A new way to detect the Higgs

We describe a new technique to look for evidence of the Higgs mechanism. The usual method involves seeking evidence for the Higgs boson either directly or via the indirect effect that a virtual Higgs boson would have on a variety of Standard Model parameters. The new technique looks for Higgs field effects that are predicted to reduce the masses of heavy particles when they are in the presence of other heavy particles.Comment: Presentation (by S. Reucroft) at TeV Particle Astrophysics II (Madison WI, 28-31 August 2006). To be published in J. Phys.: Conf. Se

On the limited amplitude resolution of multipixel Geiger-mode APDs

The limited number of active pixels in a Geiger-mode Avalanche Photodiode (G-APD) results not only in a non-linearity but also in an additional fluctuation of its response. Both these effects are taken into account to calculate the amplitude resolution of an ideal G-APD, which is shown to be finite. As one of the consequences, the energy resolution of a scintillation detector based on a G-APD is shown to be limited to some minimum value defined by the number of pixels in the G-APD.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Possible explanation for the tail of the cosmic ray spectrum

A re-examination of the energy cosmic ray spectrum above 1020 eV is presented. The overall data-base provides evidence, albeit still statistically limited, that non-nucleon primaries could be present at the end of the spectrum. In particular, the possible appearance of superheavy nuclei seldom discussed in the literature is analysed in detail.Facultad de Ciencias Exacta