New Strong-Field QED Effects at ELI: Nonperturbative Vacuum Pair Production

Since the work of Sauter, and Heisenberg, Euler and K\"ockel, it has been understood that vacuum polarization effects in quantum electrodynamics (QED) predict remarkable new phenomena such as light-light scattering and pair production from vacuum. However, these fundamental effects are difficult to probe experimentally because they are very weak, and they are difficult to analyze theoretically because they are highly nonlinear and/or nonperturbative. The Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) project offers the possibility of a new window into this largely unexplored world. I review these ideas, along with some new results, explaining why quantum field theorists are so interested in this rapidly developing field of laser science. I concentrate on the theoretical tools that have been developed to analyze nonperturbative vacuum pair production.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures; Key Lecture at the ELI Workshop and School on "Fundamental Physics with Ultra-High Fields", 29 Sept - 2 Oct. 2008, Frauenworth Monastery, Germany; v2: refs updated, English translations of reviews of Nikishov and Ritu

The BaBar detector: Upgrades, operation and performance

Contains fulltext : 121729.pdf (preprint version ) (Open Access

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. Methods: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. Results: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. Conclusions: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Medical Research Council of South Africa gran

Measurement of time-dependent CP asymmetries in B-0 -\u3e D-(*)+/-pi(-/+)and B-0 -\u3e D-+/-rho(-/+) decays

8 pages, 6 postscript figues, submitted to PRD-RC - P. Grenier aussi au LPC clermontWe present updated results on time-dependent CP asymmetries in fully reconstructed B0->D(*)+-pi-+ and B0->D+-rho-+ decays in approximately 232 million Y(4S)->BBbar events collected with the BaBar detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at SLAC. From a time-dependent maximum likelihood fit we obtain for the parameters related to the CP violation angle 2beta+gamma: a^{D\pi} = -0.010 +/- 0.023 +/- 0.007, c_{\rm lep}^{D\pi} = -0.033 +/- 0.042 +/- 0.012, a^{D^*\pi} = -0.040 +/- 0.023 +/- 0.010, c_{\rm lep}^{D^*\pi} = 0.049 +/- 0.042 +/- 0.015, a^{D\rho} = -0.024 +/- 0.031 +/- 0.009, c_{\rm lep}^{D\rho} = -0.098 +/- 0.055 +/- 0.018, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. Using other measurements and theoretical assumptions, we interpret the results in terms of the angles of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa unitarity triangle and find |sin(2beta+gamma)| > 0.64 (0.40) at 68% (90%) confidence level

Measurement of time-dependent CP asymmetries in B0→D(∗)±π∓B^0 \to D^{(*)\pm}\pi^{\mp} and B0→D±ρ∓ B^0 \to D^{\pm}\rho^{\mp} decays

8 pages, 6 postscript figues, submitted to PRD-RC - P. Grenier aussi au LPC clermontWe present updated results on time-dependent CP asymmetries in fully reconstructed B0->D(*)+-pi-+ and B0->D+-rho-+ decays in approximately 232 million Y(4S)->BBbar events collected with the BaBar detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at SLAC. From a time-dependent maximum likelihood fit we obtain for the parameters related to the CP violation angle 2beta+gamma: a^{D\pi} = -0.010 +/- 0.023 +/- 0.007, c_{\rm lep}^{D\pi} = -0.033 +/- 0.042 +/- 0.012, a^{D^*\pi} = -0.040 +/- 0.023 +/- 0.010, c_{\rm lep}^{D^*\pi} = 0.049 +/- 0.042 +/- 0.015, a^{D\rho} = -0.024 +/- 0.031 +/- 0.009, c_{\rm lep}^{D\rho} = -0.098 +/- 0.055 +/- 0.018, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. Using other measurements and theoretical assumptions, we interpret the results in terms of the angles of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa unitarity triangle and find |sin(2beta+gamma)| > 0.64 (0.40) at 68% (90%) confidence level

A measurement of the charged and neutral B meson lifetimes using fully reconstructed decays

Data collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric B Factory at SLAC are used to study the lifetimes of the B^0 and B^+ mesons. The data sample consists of 7.4 fb-1 collected near the Y(4S) resonance. B^0 and B^+ mesons are fully reconstructed in several exclusive hadronic decay modes to charm and charmonium final states. The B lifetimes are determined from the flight length difference between the two B mesons which are pair-produced in the Y(4S) decay. The preliminary measurements of the lifetimes are tau_B0 = 1.506+/-0.052(stat)+/-0.029(syst) ps, tau_B+ = 1.602+/-0.049(stat)+/-0.035(syst) ps, and of their ratio is tau_B+/tau_B0 = 1.065+/-0.044(stat)+/-0.021(syst

Measurement of branching fractions for two-body charmless B decays to charged pions and kaons at BABAR

We present preliminary results of a search for charmless two-body B decays to charged pions and kaons using data collected by the BABAR detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center's PEP-II storage ring. In a sample of 8.8 million produced B-anti-B pairs we measure the branching fractions B(B^0 --> pi^+pi^-) = (9.3^{+2.6}_{-2.3}^{+1.2}_{-1.4}) x 10^{-6} and B(B^0 --> K^+\pi^-) = (12.5^{+3.0}_{-2.6}^{+1.3}_{-1.7}) x 10^{-6}, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. For the decay B^0 --> K^+K^- we find no significant signal and set an upper limit of B(B^0 --> K^+K^-) 6.6 x 10^{-6} at the 90% confidence level

The first year of the BABAR experiment at PEP-II

The BABAR detector, situated at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric e^+e^- collider, has been recording data at energies on and around the Upsilon(4S) resonance since May 1999. In this paper, we briefly describe the PEP-II B Factory and the BABAR detector. The performance presently achieved by the experiment in the areas of tracking, vertexing, calorimetry and particle identification is reviewed. Analysis concepts that are used in the various papers submitted to this conference are also discussed