6,301 research outputs found
New Physics Signals through CP Violation in B -> rho,pi
We describe here a method for detecting physics beyond the standard model via
CP violation in B->rho,pi decays. Using a Dalitz-plot analysis to obtain alpha,
along with an analytical extraction of the various tree (T) and penguin (P)
amplitudes, we obtain a criterion for the absence of new physics (NP). This
criterion involves the comparison of the measured |P/T| ratio with its value as
predicted by QCD factorization. We show that the detection of NP via this
method has a good efficiency when compared with the corresponding technique
using B->pi,pi decays.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, talk given at MRST 2004: From Quarks to
Cosmology, Concordia University, Montreal, May 200
Voltage from mechanical stress in type-II superconductors: Depinning of the magnetic flux by moving dislocations
Mechanical stress causes motion of defects in solids. We show that in a
type-II superconductor a moving dislocation generates a pattern of current that
exerts the depinning force on the surrounding vortex lattice. Concentration of
dislocations and the mechanical stress needed to produce critical depinning
currents are shown to be within practical range. When external magnetic field
and transport current are present this effect generates voltage across the
superconductor. Thus a superconductor can serve as an electrical sensor of the
mechanical stress.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure
Relationship of Alexithymia Ratings to Dopamine D2-type Receptors in Anterior Cingulate and Insula of Healthy Control Subjects but Not Methamphetamine-Dependent Individuals.
BackgroundIndividuals with substance-use disorders exhibit emotional problems, including deficits in emotion recognition and processing, and this class of disorders also has been linked to deficits in dopaminergic markers in the brain. Because associations between these phenomena have not been explored, we compared a group of recently abstinent methamphetamine-dependent individuals (n=23) with a healthy-control group (n=17) on dopamine D2-type receptor availability, measured using positron emission tomography with [(18)F]fallypride.MethodsThe anterior cingulate and anterior insular cortices were selected as the brain regions of interest, because they receive dopaminergic innervation and are thought to be involved in emotion awareness and processing. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale, which includes items that assess difficulty in identifying and describing feelings as well as externally oriented thinking, was administered, and the scores were tested for association with D2-type receptor availability.ResultsRelative to controls, methamphetamine-dependent individuals showed higher alexithymia scores, reporting difficulty in identifying feelings. The groups did not differ in D2-type receptor availability in the anterior cingulate or anterior insular cortices, but a significant interaction between group and D2-type receptor availability in both regions, on self-report score, reflected significant positive correlations in the control group (higher receptor availability linked to higher alexithymia) but nonsignificant, negative correlations (lower receptor availability linked to higher alexithymia) in methamphetamine-dependent subjects.ConclusionsThe results suggest that neurotransmission through D2-type receptors in the anterior cingulate and anterior insular cortices influences capacity of emotion processing in healthy people but that this association is absent in individuals with methamphetamine dependence
A theory of electromagnetic fluctuations for metallic surfaces and van der Waals interactions between metallic bodies
A new general expression is derived for the fluctuating electromagnetic field
outside a metal surface, in terms of its surface impedance. It provides a
generalization to real metals of Lifshitz theory of molecular interactions
between dielectric solids. The theory is used to compute the radiative heat
transfer between two parallel metal surfaces at different temperatures. It is
shown that a measurement of this quantity may provide an experimental
resolution of a long-standing controversy about the effect of thermal
corrections on the Casimir force between real metal plates.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; typos corrected, minor changes to match the
published version in Physical Review Letter
Magnetic Properties of a Bose-Einstein Condensate
Three hyperfine states of Bose-condensed sodium atoms, recently optically
trapped, can be described as a spin-1 Bose gas. We study the behaviour of this
system in a magnetic field, and construct the phase diagram, where the
temperature of the Bose condensation increases with magnetic field.
In particular the system is ferromagnetic below and the magnetization
is proportional to the condensate fraction in a vanishing magnetic field.
