An SU(3) model for octet baryon and meson fragmentation

The production of the octet of baryons and mesons in e^+ e^- collisions is analysed, based on considerations of SU(3) symmetry and a simple model for SU(3) symmetry breaking in fragmentation functions. All fragmentation functions, D_q^h(x, Q^2), describing the fragmentation of quarks into a member of the baryon octet (and similarly for fragmentation into members of the meson octet) are expressed in terms of three SU(3) symmetric functions, \alpha(x, Q^2), \beta(x, Q^2), and \gamma(x, Q^2). With the introduction of an SU(3) breaking parameter, \lambda, the model is successful in describing hadroproduction data at the Z pole. The fragmentation functions are then evolved using leading order evolution equations and good fits to currently available data at 34 GeV and at 161 GeV are obtained.Comment: 24 pages LaTeX file including 11 postscript figure file

Superconformal constraints for QCD conformal anomalies

Anomalous superconformal Ward identities and commutator algebra in N = 1 super-Yang-Mills theory give rise to constraints between the QCD special conformal anomalies of conformal composite operators. We evaluate the superconformal anomalies that appear in the product of renormalized conformal operators and the trace anomaly in the supersymmetric spinor current and check the constraints at one-loop order. In this way we prove the universality of QCD conformal anomalies, which define the non-diagonal part of the anomalous dimension matrix responsible for scaling violations of exclusive QCD amplitudes at the next-to-leading order.Comment: 30 pages, 2 figures, LaTe

Pion and Kaon Production in e+e−e^+e^- and epep Collisions at Next-to-Leading Order

We present new sets of fragmentation functions for charged pions and kaons, both at leading and next-to-leading order. They are fitted to data on inclusive charged-hadron production in $e^+e^-$ annihilation taken by TPC at PEP ($\sqrt s=29$~GeV) and to similar data by ALEPH at LEP, who discriminated between events with charm, bottom, and light- flavour fragmentation in their charged-hadron sample. We treat all partons independently and to properly incorporate the charm and bottom thresholds. Due to the sizeable energy gap between PEP and LEP, we are sensitive to the scaling violation in the fragmentation process, which allows us to extract a value for the asymptotic scale parameter of QCD, $\Lambda$. Recent data on inclusive charged-hadron production in tagged three-jet events by OPAL and similar data for longitudinal electron polarization by ALEPH allow us to pin down the gluon fragmentation functions. Our new fragmentation functions lead to an excellent description of a multitude of other $e^+e^-$ data on inclusive charged-hadron production, ranging from $\sqrt s=5.2$~GeV to LEP energy. In addition, they agree nicely with the transverse-momentum spectra of single charged hadrons measured by H1 and ZEUS in photoproduction at the $ep$ collider HERA, which represents a nontrivial check of the factorization theorem of the QCD-improved parton model.Comment: 22 pages, latex, 13 compressed ps figures in separate fil

Heavy Flavour Production in Two-Photon Collisions

We review the production of charm and bottom quarks in two-photon collisions at e+e- colliders. The next-to-leading order QCD predictions for total cross sections and differential distributions are compared with recent experimental results.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Talk given at the UK Phenomenology Workshop on Collider Physics, Durham, England, 19-24 Sep 199

Multiplicity distributions in a thermodynamical model of hadron production in e+e−e^+e^- collisions

Predictions of a thermodynamical model of hadron production for multiplicity distributions in $e^+e^-$ annihilations at LEP and PEP-PETRA centre of mass energies are shown. The production process is described as a two-step process in which primary hadrons emitted from the thermal source decay into final observable particles. The final charged tracks multiplicity distributions turn out to be of Negative Binomial type and are in quite good agreement with experimental observations. The average number of clans calculated from fitted Negative Binomial coincides with the average number of primary hadrons predicted by the thermodynamical model, suggesting that clans should be identified with primary hadrons.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX file, uses epsfig.sty and cite.sty, 3 figures added as uu-encoded g-zipped tarred eps-file

