Vapor core propulsion reactors

Many research issues were addressed. For example, it became obvious that uranium tetrafluoride (UF4) is a most preferred fuel over uranium hexafluoride (UF6). UF4 has a very attractive vaporization point (1 atm at 1800 K). Materials compatible with UF4 were looked at, like tungsten, molybdenum, rhenium, carbon. It was found that in the molten state, UF4 and uranium attacked most everything, but in the vapor state they are not that bad. Compatible materials were identified for both the liquid and vapor states. A series of analyses were established to determine how the cavity should be designed. A series of experiments were performed to determine the properties of the fluid, including enhancement of the electrical conductivity of the system. CFD's and experimental programs are available that deal with most of the major issues

New Physics and novel Higgs signals

We review some of the results of our recent work dealing with the novel type of Higgs signals that arise when one considers extensions of the standard model. We discuss first possible deviations on the Higgs couplings due to heavy particles, in the context of the MSSM and with large extra-dimensions. Then, we present several models where it is possible to induce flavor violating Higgs couplings, and probe them at future hadron colliders through the LFV Higgs decay h-> tau mu or with rare top decays.Comment: Talk given at the X Mexican School of Particles and Fields, Playa del Carmen, Mexico, 200

FCNC and non-standard soft-breaking terms in weak-scale Supersymmetry

We study the inclusion of non-standard soft-breaking terms in the minimal SUSY extension of the SM, considering it as a model of weak-scale SUSY. These terms modify the sfermion mass matrices, which can induce new sources of flavour violation. Bounds on the new soft parameters can be estimated from current data. The results are then applied to evaluate FCNC top decay t -> c + hi (hi= h,H,A). Implications of complex soft parameters for CP violation are also addressed.Comment: Revised version (8 pages), title changed and references corrected. Presented at VIII Mexican Workshop on Particles and Fields, Merida (1999