The CP-Conserving Direction

A symmetry transformation is well defined in the case of an invariant theory, being the corresponding operator undetermined otherwise. However, we show that, even with CP violation, it is possible to determine the CP transformation by separating the Lagrangian of the Standard Model in a CP-conserving and a CP-violating part, in a unique way, making use of the empirically known quark mixing hierarchy. To order \lambda^3 for the Bd-system, the CP-conserving direction matches one of the sides of the (bd) unitarity triangle. We use this determination to calculate the rephasing invariant parameter \epsilon, which measures CP-mixing in the B0-B0bar system.Comment: 12 pages, no figure. Version to appear in JHE

T and CPT in B-Factories

For the Bd meson system, CP, T and CPT indirect violation can be described using two physical parameters, epsilon and delta. The traditional observables based on flavour tag and used in the kaon system, are not helpful in the Bd case, and new asymmetries have to be introduced. Here such alternative observables, based on CP tag, are presented, together with the first estimation on the sensitivity that current asymmetric B-factories can achieve on their measurement.Comment: 7 pages, Talk given at the International Europhysics conference on HEP, HEP2001, July 2001, Budapest (Hungary

The Capabilities of Monochromatic EC Neutrino Beams with the SPS Upgrade

The goal for future neutrino facilities is the determination of the U(e3) mixing and CP violation in neutrino oscillations. This will require precision experiments with a very intense neutrino source and energy control. With this objective in mind, the creation of monochromatic neutrino beams from the electron capture decay of boosted ions by the SPS of CERN has been proposed. We discuss the capabilities of such a facility as a function of the energy of the boost and the baseline for the detector. We conclude that the SPS upgrade to 1000 GeV is crucial to reach a better sensitivity to CP violation iff it is accompanied by a longer baseline. We compare the physics potential for two different configurations: I) $\gamma=90$ and $\gamma=195$ (maximum achievable at present SPS) to Frejus; II) $\gamma=195$ and $\gamma=440$ (maximum achievable at upgraded SPS) to Canfranc. The main conclusion is that, whereas the gain in the determination of U(e3) is rather modest, setup II provides much better sensitivity to CP violation.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, To appear in the proceedings of International Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics (EPS-HEP2007), Manchester, England, 19-25 July 200

Perspectives in Neutrino Physics: Monochromatic Neutrino Beams

In the last few years spectacular results have been achieved with the demonstration of non vanishing neutrino masses and flavour mixing. The ultimate goal is the understanding of the origin of these properties from new physics. In this road, the last unknown mixing $[U_{e3}]$ must be determined. If it is proved to be non-zero, the possibility is open for Charge Conjugation-Parity (CP) violation in the lepton sector. This will require precision experiments with a very intense neutrino source. Here a novel method to create a monochromatic neutrino beam, an old dream for neutrino physics, is proposed based on the recent discovery of nuclei that decay fast through electron capture. Such nuclei will generate a monochromatic directional neutrino beam when decaying at high energy in a storage ring with long straight sections. We also show that the capacity of such a facility to discover new physics is impressive, so that fine tuning of the boosted neutrino energy allows precision measurements of the oscillation parameters even for a $[U_{e3}]$ mixing as small as 1 degree. We can thus open a window to the discovery of CP violation in neutrino oscillations.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures. Contribution to the proceedings of GUSTAVOFEST - Symposium in Honour of Gustavo C. Branco: CP Violation and the Flavour Puzzle, Lisbon, Portugal, 19-20 July 200

Physics Reach with a Monochromatic Neutrino Beam from Electron Capture

Neutrino oscillation experiments from different sources have demonstrated non-vanishing neutrino masses and flavour mixings. The next experiments have to address the determination of the connecting mixing U(e3) and the existence of the CP violating phase. Whereas U(e3) measures the strength of the oscillation probability in appearance experiments, the CP phase acts as a phase-shift in the interference pattern. Here we propose to separate these two parameters by energy dependence, using the novel idea of a monochromatic neutrino beam facility based on the acceleration of ions that decay fast through electron capture. Fine tuning of the boosted neutrino energy allows precision measurements able to open a window for the discovery of CP violation, even for a mixing as small as 1 degree.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Talk given at the International Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics, HEP-EPS 2005, Lisbon, Portugal, July 21-27, 200

Visibility Fringe Reduction Due to Noise-Induced Effects: Microscopic Approach to Interference Experiments

