LARGE LOGARITHM BEHAVIOUR OF e^+e^- JET CROSS SECTIONS AND EVENT SHAPE DISTRIBUTIONS IN O(alpha_s^2)

We have calculated the leading and next-to-leading logarithm coefficients of $O(\alpha_s^2)$ $e^+e^-$ annihilation jet cross sections, thrust distribution and energy-energy correlation in the two-jet limit when the jet resolution and the event shape variables vanish. We have compared our results with expectations based on leading logarithm approximations used to resum the pertubative cross sections where this is possible. There is good agreement for the leading and next-to-leading coefficients of jet cross sections in the Durham scheme. Also for the thrust distribution and energy-energy correlation we find results which are consistent with the leading logarithm predictions.Comment: 22 pages, uuencoded postscript, no figure

Inclusive D* Production in Photon-Photon Collisions at Next-to-Leading Order QCD

The next-to-leading order cross section for the inclusive production of charm quarks in gamma-gamma collisions is calculated as a function of the transverse momentum pT and the rapidity y in approaches using massive or massless charm quarks. For the direct cross section we derive the massless limit from the massive theory with the result that this limit differs from the massless version with MSbar factorization by finite corrections. Subtracting or adding these corrections allows us to compare the two approaches on equal footing. We establish massless and massive versions with 3 and 4 initial flavours which are shown to approach the massless approximations very fast with increasing pT. With these results we calculate the inclusive D* cross section in gamma-gamma collisions using realistic evolved fragmentation functions with appropriate factorization scales and compare with recent data for dsigma/dpT from three LEP collaborations after single- and double-resolved contributions have been added.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, LaTe

Inclusive D* production in gamma-gamma collisions: including the single-resolved contribution with massive quarks

We have calculated the next-to-leading order cross section for the inclusive production of charm quarks as a function of the transverse momentum p_T and the rapidity in two approaches using massive or massless charm quarks. For the single-resolved cross section we have derived the massless limit from the massive theory. We find that this limit differs from the genuine massless version with MS-bar factorization by finite corrections. By adjusting subtraction terms we establish a massive theory with MS-bar subtraction which approaches the massless theory very fast with increasing transverse momentum. With these results and including the equivalent results for the direct cross section obtained previously as well as double-resolved contributions, we calculate the inclusive D*+- cross section in gamma-gamma collisions using realistic evolved non-perturbative fragmentation functions and compare with recent data from the LEP collaborations ALEPH, L3 and OPAL. We find good agreement.Comment: 34 pages including postscript figure

b-Hadron production in the general-mass variable-flavour-number scheme and LHC data

We study inclusive b-hadron production in pp collisions at the LHC at different center-of-mass energies and compare with experimental data from the LHCb and CMS collaborations. Our predictions for cross sections differential in the transverse momentum and (pseudo-)rapidity agree with data within uncertainties due to renormalization scale variations. A small tension is found if data and theory predictions are compared for cross section ratios at different center-of-mass energies.Comment: 22 pages. Replaced LHCb data: now match with revised version (v9) of arXiv:1612.0514

Survival probability in diffractive dijet photoproduction

We confront the latest H1 and ZEUS data on diffractive dijet photoproduction with next-to-leading order QCD predictions in order to determine whether a rapidity gap survival probability of less than one is supported by the data. We find evidence for this hypothesis when assuming global factorization breaking for both the direct and resolved photon contributions, in which case the survival probability would have to be E_T^jet-dependent, and for the resolved or in addition the related direct initial-state singular contribution only, where it would be independent of E_T^jet.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 2008 CERN-DESY workshop on "HERA and the LHC

Pattern Formation from Defect Chaos --- A Theory of Chevrons

For over 25 years it is known that the roll structure of electroconvection (EC) in the dielectric regime in planarly aligned nematic liquid crystals has, after a transition to defect chaos, the tendency to form chevron structures. We show, with the help of a coarse-grained model, that this effect can generally be expected for systems with spontaneously broken isotropy, that is lifted by a small external perturbation. The linearized model as well as a nonlinear extension are compared to simulations of a system of coupled amplitude equations which generate chevrons out of defect chaos. The mechanism of chevron formation is similar to the development of Turing patterns in reaction diffusion systems.Comment: 17 pages, Latex, 11 PS-figures, submitted to Physica