Potential surfaces for O atom-polymer reactions

Ab initio quantum chemistry methods are used to study the energetics of interactions of O atoms with organic compounds. Polyethylene (CH2)n has been chosen as the model system to study the interactions of O(3P) and O(1D) atoms with polymers. In particular, H abstraction is investigated and polyethylene is represented by a C3 (propane) oligomeric model. The gradient method, as implemented in the GRADSCF package of programs, is used to determine the geometries and energies of products and reactants. The saddle point, barrier geometry is determined by minimizing the squares of the gradients of the potential with respect to the internal coordinates. To correctly describe the change in bonding during the reaction at least a two configuration MCSCF (multiconfiguration self consistent field) or GVB (generalized valence bond) wave function has to be used. Basis sets include standard Pople and Dunning sets, however, increased with polarization functions and diffuse p functions on both the C and O atoms. The latter is important due to the O(-) character of the wave function at the saddle point and products. Normal modes and vibrational energy levels are given for the reactants, saddle points and products. Finally, quantitative energetics are obtained by implementing a small CAS (complete active space) approach followed by limited configuration interaction (CI) calculations. Comparisons are made with available experimental data

Novel Quark Fragmentation Functions and the Nucleon's Transversity Distribution

We define twist-two and twist-three quark fragmentation functions in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and study their physical implications. Using this formalism we show how the nucleon's transversity distribution can be measured in single pion inclusive electroproduction.Comment: 10 pages, uses PHYZZX macro package, 2 PostScript figures (added using FIGURES). MIT-CTP-215

Spin structure and longitudinal polarization of hyperon in e+e- annihilation at high energies

Longitudinal polarizations of different kinds of hyperons produced in e+e- annihilation at LEP I and LEP II energies in different event samples are calculated using two different pictures for the spin structure of hyperon: that drawn from polarized deep inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering data or that using SU(6) symmetric wave functions. The result shows that measurements of such polarizations should provide useful information to the question of which picture is more suitable in describing the spin effects in the fragmentation processes.Comment: 26 pages with 10 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Gravitational Waves Probe the Coalescence Rate of Massive Black Hole Binaries

We calculate the expected nHz--$\mu$Hz gravitational wave (GW) spectrum from coalescing Massive Black Hole (MBH) binaries resulting from mergers of their host galaxies. We consider detection of this spectrum by precision pulsar timing and a future Pulsar Timing Array. The spectrum depends on the merger rate of massive galaxies, the demographics of MBHs at low and high redshift, and the dynamics of MBH binaries. We apply recent theoretical and observational work on all of these fronts. The spectrum has a characteristic strain $h_c(f)~10^{-15} (f/yr^{-1})^{-2/3}$, just below the detection limit from recent analysis of precision pulsar timing measurements. However, the amplitude of the spectrum is still very uncertain owing to approximations in the theoretical formulation of the model, to our lack of knowledge of the merger rate and MBH population at high redshift, and to the dynamical problem of removing enough angular momentum from the MBH binary to reach a GW-dominated regime.Comment: 31 Pages, 8 Figures, small changes to match the published versio

On the Internal Absorption of Galaxy Clusters

A study of the cores of galaxy clusters with the Einstein SSS indicated the presence of absorbing material corresponding to 1E+12 Msun of cold cluster gas, possibly resulting from cooling flows. Since this amount of cold gas is not confirmed by observations at other wavelengths, we examined whether this excess absorption is present in the ROSAT PSPC observations of 20 bright galaxy clusters. For 3/4 of the clusters, successful spectral fits were obtained with absorption due only to the Galaxy, and therefore no extra absorption is needed within the clusters, in disagreement with the results from the Einstein SSS data for some of the same clusters. For 1/4 of the clusters, none of our spectral fits was acceptable, suggesting a more complicated cluster medium than the two-temperature and cooling flow models considered here. However, even for these clusters, substantial excess absorption is not indicated.Comment: accepted by the Astrophysical Journa

Positivity Constraints for Spin-Dependent Parton Distributions

We derive new positivity constraints on the spin-dependent structure functions of the nucleon. These model independent results reduce conside\-rably their domain of allowed values, in particular for the chiral-odd parton distribution $h_1 (x)$.Comment: 8 pages,CPT-94/P.3059,LaTex,3 fig available on cpt.univ-mrs.fr directory pub/preprints/94/fundamental-interactions/94-P.305

Two Clusters with Radio-quiet Cooling Cores

Radio lobes inflated by active galactic nuclei at the centers of clusters are a promising candidate for halting condensation in clusters with short central cooling times because they are common in such clusters. In order to test the AGN-heating hypothesis, we obtained Chandra observations of two clusters with short central cooling times yet no evidence for AGN activity: Abell 1650 and Abell 2244. The cores of these clusters indeed appear systematically different from cores with more prominent radio emission. They do not have significant central temperature gradients, and their central entropy levels are markedly higher than in clusters with stronger radio emission, corresponding to central cooling times ~ 1 Gigayear. Also, there is no evidence for fossil X-ray cavities produced by an earlier episode of AGN heating. We suggest that either (1) the central gas has not yet cooled to the point at which feedback is necessary to prevent it from condensing, possibly because it is conductively stabilized, or (2) the gas experienced a major heating event $\gtrsim 1$ Gyr in the past and has not required feedback since then. The fact that these clusters with no evident feedback have higher central entropy and therefore longer central cooling times than clusters with obvious AGN feedback strongly suggests that AGNs supply the feedback necessary to suppress condensation in clusters with short central cooling times.Comment: ApJ Letter, in pres

More loosely bound hadron molecules at CDF?

In a recent paper we have proposed a method to estimate the prompt production cross section of X(3872) at the Tevatron assuming that this particle is a loosely bound molecule of a D and a D*bar meson. Under this hypothesis we find that it is impossible to explain the high prompt production cross section found by CDF at sigma(X(3872)) \sim 30-70 nb as our theoretical prediction is about 300 times smaller than the measured one. Following our work, Artoisenet and Braaten, have suggested that final state interactions in the DD*bar system might be so strong to push the result we obtained for the cross section up to the experimental value. Relying on their conclusions we show that the production of another very narrow loosely bound molecule, the X_s=D_s D_s*bar, could be similarly enhanced. X_s should then be detectable at CDF with a mass of 4080 MeV and a prompt production cross section of sigma(X_s) \sim 1-3 nb.Comment: Minor revisions made. To appear in Phys Lett

Spin alignment of vector meson in e+e- annihilation at Z0 pole

We calculate the spin density matrix of the vector meson produced in e+e- annihilation at Z^0 pole. We show that the data imply a significant polarization for the antiquark which is created in the fragmentation process of the polarized initial quark and combines with the fragmenting quark to form the vector meson. The direction of polarization is opposite to that of the fragmenting quark and the magnitude is of the order of 0.5. A qualitative explanation of this result based on the LUND string fragmentation model is given.Comment: 15 pages, 2 fgiures; submitted to Phys. Rev.