330 research outputs found
Detector Description and Performance for the First Coincidence Observations between LIGO and GEO
For 17 days in August and September 2002, the LIGO and GEO interferometer
gravitational wave detectors were operated in coincidence to produce their
first data for scientific analysis. Although the detectors were still far from
their design sensitivity levels, the data can be used to place better upper
limits on the flux of gravitational waves incident on the earth than previous
direct measurements. This paper describes the instruments and the data in some
detail, as a companion to analysis papers based on the first data.Comment: 41 pages, 9 figures 17 Sept 03: author list amended, minor editorial
change
Global Search for New Physics with 2.0/fb at CDF
Data collected in Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron are searched for
indications of new electroweak-scale physics. Rather than focusing on
particular new physics scenarios, CDF data are analyzed for discrepancies with
the standard model prediction. A model-independent approach (Vista) considers
gross features of the data, and is sensitive to new large cross-section
physics. Further sensitivity to new physics is provided by two additional
algorithms: a Bump Hunter searches invariant mass distributions for "bumps"
that could indicate resonant production of new particles; and the Sleuth
procedure scans for data excesses at large summed transverse momentum. This
combined global search for new physics in 2.0/fb of ppbar collisions at
sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV reveals no indication of physics beyond the standard model.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures. Final version which appeared in Physical Review D
Rapid Communication
Observation of Orbitally Excited B_s Mesons
We report the first observation of two narrow resonances consistent with
states of orbitally excited (L=1) B_s mesons using 1 fb^{-1} of ppbar
collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV collected with the CDF II detector at the
Fermilab Tevatron. We use two-body decays into K^- and B^+ mesons reconstructed
as B^+ \to J/\psi K^+, J/\psi \to \mu^+ \mu^- or B^+ \to \bar{D}^0 \pi^+,
\bar{D}^0 \to K^+ \pi^-. We deduce the masses of the two states to be m(B_{s1})
= 5829.4 +- 0.7 MeV/c^2 and m(B_{s2}^*) = 5839.7 +- 0.7 MeV/c^2.Comment: Version accepted and published by Phys. Rev. Let
Properties of the Top Quark
The top quark was discoverd at the CDF and D0 experiments in 1995. As the
partner of the bottom quark its properties within the Standard Model are fully
defined. Only the mass is a free parameter. The measurement of the top quark
mass and the verification of the expected properties have been an important
topic of experimental top quark physics since. In this review the recent
results on top quark properties obtained by the Tevatron experiments CDF and D0
are summarised. At the advent of the LHC special emphasis is given to the basic
measurement methods and the dominating systematic uncertainties.Comment: Habilitation thesis, revised and updated for publication in EPJ
Geochemical paleoredox indicators in organic-rich shales of the Irati Formation, Permian of the ParanĂĄ Basin, southern Brazil
Exploring the Bimodal Solar System via Sample Return from the Main Asteroid Belt: The Case for Revisiting Ceres
Abstract: Sample return from a main-belt asteroid has not yet been attempted, but appears technologically feasible. While the cost implications are significant, the scientific case for such a mission appears overwhelming. As suggested by the âGrand Tackâ model, the structure of the main belt was likely forged during the earliest stages of Solar System evolution in response to migration of the giant planets. Returning samples from the main belt has the potential to test such planet migration models and the related geochemical and isotopic concept of a bimodal Solar System. Isotopic studies demonstrate distinct compositional differences between samples believed to be derived from the outer Solar System (CC or carbonaceous chondrite group) and those that are thought to be derived from the inner Solar System (NC or non-carbonaceous group). These two groups are separated on relevant isotopic variation diagrams by a clear compositional gap. The interface between these two regions appears to be broadly coincident with the present location of the asteroid belt, which contains material derived from both groups. The Hayabusa mission to near-Earth asteroid (NEA) (25143) Itokawa has shown what can be learned from a sample-return mission to an asteroid, even with a very small amount of sample. One scenario for main-belt sample return involves a spacecraft launching a projectile that strikes an object and flying through the debris cloud, which would potentially allow multiple bodies to be sampled if a number of projectiles are used on different asteroids. Another scenario is the more traditional method of landing on an asteroid to obtain the sample. A significant range of main-belt asteroids are available as targets for a sample-return mission and such a mission would represent a first