Second derivatives of the magnetisation with regard to temperature or magnetic
field are discontinuous along the phase boundary.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures included, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Extracting Weak Phase Information from B -> V_1 V_2 Decays
We describe a new method for extracting weak, CP-violating phase information,
with no hadronic uncertainties, from an angular analysis of B -> V_1 V_2
decays, where V_1 and V_2 are vector mesons. The quantity can be cleanly obtained from the study of decays such as B_d^0(t) ->
D^{*\pm} \rho^\mp, D^{*\pm} a_1^{\mp}, D^{*0} K^{*0}, etc. Similarly, one can
use B_s^0(t) -> D_s^{*\pm} K^{*\mp} to extract . There are no
penguin contributions to these decays. It is possible that will be the second function of CP phases, after , to be
measured at B-factories.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, no figure
Ray-based calculations of backscatter in laser fusion targets
A 1D, steady-state model for Brillouin and Raman backscatter from an
inhomogeneous plasma is presented. The daughter plasma waves are treated in the
strong damping limit, and have amplitudes given by the (linear) kinetic
response to the ponderomotive drive. Pump depletion, inverse-bremsstrahlung
damping, bremsstrahlung emission, Thomson scattering off density fluctuations,
and whole-beam focusing are included. The numerical code DEPLETE, which
implements this model, is described. The model is compared with traditional
linear gain calculations, as well as "plane-wave" simulations with the paraxial
propagation code pF3D. Comparisons with Brillouin-scattering experiments at the
OMEGA Laser Facility [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, p. 495 (1997)]
show that laser speckles greatly enhance the reflectivity over the DEPLETE
results. An approximate upper bound on this enhancement, motivated by phase
conjugation, is given by doubling the DEPLETE coupling coefficient. Analysis
with DEPLETE of an ignition design for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [J.
A. Paisner, E. M. Campbell, and W. J. Hogan, Fusion Technol. 26, p. 755
(1994)], with a peak radiation temperature of 285 eV, shows encouragingly low
reflectivity. Re-absorption of Raman light is seen to be significant in this
design.Comment: 16 pages, 19 figure
Low Dopamine D2/D3 Receptor Availability is Associated with Steep Discounting of Delayed Rewards in Methamphetamine Dependence.
BackgroundIndividuals with substance use disorders typically exhibit a predilection toward instant gratification with apparent disregard for the future consequences of their actions. Indirect evidence suggests that low dopamine D2-type receptor availability in the striatum contributes to the propensity of these individuals to sacrifice long-term goals for short-term gain; however, this possibility has not been tested directly. We investigated whether striatal D2/D3 receptor availability is negatively correlated with the preference for smaller, more immediate rewards over larger, delayed alternatives among research participants who met DSM-IV criteria for methamphetamine (MA) dependence.MethodsFifty-four adults (n = 27 each: MA-dependent, non-user controls) completed the Kirby Monetary Choice Questionnaire, and underwent positron emission tomography scanning with [(18)F]fallypride.ResultsMA users displayed steeper temporal discounting (p = 0.030) and lower striatal D2/D3 receptor availability (p < 0.0005) than controls. Discount rate was negatively correlated with striatal D2/D3 receptor availability, with the relationship reaching statistical significance in the combined sample (r = -0.291, p = 0.016) and among MA users alone (r = -0.342, p = 0.041), but not among controls alone (r = -0.179, p = 0.185); the slopes did not differ significantly between MA users and controls (p = 0.5).ConclusionsThese results provide the first direct evidence of a link between deficient D2/D3 receptor availability and steep temporal discounting. This finding fits with reports that low striatal D2/D3 receptor availability is associated with a higher risk of relapse among stimulant users, and may help to explain why some individuals choose to continue using drugs despite knowledge of their eventual negative consequences. Future research directions and therapeutic implications are discussed
B-Decay CP Asymmetries, Discrete Ambiguities and New Physics
The first measurements of CP violation in the system will likely probe
, and . Assuming that the CP angles
, and are the interior angles of the unitarity
triangle, these measurements determine the angle set
except for a twofold discrete ambiguity. If one allows for the possibility of
new physics, the presence of this discrete ambiguity can make its discovery
difficult: if only one of the two candidate solutions is consistent with
constraints from other measurements in the and systems, one is not sure
whether new physics is present or not. We review the methods used to resolve
the discrete ambiguity and show that, even in the presence of new physics, they
can usually be used to uncover this new physics. There are some exceptions,
which we describe in detail. We systematically scan the parameter space and
present examples of values of and the new-physics
parameters which correspond to all possibilities. Finally, we show that if one
relaxes the assumption that the bag parameters \BBd and \BK are positive,
one can no longer definitively establish the presence of new physics.Comment: 29 pages, LaTeX, 1 figures, presentation substantially reworked,
physics conclusions unchanged. This version will be published in Phys. Rev.
Prospective Study Using R2 MRI Demonstrates High Iron Burden in Allogeneic Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Recipients
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