Some Two-Loop Corrections to the Finite Temperature Effective Potential in the Electroweak Theory

Perturbation theory at finite temperature suffers from well-known infrared problems. In the standard model, as a result, one cannot calculate the effective potential for arbitrarily small values of $\phi$, the Higgs expectation value. Because the Higgs field is now known not to be extremely light, it is necessary to determine whether perturbation theory is a reliable guide to properties of the weak phase transition. In this note, we evaluate the most singular contributions to the potential at two loops as well as the leading strong interaction contributions. Above the critical temperature, the strong interaction corrections are reasonably small, while the weak corrections are about 10\%, even for rather small values of the Higgs field. At the critical temperature, the weak corrections have a more substantial effect, rendering the transition significantly more first order, but not significantly changing the upper bound on the Higgs mass required for baryogenesis.Comment: 13 pages, figures available on request, SCIPP 92/4

Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography as a Method for Finding Die Attach Voids in Diodes

NASA analyzes electrical, electronic, and electromechanical (EEE) parts used in space vehicles to understand failure modes of these components. The diode is an EEE part critical to NASA missions that can fail due to excessive voiding in the die attach. Metallography, one established method for studying the die attach, is a time-intensive, destructive, and equivocal process whereby mechanical grinding of the diodes is performed to reveal voiding in the die attach. Problems such as die attach pull-out tend to complicate results and can lead to erroneous conclusions. The objective of this study is to determine if three-dimensional computed tomography (3DCT), a nondestructive technique, is a viable alternative to metallography for detecting die attach voiding. The die attach voiding in two- dimensional planes created from 3DCT scans was compared to several physical cross sections of the same diode to determine if the 3DCT scan accurately recreates die attach volumetric variabilit

Early optical spectra of nova V1369 Cen show presence of Lithium

We present early high resolution spectroscopic observations of the nova V1369 Cen. We have detected an absorption feature at 6695.6 \AA\, that we have identified as blue--shifted $^7$Li I $\lambda$6708 \AA. The absorption line, moving at -550 km/s, was observed in five high-resolution spectra of the nova obtained at different epochs. On the basis of the intensity of this absorption line we infer that a single nova outburst can inject in the Galaxy $M_{Li} =$ 0.3 - 4.8 $\times 10^{-10}$ M$_{\odot}$. Given the current estimates of Galactic nova rate, this amount is sufficient to explain the puzzling origin of the overabundance of Lithium observed in young star populations.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in ApJLetter