Hadron attenuation in deep inelastic lepton-nucleus scattering

We present a detailed theoretical investigation of hadron attenuation in deep inelastic scattering (DIS) off complex nuclei in the kinematic regime of the HERMES experiment. The analysis is carried out in the framework of a probabilistic coupled-channel transport model based on the Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (BUU) equation, which allows for a treatment of the final-state interactions (FSI) beyond simple absorption mechanisms. Furthermore, our event-by-event simulations account for the kinematic cuts of the experiments as well as the geometrical acceptance of the detectors. We calculate the multiplicity ratios of charged hadrons for various nuclear targets relative to deuterium as a function of the photon energy nu, the hadron energy fraction z_h=E_h/nu and the transverse momentum p_T. We also confront our model results on double-hadron attenuation with recent experimental data. Separately, we compare the attenuation of identified hadrons (pi^\pm, \pi^0, K^\pm, p and pbar) on Ne and Kr targets with the data from the HERMES Collaboration and make predictions for a Xe target. At the end we turn towards hadron attenuation on Cu nuclei at EMC energies. Our studies demonstrate that (pre-)hadronic final-state interactions play a dominant role in the kinematic regime of the HERMES experiment while our present approach overestimates the attenuation at EMC energies.Comment: 61 pages, 19 figures, version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Mixed lattice and electronic states in high-temperature superconductors

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements are presented which show the abrupt development of new oxygen lattice vibrations near the doping-induced metal-insulator transition in La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO(4). A direct correlation is established between these lattice modes and the electronic susceptibility (as measured by photoemission) inferring that such modes mix strongly with charge fluctuations. This electron-lattice coupling can be characterized as a localized one-dimensional response of the lattice to short-ranged metallic charge fluctuations.Comment: 4 pages, 3 postscript figures, RevTe

Bond-Stretching-Phonon Anomalies in Stripe-Ordered La(1.69)Sr(0.31)NiO(4)

We report a neutron scattering study of bond-stretching phonons in La(1.69)Sr(0.31)NiO(4), a doped antiferromagnet in which the added holes order in diagonal stripes at 45 deg to the Ni-O bonds. For the highest-energy longitudinal optical mode along the bonds, a softening of 20% is observed between the Brillouin zone center and zone boundary. At 45 deg to the bonds, a splitting of the same magnitude is found across much of the zone. Surprisingly, the charge-ordering wave vector plays no apparent role in the anomalous dispersions. The implications for related anomalies in the cuprates are discussed.Comment: 4 two-col pages, including 4 figures (2 in color); references added and updated Final version, accepted for publication in PR

Photoproduction of phi mesons from nuclei

We investigate the consequences of possible medium modifications of the phi meson at finite nuclear matter density on the K+K- mass distribution in photonuclear reactions. The inclusive cross sections for K+K- pair production are calculated within a semi--classical BUU transport model, which combines the initial state interaction of the incoming photon with the final state interactions of the produced particles. The effects of final state interactions on the invariant mass distribution of the observed K+K- pairs are discussed in detail. In addition we calculate the Coulomb correction and possible effects of hadronic kaon potentials on the K+K- mass spectrum. Due to the large cross sections for reactions of the final state particles with the surrounding nuclear medium and the influence of the Coulomb potential we find no measurable sensitivity of the observables to the phi properties at finite baryon density.Comment: revtex4, 24 page

Making Room for Zoom in Focus Group Methods: Opportunities and Challenges for Novice Researchers (During and Beyond COVID-19)

Als die COVID-19-Pandemie über die Welt hereinbrach, waren viele Menschen gezwungen, sich auf online-basierte Routinen einzustellen, darunter auch qualitative Forscher*innen, die nach alternativen Möglichkeiten zur Erhebung aussagekräftiger Daten suchten. Während Fokusgruppen traditionell Face to Face durchgeführt werden, bieten Fortschritte bei Online-Videokonferenzanwendungen neue Methoden zur Datenerhebung, die jedoch bisher nur selten untersucht wurden. In diesem Artikel berichten wir über die Erfahrungen von 12 Doktorand*innen mit der Durchführung von Fokusgruppen unter Verwendung von Zoom im Rahmen eines Kurses zu qualitativen Interviewmethoden. Wir reflektieren Chancen und Herausforderungen, die wir als Moderator*innen und Teilnehmer*innen bei der Nutzung von Zoom erlebten z.B. bei der Vorbereitung oder in Bezug auf Rapport, die Einbindung anderer digitaler Tools und von Internetverbindungen. Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass die Durchführung von Online-Fokusgruppen unter Verwendung von Zoom insgesamt eine positive Erfahrung war und mit Face-to-Face-Fokusgruppen vergleichbar ist. Möglichkeiten der Teilnehmer*innenrekrutierung, die Sicherheitsmerkmale von Zoom und die Nutzung von Zoom und allgemeiner neuen Technologien sollten auch jenseits der Pandemie weiter erforscht werden.As the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world, it forced many people to adapt to an online-based routine, including qualitative researchers looking for alternative ways to collect meaningful data. While focus groups are traditionally conducted in-person, advances with online videoconferencing applications present a new method to collect data, however, few studies have explored this. In this article we present 12 doctoral students' experiences with conducting focus groups using the videoconferencing application Zoom during a qualitative methods course on interviewing methods. Through this self-study qualitative analysis, participants reflected on the opportunities and challenges experienced as both moderators and participants using Zoom including: preparation, rapport, incorporating other digital tools, and internet connectivity. In conclusion, doing focus groups online using Zoom was a positive experience overall and comparable to in-person focus groups for collecting qualitative data, despite the introduction of technology. More research on participant recruitment, new technology, Zoom's security features, and Zoom's use outside of a pandemic should be further explored

