Imagination links with schizotypal beliefs, not with creativity or learning

Imagination refers to creating mental representations of concepts, ideas, and sensations that are not contemporaneously perceived by the senses. Although it is key to human individuality, research on imagination is scarce. To address this gap, we developed here a new psychometric test to assess individual differences in imagination and explored the role of imagination for learning, creativity, and schizotypal beliefs. In a laboratory-based (N = 180) and an online study (N = 128), we found that imagination is only weakly associated with learning achievement and creativity, accounting for 2–8% of the variance. By contrast, imagination accounted for 22.5% of the variance in schizotypal beliefs, suggesting overall that imagination may be more indicative of cognitive eccentricities rather than benefit the accumulation of knowledge or production of novel and useful ideas

Technical Design Report for the PANDA Solenoid and Dipole Spectrometer Magnets

This document is the Technical Design Report covering the two large spectrometer magnets of the PANDA detector set-up. It shows the conceptual design of the magnets and their anticipated performance. It precedes the tender and procurement of the magnets and, hence, is subject to possible modifications arising during this process.Comment: 10 pages, 14MB, accepted by FAIR STI in May 2009, editors: Inti Lehmann (chair), Andrea Bersani, Yuri Lobanov, Jost Luehning, Jerzy Smyrski, Technical Coordiantor: Lars Schmitt, Bernd Lewandowski (deputy), Spokespersons: Ulrich Wiedner, Paola Gianotti (deputy

Physics Performance Report for PANDA: Strong Interaction Studies with Antiprotons

To study fundamental questions of hadron and nuclear physics in interactions of antiprotons with nucleons and nuclei, the universal PANDA detector will be built. Gluonic excitations, the physics of strange and charm quarks and nucleon structure studies will be performed with unprecedented accuracy thereby allowing high-precision tests of the strong interaction. The proposed PANDA detector is a state-of-the art internal target detector at the HESR at FAIR allowing the detection and identification of neutral and charged particles generated within the relevant angular and energy range. This report presents a summary of the physics accessible at PANDA and what performance can be expected.Comment: 216 page

High-resolution core-level spectroscopy of free radical and transient species

High photon flux and energy resolution provided by SR undulator beam lines have recently stimulated experimental and theoretical studies of inner-shell ionization and excitation processes in small free molecules including highly diluted reactive species [1]. Fine spectral details revealed by using corehole sub-natural lifetime resolution provide an insight into the photoabsorption and ionization energetics and dynamics. Results have been obtained for the first time on the C1s photoabsorption and dissociation processes of CH3 free radical produced in a supersonic beam by Total-Ion-Yield and 3D-ion momentum imaging spectroscopies. Due to the high photon energy resolution clear vibrational details in electronic transitions involving a significant molecular geometry change have been obtained. Different photofragmentation patterns have also been observed depending on the nature of the core-excited resonance selected. Theoretical studies of the C1s photoabsorption spectrum including explicitly vibrational effects accompanying the photoexcitation process in this open shell molecule have been accomplished and the comparison between experiment and theory allows a detailed characterization of the potential energy surface for the lowest lying core-excited state. The first direct study of umbrella-like motion in inner-shell spectroscopy will be discussed in detail in the case of CH3. Fine spectral details have also been observed by symmetry-resolved spectroscopy in the S2p inner-shell photoabsorption processes in the CS transient molecule produced by a MW plasma discharge source. In some cases the vibrationally resolved structure gives direct information on the potential energy curve of the excited state and the chemical bond change upon inner-shell excitation. S2p photoionization processes in CS have also been studied allowing the characterization of the vibronic structure and the potential energy curve of the ionic states. Experimental results are supported by ab initio relativistic calculations providing a firm basis for the spectral assignment. Excellent agreement is found between experiment and theory. [1] S. Stranges, R. Richter, and M. Alagia, J. Chem. Phys., 116 , 3676 (2002