Hybrid meson properties in Lattice QCD and Flux Tube Models

Flux tube model predictions for hybrid meson decays are beginning to be confronted by Lattice QCD. We compare the two approaches for the $S$-wave decay of the exotic $1^{-+}$, and find excellent agreement. Results suggest that in Strong QCD, \qq~ creation occurs with S=1.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, v2: discussion of parameters and lattice uncertainties adde

Dynamics of hadron strong production and decay

We generalize results of lattice QCD to determine the spin-dependent symmetries and factorization properties of meson production in OZI allowed processes. This explains some conjectures previously made in the literature about axial meson decays and gives predictions for exclusive decays of vector charmonia, including ways of establishing the structure of Y(4260) and Y(4325) from their S-wave decays. Factorization gives a selection rule which forbids $e^+e^- \to D^* D_2$ near threshold with the tensor meson in helicity 2. The relations among amplitudes for double charmonia production \e^+e^-\to \psi\chi_{0,1,2} are expected to differ from the analagous relations among light flavour production such as \e^+e^-\to \omega f_{0,1,2}.Comment: 13 pages; journal versio

The 2^-+ assignment for the X(3872)

Very recently the BaBar collaboration has put forward a claim that the X(3872) is not a 1^++ resonance, as most of the phenomenological work on the subject was relying on, but rather a 2^-+ one. We examine the consequences of this quantum number assignment for the solution of the X(3872) puzzle. The molecular interpretation appears less likely, and the conventional charmonium interpretation should be reconsidered. There are several well-known difficulties with this interpretation, to which we add a new one: the production cross section at CDF is predicted to be much smaller than that observed. We also confirm, using a relativistic string model, the conclusion from potential models that the mass of the state is not consistent with expectations. In the tetraquark interpretation the 2^-+ assignment implies a rich spectrum of partner states, although the X(3872) may be among the few which are narrow enough to be observable.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables; minor style corrections. Version to appear in PR

The momentum distribution of J/psi in B decays

The discrepancy between theory and data in the momentum distribution of slow J/psi in B decays has been several times addressed as a puzzle. Using the most recent results on exclusive B decays into J/psi and heavy kaons or exotic mesons and reconsidering the non-relativistic-QCD calculation of the color octet fragmentation component, we show that an improvement in the comparison between data and theory can be obtained. There is still room for a better fit to data and this may imply that new exotic mesons of the XYZ kind have yet to be discovered.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables. To appear in Physical Review

Pentaquark implications for exotic mesons

If the exotic baryon $\Theta^+(1540)$ is a correlated $udud\bar{s}$ with $J^P = {1/2}^+$, then there should exist an exotic meson, $J^P = 1^-$ $\vartheta^+ (S=+2)$ $\to K^+K^0$ $\sim 1.6$GeV with width $O(10-100)$MeV. The $\pi_1(1400;1600)$ may be broad members of {\bf 10} $\pm$ \10bar in such a picture. Vector mesons in the 1.4 - 1.7GeV mass range are also compared with this picture

WIRELESS INSOLES TO MEASURE GROUND REACTION FORCES: STEP-BYSTEP VALIDITY IN HOPPING, WALKING, AND RUNNING

This investigation assessed the validity of force measurements from wireless shoe insoles against a force plate and an instrumented treadmill. Thirteen subjects performed hopping tasks on a force plate and walked and ran on an instrumented treadmill while wearing the insoles. Ground reaction forces were measured with the two systems and analyzed perstep and per-hop to assess the accuracy and validity of the insoles. Peak force, contact time, and impulse were calculated for each step, and peak force for each hop. Across all measures, the insoles demonstrated high agreement with the force plate and the treadmill. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.81-0.96. The wireless insoles appear to be a valid tool for ground reaction force measurement, and current results support the use of these devices for biomechanical studies outside the laboratory and in the field

A Comparison of Radio and X-Ray Morphologies of Four Clusters of Galaxies Containing Radio Halos

Clusters of galaxies may contain cluster-wide, centrally located, diffuse radio sources, called halos. They have been found to show morphologies similar to those of the X-ray emission. To quantify this qualitative statement we performed a point-to-point comparison of the radio and the X-ray emission for four clusters of galaxies containing radio halos: Coma, Abell 2255, Abell 2319, Abell 2744. Our study leads to a linear relation between the radio and the X-ray surface brightness in two clusters, namely Abell 2255 and Abell 2744. In Coma and A2319 the radio and the X-ray brightnesses seem to be related with a sub-linear power law. Implications of these findings within simple radio halo formation models are briefly discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 13 .ps figures, accepted by A&

Feather growth rate and mass in nearctic passerines with variablemigratory behavior and molt pattern

Bird species vary greatly in the duration of their annual complete feather molt. However, such variation is not well documented in birds from many biogeographic areas, which restricts our understanding of the diversification of molt strategies. Recent research has revealed that molt duration can be estimated in passerines from ptilochronology-based measurements of the growth rate of their tail feathers. We used this approach to explore how molt duration varied in 98 Nearctic species that have different migratory strategies and molt patterns. As previously documented for Palearctic species, migration was associated with a shortening of molt duration among species that molted during summer on their breeding range. However, molts of winter-molting migratory species were as long as those of summer-molting sedentary species, which suggests that winter molt also allows Nearctic migrants to avoid the temporal constraints experienced during summer. Our results also suggest that migratory species that undergo a stopover molt within the Mexican monsoon region have the shortest molt duration among all Nearctic passerines. Interestingly, and contrary to expectations from a potential tradeoff between molt duration and feather quality, observed variation in feather growth rate was positively correlated with differences in tail feather mass, which may be caused by differences among groups in the availability of resources for molting. We encourage the use of similar approaches to study the variation in molt duration in other geographic areas where knowledge of the evolution of molt is limited.