65 research outputs found
Large enhancement of deuteron polarization with frequency modulated microwaves
We report a large enhancement of 1.7 in deuteron polarization up to values of
0.6 due to frequency modulation of the polarizing microwaves in a two liters
polarized target using the method of dynamic nuclear polarization. This target
was used during a deep inelastic polarized muon-deuteron scattering experiment
at CERN. Measurements of the electron paramagnetic resonance absorption spectra
show that frequency modulation gives rise to additional microwave absorption in
the spectral wings. Although these results are not understood theoretically,
they may provide a useful testing ground for the deeper understanding of
dynamic nuclear polarization.Comment: 10 pages, including the figures coming in uuencoded compressed tar
files in poltar.uu, which also brings cernart.sty and crna12.sty files neede
Probing eV-scale axions with CAST
We have searched for solar axions or other pseudoscalar particles that couple
to two photons by using the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) setup. Whereas we
previously have reported results from CAST with evacuated magnet bores (Phase
I), setting limits on lower mass axions, here we report results from CAST where
the magnet bores were filled with \hefour gas (Phase II) of variable pressure.
The introduction of gas generated a refractive photon mass , thereby
achieving the maximum possible conversion rate for those axion masses \ma that
match . With 160 different pressure settings we have scanned \ma up
to about 0.4 eV, taking approximately 2 h of data for each setting. From the
absence of excess X-rays when the magnet was pointing to the Sun, we set a
typical upper limit on the axion-photon coupling of \gag\lesssim 2.17\times
10^{-10} {\rm GeV}^{-1} at 95% CL for \ma \lesssim 0.4 eV, the exact result
depending on the pressure setting. The excluded parameter range covers
realistic axion models with a Peccei-Quinn scale in the neighborhood of GeV. Currently in the second part of CAST Phase II, we are
searching for axions with masses up to about 1.2 eV using \hethree as a buffer
gas.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures. Revised version of the paper after referee's
comments. Main changes on the gas sectio
Polarised quark distributions in the nucleon from semi-inclusive spin asymmetries
We present a measurement of semi-inclusive spin asymmetries for positively and negatively charged hadrons from deep inelastic scattering of polarised muons on polarised protons and deuterons in the range 1~GeV. Compared to our previous publication on this subject, with the new data the statistical errors have been reduced by nearly a factor of two. From these asymmetries and our inclusive spin asymmetries we determine the polarised quark distributions of valence quarks and non-strange sea quarks at =10~GeV. The polarised valence quark distribution, , is positive and the polarisation increases with . The polarised valence quark distribution, , is negative and the non-strange sea distribution, , is consistent with zero over the measured range of . We find for the first moments , and , where we assumed . We also determine for the first time the second moments of the valence distributions .We present a measurement of semi-inclusive spin asymmetries for positively and negatively charged hadrons from deep inelastic scattering of polarised muons on polarised protons and deuterons in the range 1 GeV. Compared to our previous publication on this subject, with the new data the statistical errors have been reduced by nearly a factor of two. From these asymmetries and our inclusive spin asymmetries we determine the polarised quark distributions of valence quarks and non-strange sea quarks at =10 GeV. The polarised valence quark distribution, , is positive and the polarisation increases with . The polarised valence quark distribution, , is negative and the non-strange sea distribution, , is consistent with zero over the measured range of . We find for the first moments , and , where we assumed . We also determine for the first time the second moments of the valence distributions .We present a measurement of semi-inclusive spin asymmetries for positively and negatively charged hadrons from deep inelastic scattering of polarised muons on polarised protons and deuterons in the range 1 GeV. Compared to our previous publication on this subject, with the new data the statistical errors have been reduced by nearly a factor of two. From these asymmetries and our inclusive spin asymmetries we determine the polarised quark distributions of valence quarks and non-strange sea quarks at =10 GeV. The polarised valence quark distribution, , is positive and the polarisation increases with . The polarised valence quark distribution, , is negative and the non-strange sea distribution, , is consistent with zero over the measured range of . We find for the first moments , and , where we assumed . We also