Axion-photon Couplings in Invisible Axion Models

We reexamine the axion-photon couplings in various invisible axion models motivated by the recent proposal of using optical interferometry at the ASST facility in the SSCL to search for axion. We illustrate that the assignment of $U(1)_{PQ}$ charges for the fermion fields plays an important role in determining the couplings. Several simple non-minimal invisible axion models with suppressed and enhanced axion-photon couplings are constructed, respectively. We also discuss the implications of possible new experiments to detect solar axions by conversion to $X$-rays in a static magnetic apparatus tracking the sun.Comment: 14 pages, LaTeX fil

Two-Body Cabibbo-Suppressed Charmed Meson Decays

Singly-Cabibbo-suppressed decays of charmed particles governed by the quark subprocesses $c \to s u \bar s$ and $c \to d u \bar d$ are analyzed using a flavor-topology approach, based on a previous analysis of the Cabibbo-favored decays governed by $c \to s u \bar d$. Decays to $PP$ and $PV$, where $P$ is a pseudoscalar meson and $V$ is a vector meson, are considered. We include processes in which $\eta$ and $\eta '$ are produced.Comment: 18 pages, latex, 2 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev.

Octet magnetic moments and the Coleman-Glashow sum rule violation in the chiral quark model

Baryon octet magnetic moments when calculated within the chiral quark model, incorporating the orbital angular momentum as well as the quark sea contribution through the Cheng-Li mechanism, not only show improvement over the non relativistic quark model results but also gives a non zero value for the right hand side of Coleman-Glashow sum rule. When effects due to spin-spin forces between constituent quarks as well as `mass adjustments' due to confinement are added, it leads to an excellent fit for the case of p, \Sigma^+, \Xi^o and violation of Coleman-Glashow sum rule, whereas in almost all the other cases the results are within 5% of the data.Comment: 5 RevTeX pages, accepted for publication in PRD(Rapid Communication

Superconductors with Magnetic Impurities: Instantons and Sub-gap States

When subject to a weak magnetic impurity potential, the order parameter and quasi-particle energy gap of a bulk singlet superconductor are suppressed. According to the conventional mean-field theory of Abrikosov and Gor'kov, the integrity of the energy gap is maintained up to a critical concentration of magnetic impurities. In this paper, a field theoretic approach is developed to critically analyze the validity of the mean field theory. Using the supersymmetry technique we find a spatially homogeneous saddle-point that reproduces the Abrikosov-Gor'kov theory, and identify instanton contributions to the density of states that render the quasi-particle energy gap soft at any non-zero magnetic impurity concentration. The sub-gap states are associated with supersymmetry broken field configurations of the action. An analysis of fluctuations around these configurations shows how the underlying supersymmetry of the action is restored by zero modes. An estimate of the density of states is given for all dimensionalities. To illustrate the universality of the present scheme we apply the same method to study `gap fluctuations' in a normal quantum dot coupled to a superconducting terminal. Using the same instanton approach, we recover the universal result recently proposed by Vavilov et al. Finally, we emphasize the universality of the present scheme for the description of gap fluctuations in d-dimensional superconducting/normal structures.Comment: 18 pages, 9 eps figure

Charmonium from Statistical Hadronization of Heavy Quarks -- a Probe for Deconfinement in the Quark-Gluon Plasma

We review the statistical hadronization picture for charmonium production in ultra-relativistic nuclear collisions. Our starting point is a brief reminder of the status of the thermal model description of hadron production at high energy. Within this framework an excellent account is achieved of all data for hadrons built of (u,d,s) valence quarks using temperature, baryo-chemical potential and volume as thermal parameters. The large charm quark mass brings in a new (non-thermal) scale which is explicitely taken into account by fixing the total number of charm quarks produced in the collision. Emphasis is placed on the description of the physical basis for the resulting statistical hadronization model. We discuss the evidence for statistical hadronization of charmonia by analysis of recent data from the SPS and RHIC accelerators. Furthermore we discuss an extension of this model towards lower beam energies and develop arguments about the prospects to observe medium modifications of open and hidden charm hadrons. With the imminent start of the LHC accelerator at CERN, exciting prospects for charmonium production studies at the very high energy frontier come into reach. We present arguments that, at such energies, charmonium production becomes a fingerprint of deconfinement: even if no charmonia survive in the quark-gluon plasma, statistical hadronization at the QCD phase boundary of the many tens of charm quarks expected in a single central Pb-Pb collision could lead to an enhanced, rather than suppressed production probability when compared to results for nucleon-nucleon reactions scaled by the number of hard collisions in the Pb-Pb system.Comment: review article, 27 pages, Landoldt review volume "Relativistic Heavy Ion Physics", Reinhard Stock, edito