Next-to-Leading Order Fragmentation Functions for Pions and Kaons

We present new sets of fragmentation functions for charged pions and kaons, both at leading and next-to-leading order. They are fitted to TPC data taken at energy $\sqrt s=29$~GeV and describe excellently a wealth of other $e^+e^-$ data on charged-hadron production, ranging from $\sqrt s=5.2$~GeV way up to LEP~1 energy. They also agree with data on the production of neutral pions and kaons, if one makes the natural assumption that the respective fragmentation functions are related to the charged counterparts by SU(2) symmetry. We also list simple parameterizations of the $x$ and $Q^2$ dependence of our results, which may be implemented conveniently in applications.Comment: 22 p. + 12 figures (1 compressed Ps-file), DESY 94-124 figure file replaced by uuencoded fil

Multiplicity distributions inside parton cascades developing in a medium

The explanation of the suppression of high-pT hadron yields at RHIC in terms of jet-quenching implies that the multiplicity distributions of particles inside a jet and jet-like particle correlations differ strongly in nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC or at the LHC from those observed at e+e- or hadron colliders. We present a framework for describing the medium-induced modification, which has a direct interpretation in terms of a probabilistic medium-modified parton cascade, and which treats leading and subleading partons on an equal footing. We show that our approach can account for the strong suppression of single inclusive hadron spectra measured in Au-Au collisions at RHIC, and that this implies a characteristic distortion of the single inclusive distribution of soft partons inside the jet. We determine, as a function of the jet energy, to what extent the soft fragments within a jet can be measured above some momentum cut.Comment: 5 pages, 4 eps-figures; talk given at Hot Quarks 2006, Villasimius (Sardinia, Italy), May 15-20, 200

Hydrolysis of tannic acid catalyzed by immobilized-stabilized derivatives of tannase from Lactobacillus plantarum

A recombinant tannase from Lactobacillus plantarum, overexpressed in Escherichia coli, was purified in a single step by metal chelate affinity chromatography on poorly activated nickel supports. It was possible to obtain 0.9 g of a pure enzyme by using only 20 mL of chromatographic support. The pure enzyme was immobilized and stabilized by multipoint covalent immobilization on highly activated glyoxyl agarose. Derivatives obtained by multipoint and multisubunit immobilization were 500- and 1000-fold more stable than both the soluble enzyme and the one-point-immobilized enzyme in experiments of thermal and cosolvent inactivation, respectively. In addition, up to 70 mg of pure enzyme was immobilized on 1 g of wet support. The hydrolysis of tannic acid was optimized by using the new immobilized tannase derivative. The optimal reaction conditions were 30% diglyme at pH 5.0 and 4 C. Under these conditions, it was possible to obtain 47.5 mM gallic acid from 5 mM tannic acid as substrate. The product was pure as proved by HPLC. On the other hand, the immobilized biocatalyst preserved >95% of its initial activity after 1 month of incubation under the optimal reaction conditionsThis work was supported by Grants AGL2008-01052, AGL-2009-07625, Consolider INGENIO 2010 CSD2007-00063 FUN-C-FOOD(CICYT),RM2008-00002 (INIA), and S-0505/AGR/000153 (CAM). J.A.C. is the recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from the I3P-CSIC Program and FPI-MEC, and G.F.-L. and L.B. are recipients of Ramon y Cajal postdoctoral contracts.Peer reviewe

Quark Mass Corrections to the Perturbative Thrust and its Effect on the determination of αs\alpha_s

We consider the effects of quark masses to the perturbative thrust in $e^+e^-$ annihilation. In particular we show that perturbative power corrections resulting from non-zero quark masses considerably alters the size of the non-perturbative power corrections and consequently, significantly changes the fitted value of $\alpha_s$.Comment: Latex, 6 pages, 2 figures, minor change in text, added one referenc