Perspectives in Neutrino Physics: Monochromatic Neutrino Beams

In the last few years spectacular results have been achieved with the demonstration of non vanishing neutrino masses and flavour mixing. The ultimate goal is the understanding of the origin of these properties from new physics. In this road, the last unknown mixing $[U_{e3}]$ must be determined. If it is proved to be non-zero, the possibility is open for Charge Conjugation-Parity (CP) violation in the lepton sector. This will require precision experiments with a very intense neutrino source. Here a novel method to create a monochromatic neutrino beam, an old dream for neutrino physics, is proposed based on the recent discovery of nuclei that decay fast through electron capture. Such nuclei will generate a monochromatic directional neutrino beam when decaying at high energy in a storage ring with long straight sections. We also show that the capacity of such a facility to discover new physics is impressive, so that fine tuning of the boosted neutrino energy allows precision measurements of the oscillation parameters even for a $[U_{e3}]$ mixing as small as 1 degree. We can thus open a window to the discovery of CP violation in neutrino oscillations.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures. Contribution to the proceedings of GUSTAVOFEST - Symposium in Honour of Gustavo C. Branco: CP Violation and the Flavour Puzzle, Lisbon, Portugal, 19-20 July 200

Physics Reach with a Monochromatic Neutrino Beam from Electron Capture

Neutrino oscillation experiments from different sources have demonstrated non-vanishing neutrino masses and flavour mixings. The next experiments have to address the determination of the connecting mixing U(e3) and the existence of the CP violating phase. Whereas U(e3) measures the strength of the oscillation probability in appearance experiments, the CP phase acts as a phase-shift in the interference pattern. Here we propose to separate these two parameters by energy dependence, using the novel idea of a monochromatic neutrino beam facility based on the acceleration of ions that decay fast through electron capture. Fine tuning of the boosted neutrino energy allows precision measurements able to open a window for the discovery of CP violation, even for a mixing as small as 1 degree.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Talk given at the International Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics, HEP-EPS 2005, Lisbon, Portugal, July 21-27, 200

The Capabilities of Monochromatic EC Neutrino Beams with the SPS Upgrade

The goal for future neutrino facilities is the determination of the U(e3) mixing and CP violation in neutrino oscillations. This will require precision experiments with a very intense neutrino source and energy control. With this objective in mind, the creation of monochromatic neutrino beams from the electron capture decay of boosted ions by the SPS of CERN has been proposed. We discuss the capabilities of such a facility as a function of the energy of the boost and the baseline for the detector. We conclude that the SPS upgrade to 1000 GeV is crucial to reach a better sensitivity to CP violation iff it is accompanied by a longer baseline. We compare the physics potential for two different configurations: I) $\gamma=90$ and $\gamma=195$ (maximum achievable at present SPS) to Frejus; II) $\gamma=195$ and $\gamma=440$ (maximum achievable at upgraded SPS) to Canfranc. The main conclusion is that, whereas the gain in the determination of U(e3) is rather modest, setup II provides much better sensitivity to CP violation.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, To appear in the proceedings of International Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics (EPS-HEP2007), Manchester, England, 19-25 July 200

Classical Bianchi type I cosmology in K-essence theory

We use one of the simplest forms of the K-essence theory and we apply it to the classical anisotropic Bianchi type I cosmological model, with a barotropic perfect fluid modeling the usual matter content and with cosmological constant. The classical solutions for any but the stiff fluid and without cosmological constant are found in closed form, using a time transformation. We also present the solution whith cosmological constant and some particular values of the barotropic parameter. We present the possible isotropization of the cosmological model, using the ratio between the anisotropic parameters and the volume of the universe and show that this tend to a constant or to zero for different cases. We include also a qualitative analysis of the analog of the Friedmann equation.Comment: 15 pages with one figure, accepted in Advances in High Energy Physic

Digital processing of satellite imagery application to jungle areas of Peru

The author has identified the following significant results. The use of clustering methods permits the development of relatively fast classification algorithms that could be implemented in an inexpensive computer system with limited amount of memory. Analysis of CCTs using these techniques can provide a great deal of detail permitting the use of the maximum resolution of LANDSAT imagery. Potential cases were detected in which the use of other techniques for classification using a Gaussian approximation for the distribution functions can be used with advantage. For jungle areas, channels 5 and 7 can provide enough information to delineate drainage patterns, swamp and wet areas, and make a reasonable broad classification of forest types

The role of financial variables in predicting economic activity

Previous research has shown that the US business cycle leads the European cycle by a few quarters, and can therefore help predicting euro area GDP. We investigate whether financial variables provide additional predictive power. We use a VAR model of the US and the euro area GDPs and extend it to take into account common global shocks and information provided by selected combinations of financial variables. In-sample analysis shows that shocks to financial variables influence real activity with a peak around 4 to 6 quarters after the shock. Out-of-sample Root-Mean- Squared Forecast Error (RMFE) shows that adding financial variables yields smaller errors in fore-casting US economic activity, especially at a five- quarter horizon, but the gain is overall tiny in economic terms. This link is even less prominent in the euro area, where financial indicators do not improve short and medium term GDP forecasts even when their timely availability, relative to a given GDP release, is exploited. The same conclusion is reached with a dataset of quarterly industrial production indices, although financial variables marginally improve fore- casts of monthly industrial production. We argue that the findings that financial variables have no predictive power for future activity in the euro area relate to the unconditional nature of the RMFE metric. When forecasting ability is assessed as if in real time (i.e. conditionally on the information available at the time when forecasts are made), we find that models using financial variables would have been preferred in many episodes, and in particular between 1999 and 2002. Results from the historical decomposition of a VAR model indeed suggest that in that period shocks were predominantly of financial nature. JEL Classification: F30, F42, F47conditional forecast, Financial Variables, international linkages, VAR

Prevalence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus on computer mice on the campus of Southern Adventist University

Microorganisms are present everywhere in the environment. Unbeknownst to most people Staphylococcus aureus is a primary pathogen responsible for many skin infections and is carried by 25% of humans in the anterior nares. Due to the infective nature of Staphylococcus aureus, it is important to determine its prevalence on fomites by testing commonly used surfaces. For these reasons a research experiment was designed to determine the prevalence of S. aureus and Methicillin Resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in computer labs on the campus of Southern Adventist University during the fall semester of 2010. The research experiment was conducted in computer labs found in Southern’s classrooms with high student usage. Moist sterile cotton applicators were used to swab computer mice, and all locations were tested six times over a period of three months. A total of 476 fomites were tested for the presence of Staph. aureus and MRSA, both of which were found on these surfaces. Out of the 476 fomites tested, 6% contained S. aureus, and 2% contained MRSA. Based on the results of the six trials performed it can be concluded that both Staph. aureus and MRSA are present but not widespread on the campus of Southern Adventist University. Further research should be conducted to detect change in frequency of MRSA on these surfaces