Use of the Modified Light Duty Utility Arm to Perform Nuclear Waste Cleanup of Underground Waste Storage Tanks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The Modified Light Duty Utility Arm (MLDUA) is a selectable seven or eight degree-of-freedom robot arm with a 16.5 ft (5.03 m) reach and a payload capacity of 200 lb. (90.72 kg). The utility arm is controlled in either joystick-based telerobotic mode or auto sequence robotics mode. The MLDUA deployment system deploys the utility arm vertically into underground radioactive waste storage tanks located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. These tanks are constructed of gunite material and consist of two 25 ft (7.62 m) diameter tanks in the North Tank Farm and six 50 ft (15.24 m) diameter tanks in the South Tank Farm. After deployment inside a tank, the utility arm reaches and grasps the confined sluicing end effecter (CSEE) which is attached to the hose management arm (HMA). The utility arm positions the CSEE within the tank to allow the HMA to sluice the tank's liquid and solid waste from the tank. The MLDUA is used to deploy the characterization end effecter (CEE) and gunite scarifying end effecter (GSEE) into the tank. The CEE is used to survey the tank wall's radiation levels and the physical condition of the walls. The GSEE is used to scarify the tank walls with high-pressure water to remove the wall scale buildup and a thin layer of gunite which reduces the radioactive contamination that is embedded into the gunite walls. The MLDUA is also used to support waste sampling and wall core-sampling operations. Other tools that have been developed for use by the MLDUA include a pipe-plugging end effecter, pipe-cutting end effecter, and pipe-cleaning end effecter. Washington University developed advance robotics path control algorithms for use in the tanks. The MLDUA was first deployed in June 1997 and has operated continuously since then. Operational experience in the first four tanks remediated is presented in this paper

Flux Phase as a Dynamic Jahn-Teller Phase: Berryonic Matter in the Cuprates?

There is considerable evidence for some form of charge ordering on the hole-doped stripes in the cuprates, mainly associated with the low-temperature tetragonal phase, but with some evidence for either charge density waves or a flux phase, which is a form of dynamic charge-density wave. These three states form a pseudospin triplet, demonstrating a close connection with the E X e dynamic Jahn-Teller effect, suggesting that the cuprates constitute a form of Berryonic matter. This in turn suggests a new model for the dynamic Jahn-Teller effect as a form of flux phase. A simple model of the Cu-O bond stretching phonons allows an estimate of electron-phonon coupling for these modes, explaining why the half breathing mode softens so much more than the full oxygen breathing mode. The anomalous properties of $O^{2-}$ provide a coupling (correlated hopping) which acts to stabilize density wave phases.Comment: Major Revisions: includes comparisons with specific cuprate phonon modes, 16 eps figures, revte

Experimental and Theoretical Challenges in the Search for the Quark Gluon Plasma: The STAR Collaboration's Critical Assessment of the Evidence from RHIC Collisions

We review the most important experimental results from the first three years of nucleus-nucleus collision studies at RHIC, with emphasis on results from the STAR experiment, and we assess their interpretation and comparison to theory. The theory-experiment comparison suggests that central Au+Au collisions at RHIC produce dense, rapidly thermalizing matter characterized by: (1) initial energy densities above the critical values predicted by lattice QCD for establishment of a Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP); (2) nearly ideal fluid flow, marked by constituent interactions of very short mean free path, established most probably at a stage preceding hadron formation; and (3) opacity to jets. Many of the observations are consistent with models incorporating QGP formation in the early collision stages, and have not found ready explanation in a hadronic framework. However, the measurements themselves do not yet establish unequivocal evidence for a transition to this new form of matter. The theoretical treatment of the collision evolution, despite impressive successes, invokes a suite of distinct models, degrees of freedom and assumptions of as yet unknown quantitative consequence. We pose a set of important open questions, and suggest additional measurements, at least some of which should be addressed in order to establish a compelling basis to conclude definitively that thermalized, deconfined quark-gluon matter has been produced at RHIC.Comment: 101 pages, 37 figures; revised version to Nucl. Phys.

Using time perception to explore implicit sensitivity to emotional stimuli in autism spectrum disorder

Establishing whether implicit responses to emotional cues are intact in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is fundamental to ascertaining why their emotional understanding is compromised. We used a temporal bisection task to assess for responsiveness to face and wildlife images that varied in emotional salience. There were no significant differences between an adult ASD and comparison group, with both showing implicit overestimation of emotional stimuli. Further, there was no correlation between overestimation of emotional stimuli and autistic traits in undergraduate students. These data do not suggest a fundamental insensitivity to the arousing content of emotional images in ASD, or in individuals with a high degree of autistic traits. The findings have implications for understanding how emotional stimuli are processed in ASD