Charmonium Suppression - Interplay of Hadronic and Partonic Degrees of Freedom

Last year the E866-group of the Fermilab measured the $x_F$ dependence of $J/\Psi$ and $\Psi'$ suppression in $pA$ collisions. We discuss two of the effects found in that experiment with regard to color coherence effects: the different suppression of the $J/\Psi$ and the $\Psi'$ at $x_F<0$ and the significant suppression of both at large $x_F$. The small $x_F$ regions is dominated by fully formed charmonium states and thus enables us to discuss the formation time and the cross section of the different charmonium states. In the large $x_F$ region the interaction of the charmonium states with nuclear matter has to be described by partonic degrees of freedom, because in that kinematic domain the formation time is much larger than the nuclear radii. The understanding of this region will be crucial for the interpretation of the data of the future heavy ion colliders RHIC and LHC.Comment: 4 pages, 1 table, 1 figure, Contribution to the Proceedings of the 15th Particles and Nuclei International Conference (PANIC 99), Uppsala, Sweden, June 10-16, 199

Cosmological Parameter Extraction from the First Season of Observations with DASI

The Degree Angular Scale Interferometer (\dasi) has measured the power spectrum of the Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy over the range of spherical harmonic multipoles 100<l<900. We compare this data, in combination with the COBE-DMR results, to a seven dimensional grid of adiabatic CDM models. Adopting the priors h>0.45 and 0.0<=tau_c<=0.4, we find that the total density of the Universe Omega_tot=1.04+/-0.06, and the spectral index of the initial scalar fluctuations n_s=1.01+0.08-0.06, in accordance with the predictions of inflationary theory. In addition we find that the physical density of baryons Omega_b.h^2=0.022+0.004-0.003, and the physical density of cold dark matter Omega_cdm.h^2=0.14+/-0.04. This value of Omega_b.h^2 is consistent with that derived from measurements of the primordial abundance ratios of the light elements combined with big bang nucleosynthesis theory. Using the result of the HST Key Project h=0.72+/-0.08 we find that Omega_t=1.00+/-0.04, the matter density Omega_m=0.40+/-0.15, and the vacuum energy density Omega_lambda=0.60+/-0.15. (All 68% confidence limits.)Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, minor changes in response to referee comment

A Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect Survey for High Redshift Clusters

Interferometric observations of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect (SZE) toward clusters of galaxies provide sensitive cosmological probes. We present results from 1 cm observations (at BIMA and OVRO) of a large, intermediate redshift cluster sample. In addition, we describe a proposed, higher sensitivity array which will enable us to survey large portions of the sky. Simulated observations indicate that we will be able to survey one square degree of sky per month to sufficient depth that we will detect all galaxy clusters more massive than 2x10^{14} h^{-1}_{50}M_\odot, regardless of their redshift. We describe the cluster yield and resulting cosmological constraints from such a survey.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, latex, contribution to VLT Opening Symposiu

Polarization Diffusion from Spacetime Uncertainty

A model of Lorentz invariant random fluctuations in photon polarization is presented. The effects are frequency dependent and affect the polarization of photons as they propagate through space. We test for this effect by confronting the model with the latest measurements of polarization of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Geometric Parameterization of J/ΨJ/\Psi Absorption in Heavy Ion Collisions

We calculate the survival probability of $J/\Psi$ particles in various colliding systems using a Glauber model. An analysis of recent data has reported a $J/\Psi$-nucleon breakup cross section of 6.2$\pm$0.7 mb derived from an exponential fit to the ratio of $J/\Psi$ to Drell-Yan yields as a function of a simple, linearly-averaged mean path length through the nuclear medium. Our calculations indicate that, due to the nature of the calculation, this approach yields an apparent breakup cross section which is systematically lower than the actual value.Comment: LaTex, 7 pages, 2 figure

Rapidity Distributions of Dileptons from a Hadronizing Quark-Gluon Plasma

It has been predicted that dilepton production may be used as a quark-gluon plasma probe. We calculate the rapidity distributions of thermal dileptons produced by an evolving quark-gluon plasma assuming a longitudinal scaling expansion with initial conditions locally determined from the hadronic rapidity density. These distributions are compared with Drell-Yan production and semileptonic charm decays at invariant mass $M = 2$, 4, and 6 GeV.Comment: 17 pages (standard LaTeX), 6 figures (available as topdraw files or printed versions upon request), GSI-93-6

