^+e^- collider if the Z+Higgs, b\anti b+Higgs {\it and} t\anti t+Higgs production channels are all kinematically accessible {\it and} if the integrated luminosity is sufficient. We explore, as a function of Higgs mass, the luminosity required to guarantee Higgs boson detection, and find that for moderate $\tan\beta$ values the needed luminosity is unlikely to be available for all possible mixing scenarios. The additional difficulties for the case when the two-doublet Higgs sector is extended by adding one more singlet are summarized. Implications of the sum rules for Higgs discovery at the Tevatron and LHC are briefly discussed.Comment: 16 pages, 4 postscript figures, references added in replacemen

Preventing Incomplete/Hidden Requirements: Reflections on Survey Data from Austria and Brazil

Many software projects fail due to problems in requirements engineering (RE). The goal of this paper is analyzing a specific and relevant RE problem in detail: incomplete/hidden requirements. We replicated a global family of RE surveys with representatives of software organizations in Austria and Brazil. We used the data to (a) characterize the criticality of the selected RE problem, and to (b) analyze the reported main causes and mitigation actions. Based on the analysis, we discuss how to prevent the problem. The survey includes 14 different organizations in Austria and 74 in Brazil, including small, medium and large sized companies, conducting both, plan-driven and agile development processes. Respondents from both countries cited the incomplete/hidden requirements problem as one of the most critical RE problems. We identified and graphically represented the main causes and documented solution options to address these causes. Further, we compiled a list of reported mitigation actions. From a practical point of view, this paper provides further insights into common causes of incomplete/hidden requirements and on how to prevent this problem.Comment: in Proceedings of the Software Quality Days, 201

CBRN Threats and the Economic Analysis of Terrorism

The aim of this paper is to investigate the economic aspects of CBRN threats. For this purpose, the extent to which this topic is reflected in freely-accessible academic literature and the costs associated with such threats will be assessed. Furthermore, it is to be determined which industries have a particular interest in security against such CBRN threats.

Two-color QCD with staggered fermions at finite temperature under the influence of a magnetic field

In this paper we investigate the influence of a constant external magnetic field on the finite-temperature phase structure and the chiral properties of a simplified lattice model for QCD. We assume an SU(2) gauge symmetry and employ dynamical staggered fermions of identical mass without rooting, corresponding to Nf=4 flavors of identical electric charge. For fixed mass (given in lattice units) the critical temperature is seen to rise with the magnetic field strength. For three fixed beta-values, selected such that we stay (i) within the chirally broken phase, (ii) within the transition region or (iii) within the chirally restored phase, we study the approach to the chiral limit for various values of the magnetic field. Within the chirally broken (confinement) phase the chiral condensate is found to increase monotonically with a growing magnetic field strength. In the chiral limit the increase starts linear in agreement with a chiral model studied by Shushpanov and Smilga. Within the chirally restored (deconfinement) phase the chiral condensate tends to zero in the chiral limit, irrespective of the strength of the magnetic field.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures; version accepted by Physical Review

A novel vacuum ultra violet lamp for metastable rare gas experiments

We report on a new design of a vacuum ultra violet (VUV) lamp for direct optical excitation of high laying atomic states e.g. for excitation of metastable rare gas atoms. The lamp can be directly mounted to ultra high vacuum vessels (p <= 10^(-10) mbar). It is driven by a 2.45 GHz microwave source. For optimum operation it requires powers of approximately 20 W. The VUV light is transmitted through a magnesium fluoride window, which is known to have a decreasing transmittance for VUV photons with time. In our special setup, after a run-time of the VUV lamp of 550 h the detected signal continuously decreased to 25 % of its initial value. This corresponds to a lifetime increase of two orders of magnitude compared to previous setups or commercial lamps

The W_L W_L scattering at the LHC: improving the selection criteria

We present a systematic study of the different mechanisms leading to WW pair production at the LHC, both in the same-sign and opposite-sign channels, and we emphasize that the former offers much better potential for investigating non-resonant W_L W_L scattering. We propose a new kinematic variable to isolate the W_L W_L scattering component in same-sign WW production at the LHC. Focusing on purely leptonic W decay channels, we show that it considerably improves the LHC capabilities to shed light on the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism after collecting 100 fb^{-1} of data at sqrt{s} = 14 TeV. The new variable is less effective in the opposite-sign WW channel due to different background composition.Comment: 25 pages, 32 figure

Elucidating structure-function relationships from molecule-to-cell-to-tissue: from research modalities to clinical realities

The National Academy of Engineering selected ‘Imaging’ as one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century (Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century. 2009 (cited 2008, November 10); available from: http://www.greatachievements.org/). The combination of different imaging modalities and technologies for mapping bimolecular and/or biological processes within single cells or even whole organs has extraordinary potential for revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of pathophysiological disorders, and thus for mitigating the significant social and economic costs associated with the clinical management of disease. Such integrated imaging approaches will eventually lead to individualized programs for disease prevention through advanced diagnosis, risk stratification and targeted cell therapies resulting in more successful and efficient health care. The goal of this article is to provide readers with a current update of selected of state-of-the-art imaging modalities which would likely to lead to improved clinical outcomes if employed in an integrated approach, including use of ultramicrosensors to detect reactive oxygen/nitrogen species in a single cell, use of electron tomography to visualize and characterize cellular organization in three dimensions (3D), and molecular imaging strategies to assess naturally occurring and therapeutic peripheral and myocardial angiogenesis using targeted radiolabeled tracers

A novel vacuum ultra violet lamp for metastable rare gas experiments

We report on a new design of a vacuum ultra violet (VUV) lamp for direct optical excitation of high laying atomic states e.g. for excitation of metastable rare gas atoms. The lamp can be directly mounted to ultra high vacuum vessels (p <= 10^(-10) mbar). It is driven by a 2.45 GHz microwave source. For optimum operation it requires powers of approximately 20 W. The VUV light is transmitted through a magnesium fluoride window, which is known to have a decreasing transmittance for VUV photons with time. In our special setup, after a run-time of the VUV lamp of 550 h the detected signal continuously decreased to 25 % of its initial value. This corresponds to a lifetime increase of two orders of magnitude compared to previous setups or commercial lamps

New proton polarized structure functions in charged current processes at HERA

Estimates for longitudinal spin asymmetries which single out new polarized nucleon structure functions in deeply inelastic charged current interactions at HERA energies are given, exploiting their interpretation in terms of polarized quark distributions. These asymmetries turn out to be large and allow a measurement of the new polarized structure functions $g_1^{W}$ and $g_5^{W}$, which would add valuable tests and information on the spin content of quarks inside a polarized proton. We also show that single spin asymmetries in neutral current interactions are very small.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, 6 figure