The Ruble between the Hammer and the Anvil: Oil Prices and Economic Sanctions

The exchange rate fluctuations strongly affect the Russian economy, given its heavy dependence on foreign trade and investment. Since January 2014, the Ruble lost 50% of its value against the US Dollar. The fall of the currency started with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The impact of the conflict on Russia may have been amplified by sanctions imposed by Western countries. However, as Russia is heavily dependent on exports of natural resources, the oil price decline starting in Summer 2014 could be another factor behind the deterioration. By using high frequency data on nominal exchange and interest rates, oil prices, actual and unanticipated sanctions, we provide evidence on the driving forces of the Ruble exchange rate. The analysis is based on cointegrated VAR models, where fundamental long-run relationships are implicitly embedded. The results indicate that the bulk of the depreciation can be related to the decline of oil prices. In addition, unanticipated sanctions matter for the conditional volatility of the variables involved

Limitations on the superposition principle: superselection rules in non-relativistic quantum mechanics

The superposition principle is a very basic ingredient of quantum theory. What may come as a surprise to many students, and even to many practitioners of the quantum craft, is tha superposition has limitations imposed by certain requirements of the theory. The discussion of such limitations arising from the so-called superselection rules is the main purpose of this paper. Some of their principal consequences are also discussed. The univalence, mass and particle number superselection rules of non-relativistic quantum mechanics are also derived using rather simple methods.Comment: 22 pages, no figure

Generalized kinetic and evolution equations in the approach of the nonequilibrium statistical operator

The method of the nonequilibrium statistical operator developed by D. N. Zubarev is employed to analyse and derive generalized transport and kinetic equations. The degrees of freedom in solids can often be represented as a few interacting subsystems (electrons, spins, phonons, nuclear spins, etc.). Perturbation of one subsystem may produce a nonequilibrium state which is then relaxed to an equilibrium state due to the interaction between particles or with a thermal bath. The generalized kinetic equations were derived for a system weakly coupled to a thermal bath to elucidate the nature of transport and relaxation processes. It was shown that the "collision term" had the same functional form as for the generalized kinetic equations for the system with small interactions among particles. The applicability of the general formalism to physically relevant situations is investigated. It is shown that some known generalized kinetic equations (e.g. kinetic equation for magnons, Peierls equation for phonons) naturally emerges within the NSO formalism. The relaxation of a small dynamic subsystem in contact with a thermal bath is considered on the basis of the derived equations. The Schrodinger-type equation for the average amplitude describing the energy shift and damping of a particle in a thermal bath and the coupled kinetic equation describing the dynamic and statistical aspects of the motion are derived and analysed. The equations derived can help in the understanding of the origin of irreversible behavior in quantum phenomena.Comment: 21 pages, Revte

Inclusive pion and eta production in p+Nb collisions at 3.5 GeV beam energy

Data on inclusive pion and eta production measured with the dielectron spectrometer HADES in the reaction p+93Nb at a kinetic beam energy of 3.5 GeV are presented. Our results, obtained with the photon conversion method, supplement the rather sparse information on neutral meson production in proton-nucleus reactions existing for this bombarding energy regime. The reconstructed e+e-e+e- transverse-momentum and rapidity distributions are confronted with transport model calculations, which account fairly well for both pi0 and eta production.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Physical Review

Searching a Dark Photon with HADES

We present a search for the e+e- decay of a hypothetical dark photon, also names U vector boson, in inclusive dielectron spectra measured by HADES in the p (3.5 GeV) + p, Nb reactions, as well as the Ar (1.756 GeV/u) + KCl reaction. An upper limit on the kinetic mixing parameter squared epsilon^{2} at 90% CL has been obtained for the mass range M(U) = 0.02 - 0.55 GeV/c2 and is compared with the present world data set. For masses 0.03 - 0.1 GeV/c^2, the limit has been lowered with respect to previous results, allowing now to exclude a large part of the parameter region favoured by the muon g-2 anomaly. Furthermore, an improved upper limit on the branching ratio of 2.3 * 10^{-6} has been set on the helicity-suppressed direct decay of the eta meson, eta-> e+e-, at 90% CL

Inclusive Dielectron Production in Ar+KCl Collisions at 1.76 AGeV studied with HADES

Results of the HADES measurement of inclusive dielectron production in Ar+KCl collisions at a kinetic beam energy of 1.76 AGeV are presented. For the first time, high mass resolution spectroscopy was performed. The invariant mass spectrum of dielectrons is compared with predictions of UrQMD and HSD transport codes.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures - To appear in the conference proceedings for Quark Matter 2009, March 30 - April 4, Knoxville, Tennesse

Future perspectives at SIS-100 with HADES-at-FAIR

Currently, the HADES spectrometer undergoes un upgrade program to be prepared for measurements at the upcoming SIS-100 synchrotron at FAIR. We describe the current status of the HADES di-electron measurements at the SIS-18 and our future plans for SIS-100.Comment: Invited contribution presented at the XLVII International Winter Meeting on Nuclear Physics, Bormio (Italy), Jan. 26-30, 200

Measurement of the Spin-Dependence of the pbar-p Interaction at the AD-Ring

We propose to use an internal polarized hydrogen storage cell gas target in the AD ring to determine for the first time the two total spin-dependent pbar-p cross sections sigma_1 and sigma_2 at antiproton beam energies in the range from 50 to 450 MeV. The data obtained are of interest by themselves for the general theory of pbar-p interactions since they will provide a first experimental constraint of the spin-spin dependence of the nucleon-antinucleon potential in the energy range of interest. In addition, measurements of the polarization buildup of stored antiprotons are required to define the optimum parameters of a future, dedicated Antiproton Polarizer Ring (APR), intended to feed a double-polarized asymmetric pbar-p collider with polarized antiprotons. Such a machine has recently been proposed by the PAX collaboration for the new Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) at GSI in Darmstadt, Germany. The availability of an intense stored beam of polarized antiprotons will provide access to a wealth of single- and double-spin observables, thereby opening a new window on QCD spin physics.Comment: 51 pages, 23 figures, proposal submitted to the SPS committee of CER

Binding of Superantigen Toxins into the CD28 Homodimer Interface Is Essential for Induction of Cytokine Genes That Mediate Lethal Shock

Bacterial superantigen toxins bind directly to the dimer interface of CD28, the principal co-stimulatory receptor, to induce a lethal cytokine storm, and peptides that prevent this binding can suppress superantigen lethality