Proton-tetraneutron elastic scattering

We analyze the elastic scattering of protons on a 4n system. This was used as part of the detection technique of a recent experiment [1] to search for the 4n (tetraneutron) as a bound particle. We show that it is unlikely that this process alone could yield the events reported in ref. [1], unless the 4n has an anomalously large backward elastic scattering amplitude.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Center-of-mass effects on the quasi-hole spectroscopic factors in the 16O(e,e'p) reaction

The spectroscopic factors for the low-lying quasi-hole states observed in the 16O(e,e'p)15N reaction are reinvestigated with a variational Monte Carlo calculation for the structure of the initial and final nucleus. A computational error in a previous report is rectified. It is shown that a proper treatment of center-of-mass motion does not lead to a reduction of the spectroscopic factor for $p$-shell quasi-hole states, but rather to a 7% enhancement. This is in agreement with analytical results obtained in the harmonic oscillator model. The center-of-mass effect worsens the discrepancy between present theoretical models and the experimentally observed single-particle strength. We discuss the present status of this problem, including some other mechanisms that may be relevant in this respect.Comment: 14 pages, no figures, uses Revtex, to be published in Phys. Rev. C 58 (1998

Nucleon-Nucleon Scattering in a Harmonic Potential

The discrete energy-eigenvalues of two nucleons interacting with a finite-range nuclear force and confined to a harmonic potential are used to numerically reconstruct the free-space scattering phase shifts. The extracted phase shifts are compared to those obtained from the exact continuum scattering solution and agree within the uncertainties of the calculations. Our results suggest that it might be possible to determine the amplitudes for the scattering of complex systems, such as n-d, n-t or n-alpha, from the energy-eigenvalues confined to finite volumes using ab-initio bound-state techniques.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figure

The genetic architecture of petal number in Cardamine hirsuta

International audienceInvariant petal number is a characteristic of most flowers and is generally robust to genetic and environmental variation. We took advantage of the natural variation found in Cardamine hirsuta petal number to investigate the genetic basis of this trait in a case where robustness was lost during evolution. We used quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis to characterize the genetic architecture of petal number. Αverage petal number showed transgressive variation from zero to four petals in five C. hirsuta mapping populations, and this variation was highly heritable. We detected 15 QTL at which allelic variation affected petal number. The effects of these QTL were relatively small in comparison with alleles induced by mutagenesis, suggesting that natural selection may act to maintain petal number within its variable range below four. Petal number showed a temporal trend during plant ageing, as did sepal trichome number, and multi-trait QTL analysis revealed that these age-dependent traits share a common genetic basis. Our results demonstrate that petal number is determined by many genes of small effect, some of which are age-dependent, and suggests a mechanism of trait evolution via the release of cryptic variation

Stochastic variation in Cardamine hirsuta petal number

Background and Aims Floral development is remarkably robust in terms of the identity and number of floral organs in each whorl, whereas vegetative development can be quite plastic. This canalization of flower development prevents the phenotypic expression of cryptic genetic variation, even in fluctuating environments. A cruciform perianth with four petals is a hallmark of the Brassicaceae family, typified in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. However, variable petal loss is found in Cardamine hirsuta, a genetically tractable relative of A. thaliana. Cardamine hirsuta petal number varies in response to stochastic, genetic and environmental perturbations, which makes it an interesting model to study mechanisms of decanalization and the expression of cryptic variation. Methods Multitrait quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis in recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was used to identify whether the stochastic variation found in C. hirsuta petal number had a genetic basis. Key Results Stochastic variation (standard error of the average petal number) was found to be a heritable phenotype, and four QTL that influenced this trait were identified. The sensitivity to detect these QTL effects was increased by accounting for the effect of ageing on petal number variation. All QTL had significant effects on both average petal number and its standard error, indicating that these two traits share a common genetic basis. However, for some QTL, a degree of independence was found between the age of the flowers where allelic effects were significant for each trait. Conclusions Stochastic variation in C. hirsuta petal number has a genetic basis, and common QTL influence both average petal number and its standard error. Allelic variation at these QTL can, therefore, modify petal number in an age-specific manner via effects on the phenotypic mean and stochastic variation. These results are discussed in the context of trait evolution via a loss of robustness