Simulations of cold electroweak baryogenesis: dependence on the source of CP-violation

We compute the baryon asymmetry created in a tachyonic electroweak symmetry breaking transition, focusing on the dependence on the source of effective CP-violation. Earlier simulations of Cold Electroweak Baryogenesis have almost exclusively considered a very specific CP-violating term explicitly biasing Chern-Simons number. We compare four different dimension six, scalar-gauge CP-violating terms, involving both the Higgs field and another dynamical scalar coupled to SU(2) or U(1) gauge fields. We find that for sensible values of parameters, all implementations can generate a baryon asymmetry consistent with observations, showing that baryogenesis is a generic outcome of a fast tachyonic electroweak transition

Studies of Efficiency of the LHCb Muon Detector Using Cosmic Rays

We study the efficiency of the muon detector using the cosmic ray events collected in the summer and autumn 2008. We find that the efficiencies in all stations are consistent with 100% for cosmic tracks coming from the LHCb interaction point, without any restriction on time. We calculate the efficiencies also per station and region and per station and quadrant, finding consistent results

Length-weight relationships of fish from the lagoon of New Caledonia

Length-weight relationships of 335 species of fish of New Caledonia, belonging to 65 families of coral reef fishes, were computed (80%) or assembled from the literature (20% of all cases) to facilitate, among other things, estimation of coral reef fish biomass from visual census

Simulations of “tunnelling of the 3rd kind”

We consider the phenomenon of ``tunnelling of the 3rd kind" \cite{third}, whereby a magnetic field may traverse a classically impenetrable barrier by pair creation of unimpeded quantum fermions. These propagate through the barrier and generate a magnetic field on the other side. We study this numerically using quantum fermions coupled to a classical Higgs-gauge system, where we set up a magnetic field outside a box shielded by two superconducting barriers. We examine the magnitude of the internal magnetic field, and find agreement with existing perturbative results within a factor of two

A new Jurassic lizard from China

The Jurassic record of lizards in eastern Asia is poor by comparison with that of the Cretaceous. In China, to date, the only confirmed records from this period are an armoured lizard from Shishugou, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, of probable Oxfordian age, and two unnamed juvenile specimens from the slightly older, Callovian-Oxfordian, Daohugou locality of Nei Mongol. Here we describe the first lizard from the locality of Guancaishan, Jianping County, Liaoning Province. This locality is close to Daohugou, and is considered t o be of similar age. The new skeleton is articulated and well-preserved. It is distinguished from other Jurassic-Cretaceous lizards by a unique combination of derived characters, notably a long frontal with posterior processes that clasp the short parietal; cranial osteoderms limited to the lower temporal and supraocular regions; and an elongated manus and pes. Phylogenetic analysis using morphological data alone places the new taxon on the stem of a traditional ‘Scleroglossa’, but when the same data is run with a backbone constraint tree based on molecular data, the new taxon is placed on the stem of Squamata as a whole. Thus its position, and that of other Jurassic and Early Cretaceous taxa, seem to be influenced primarily by the position of Gekkota

A new FSA approach for in situ γ\gamma-ray spectroscopy

An increasing demand of environmental radioactivity monitoring comes both from the scientific community and from the society. This requires accurate, reliable and fast response preferably from portable radiation detectors. Thanks to recent improvements in the technology, $\gamma$-spectroscopy with sodium iodide scintillators has been proved to be an excellent tool for in-situ measurements for the identification and quantitative determination of $\gamma$-ray emitting radioisotopes, reducing time and costs. Both for geological and civil purposes not only $^{40}$K, $^{238}$U, and $^{232}$Th have to be measured, but there is also a growing interest to determine the abundances of anthropic elements, like $^{137}$Cs and $^{131}$I, which are used to monitor the effect of nuclear accidents or other human activities. The Full Spectrum Analysis (FSA) approach has been chosen to analyze the $\gamma$-spectra. The Non Negative Least Square (NNLS) and the energy calibration adjustment have been implemented in this method for the first time in order to correct the intrinsic problem related with the $\chi ^2$ minimization which could lead to artifacts and non physical results in the analysis. A new calibration procedure has been developed for the FSA method by using in situ $\gamma$-spectra instead of calibration pad spectra. Finally, the new method has been validated by acquiring $\gamma$-spectra with a 10.16 cm x 10.16 cm sodium iodide detector in 80 different sites in the Ombrone basin, in Tuscany. The results from the FSA method have been compared with the laboratory measurements by using HPGe detectors on soil samples collected in the different sites, showing a satisfactory agreement between them. In particular, the $^{137}$Cs isotopes has been implemented in the analysis since it has been found not negligible during the in-situ measurements.Comment: accepted by Science of Total Environment: 8 pages, 10 figures, 3 table

Length-weight relationships of fish from the lagoon of New Caledonia

Reef fisheries, Length-weight relationships, Lagoons, New Caledonia,

Polarization insensitive in-fiber mode-locker based on carbon nanotube with N-methyl-2-pryrrolidone solvent filled fiber microchamber

We report an in-fiber laser mode locker based on carbon nanotube with n-methyl-2-pryrrolidone solvent filled in-fiber microchamber. Symmetrically femtosecond laser fabricated in-fiber microchamber with randomly oriented nanotubes assures polarization insensitive oscillation of laser mode locking. The proposed and demonstrated passively mode locked fiber laser shows higher energy soliton output. The laser has an output power of ∼29 mW (corresponding to 11 nJ energy). It shows stable soliton output with a repetition rate of ∼2.3 MHz and pulse width of ∼3.37 ps