A Large TPC Prototype with MPGD Readout: Status and Plans

The use of a TPC in future collider experiments needs significant research and development. Within the EUDET program an infrastructure has been designed and built to allow the efficient testing of TPC prototypes under realistic conditions. The infrastructure consists of a test beam facility, located at DESY Hamburg, and a multi-purpose TPC field cage.Comment: Conference LCES 2008, Chicag

Constraints from Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

We examine the constraints from the recent HEIDELBERG-MOSCOW double beta decay experiment. It leads us to the almost degenerate or inverse hierarchy neutrino mass scenario. In this scenario, we obtain possible upper bounds for the Majorana CP violating phase in the lepton sector by incorporating the data from the neutrino oscillation, the single beta decay experiments, and from the astrophysical observation. We also predict the neutrino mass that may be measurable in the future beta decay experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

The use of electrical discharge for ignition and control of combustion of solid propellants

As the first step of the study of the combustion control of solid propellants by electrical discharges, the effects of an arc discharge, which flows along the burning surface, on the burning rate and on the increase of enthalpy of the combustion product were investigated. For specially devised composite propellants, which are composed of Al and Teflon powders, it was shown that the combination can be controlled by an arc discharge; the combustion continues when the arc discharge is applied and is interrupted when the arc discharge breaks. In the present investigation, it was also shown that an arc discharge coupled with a high-frequency electrical discharge has potential as an effective ignition method for solid propellants. For the application of this type of combustion control to an ignitor for a solid propellant rocket motor or to a control rocket motor, this method lacks flexibility in the configuration scale and needs relatively high electric power at the present stage

Study for re-ASR behaviour of recycled concrete using ASR generated concrete and considering countermeasure technology

It is predicted that the concrete volume to be discarded will increase due to the renewal of the concrete structures and the increase in the returned concrete from construction site. The use of this concrete block as recycled aggregate is very important in terms of sustainability. However, recycled aggregate concrete is difficult to use due to large problems such as drying shrinkage and freeze-thaw action. On the other hand, the aggregate used for the raw concrete is often unknown, suggesting the danger of ASR. There is no previous research about what kind of danger is caused when an aggregate having an ASR risk is used as a recycled aggregate. Therefore, in this study, recycled aggregate was made from raw concrete where ASR occurred, after that recycled concrete was manufactured using this aggregate. After this, ASR tests were conducted again for the recycled concrete. In addition, we examined whether recycled concrete using aggregates with properties improved by using the previously reported carbonation technique could be an ASR countermeasure technology. As a result, it was found that the recycled concrete using the ASR-generated raw concrete as aggregate can suppress ASR by using recurring ASR aggregate treated by carbonation technology

Universal Texture of Quark and Lepton Mass Matrices

Against the conventional picture that the mass matrix forms in the quark sectors will take somewhat different structures from those in the lepton sectors, a possibility that all the mass matrices of quarks and leptons have the same form as in the neutrinos is investigated. For the lepton sectors, the model leads to a nearly bimaximal mixing with the prediction |U_{e3}|^2=m_e/2m_\mu=0.0024 and \tan^2\theta_{sol} \simeq m_{\nu 1}/m_{\nu 2}, and so on. For the quark sectors, it can lead to reasonable values of the CKM mixing matrix and masses: |V_{us}|\simeq \sqrt{m_d/m_s}, |V_{ub}| \simeq |V_{cb}|\sqrt{m_u/m_c}, |V_{td}| \simeq |V_{cb}|\cdot |V_{us}|, and so on.Comment: 9 pages, Latex, talk given at The 4th workshop on "Neutrino Oscillations and their Origin" (NOON2003) (Kanazawa, Japan, 10--14 Feb. 2002). To appear in the Proceeding