Method of measurements with random perturbation: Application in photoemission experiments

We report an application of a simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA) algorithm to filtering systematic noise (SN) with non-zero mean value in photoemission data. In our analysis we have used a series of 50 single-scan photoemission spectra of W(110) surface where randomly chosen SN was added. It was found that the SPSA-evaluated spectrum is in good agreement with the spectrum measured without SN. On the basis of our results a wide application of SPSA for evaluation of experimental data is anticipated.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Use of the macrocyclic ligand cucurbit[6]uril for isolation of tetranuclear lanthanide aquahydroxo-carboxylate complexes from aqueous solutions

The tetranuclear lanthanide complexes {[Ln4(μ3-OH) 4(μ2-OH)2(C5NH 4COO)2 (H2O)4-(C36H 36N24O12)2][Ln(H2O) 8]1.5[Ln(H2O)6(NO3) 2]0.5} (NO3)9•nH2O (Ln = Ho, Gd, or Er) were prepared by heating (130 °C) aqueous solutions of lanthanide nitrates, cucurbit[6]uril (C36H36N 24O12), and 4-cyanopyridine. The tetradentate coordination of the macrocyclic cucurbit[6]uril ligands through the portals leads to the formation of sandwich compounds, in which the tetranuclear hydroxo complex is located between two macrocyclic molecules. The polynuclear complexes are additionally stabilized by the chelating effect of the isonicotinate ligands generated by hydrolysis of 4-cyanopyridine. In the complexes, the aromatic moiety of the isonicotinate ion is encapsulated into the hydrophobic inner cavity of cucurbit[6]uril. In the absence of cucurbit[6]uril, the reaction with 4-cyanopyridine produces only the polymeric complexes [Nd(C5NH 4COO)3(H2O)2] and [Ln(C 5NH4COO)2(H2O)4]NO 3 (Ln = Pr, Sm, or Gd), whose structures were established by X-ray diffraction. In water and aqueous solutions of nonionic and cationic surfactants, irreversible changes of the tetranuclear fragment of the complex (Ln = Gd) were observed after storage for two days, whereas the anionic surfactant stabilizes the complexes. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc

Study of Spin and Decay-Plane Correlations of W Bosons in the e+e- -> W+W- Process at LEP

Data collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies \sqrt(s) = 189 - 209 GeV are used to study correlations of the spin of W bosons using e+e- -> W+W- -> lnqq~ events. Spin correlations are favoured by data, and found to agree with the Standard Model predictions. In addition, correlations between the W-boson decay planes are studied in e+e- -> W+W- -> lnqq~ and e+e- -> W+W- -> qq~qq~ events. Decay-plane correlations, consistent with zero and with the Standard Model predictions, are measured

Ultrarelativistic sources in nonlinear electrodynamics

The fields of rapidly moving sources are studied within nonlinear electrodynamics by boosting the fields of sources at rest. As a consequence of the ultrarelativistic limit the delta-like electromagnetic shock waves are found. The character of the field within the shock depends on the theory of nonlinear electrodynamics considered. In particular, we obtain the field of an ultrarelativistic charge in the Born-Infeld theory.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Measurement of the Cross Section for Open-Beauty Production in Photon-Photon Collisions at LEP

The cross section for open-beauty production in photon-photon collisions is measured using the whole high-energy and high-luminosity data sample collected by the L3 detector at LEP. This corresponds to 627/pb of integrated luminosity for electron-positron centre-of-mass energies from 189GeV to 209GeV. Events containing b quarks are identified through their semi-leptonic decay into electrons or muons. The e+e- -> e+e-b b~X cross section is measured within our fiducial volume and then extrapolated to the full phase space. These results are found to be in significant excess with respect to Monte Carlo predictions and next-to-leading order QCD calculations

Search for Branons at LEP

We search, in the context of extra-dimension scenarios, for the possible existence of brane fluctuations, called branons. Events with a single photon or a single Z-boson and missing energy and momentum collected with the L3 detector in e^+ e^- collisions at centre-of-mass energies sqrt{s}=189-209$ GeV are analysed. No excess over the Standard Model expectations is found and a lower limit at 95% confidence level of 103 GeV is derived for the mass of branons, for a scenario with small brane tensions. Alternatively, under the assumption of a light branon, brane tensions below 180 GeV are excluded

Search for Heavy Isosinglet Neutrino in e+e- Annihilation at LEP

We report on a search for the first generation heavy neutrino that is an isosinglet under the standard SU(2)_L gauge group. The data collected with the L3 detector at center-of-mass energies between 130 GeV and 208 GeV are used.The decay channel N_e --> eW is investigated and no evidence is found for a heavy neutrino, N_e, in a mass range between 80 GeV and 205 GeV. Upper limits on the mixing parameter between the heavy and light neutrino are derived

Measurement of Exclusive rho^0 rho^0 Production in Two-Photon Collisions at High Q^2 at LEP

Exclusive rho rho production in two-photon collisions involving a single highly virtual photon is studied with data collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies 89GeV < \sqrt{s} < 209GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 854.7pb^-1 The cross section of the process gamma gamma^* -> rho rho is determined as a function of the photon virtuality, Q^2 and the two-photon centre-of-mass energy, Wgg, in the kinematic region: 1.2GeV^2 < Q^2 < 30GeV^2 and 1.1GeV < Wgg < 3GeV

Search for a Higgs Boson Decaying into Two Photons at LEP

A Higgs particle produced in association with a Z boson and decaying into two photons is searched for in the data collected by the L3 experiment at LEP. All possible decay modes of the Z boson are investigated. No signal is observed in 447.5 pb^-1 of data recorded at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV. Limits on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson decay into two photons as a function of the Higgs mass are derived. A lower limit on the mass of a fermiophobic Higgs boson is set at 105.4 GeV at 95% confidence level

Direct Observation of Longitudinally Polarised W Bosons

The three different helicity states of W bosons, produced in the reaction e+e- -> W+W- -> l nu q q~ are studied using leptonic and hadronic W decays at sqrt{s}=183GeV and 189GeV. The W polarisation is also measured as a function of the scattering angle between the W- and the direction of the e- beam. The analysis demonstrates that W bosons are produced with all three helicities, the longitudinal and the two transverse states. Combining the results from the two center-of-mass energies and with leptonic and hadronic W decays, the fraction of longitudinally polarised W bosons is measured to be 0.261 +/- 0.051(stat.) +/- 0.016(syst.) in agreement with the expectation from the Standard Model