The new analysis of the KLOE data on the phi->eta pi0 gamma decay

In this paper we present the fit to the recent high-statistical KLOE data on the phi -> eta pi^0 gamma decay. This decay mainly goes through the a_0 gamma intermediate state. The obtained results differ from those of the previous fits: data prefer a high a_0 mass and a considerably large a_0 coupling to the K\bar K}.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure

Probing the Role of Magnetic-Field Variations in NOAA AR 8038 in Producing Solar Flare and CME on 12 May 1997

We carried out a multi-wavelength study of a CME and a medium-size 1B/C1.3 flare occurring on 12 May 1997. We present the investigation of magnetic-field variations in the NOAA Active Region 8038 which was observed on the Sun during 7--16 May 1997. Analyses of H{\alpha} filtergrams and MDI/SOHO magnetograms revealed continual but discrete surge activity, and emergence and cancellation of flux in this active region. The movie of these magnetograms revealed two important results that the major opposite polarities of pre-existing region as well as in the emerging flux region (EFR) were approaching towards each other and moving magnetic features (MMF) were ejecting out from the major north polarity at a quasi-periodicity of about ten hrs during 10--13 May 1997. These activities were probably caused by the magnetic reconnection in the lower atmosphere driven by photospheric convergence motions, which were evident in magnetograms. The magnetic field variations such as flux, gradient, and sunspot rotation revealed that free energy was slowly being stored in the corona. The slow low-layer magnetic reconnection may be responsible for this storage and the formation of a sigmoidal core field or a flux rope leading to the eventual eruption. The occurrence of EUV brightenings in the sigmoidal core field prior to the rise of a flux rope suggests that the eruption was triggered by the inner tether-cutting reconnection, but not the external breakout reconnection. An impulsive acceleration revealed from fast separation of the H{\alpha} ribbons of the first 150 seconds suggests the CME accelerated in the inner corona, which is consistent with the temporal profile of the reconnection electric field. In conclusion, we propose a qualitative model in view of framework of a solar eruption involving, mass ejections, filament eruption, CME, and subsequent flare.Comment: 8 figures, accepted for publication in Solar Physic

To wet or not to wet: that is the question

Wetting transitions have been predicted and observed to occur for various combinations of fluids and surfaces. This paper describes the origin of such transitions, for liquid films on solid surfaces, in terms of the gas-surface interaction potentials V(r), which depend on the specific adsorption system. The transitions of light inert gases and H2 molecules on alkali metal surfaces have been explored extensively and are relatively well understood in terms of the least attractive adsorption interactions in nature. Much less thoroughly investigated are wetting transitions of Hg, water, heavy inert gases and other molecular films. The basic idea is that nonwetting occurs, for energetic reasons, if the adsorption potential's well-depth D is smaller than, or comparable to, the well-depth of the adsorbate-adsorbate mutual interaction. At the wetting temperature, Tw, the transition to wetting occurs, for entropic reasons, when the liquid's surface tension is sufficiently small that the free energy cost in forming a thick film is sufficiently compensated by the fluid- surface interaction energy. Guidelines useful for exploring wetting transitions of other systems are analyzed, in terms of generic criteria involving the "simple model", which yields results in terms of gas-surface interaction parameters and thermodynamic properties of the bulk adsorbate.Comment: Article accepted for publication in J. Low Temp. Phy

Precision Pion-Proton Elastic Differential Cross Sections at Energies Spanning the Delta Resonance

A precision measurement of absolute pi+p and pi-p elastic differential cross sections at incident pion laboratory kinetic energies from T_pi= 141.15 to 267.3 MeV is described. Data were obtained detecting the scattered pion and recoil proton in coincidence at 12 laboratory pion angles from 55 to 155 degrees for pi+p, and six angles from 60 to 155 degrees for pi-p. Single arm measurements were also obtained for pi+p energies up to 218.1 MeV, with the scattered pi+ detected at six angles from 20 to 70 degrees. A flat-walled, super-cooled liquid hydrogen target as well as solid CH2 targets were used. The data are characterized by small uncertainties, ~1-2% statistical and ~1-1.5% normalization. The reliability of the cross section results was ensured by carrying out the measurements under a variety of experimental conditions to identify and quantify the sources of instrumental uncertainty. Our lowest and highest energy data are consistent with overlapping results from TRIUMF and LAMPF. In general, the Virginia Polytechnic Institute SM95 partial wave analysis solution describes our data well, but the older Karlsruhe-Helsinki PWA solution KH80 does not.Comment: 39 pages, 22 figures (some with quality reduced to satisfy ArXiv requirements. Contact M.M. Pavan for originals). Submitted to Physical Review