Hadronic Events at LEP

The hadronic events collected by LEP between 1989 and 2000 have changed dramatically our understanding of QCD, which has now been established as a part of the Standard Model. Still in many sectors (nonperturbative in particular) science analysis needs to be completed, and some new studies are just starting.Comment: 4 pages; invited talk at the IFAE, Lecce (Italy), May 200

The Stern diatomic sequence via generalized Chebyshev polynomials

Let a(n) be the Stern's diatomic sequence, and let x1,...,xr be the distances between successive 1's in the binary expansion of the (odd) positive integer n. We show that a(n) is obtained by evaluating generalized Chebyshev polynomials when the variables are given the values x1+1, ..., xr+1, and we derive a formula expressing the same polynomials in terms of sets of increasing integers of alternating parity. We also show that a(n) = Det(Ir + Mr), where Ir is the rxr identity matrix, and Mr is the rxr matrix that has x1,...,xr along the main diagonal, then all 1's just above and below the main diagonal, and all the other entries are 0

Mathematical Contributions to the Dynamics of the Josephson Junctions: State of the Art and Open Problems

Mathematical models related to some Josephson junctions are pointed out and attention is drawn to the solutions of certain initial boundary problems and to some of their estimates. In addition, results of rigorous analysis of the behaviour of these solutions when the time tends to infinity and when the small parameter tends to zero are cited. These analyses lead us to mention some of the open problems.Comment: 11 page

GLAST, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope

GLAST, a detector for cosmic gamma rays in the range from 20 MeV to 300 GeV, will be launched in space in 2005. Breakthroughs are expected in particular in the study of particle acceleration mechanisms in space and of gamma ray bursts, and maybe on the search for cold dark matter; but of course the most exciting discoveries could come from the unexpected.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Invited talk at the hird International Workshop "New Worlds in Astroparticle Physics", September 2000, University of the Algarve. Faro, Portugal. To be published in the Proceeding

Nationalism and internationalism in science: the case of the discovery of cosmic rays

The discovery of cosmic rays, a milestone in science, comprised scientists in Europe and the US and took place during a period characterised by nationalism and lack of communication. Many scientists that took part in this research a century ago were intrigued by the penetrating radiation and tried to understand the origin of it. Several important contributions to the discovery of the origin of cosmic rays have been forgotten and in particular that of Domenico Pacini, who in June 1911 demonstrated by studying the decrease of radioactivity with an electroscope immersed in water that cosmic rays could not come from the crust of the Earth. Several historical, political and personal facts might have contributed to the substantial disappearance of Pacini from the history of science.Comment: To be published in European Physical Journal H - Version revised after interaction with the editor and the referee

On asymptotic effects of boundary perturbations in exponentially shaped Josephson junctions

A parabolic integro differential operator L, suitable to describe many phenomena in various physical fields, is considered. By means of equivalence between L and the third order equation describing the evolution inside an exponentially shaped Josephson junction (ESJJ), an asymptotic analysis for (ESJJ) is achieved, explicitly evaluating, boundary contributions related to the Dirichlet problem