determine for the first time the second moments of the valence distributions .We present a measurement of semi-inclusive spin asymmetries for positively and negatively charged hadrons from deep inelastic scattering of polarised muons on polarised protons and deuterons in the range 1 GeV. Compared to our previous publication on this subject, with the new data the statistical errors have been reduced by nearly a factor of two. From these asymmetries and our inclusive spin asymmetries we determine the polarised quark distributions of valence quarks and non-strange sea quarks at =10 GeV. The polarised valence quark distribution, , is positive and the polarisation increases with . The polarised valence quark distribution, , is negative and the non-strange sea distribution, , is consistent with zero over the measured range of . We find for the first moments , and , where we assumed . We also determine for the first time the second moments of the valence distributions .We present a measurement of semi-inclusive spin asymmetries for positively and negatively charged hadrons from deep inelastic scattering of polarised muons on polarised protons and deuterons in the range 1 GeV. Compared to our previous publication on this subject, with the new data the statistical errors have been reduced by nearly a factor of two. From these asymmetries and our inclusive spin asymmetries we determine the polarised quark distributions of valence quarks and non-strange sea quarks at =10 GeV. The polarised valence quark distribution, , is positive and the polarisation increases with . The polarised valence quark distribution, , is negative and the non-strange sea distribution, , is consistent with zero over the measured range of . We find for the first moments , and , where we assumed . We also determine for the first time the second moments of the valence distributions .We present a measurement of semi-inclusive spin asymmetries for positively and negatively charged hadrons from deep inelastic scattering of polarised muons on polarised protons and deuterons in the range 0.0031 GeV 2 . Compared to our previous publication on this subject, with the new data the statistical errors have been reduced by nearly a factor of two. From these asymmetries and our inclusive spin asymmetries we determine the polarised quark distributions of valence quarks and non-strange sea quarks at Q 2 =10 GeV 2 . The polarised u valence quark distribution, Îu v ( x ), is positive and the polarisation increases with x . The polarised d valence quark distribution, Îd v ( x ), is negative and the non-strange sea distribution, Î q Ì (x) , is consistent with zero over the measured range of x . We find for the first moments â« 0 1 Îu v (x) d x=0.77±0.10±0.08 , â« 0 1 Îd v (x) d x=â0.52±0.14±0.09 and â« 0 1 Î q Ì (x) d x=0.01±0.04±0.03 , where we assumed Î u Ì (x)=Î d Ì (x) . We also determine for the first time the second moments of the valence distributions â« 0 1 xÎq v (x) d x
Mendelian randomization analysis does not support causal associations of birth weight with hypertension risk and blood pressure in adulthood
Epidemiology studies suggested that low birthweight was associated with a higher risk of hypertension in later life. However, little is known about the causality of such associations. In our study, we evaluated the causal association of low birthweight with adulthood hypertension following a standard analytic protocol using the study-level data of 183,433 participants from 60 studies (CHARGE-BIG consortium), as well as that with blood pressure using publicly available summary-level genome-wide association data from EGG consortium of 153,781 participants, ICBP consortium and UK Biobank cohort together of 757,601 participants. We used seven SNPs as the instrumental variable in the study-level analysis and 47 SNPs in the summary-level analysis. In the study-level analyses, decreased birthweight was associated with a higher risk of hypertension in adults (the odds ratio per 1 standard deviation (SD) lower birthweight, 1.22; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.28), while no association was found between genetically instrumented birthweight and hypertension risk (instrumental odds ratio for causal effect per 1 SD lower birthweight, 0.97; 95% CI 0.68 to 1.41). Such results were consistent with that from the summary-level analyses, where the genetically determined low birthweight was not associated with blood pressure measurements either. One SD lower genetically determined birthweight was not associated with systolic blood pressure (ÎČ = â 0.76, 95% CI â 2.45 to 1.08 mmHg), 0.06 mmHg lower diastolic blood pressure (ÎČ = â 0.06, 95% CI â 0.93 to 0.87 mmHg), or pulse pressure (ÎČ = â 0.65, 95% CI â 1.38 to 0.69 mmHg, all p > 0.05). Our findings suggest that the inverse association of birthweight with hypertension risk from observational studies was not supported by large Mendelian randomization analyses
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