Penguin and Box Diagrams in Unitary Gauge

We evaluate one-loop diagrams in the unitary gauge that contribute to flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) transitions involving two and four fermions. Specifically, we deal with penguin and box diagrams arising within the standard model (SM) and in nonrenormalizable extensions thereof with anomalous couplings of the W boson to quarks. We show explicitly in the SM the subtle cancelation among divergences from individual unitary-gauge contributions to some of the physical FCNC amplitudes and derive expressions consistent with those obtained using R_xi gauges in the literature. Some of our results can be used more generally in certain models involving fermions and gauge bosons which have interactions similar in form to those we consider.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, to appear in EPJ

Marker Assisted Foreground Selection for Identification of Striga Resistant Backcross Lines in Sorghum bicolor

Striga is a major constraint to sorghum production causing high yield loss due to increasing infestation. Locally-adapted cultivars with resistant genes/QTLs could be an effective control strategy for Striga. Marker-Assisted Foreground Selection was used to select backcross lines possessing Striga resistance QTLs from N13. Marker polymorphism was conducted for the donor parent N13 and 10 recurrent parents using 10 Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. Recurrent parents with SSR alleles, polymorphic to the donor parent allele were selected. F1 lines were developed by making a cross between the selected recurrent parent and the donor. The F1 were confirmed for heterozygosity using SSR markers. Selected heterozygote F1s were backcrossed to their recurrent parent to develop backcross populations (BC1F1 and BC2F1). BC1F1 and BC2F1 populations were genotyped using SSR markers flanking the Striga resistant QTLs in N13. Forty two DANYANA-N13 BC2F1 lines (with 4 QTLs in 3 lines, 3 QTLs in 10 lines and other 28 lines having 1 to 2 QTLs) were selected for the presence of N13 QTLs. Forty three SAMSORG39-N13 BC2F1 lines (with 3 QTLs in 2 lines while 41 lines had 1 to 2 QTLs) were also selected for the presence of N13 QTLs. Although, selected lines will be genotyped for the recovery of recurrent parent background and evaluated to identify elite genotypes for possible release as varieties, the successful introgression of Striga resistance QTLs using Marker Assisted Selection suggests that in developing superior sorghum varieties, breeders could make use of molecular marker technologies to speed up breeding programmes

Effective Lagrangian for sˉbg\bar{s}bg and sˉbγ\bar{s}b\gamma Vertices in the mSUGRA model

Complete expressions of the $\bar{s}bg$ and $\bar{s}b\gamma$ vertices are derived in the framework of supersymmetry with minimal flavor violation. With the minimal supergravity (mSUGRA) model, a numerical analysis of the supersymmetric contributions to the Wilson Coefficients at the weak scale is presented.Comment: 12 pages + 7 ps figures, Late

Predictions for Proton Lifetime in Minimal Non-Supersymmetric SO(10) Models: An Update

We present our best estimates of the uncertainties due to heavy particle threshold corrections on the unification scale $M_U$, intermediate scale $M_I$ and coupling constant Alpha_U in the minimal non-supersymmetric SO(10) models. Using these , we update the predictions for proton life-time in these models.Comment: UMD-PP-94-117 ( 20 pages;latex; no figures

Lepton Dipole Moments and Rare Decays in the CP-violating MSSM with Nonuniversal Soft-Supersymmetry Breaking

We investigate the muon anomalous magnetic dipole moment (MDM), the muon electric dipole moment (EDM) and the lepton-flavour-violating decays of the $\tau-$lepton, $\tau \to \mu \gamma$ and $\tau\to 3\mu$, in the CP-violating Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) with nonuniversal soft-supersymmetry breaking. We evaluate numerically the muon EDM and the branching ratios $B(\tau \to \mu\gamma)$ and $B(\tau \to 3\mu)$, after taking into account the experimental constraints from the electron EDM and muon MDM. Upon imposition of the experimental limits on our theoretical predictions for the aforementioned branching ratios and the muon MDM, we obtain an upper bound of about $10^{-23} e\cdot cm$ on the muon EDM which lies well within the explorable reach of the proposed experiment at BNL.Comment: Latex, 26 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Finite Theories and the SUSY Flavor Problem

We study a finite SU(5) grand unified model based on the non-Abelian discrete symmetry A_4. This model leads to the democratic structure of the mass matrices for the quarks and leptons. In the soft supersymmetry breaking sector, the scalar trilinear couplings are aligned and the soft scalar masses are degenerate, thus solving the SUSY flavor problem.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, 1 figur

Heavy Quarks and Heavy Quarkonia as Tests of Thermalization

We present here a brief summary of new results on heavy quarks and heavy quarkonia from the PHENIX experiment as presented at the "Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization" Workshop in Vienna, Austria in August 2005, directly following the International Quark Matter Conference in Hungary.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization Workshop (Vienna August 2005) Proceeding

Single Electrons from Heavy Flavor Decays in p+p Collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV

The invariant differential cross section for inclusive electron production in p+p collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV has been measured by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider over the transverse momentum range $0.4 <= p_T <= 5.0 GeV/c at midrapidity (eta <= 0.35). The contribution to the inclusive electron spectrum from semileptonic decays of hadrons carrying heavy flavor, i.e. charm quarks or, at high p_T, bottom quarks, is determined via three independent methods. The resulting electron spectrum from heavy flavor decays is compared to recent leading and next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The total cross section of charm quark-antiquark pair production is determined as sigma_(c c^bar) = 0.92 +/- 0.15 (stat.) +- 0.54 (sys.) mb.Comment: 329 authors, 6 pages text, 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm

Nuclear Modification of Electron Spectra and Implications for Heavy Quark Energy Loss in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV

The PHENIX experiment has measured mid-rapidity transverse momentum spectra (0.4 < p_T < 5.0 GeV/c) of electrons as a function of centrality in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV. Contributions from photon conversions and from light hadron decays, mainly Dalitz decays of pi^0 and eta mesons, were removed. The resulting non-photonic electron spectra are primarily due to the semi-leptonic decays of hadrons carrying heavy quarks. Nuclear modification factors were determined by comparison to non-photonic electrons in p+p collisions. A significant suppression of electrons at high p_T is observed in central Au+Au collisions, indicating substantial energy loss of heavy quarks.Comment: 330 authors, 6 pages text, 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm