Continuous, Rapid Production of Uniform Microparticles by Electrodispersion

Ultrafine particles constitute the key building blocks for diverse advanced structural and functional materials, such as high-performance ceramics and alloys. These advanced materials have tremendous impact in many areas, including catalysis, separations, electronics, energy production processes, and environmental applications. Of particular importance, nanophase ceramic or metallic materials that contain nanosized (<100 nm) particles/grains show dramatically improved performance (mechanical, electrical, optical, magnetic, and/or catalytic). The characteristics of ultrafine particles (i.e. size, morphology, monodispersity, purity, and homogeneity of composition) directly determine the properties of the materials that are made from them. Thus, the future application of advanced materials depends strongly on the capability to produce particles with outstanding characteristics

Phantom Divide Crossing with General Non-minimal Kinetic Coupling

We propose a model of dark energy consists of a single scalar field with a general non-minimal kinetic couplings to itself and to the curvature. We study the cosmological dynamics of the equation of state in this setup. The coupling terms have the form $\xi_{1} R f(\phi)\partial_{\mu}\phi\partial^{\mu}\phi$ and $\xi_{2} R_{\mu\nu}f(\phi)\partial^{\mu}\phi\partial^{\nu}\phi$ where $\xi_{1}$ and $\xi_{2}$ are coupling parameters and their dimensions depend on the type of function $f(\phi)$. We obtain the conditions required for phantom divide crossing and show numerically that a cosmological model with general non-minimal derivative coupling to the scalar and Ricci curvatures can realize such a crossing.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Gen. Rel. Grav. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1105.4967, arXiv:1201.1627, and with arXiv:astro-ph/0610092 by other author

Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b, leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W' boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe

Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV

A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Measurement of the Lambda(b) cross section and the anti-Lambda(b) to Lambda(b) ratio with Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda decays in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The Lambda(b) differential production cross section and the cross section ratio anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) are measured as functions of transverse momentum pt(Lambda(b)) and rapidity abs(y(Lambda(b))) in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurements are based on Lambda(b) decays reconstructed in the exclusive final state J/Psi Lambda, with the subsequent decays J/Psi to an opposite-sign muon pair and Lambda to proton pion, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.9 inverse femtobarns. The product of the cross section times the branching ratio for Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda versus pt(Lambda(b)) falls faster than that of b mesons. The measured value of the cross section times the branching ratio for pt(Lambda(b)) > 10 GeV and abs(y(Lambda(b))) < 2.0 is 1.06 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.12 nb, and the integrated cross section ratio for anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) is 1.02 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.09, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Measurement of isolated photon production in pp and PbPb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV

Isolated photon production is measured in proton-proton and lead-lead collisions at nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energies of 2.76 TeV in the pseudorapidity range |eta|<1.44 and transverse energies ET between 20 and 80 GeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The measured ET spectra are found to be in good agreement with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions. The ratio of PbPb to pp isolated photon ET-differential yields, scaled by the number of incoherent nucleon-nucleon collisions, is consistent with unity for all PbPb reaction centralities.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Search for new physics in events with opposite-sign leptons, jets, and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model (BSM) in final states with a pair of opposite-sign isolated leptons accompanied by jets and missing transverse energy. The search uses LHC data recorded at a center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 5 inverse femtobarns. Two complementary search strategies are employed. The first probes models with a specific dilepton production mechanism that leads to a characteristic kinematic edge in the dilepton mass distribution. The second strategy probes models of dilepton production with heavy, colored objects that decay to final states including invisible particles, leading to very large hadronic activity and missing transverse energy. No evidence for an event yield in excess of the standard model expectations is found. Upper limits on the BSM contributions to the signal regions are deduced from the results, which are used to exclude a region of the parameter space of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Additional information related to detector efficiencies and response is provided to allow testing specific models of BSM physics not considered in this paper.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

LRS Bianchi type I universes exhibiting Noether symmetry in the scalar-tensor Brans-Dicke theory

Following up on hints of anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) data, we investigate locally rotational symmetric (LRS) Bianchi type I spacetimes with non-minimally coupled scalar fields. To single out potentially more interesting solutions, we search for Noether symmetry in this system. We then specialize to the Brans-Dicke (BD) field in such a way that the Lagrangian becomes degenerate (nontrivial) and solve the equations for Noether symmetry and the potential that allows it. Then we find the exact solutions of the equations of motion in terms of three parameters and an arbitrary function. We illustrate with families of examples designed to be generalizations of the well-known power-expansion, exponential expansion and Big Rip models in the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) framework. The solutions display surprising variation, a large subset of which features late-time acceleration as is usually ascribed to dark energy (phantom or quintensence), and is consistent with observational data.Comment: 25 pages, no figure, to appear in General Relativity and Gravitatio

Measurement of Inclusive Monmentum Spectra and Multiplicity Distributions of Charged Particles at s∼2−5\sqrt{s}\sim 2-5 GeV

Inclusive momentum spectra and multiplicity distributions of charged particles measured with BESII detector at center of mass energies of 2.2,2.6,3.0,3.2,4.6 and 4.8 GeV are presented. Values of the second binomial moment, $R_2$, obtained from the multiplicity distributions are reported. These results are compared with both experimental data from high energy $e^+e^-$, $ep$ and $p\bar{p}$ experiments and QCD calculations.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, it will be submitted to PR

What is the future for nuclear fission technology? A technical opinion from the Guest Editors of VSI NFT series and the Editor of the Journal Nuclear Engineering and Design

The Nuclear Fission Technology (NFT) series of Virtual Special Issues (VSIs) for the Journal Nuclear Engineering and Design (J NED) was proposed in 2023, including the request to potential authors of manuscript to address the following questions: o For how long will (water-cooling based) large size nuclear reactor survive? o Will water-technology based SMRs displace large reactors? o Will non-water-cooling technology SMRs and micro-reactors have an industrial deployment? o Will breeding technology, including thorium exploitation, have due relevance? o Will ‘nuclear infrastructure’ (fuel supply, financial framework, competence by regulators for new designs, waste management, etc.) remain or be sufficiently robust? Several dozen Guest Editors (GEs), i.e., the authors of the present document, managed the activity together with the Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of the journal. More than one thousand scientists contributed 470+ manuscripts, not evenly distributed among the geographical regions of the world and not necessarily addressing directly the bullet-questions, but certainly providing a view of current research being done. Key conclusions are as follows: (a) Large size reactors are necessary for a sustainable and safe exploitation of nuclear fission technology; (b) The burning of 233U (from thorium) and 239Pu (from uranium) is unavoidable, as well as recycling residual uranium currently part of waste; (c) Nuclear infrastructures in countries that currently use, or are entering the use of, fission energy for electricity production need a century planning; (d) The adoption of small reactors for commercial naval propulsion, hydrogen production and desalination is highly recommended