518 research outputs found
Color-flavor locked strange matter and strangelets at finite temperature
It is possible that a system composed of up, down and strange quarks consists
the true ground state of nuclear matter at high densities and low temperatures.
This exotic plasma, called strange quark matter (SQM), seems to be even more
favorable energetically if quarks are in a superconducting state, the so-called
color-flavor locked state. Here are presented calculations made on the basis of
the MIT bag model considering the influence of finite temperature on the
allowed parameters characterizing the system for stability of bulk SQM (the
so-called stability windows) and also for strangelets, small lumps of SQM, both
in the color-flavor locking scenario. We compare these results with the
unpaired SQM and also briefly discuss some astrophysical implications of them.
Also, the issue of strangelet's electric charge is discussed. The effects of
dynamical screening, though important for non-paired SQM strangelets, are not
relevant when considering pairing among all three flavor and colors of quarks.Comment: 17 pp. 15 figs., to appear in Phys. Rev.
Trapping of strangelets in the geomagnetic field
Strangelets coming from the interstellar medium (ISM) are an interesting
target to experiments searching for evidence of this hypothetic state of
hadronic matter. We entertain the possibility of a {\it trapped} strangelet
population, quite analogous to ordinary nuclei and electron belts. For a
population of strangelets to be trapped by the geomagnetic field, these
incoming particles would have to fulfill certain conditions, namely having
magnetic rigidities above the geomagnetic cutoff and below a certain threshold
for adiabatic motion to hold. We show in this work that, for fully ionized
strangelets, there is a narrow window for stable trapping. An estimate of the
stationary population is presented and the dominant loss mechanisms discussed.
It is shown that the population would be substantially enhanced with respect to
the ISM flux (up to two orders of magnitude) due to quasi-stable trapping.Comment: 10 pp., 5 figure
New Colloidal Lithographic Nanopatterns Fabricated by Combining Pre-Heating and Reactive Ion Etching
We report a low-cost and simple method for fabrication of nonspherical colloidal lithographic nanopatterns with a long-range order by preheating and oxygen reactive ion etching of monolayer and double-layer polystyrene spheres. This strategy allows excellent control of size and morphology of the colloidal particles and expands the applications of the colloidal patterns as templates for preparing ordered functional nanostructure arrays. For the first time, various unique nanostructures with long-range order, including network structures with tunable neck length and width, hexagonal-shaped, and rectangular-shaped arrays as well as size tunable nanohole arrays, were fabricated by this route. Promising potentials of such unique periodic nanostructures in various fields, such as photonic crystals, catalysts, templates for deposition, and masks for etching, are naturally expected
Thermodynamic limit and semi--intensive quantities
The properties of statistical ensembles with abelian charges close to the
thermodynamic limit are discussed. The finite volume corrections to the
probability distributions and particle density moments are calculated. Results
are obtained for statistical ensembles with both exact and average charge
conservation. A new class of variables (semi--intensive variables) which differ
in the thermodynamic limit depending on how charge conservation is implemented
in the system is introduced. The thermodynamic limit behavior of these
variables is calculated through the next to leading order finite volume
corrections to the corresponding probability density distributions.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures In v2 figures are added and corresponding
editorial changes are done. Paper will be published in Journal of Physics
Ascending aortic aneurysm and aortic valve dysfunction in bicuspid aortic valve disease
BACKGROUND: The relationship of aortic valve dysfunction and ascending aortic aneurysm is unclear in adults with bicuspid aortic valve disease. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 134 consecutive out-patients (98 men, 36 women aged 43+/-18years) with bicuspid aortic valve disease. To investigate the relationship of ascending aortic aneurysm and aortic valve dysfunction we exclusively considered severe pathologies that required treatment by surgical or percutaneous intervention. RESULTS: Of 134 patients, 39 had aortic valve dysfunction without concomitant ascending aortic aneurysm which had been treated previously with isolated valve surgery or percutaneous valvuloplasty comprising 25 patients with aortic stenosis (19%) and 14 patients with aortic regurgitation (10%). Conversely, 26 patients had ascending aortic aneurysm which had been treated previously with aortic surgery (19%). Of these, ascending aortic aneurysm was associated with severe aortic stenosis in 13 patients and with severe aortic regurgitation in 7 patients, whereas aneurysm was unrelated to severe aortic valve dysfunction in the remaining 6 patients including 2 without any degree of aortic valve dysfunction. The maximal aortic diameters were similar at the time of aortic surgery irrespective of presence of severe aortic valve dysfunction (P=.527). Other characteristics of patients with ascending aortic aneurysm were also similar irrespective of presence or type of aortic valve dysfunction. CONCLUSION: The majority of patients with bicuspid aortic valve disease exhibit ascending aortic aneurysm in conjunction with severe aortic valve dysfunction. However, in our study 6 of 134 (5%) of persons with bicuspid aortic valve disease developed ascending aortic aneurysm without aortic valve dysfunction