step in mineralogically and isotopically mapping the asteroid belt. We argue that a sample-return mission to the asteroid belt does not necessarily have to return material from both the NC and CC groups to viably test the bimodal Solar System paradigm, as material from the NC group is already abundantly available for study. Instead, there is overwhelming evidence that we have a very incomplete suite of CC-related samples. Based on our analysis, we advocate a dedicated sample-return mission to the dwarf planet (1) Ceres as the best means of further exploring inherent Solar System variation. Ceres is an ice-rich world that may be a displaced trans-Neptunian object. We almost certainly do not have any meteorites that closely resemble material that would be brought back from Ceres. The rich heritage of data acquired by the Dawn mission makes a sample-return mission from Ceres logistically feasible at a realistic cost. No other potential main-belt target is capable of providing as much insight into the early Solar System as Ceres. Such a mission should be given the highest priority by the international scientific community
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Energetic particle influence on the Earth's atmosphere
This manuscript gives an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the effects of energetic particle precipitation (EPP) onto the whole atmosphere, from the lower thermosphere/mesosphere through the stratosphere and troposphere, to the surface. The paper summarizes the different sources and energies of particles, principally
galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), solar energetic particles (SEPs) and energetic electron precipitation (EEP). All the proposed mechanisms by which EPP can affect the atmosphere
are discussed, including chemical changes in the upper atmosphere and lower thermosphere, chemistry-dynamics feedbacks, the global electric circuit and cloud formation. The role of energetic particles in Earthâs atmosphere is a multi-disciplinary problem that requires expertise from a range of scientific backgrounds. To assist with this synergy, summary tables are provided, which are intended to evaluate the level of current knowledge of the effects of energetic particles on processes in the entire atmosphere
Heavy flavor properties of jets produced in interactions at 1.8 TeV
We present a detailed examination of the heavy flavor properties of jets
produced at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The data set, collected with the
Collider Detector at Fermilab, consists of events with two or more jets with
transverse energy GeV and pseudo-rapidity . The
heavy flavor content of the data set is enriched by requiring that at least one
of the jets (lepton-jet) contains a lepton with transverse momentum larger than
8 GeV/c. Jets containing hadrons with heavy flavor are selected via the
identification of secondary vertices.
The parton-level cross sections predicted by the {\sc herwig} Monte Carlo
generator program are tuned within theoretical and experimental uncertainties
to reproduce the secondary-vertex rates in the data.
The tuned simulation provides new information on the origin of the
discrepancy between the cross section measurements at the Tevatron
and the next-to-leading order QCD prediction. We also compare the rate of
away-jets (jets recoiling against the lepton-jet) containing a soft lepton
( GeV/c) in the data to that in the tuned simulation.
We find that this rate is larger than what is expected for the conventional
production and semileptonic decay of pairs of hadrons with heavy flavor.Comment: 65 pages, 14 tables, 14 figures. To be submitted to Phys. Rev.
W boson polarization measurement in the ttbar dilepton channel using the CDF II Detector
We present a measurement of boson polarization in top-quark decays in
events with decays to dilepton final states using of integrated luminosity in collisions collected by the
CDF II detector at the Tevatron. A simultaneous measurement of the fractions of
longitudinal () and right-handed () bosons yields the results
and . Combining this measurement
with our previous result based on single lepton final states, we obtain and . The results are consistent with standard
model expectation.Comment: Published in Phys. Lett.
Measurement of the top quark mass in the ttâ dilepton channel from âs = 8 TeV ATLAS data
The top quark mass is measured in the ttÂŻ â dilepton channel (lepton = e,ÎŒ) using ATLAS data recorded in the year 2012 at the LHC. The data were taken at a proton proton centre-of-mass energy of âs = 8 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of about 20.2 fbâ1. Exploiting the template method, and using the distribution of invariant masses of leptonâb-jet pairs, the top quark mass is measured to be mtop = 172.99±0.41 (stat) ±0.74 (syst) GeV, with a total uncertainty of 0.84 GeV. Finally, a combination with previous ATLAS mtop measurements from âs = 7 TeV data in the ttÂŻ â dilepton and ttÂŻ â lepton + jets channels results in mtop = 172.84±0.34 (stat)±0.61 (syst) GeV, with a total uncertainty of 0.70 GeV
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