Direct CP violation in two-body hadronic charmed meson decays

Motivated by the recent observation of CP violation in the charm sector by LHCb, we study direct CP asymmetries in the standard model (SM) for the singly Cabibbo-suppressed two-body hadronic decays of charmed mesons using the topological-diagram approach. In this approach, the magnitude and the phase of topological weak annihilation amplitudes which arise mainly from final-state rescattering can be extracted from the data. Consequently, direct CP asymmetry $a_{dir}^{\rm (tree)}$ at tree level can be reliably estimated. In general, it lies in the range $10^{-4}<a_{dir}^{\rm (tree)}<10^{-3}$. Short-distance QCD penguins and penguin annihilation are calculated using QCD factorization. Their effects are generally small, especially for $D\to VP$ modes. Since weak penguin annihilation receives long-distance contributions from the color-allowed tree amplitude followed by final-state rescattering, it is expected to give the dominant contribution to the direct CP violation in the decays $D^0\to K^+K^-$ and $D^0\to \pi^+\pi^-$ in which $a_{dir}^{\rm (tree)}$ is absent. The maximal $\Delta a_{CP}^{\rm dir}$, the direct CP asymmetry difference between the above-mentioned two modes, allowed in the SM is around -0.25%, more than $2\sigma$ away from the current world average of $-(0.645\pm 0.180)$.Comment: 19 pages, 2 figures; typos correcte

Imaging radar observations and nonlocal theory of large-scale plasma waves in the equatorial electrojet

International audienceLarge-scale (l ~ 1 km) waves in the daytime and night-time equatorial electrojet are studied using coherent scatter radar data from Jicamarca. Images of plasma irregularities within the main beam of the radar are formed using interferometry with multiple baselines. These images are analyzed according to nonlocal gradient drift instability theory and are also compared to nonlinear computer simulations carried out recently by Ronchi et al. (1991) and Hu and Bhattacharjee (1999). In the daytime, the large-scale waves assume a non-steady dynamical equilibrium state characterized by the straining and destruction of the waves by shear and diffusion followed by spontaneous regeneration as predicted by Ronchi et al. (1991). At night, when steep plasma density gradients emerge, slowly propagating large-scale vertically extended waves predominate. Eikonal analysis suggests that these waves are trapped (absolutely unstable) or are nearly trapped (convectively unstable) and are able to tunnel between altitude regions which are locally unstable. Intermediate-scale waves are mainly transient (convectively stable) but can become absolutely unstable in narrow altitude bands determined by the background density profile. These characteristics are mainly consistent with the simulations presented by Hu and Bhattacharjee (1999). A new class of large-scale primary waves is found to occur along bands that sweep westward and downward from high altitudes through the E-region at twilight

High altitude large-scale plasma waves in the equatorial electrojet at twilight

Jicamarca radar observations of a new class of large-scale plasma waves in the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) are presented and characterized. The study is based on long-term (204&amp;nbsp;days), single-baseline interferometry observations made in 2003 using a low-power radar mode, also known as JULIA mode, along with a few hours of observations made in an aperture synthesis imaging mode. The large-scale waves are found to occur at high altitudes in the E-region, mainly between 120 and 140km, around twilight (between 18:30 and 20:00&amp;nbsp;LT), with durations of a few minutes to an hour. In our long-term observations, these large-scale waves occur very often (between 1 and 5 out 10&amp;nbsp;nights), drift westward (~70 ms&lt;sup&gt;–1&lt;/sup&gt;), exhibit very narrow spectral widths, and have both positive and negative Doppler shifts. The imaging results show that the large-scale waves occur along tilted bands that sweep westward and downward (~30–60ms&lt;sup&gt;–1&lt;/sup&gt;), with a horizontal separation between bands of about 10–15km. The cause of the waves remains unknown. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key words.&lt;/b&gt; Ionosphere (ionospheric irregularities; equatorial ionosphere; instruments and techniques

First E- and D-region incoherent scatter spectra observed over Jicamarca

International audienceWe present here the first Jicamarca observations of incoherent scatter radar (ISR) spectra detected from E- and D-region altitudes. In the past such observations have not been possible at Jicamarca due a combined effect of strong equatorial electrojet (EEJ) clutter and hardware limitations in the receiving system. The observations presented here were made during weak EEJ conditions (i.e., almost zero zonal electric field) using an improved digital receiving system with a wide dynamic range and a high data throughput. The observed ISR spectra from E- and D-region altitudes are, as expected, narrow and get even narrower with decreasing altitude due to increasing ion-neutral collision frequencies. Therefore, it was possible to obtain accurate spectral measurements using a pulse-to-pulse data analysis. At lower altitudes in the D-region where signal correlation times are relatively long we used coherent integration to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the collected data samples. The spectral estimates were fitted using a standard incoherent scatter (IS) spectral model between 87 and 120 km, and a Lorentzian function below 110 km. Our preliminary estimates of temperature and ion-neutral collisions frequencies above 87 km are in good agreement with the MSISE-90 model. Below 87 km, the measured spectral widths are larger than expected, causing an overestimation of the temperatures, most likely due to spectral distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence

