6,060 research outputs found
Ultrahigh energy neutrino scattering: an update
We update our estimates of charged and neutral current neutrino total cross
sections on isoscalar nucleons at ultrahigh energies using a global (x, Q^2)
fit, motivated by the Froissart bound, to the F_2 (electron-proton) structure
function utilizing the most recent analysis of the complete ZEUS and H1 data
sets from HERA I. Using the large Q^2, small Bjorken-x limits of the "wee"
parton model, we connect the ultrahigh energy neutrino cross sections directly
to the large Q^2, small-x extrapolation of our new fit, which we assume
saturates the Froissart bound. We compare both to our previous work, which
utilized only the smaller ZEUS data set, as well as to recent results of a
calculation using the ZEUS-S based global perturbative QCD parton distributions
using the combined HERA I results as input. Our new results substantiate our
previous conclusions, again predicting significantly smaller cross sections
than those predicted by extrapolating pQCD calculations to neutrino energies
above 10^9 GeV.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, 3 table
Small x Behavior of Parton Distributions from the Observed Froissart Energy Dependence of the Deep Inelastic Scattering Cross Section
We fit the reduced cross section for deep-inelastic electron scattering data
to a three parameter ln^2 s fit, A + beta ln^2 (s/s_0), where s= [Q^2/x] (1-x)
+ m^2, and Q^2 is the virtuality of the exchanged photon. Over a wide range in
Q^2 (0.11 < Q^2 < 1200 GeV^2) all of the fits satisfy the logarithmic energy
dependence of the Froissart bound. We can use these results to extrapolate to
very large energies and hence to very small values of Bjorken x -- well beyond
the range accessible experimentally. As Q^2 --> infinity, the structure
function F_2^p(x, Q^2) exhibits Bjorken scaling, within experimental errors. We
obtain new constraints on the behavior of quark and antiquark distribution
functions at small x.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure
Analytic Expression for the Joint x and Q^2 Dependences of the Structure Functions of Deep Inelastic Scattering
We obtain a good analytic fit to the joint Bjorken-x and Q^2 dependences of
ZEUS data on the deep inelastic structure function F_2(x, Q^2). At fixed
virtuality Q^2, as we showed previously, our expression is an expansion in
powers of log (1/x) that satisfies the Froissart bound. Here we show that for
each x, the Q^2 dependence of the data is well described by an expansion in
powers of log Q^2. The resulting analytic expression allows us to predict the
logarithmic derivatives {({\partial}^n F_2^p/{{(\partial\ln Q^2}})^n)}_x for n
= 1,2 and to compare the results successfully with other data. We extrapolate
the proton structure function F_2^p(x,Q^2) to the very large Q^2 and the very
small x regions that are inaccessible to present day experiments and contrast
our expectations with those of conventional global fits of parton distribution
functions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, a few changes in the text. Version to be
published in Physical Review Letter
Utilization of CT scanning associated with complex spine surgery.
BackgroundDue to the risk associated with exposure to ionizing radiation, there is an urgent need to identify areas of CT scanning overutilization. While increased use of diagnostic spinal imaging has been documented, no previous research has estimated the magnitude of follow-up imaging used to evaluate the postoperative spine.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study quantifies the association between spinal surgery and CT utilization. An insurance database (Humana, Inc.) with ≈ 19 million enrollees was employed, representing 8 consecutive years (2007-2014). Surgical and imaging procedures were captured by anatomic-specific CPT codes. Complex surgeries included all cervical, thoracic and lumbar instrumented spine fusions. Simple surgeries included discectomy and laminectomy. Imaging was restricted to CT and MRI. Postoperative imaging frequency extended to 5-years post-surgery.ResultsThere were 140,660 complex spinal procedures and 39,943 discectomies and 49,889 laminectomies. MRI was the predominate preoperative imaging modality for all surgical procedures (median: 80%; range: 73-82%). Postoperatively, CT prevalence following complex procedures increased more than two-fold from 6 months (18%) to 5 years (≥40%), and patients having a postoperative CT averaged two scans. For simple procedures, the prevalence of postoperative CT scanning never exceeded 30%.ConclusionsCT scanning is used frequently for follow-up imaging evaluation following complex spine surgery. There is emerging evidence of an increased cancer risk due to ionizing radiation exposure with CT. In the setting of complex spine surgery, actions to mitigate this risk should be considered and include reducing nonessential scans, using the lowest possible radiation dose protocols, exerting greater selectivity in monitoring the developing fusion construct, and adopting non-ferromagnetic implant biomaterials that facilitate MRI postoperatively
New physics, the cosmic ray spectrum knee, and cross section measurements
We explore the possibility that a new physics interaction can provide an
explanation for the knee just above GeV in the cosmic ray spectrum. We
model the new physics modifications to the total proton-proton cross section
with an incoherent term that allows for missing energy above the scale of new
physics. We add the constraint that the new physics must also be consistent
with published cross section measurements, using cosmic ray observations,