Why disease due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis is less common than expected in HIV-positive patients in Edinburgh

AbstractBy December 1993, only five cases of tuberculosis were observed in the 1030 HIV-positive patients in Edinburgh, U.K., although, on the basis of historical tuberculin skin test data, between four and eight new cases of tuberculosis were expected per year. Of 310 HIV-positive patients, none of the 19 (6·1%) who were tuberculin skin test positive had developed tuberculosis after 87 months (average) of follow-up. It is suggested that new or re-infection is a more common cause of tuberculosis in HIV-positive patients than reactivation. Restriction fragment length polymorphism typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains could confirm this hypothesis and support currently suggested additional infection control procedures

DASI First Results: A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Angular Power Spectrum

We present measurements of anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) from the first season of observations with the Degree Angular Scale Interferometer (DASI). The instrument was deployed at the South Pole in the austral summer 1999--2000, and made observations throughout the following austral winter. We have measured the angular power spectrum of the CMB in the range 100<l<900 with high signal-to-noise. In this paper we review the formalism used in the analysis, in particular the use of constraint matrices to project out contaminants such as ground and point source signals, and to test for correlations with diffuse foreground templates. We find no evidence of foregrounds other than point sources in the data, and find a maximum likelihood temperature spectral index beta = -0.1 +/- 0.2 (1 sigma), consistent with CMB. We detect a first peak in the power spectrum at l approx 200, in agreement with previous experiments. In addition, we detect a peak in the power spectrum at l approx 550 and power of similar magnitude at l approx 800 which are consistent with the second and third harmonic peaks predicted by adiabatic inflationary cosmological models.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, minor changes in response to referee comment

Application of a Self-Similar Pressure Profile to Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect Data from Galaxy Clusters

We investigate the utility of a new, self-similar pressure profile for fitting Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect observations of galaxy clusters. Current SZ imaging instruments - such as the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Array (SZA) - are capable of probing clusters over a large range in physical scale. A model is therefore required that can accurately describe a cluster's pressure profile over a broad range of radii, from the core of the cluster out to a significant fraction of the virial radius. In the analysis presented here, we fit a radial pressure profile derived from simulations and detailed X-ray analysis of relaxed clusters to SZA observations of three clusters with exceptionally high quality X-ray data: A1835, A1914, and CL J1226.9+3332. From the joint analysis of the SZ and X-ray data, we derive physical properties such as gas mass, total mass, gas fraction and the intrinsic, integrated Compton y-parameter. We find that parameters derived from the joint fit to the SZ and X-ray data agree well with a detailed, independent X-ray-only analysis of the same clusters. In particular, we find that, when combined with X-ray imaging data, this new pressure profile yields an independent electron radial temperature profile that is in good agreement with spectroscopic X-ray measurements.Comment: 28 pages, 6 figures, accepted by ApJ for publication (probably April 2009

Genomic repeat abundances contain phylogenetic signal

A large proportion of genomic information, particularly repetitive elements, is usually ignored when researchers are using next-generation sequencing. Here we demonstrate the usefulness of this repetitive fraction in phylogenetic analyses, utilizing comparative graph-based clustering of next-generation sequence reads, which results in abundance estimates of different classes of genomic repeats. Phylogenetic trees are then inferred based on the genome-wide abundance of different repeat types treated as continuously varying characters; such repeats are scattered across chromosomes and in angiosperms can constitute a majority of nuclear genomic DNA. In six diverse examples, five angiosperms and one insect, this method provides generally well-supported relationships at interspecific and intergeneric levels that agree with results from more standard phylogenetic analyses of commonly used markers. We propose that this methodology may prove especially useful in groups where there is little genetic differentiation in standard phylogenetic markers. At the same time as providing data for phylogenetic inference, this method additionally yields a wealth of data for comparative studies of genome evolution