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

Search for chargino-neutralino production in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

We present the results of a search for associated production of the chargino and neutralino supersymmetric particles using up to 1.1 fb-1 of integrated luminosity collected by the CDF II experiment at the Tevatron ppbar collider at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The search is conducted by analyzing events with a large transverse momentum imbalance and either three charged leptons or two charged leptons of the same electric charge. The numbers of observed events are found to be consistent with standard model expectations. Upper limits on the production cross section are derived in different theoretical models. In one of these models a lower limit on the mass of the chargino is set at 129 GeV/c^2 at the 95% confidence level.Comment: To be submitted to Phys.Rev.Let

Search for charged Higgs bosons in decays of top quarks in p-pbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

7 pages, 2 figuresWe report the recent charged Higgs search in top quark decays in 2.2/fb CDF data. This is the first attempt to search for charged Higgs using fully reconstructed mass assuming H->c-sbar in small tan beta region. No evidence of a charged Higgs is observed in the CDF data, hence 95% upper limits are placed at B(t->H+b)We report on the first direct search for charged Higgs bosons decaying into cs̅ in tt̅ events produced by pp̅ collisions at √s=1.96  TeV. The search uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.2  fb-1 collected by the CDF II detector at Fermilab and looks for a resonance in the invariant mass distribution of two jets in the lepton+jets sample of tt̅ candidates. We observe no evidence of charged Higgs bosons in top quark decays. Hence, 95% upper limits on the top quark decay branching ratio are placed at B(t→H+b)< 0.1 to 0.3 for charged Higgs boson masses of 60 to 150  GeV/c2 assuming B(H+→cs̅ )=1.0. The upper limits on B(t→H+b) are also used as model-independent limits on the decay branching ratio of top quarks to generic scalar charged bosons beyond the standard model.Peer reviewe

A comparative study of secondary ion yield from model biological membranes using Aun+ and C60+ primary ion sources

Aun+ and C60+ primary ion sources have been used to acquire spectra from phospholipids, symmetric liposomes and asymmetric liposomes. We demonstrate that when using different ion beams different chemical information can be obtained. Symmetric and asymmetric liposomes, with 95% asymmetry, were produced and analysed with Au+, Au3+ and C60+ primary ion beams. C60+ gave the greatest yield from the symmetric liposome but after correcting for the yield effects on the data obtained from the asymmetric liposome it has been shown that C60+ is the most surface sensitive, providing the least information from the inner leaflet of the liposome. Aun+ provides the greatest amount of information from the inner leaflet. The results present the possibility of designing ToF-SIMS experiments that selectively probe specific regions of a (bio)molecular surface

ToF-SIMS PC-DFA analysis of prostate cancer cell lines

Three closely related cancer cell lines have been analysed with ToF-SIMS using a C60+ primary ion beam. Principal component-discriminant function analysis (PC-DFA) has been applied for spectral classification. Various spectral pre-processing methods are discussed and assessed for optimum discrimination of this data set. The sum-normalised PC-DFA spectral model produced sensitivities as high as 83.3% and specificities as high as 100% at the 99% confidence limit. At this confidence limit only one errant spectrum was misclassified. The resulting loadings plots suggest that a range of lipid and amino-acid related signals are responsible for the cell line discrimination