an order of magnitude and more above the knee. We find that the rise in cross
section required at energies above the knee is radical. The increase in cross
section suggests that it may be more appropriate to treat the scattering
process in the black disc limit at such high energies. In this case there may
be no clean separation between the standard model and new physics contributions
to the total cross section. We model the missing energy in this limit and find
a good fit to the Tibet III cosmic ray flux data. We comment on testing the new
physics proposal for the cosmic ray knee at the Large Hadron Collider.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure
Ultra-high energy neutrino scattering
Estimates are made of the ultra-high energy neutrino cross sections based on
an extrapolation to very small Bjorken x of the logarithmic Froissart
dependence in x shown previously to provide an excellent fit to the measured
proton structure function F_2^p(x,Q^2) over a broad range of the virtuality
Q^2. Expressions are obtained for both the neutral current and the charged
current cross sections. Comparison with an extrapolation based on perturbative
QCD shows good agreement for energies where both fit data, but our rates are as
much as a factor of 10 smaller for neutrino energies above 10^9 GeV, with
important implications for experiments searching for extra-galactic neutrinos.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, 1 table; Title, abstract and text changed,
conclusions unchanged. Version accepted for publication in Physical Review
Ground state of a confined Yukawa plasma
The ground state of an externally confined one-component Yukawa plasma is
derived analytically. In particular, the radial density profile is computed.
The results agree very well with computer simulations on three-dimensional
spherical Coulomb crystals. We conclude in presenting an exact equation for the
density distribution for a confinement potential of arbitrary geometry.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Proton-nucleus scattering and cross section fluctuations at RHIC and LHC
We consider high-energy proton-heavy nucleus scattering within the framework
of the Glauber-Gribov approximation and taking into account cross section
fluctuations. Fixing parameters of the model for cross section fluctuations by
the available data, we make predictions for the total, elastic and coherent
diffractive dissociation proton-nucleus cross sections for the RHIC and LHC
energy range. We predict a strong change of the A-dependence of diffraction
dissociation from A^{0.42} at RHIC energies to A^{0.27} at LHC energies.
Based on the obtained results, we discuss the approach of the interactions to
the black body (unitarity) limit. We estimate the electromagnetic contribution
to coherent pA diffraction and find that it dominates the coherent diffractive
cross section on heavy nuclear targets in the RHIC and LHC kinematics.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX, 1 table, 4 figures. This is the final version
published in Phys. Lett. B 633 (2006) 245, with recent corrections published
as Erratum in Phys. Lett. B 663 (2008) 456. The Erratum concerns Section 5 of
the paper: we corrected the Lorentz factor for the calculation of the e.m.
contribution and modified Fig.
Field ion microscopic studies of the CO oxidation on platinum: Field ion imaging and titration reactions
Elementary steps of the CO oxidation—which are important for understanding the oscillatory behavior of this catalytic reaction—are investigated simultaneously on different Pt‐single crystal surfaces by field ion microscopy. Due to preferential ionization probabilities of oxygen as imaging gas on those surface sites, which are adsorbed with oxygen, these sites can be imaged in a lateral resolution on the atomic scale. In the titration reaction a COad‐precovered field emitter surface reacts with gaseous oxygen adsorbed from the gas phase or, vice versa, the Oad‐precovered surface with carbon monoxide adsorbed from the gas phase. The competition of the manifold of single crystal planes exposed to the titration reaction at the field emitter tip is studied. The surface specificity can be documented in the specific reaction delay times of the different planes and in the propagation rates of the reaction‐diffusion wave fronts measured on these individual planes during the titration reaction with a time resolution of 40 ms. At 300 K the COad‐precovered surfaces display the {011} regions, precisely the {331} planes as the most active, followed by {012}, {122}, {001}, and finally by {111}. Reaction wave fronts move with a velocity of 8 Å/s at {012}, with ≊0.8 Å/s at {111}, and have a very fast ‘‘switch‐on’’ reaction at the (001) plane with 500 Å/s. At higher temperature, T=350 K, an acceleration of reaction rates is combined with shorter delay times. The titration reaction of a precovered Oad surface with COgas at T=373 K shows the formation of CO islands starting in the {011} regions with a quickly moving reaction front into the other surface areas without showing particular delay times for different surface symmetries. The two reverse titration reactions have a largely different character. The titration of COad with oxygen adsorbed from the gas phase consists of three different steps, (i) the induction times, (ii) the highly surface specific reaction, and (iii) different rates of wave front propagation. The reaction of COgas with a precovered Oad layer on the other hand starts with nucleating islands around the {011} planes from where the whole emitter surface is populated with COad without pronounced surface specifity
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