1,988 research outputs found
On the numerical closeness of the effective phenomenological electroweak mixing angle and the \MS parameter
It happens that and are equal with 0.1% accuracy, though
they are split by radiative corrections and a natural estimate for their
difference is 1%. This degeneracy occurs only for value close to
170\GeV, so no deep physical reason can be attributed to it. However, another
puzzle of the Standard Model, the degeneracy of s_\Eff^2 and , is not
independent of the previous one since a good physical reason exists for
s_\Eff^2 and degeneracy. We present explicit formulas which relate
these three angles.Comment: 10 pages, latex, 3 figures included; published on MPLA. A few
numerical estimates are improved; journal-ref is adde
Two-loop electroweak top corrections: are they under control?
The assumption that two-loop top corrections are well approximated by the
contribution is investigated. It is shown that in the case of
the ratio neutral-to-charged current amplitudes at zero momentum transfer the
terms are numerically comparable to the
contribution for realistic values of the top mass. An estimate of the
theoretical error due to unknown two-loop top effect is presented for a few
observables of LEP interest.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX using equations, doublespace, cite macros. Hard
copies of the paper including one figure are available from
[email protected]
National Geodetic Satellite Program /NGSP/ Station Solutions
Results derived from short arc, orbital solution of twelve stations, PAGEOS networ
Universal Unitarity Triangle and Physics Beyond the Standard Model
We make the simple observation that there exists a universal unitarity
triangle for all models, like the SM, the Two Higgs Doublet Models I and II and
the MSSM with minimal flavour violation, that do not have any new operators
beyond those present in the SM and in which all flavour changing transitions
are governed by the CKM matrix with no new phases beyond the CKM phase. This
universal triangle can be determined in the near future from the ratio (Delta
M)_d/(Delta M)_s and sin(2 beta) measured first through the CP asymmetry in
B_d^0 to psi K_S and later in K to pi nu nubar decays. Also suitable ratios of
the branching ratios for B to X_{d,s} nu nubar and B_{d,s} to mu^+ mu^- and the
angle gamma measured by means of CP asymmetries in B decays can be used for
this determination. Comparison of this universal triangle with the
non-universal triangles extracted in each model using epsilon, (Delta M)_d and
various branching ratios for rare decays will allow to find out in a
transparent manner which of these models, if any, is singled out by experiment.
A virtue of the universal triangle is that it allows to separate the
determination of the CKM parameters from the determination of new parameters
present in the extensions of the SM considered here.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figur
Topics in Electroweak Physics
We briefly discuss five topics in Precision Electroweak Physics: i) the
recently proposed Effective Scheme of Renormalization, ii) evidence for
electroweak bosonic corrections derived from the radiative correction
Delta_r_eff, iii) an approach to estimate the scale of new physics in a
hypothetical Higgs-less scenario, iv) simple and accurate formulae for s^2_eff,
M_W, Gamma_l, and their physical applications, v) a recent proposal concerning
the field renormalization constant for unstable particles.Comment: 5 pages, talk presented at the International Symposium Radcor 2002,
September 8-13, Kloster Banz, German
Pipeline Geopolitics: Subaquatic Materials and the Tactical Point
This paper starts from the proposition that studies of geopolitics need to address the political significance of spaces above and below the apparently twodimensional or flat surface of the land and sea. However, we depart from the view that such spaces should be defined by their verticality or conceived as three-dimensional volumes. Instead, the argument stresses the importance of attending to the relations between physical and biological things, and the ways in which the proximity of things is both mediated and supplemented by legal, and scientific and political practice. The empirical focus of the paper is a specific geopolitical puzzle. How did a short section of the route of a transnational gas pipeline, the 3500km Southern Gas Corridor, come to be a site or ‘tactical point’ at which the construction of the pipeline could be disrupted? Our contention is that any analysis of this political question must address not only the contested relations between states, corporations and civil society, but also the potential tension and interference between the horizontal networked geopolitics of pipelines and their subaquatic and subterranean construction. The subaquatic turns out not to be volume but a space of situated encounters between disparate materials
A re-analysis of the NuSTAR and XMM-Newton broad-band spectrum of Ser~X-1
Context: Ser X-1 is a well studied LMXB which clearly shows a broad iron
line. Recently, Miller et al. (2103) have presented broad-band, high quality
NuSTAR data of SerX-1.Using relativistically smeared self-consistent reflection
models, they find a value of R_in close to 1.0 R_ISCO (corresponding to 6 R_g),
and a low inclination angle, less than 10 deg. Aims: The aim of this paper is
to probe to what extent the choice of reflection and continuum models (and
uncertainties therein) can affect the conclusions about the disk parameters
inferred from the reflection component. To this aim we re-analyze all the
available public NuSTAR and XMM-Newton. Ser X-1 is a well studied source, its
spectrum has been observed by several instruments, and is therefore one of the
best sources for this study. Methods: We use slightly different continuum and
reflection models with respect to those adopted in literature for this source.
In particular we fit the iron line and other reflection features with
self-consistent reflection models as reflionx (with a power-law illuminating
continuum modified with a high energy cutoff to mimic the shape of the incident
Comptonization spectrum) and rfxconv. With these models we fit NuSTAR and
XMM-Newton spectra yielding consistent spectral results. Results: Our results
are in line with those already found by Miller et al. (2013) but less extreme.
In particular, we find the inner disk radius at about 13 R_g and an inclination
angle with respect to the line of sight of about 27 deg. We conclude that,
while the choice of the reflection model has little impact on the disk
parameters, as soon as a self-consistent model is used, the choice of the
continuum model can be important in the precise determination of the disk
parameters from the reflection component. Hence broad-band X-ray spectra are
highly preferable to constrain the continuum and disk parameters.Comment: 13 pages including 8 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
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