Decoherence is the main process behind the quantum to classical transition. It is a purely quantum mechanical effect by which the system looses its ability to exhibit coherent behavior. The recent experimental observation of diffraction and interference patterns for large molecules raises some interesting questions. In this context, we identify possible agents of decoherence to take into account when modeling these experiments and study theirs visible (or not) effects on the interference pattern. Thereby, we present an analysis of matter wave interferometry in the presence of a dynamic quantum environment and study how much the visibility fringe is reduced and in which timescale the decoherence effects destroy the interference of massive objects. Finally, we apply our results to the experimental data reported on fullerenes and cold neutrons.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures. Version to appear in Mod. Phys.

Nascent polypeptide chains exit the ribosome in the same relative position in both eucaryotes and procaryotes.

We located the polypeptide nascent chain as it leaves cytoplasmic ribosomes from the plant Lemna gibba by immune electron microscopy using antibodies against the small subunit of the enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase. Similar studies with Escherichia coli ribosomes, using antibodies directed against the enzyme beta-galactosidase, show that the polypeptide nascent chain emerges in the same relative position in plants and bacteria. The eucaryotic ribosomal exit site is on the large subunit, approximately 75 A from the interface between subunits and nearly 160 A from the central protuberance, the presumed site for peptidyl transfer. This is the first functional site on both the eucaryotic and procaryotic ribosomes to be determined

T and CPT Symmetries in Entangled Neutral Meson Systems

Genuine tests of an asymmetry under T and/or CPT transformations imply the interchange between in-states and out-states. I explain a methodology to perform model-indepedent separate measurements of the three CP, T and CPT symmetry violations for transitions involving the decay of the neutral meson systems in B- and {\Phi}-factories. It makes use of the quantum-mechanical entanglement only, for which the individual state of each neutral meson is not defined before the decay of its orthogonal partner. The final proof of the independence of the three asymmetries is that no other theoretical ingredient is involved and that the event sample corresponding to each case is different from the other two. The experimental analysis for the measurements of these three asymmetries as function of the time interval {\Delta}t > 0 between the first and second decays is discussed, as well as the significance of the expected results. In particular, one may advance a first observation of true, direct, evidence of Time-Reserval-Violation in B-factories by many standard deviations from zero, without any reference to, and independent of, CP-Violation. In some quantum gravity framework the CPT-transformation is ill-defined, so there is a resulting loss of particle-antiparticle identity. This mechanism induces a breaking of the EPR correlation in the entanglement imposed by Bose statistics to the neutral meson system, the so-called {\omega}-effect. I present results and prospects for the {\omega}-parameter in the correlated neutral meson-antimeson states.Comment: Proc. DISCRETE 2010, Symposium on Prospects in the Physics of Discrete Symmetries, December 2010, Rom

Endothelium-derived microparticles from chronically thromboembolic pulmonary hypertensive patients facilitate endothelial angiogenesis.

11 p.-4 fig.-1 tab.Background: Increased circulating levels of endoglin+ endothelial microparticles (EMPs) have been identified in several cardiovascular disorders, related to severity. Endoglin is an auxilary receptor for transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) important in the regulation of vascular structure.Results: We quantified the number of microparticles in plasma of six patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and age- and sex-matched pulmonary embolic (PE) and healthy controls and investigated the role of microparticle endoglin in the regulation of pulmonary endothelial function in vitro. Results show significantly increased levels of endoglin+ EMPs in CTEPH plasma, compared to healthy and disease controls. Co-culture of human pulmonary endothelial cells with CTEPH microparticles increased intracellular levels of endoglin and enhanced TGF-β-induced angiogenesis and Smad1,5,8 phosphorylation in cells, without affecting BMPRII expression. In an in vitro model, we generated endothelium-derived MPs with enforced membrane localization of endoglin. Co-culture of these MPs with endothelial cells increased cellular endoglin content, improved cell survival and stimulated angiogenesis in a manner similar to the effects induced by overexpressed protein.Conclusions: Increased generation of endoglin+ EMPs in CTEPH is likely to represent a protective mechanism supporting endothelial cell survival and angiogenesis, set to counteract the effects of vascular occlusion and endothelial damage.This research was supported by a project grant (PG 11/13/28765) from the British Heart Foundation and by grants from Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of Spain (SAF2013-43421-R to CB)Peer reviewe