Inclusive Quasi-Elastic Charged-Current Neutrino-Nucleus Reactions

The Quasi-Elastic (QE) contribution of the nuclear inclusive electron scattering model developed in Nucl. Phys. A627 (1997) 543 is extended to the study of electroweak Charged Current (CC) induced nuclear reactions, at intermediate energies of interest for future neutrino oscillation experiments. The model accounts for, among other nuclear effects, long range nuclear (RPA) correlations, Final State Interaction (FSI) and Coulomb corrections. Predictions for the inclusive muon capture in $^{12}$C and the reaction $^{12}$C $(\nu_\mu,\mu^-)X$ near threshold are also given. RPA correlations are shown to play a crucial role and their inclusion leads to one of the best existing simultaneous description of both processes, with accuracies of the order of 10-15% per cent for the muon capture rate and even better for the LSND measurement.Comment: 31 pages and 14 figures, accepted for publication as a regular article in Physical Review

ΛΛ\Lambda\Lambda-ΞN\Xi N-ΣΣ\Sigma\Sigma coupling in ΛΛ 6^{~6}_{\Lambda\Lambda}He with the Nijmegen soft-core potentials

The $\Lambda\Lambda$-$\Xi N$-$\Sigma\Sigma$ coupling in $^{~6}_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He is studied with the [$\alpha$ + $\Lambda$ + $\Lambda$] + [$\alpha$ + $\Xi$ + $N$] + [$\alpha$ + $\Sigma$ + $\Sigma$] model, where the $\alpha$ particle is assumed as a frozen core. We use the Nijmegen soft-core potentials, NSC97e and NSC97f, for the valence baryon-baryon part, and the phenomenological potentials for the $\alpha-B$ parts ($B$=$N$, $\Lambda$, $\Xi$ and $\Sigma$). We find that the calculated $\Delta B_{\Lambda\Lambda}$ of $^{~6}_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He for NSC97e and NSC97f are, respectively, 0.6 and 0.4 MeV in the full coupled-channel calculation, the results of which are about half in comparison with the experimental data, $\Delta B^{exp}_{\Lambda\Lambda}=1.01\pm0.20^{+0.18}_{-0.11}$ MeV. Characteristics of the $S=-2$ sector in the NSC97 potentials are discussed in detail.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figure

Pulsational instability of yellow hypergiants

Instability of population I (X=0.7, Y=0.02) massive stars against radial oscillations during the post-main sequence gravitational contraction of the helium core is investigated. Initial stellar masses are in the range from 65M_\odot to 90M_\odot. In hydrodynamic computations of self-exciting stellar oscillations we assumed that energy transfer in the envelope of the pulsating star is due to radiative heat conduction and convection. The convective heat transfer was treated in the framework of the theory of time-dependent turbulent convection. During evolutionary expansion of outer layers after hydrogen exhaustion in the stellar core the star is shown to be unstable against radial oscillations while its effective temperature is Teff > 6700K for Mzams=65M_\odot and Teff > 7200K for mzams=90M_\odot. Pulsational instability is due to the \kappa-mechanism in helium ionization zones and at lower effective temperature oscillations decay because of significantly increasing convection. The upper limit of the period of radial pulsations on this stage of evolution does not exceed 200 day. Radial oscillations of the hypergiant resume during evolutionary contraction of outer layers when the effective temperature is Teff > 7300K for Mzams=65M_\odot and Teff > 7600K for Mzams=90M_\odot. Initially radial oscillations are due to instability of the first overtone and transition to fundamental mode pulsations takes place at higher effective temperatures (Teff > 7700K for Mzams=65M_\odot and Teff > 8200K for Mzams=90M_\odot). The upper limit of the period of radial oscillations of evolving blueward yellow hypergiants does not exceed 130 day. Thus, yellow hypergiants are stable against radial stellar pulsations during the major part of their evolutionary stage.Comment: 20 pages, 7 gigures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy Letter

Extraction of electromagnetic neutron form factors through inclusive and exclusive polarized electron scattering on polarized 3He target

Inclusive 3He(e,e') and exclusive 3He(e,e'n) processes with polarized electrons and 3He have been theoretically analyzed and values for the magnetic and electric neutron form factors have been extracted. In both cases the form factor values agree well with the ones extracted from processes on the deuteron. Our results are based on Faddeev solutions, modern NN forces and partially on the incorporation of mesonic exchange currents.Comment: 28 pages, 29 Postscript figure

Performance of the Two Aerogel Cherenkov Detectors of the JLab Hall A Hadron Spectrometer

We report on the design and commissioning of two silica aerogel Cherenkov detectors with different refractive indices. In particular, extraordinary performance in terms of the number of detected photoelectrons was achieved through an appropriate choice of PMT type and reflector, along with some design considerations. After four years of operation, the number of detected photoelectrons was found to be noticeably reduced in both detectors as a result of contamination, yellowing, of the aerogel material. Along with the details of the set-up, we illustrate the characteristics of the detectors during different time periods and the probable causes of the contamination. In particular we show that the replacement of the contaminated aerogel and parts of the reflecting material has almost restored the initial performance of the detectors.Comment: 18 pages, 9 Figures, 4 Tables, 44 Reference

Traps of multi-level governance. Lessons from the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Italy

During recent decades, different patterns of multi-level governance (MLG) have spread across Europe as a consequence of Europeanisation of public policies, which have increasingly adopted decentralized and participatory procedures conceived as a tool of more effective and accountable policy-making. It appears, however, that the implementation of operational designs based on MLG may be rather problematic and it does not necessarily bring to the expected performance improvements. Referring to the case of the EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), which conceives the creation of new multi-level institutional settings as a key tool for enacting a new holistic approach to water management and protection, this article explores the difficulties that the implementation of such settings has brought in Italy, despite some favorable pre-conditions existing in the country. Evidence is provided that along with institutional and agency variables, the implementation effectiveness of MLG arrangements promoted by the EU can be challenged by their inherent characteristics

Gamma rays and neutrinos from the Crab Nebula produced by pulsar accelerated nuclei

We investigate the consequences of the acceleration of heavy nuclei (e.g. iron nuclei) by the Crab pulsar. Accelerated nuclei can photodisintegrate in collisions with soft photons produced in the pulsar's outer gap, injecting energetic neutrons which decay either inside or outside the Crab Nebula. The protons from neutron decay inside the nebula are trapped by the Crab Nebula magnetic field, and accumulate inside the nebula producing gamma-rays and neutrinos in collisions with the matter in the nebula. Neutrons decaying outside the Crab Nebula contribute to the Galactic cosmic rays. We compute the expected fluxes of gamma-rays and neutrinos, and find that our model could account for the observed emission at high energies and may be tested by searching for high energy neutrinos with future neutrino telescopes currently in the design stage.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX uses revtex.sty, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let