Multiplicity Distributions in Canonical and Microcanonical Statistical Ensembles
The aim of this paper is to introduce a new technique for calculation of
observables, in particular multiplicity distributions, in various statistical
ensembles at finite volume. The method is based on Fourier analysis of the
grand canonical partition function. Taylor expansion of the generating function
is used to separate contributions to the partition function in their power in
volume. We employ Laplace's asymptotic expansion to show that any equilibrium
distribution of multiplicity, charge, energy, etc. tends to a multivariate
normal distribution in the thermodynamic limit. Gram-Charlier expansion allows
additionally for calculation of finite volume corrections. Analytical formulas
are presented for inclusion of resonance decay and finite acceptance effects
directly into the system partition function. This paper consolidates and
extends previously published results of current investigation into properties
of statistical ensembles.Comment: 53 pages, 7 figure
Bose-Einstein correlations of pion pairs in central Pb+Pb collisions at CERN SPS energies
Measurements of Bose-Einstein correlations of pion pairs in central Pb+Pb
collisions were performed with the NA49 detector at the CERN SPS for beam
energies of 20A, 30A, 40A, 80A, and 158A GeV. Correlation functions were
measured in the longitudinally co-moving ``out-side-long'' reference frame as a
function of rapidity and transverse momentum in the forward hemisphere of the
reaction. Radius and correlation strength parameters were obtained from fits of
a Gaussian parametrization. The results show a decrease of the radius
parameters with increasing transverse momentum characteristic of strong radial
flow in the pion source. No striking dependence on pion-pair rapidity or beam
energy is observed. Static and dynamic properties of the pion source are
obtained from simultaneous fits with a blast-wave model to radius parameters
and midrapidity transverse momentum spectra. Predictions of hydrodynamic and
microscopic models of Pb+Pb collisions are discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 23 figure
Measurement of event-by-event transverse momentum and multiplicity fluctuations using strongly intensive measures and in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron
Results from the NA49 experiment at the CERN SPS are presented on
event-by-event transverse momentum and multiplicity fluctuations of charged
particles, produced at forward rapidities in central Pb+Pb interactions at beam
momenta 20, 30, 40, 80, and 158 GeV/c, as well as in systems of
different size (, C+C, Si+Si, and Pb+Pb) at 158 GeV/c. This publication
extends the previous NA49 measurements of the strongly intensive measure
by a study of the recently proposed strongly intensive measures of
fluctuations and . In the explored kinematic
region transverse momentum and multiplicity fluctuations show no significant
energy dependence in the SPS energy range. However, a remarkable system size
dependence is observed for both and , with the
largest values measured in peripheral Pb+Pb interactions. The results are
compared with NA61/SHINE measurements in collisions, as well as with
predictions of the UrQMD and EPOS models.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, to be submitted to PR
High p_T Spectra of Identified Particles Produced in Pb+Pb Collisions at 158A GeV Beam Energy
Results of the NA49 collaboration on the production of hadrons with large
transverse momentum in Pb+Pb collisions at 158A GeV beam energy are presented.
A range up to p_T = 4 GeV/c is covered. The nuclear modification factor R_CP is
extracted for pions, kaons and protons, and the baryon to meson ratios p/pi+,
pbar/pi- and Lambda/K^0_s are studied. All results are compared to other
measurements at SPS and RHIC and to theoretical calculations.Comment: Submitted to J. Phys. G (Proceedings of the 9th International
Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter, Los Angeles, USA, March 26-31,
2006). 5 pages, 3 figure
Strangeness production at SPS energies
We present a summary of measurements of strange particles performed by the
experiment NA49 in central and minimum bias Pb+Pb collisions in the beam energy
range 20A - 158A GeV. New results on Xi production in central Pb+Pb collisions
and on Lambda, Xi production in minimum bias collisions are shown. Transverse
mass spectra and rapidity distributions of strange particles at different
energies are compared. The energy dependence of the particle yields and ratios
is discussed. NA49 measurements of the Lambda and Xi enhancement factors are
shown for the first time.Comment: Submitted to J. Phys. G (Proceedings of the 9th International
Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter, Los Angeles, USA, March 26-31,
2006). 9 pages, 9 figure
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