Factorial Moments in a Generalized Lattice Gas Model

We construct a simple multicomponent lattice gas model in one dimension in which each site can either be empty or occupied by at most one particle of any one of $D$ species. Particles interact with a nearest neighbor interaction which depends on the species involved. This model is capable of reproducing the relations between factorial moments observed in high--energy scattering experiments for moderate values of $D$. The factorial moments of the negative binomial distribution can be obtained exactly in the limit as $D$ becomes large, and two suitable prescriptions involving randomly drawn nearest neighbor interactions are given. These results indicate the need for considerable care in any attempt to extract information regarding possible critical phenomena from empirical factorial moments.Comment: 15 pages + 1 figure (appended as postscript file), REVTEX 3.0, NORDITA preprint 93/4

Bottom-type scattering layers and equatorial spread <i>F</i>

Jicamarca radar observations of bottom-type coherent scattering layers in the post-sunset bottomside F-region ionosphere are presented and analyzed. The morphology of the primary waves seen in radar images of the layers supports the hypothesis of kudeki+bhattacharyya-1999 that wind-driven gradient drift instabilities are operating. In one layer event when topside spread <i>F</i> did not occur, irregularities were distributed uniformly in space throughout the layers. In another event when topside spread <i>F</i> did eventually occur, the irregularities within the pre-existing bottom-type layers were horizontally clustered, with clusters separated by about 30km. The same horizontal periodicity was evident in the radar plumes and large-scale irregularities that emerged later in the event. We surmise that horizontal periodicity in bottom-type layer irregularity distribution is indicative of large-scale horizontal waves in the bottomside F-region that may serve as seed waves for large-scale Rayleigh Taylor instabilities. <br><br><b>Key words.</b> Ionosphere (equatorial ionosphere; ionospheric irregularties; plasma waves and instabilities

Exclusive Hadronic D Decays to eta' and eta

Hadronic decay modes $D^0\to(\bar K^0, \bar K^{*0})\eta,\eta'$ and $(D^+,D_s^+)\to(\pi^+,\rho^+)\eta,\eta'$ are studied in the generalized factorization approach. Form factors for $(D,D_s^+)\to(\eta,\eta')$ transitions are carefully evaluated by taking into account the wave function normalization of the eta and eta'. The predicted branching ratios are generally in agreement with experiment except for $D^0\to\bar K^0\eta', D^+\to\pi^+\eta$ and $D_s^+\to\rho^+\eta'$; the calculated decay rates for the first two decay modes are too small by an order of magnitude. We show that the weak decays $D^0\to K^-\pi^+$ and $D^+\to K^+\bar K^0$ followed by resonance-induced final-state interactions (FSI), which are amenable technically, are able to enhance the branching ratios of $D^0\to\bar K^0\eta'$ and $D^+\to\pi^+\eta$ dramatically without affecting the agreement between theory and experiment for $D^0\to\bar K^0\eta$ and $D^+\to\pi^+\eta'$. We argue that it is difficult to understand the observed large decay rates of $D_s^+\to \rho^+\eta'$ and $\rho^+\eta$ simultaneously; FSI, W-annihilation and the production of excess eta' from gluons are not helpful in this regard. The large discrepancy between the factorization hypothesis and experiment for the ratio of $D_s^+\to\rho^+ \eta'$ and $D_s^+\to\eta' e^+\nu$ remains as an enigma.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Phys. Rev. D. Form factors for D to eta and eta' transitions are slightly change

Observations of meteor-head echoes using the Jicamarca 50 MHz radar in interferometer mode

International audienceWe present results of recent observations of meteor-head echoes obtained with the high-power large-aperture Jicamarca 50 MHz radar (11.95° S, 76.87° W) in an interferometric mode. The large power-aperture of the system allows us to record more than 3000 meteors per hour in the small volume subtended by the 1° antenna beam, albeit when the cluttering equatorial electrojet (EEJ) echoes are not present or are very weak. The interferometry arrangement allows the determination of the radiant (trajectory) and speed of each meteor. It is found that the radiant distribution of all detected meteors is concentrated in relative small angles centered around the Earth's Apex as it transients over the Jicamarca sky, i.e. around the corresponding Earth heading for the particular observational day and time, for all seasons observed so far. The dispersion around the Apex is ~18° in a direction transverse to the Ecliptic plane and only 8.5° in heliocentric longitude in the Ecliptic plane both in the Earth inertial frame of reference. No appreciable interannual variability has been observed. Moreover, no population related to the optical (larger meteors) Leonid showers of 1998?2002 is found, in agreement with other large power-aperture radar observations. A novel cross-correlation detection technique (adaptive match-filtering) is used in combination with a 13 baud Barker phase-code. The technique allows us to get good range resolution (0.75 km) without any sensitivity deterioration for the same average power, compared to the non-coded long pulse scheme used at other radars. The matching Doppler shift provides an estimation of the velocity within a pulse with the same accuracy as if a non-coded pulse of the same length had been used. The velocity distribution of the meteors is centered around 60 km s?1 corresponding to velocities slightly under the solar escape velocity (72 km s?1). Less than 8% of the velocities correspond to interstellar speeds. Higher relative velocity accuracy is obtained by cross-correlating the echoes from pulse-to-pulse, albeit with an ambiguous velocity displacement which cannot be resolved with the current observing technique. This higher relative accuracy allows the precise measurement of the deceleration of the meteors as they enter the atmosphere. In addition, an independent radial velocity is determined from the derivative of the instantaneous position. Other statistical distributions of interest are also presented