Exclusive photoproduction of quarkonium in proton-nucleus collisions at energies available at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

In this work we investigate the coherent photoproduction of psi(1S), psi(2S) and Upsilon (1S) states in the proton-nucleus collisions in the LHC energies. Predictions for the rapidity distributions are presented using the color dipole formalism and including saturation effects that are expected to be relevant at high energies. Calculations are done at the energy 5.02 TeV and also for the next LHC run at 8.8 TeV in proton-lead mode. Discussion is performed on the main theoretical uncertainties associated to the calculations.Comment: 05 pages, 5 figures. Version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Light vector meson photoproduction in hadron-hadron and nucleus-nucleus collisions at the energies available at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

In this work we analyse the theoretical uncertainties on the predictions for the photoproduction of light vector mesons in coherent pp, pA and AA collisions at the LHC energies using the color dipole approach. In particular, we present our predictions for the rapidity distribution for rh0 and phi photoproduction and perform an analysis on the uncertainties associated to the choice of vector meson wavefunctionand the phenomenological models for the dipole cross section. Comparison is done with the recent ALICE analysis on coherent production of rho at 2.76 TeV in PbPb collisions.Comment: 07 pages, 6 figures. Version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Diffractive dissociation in proton-nucleus collisions at collider energies

The cross section for the nuclear diffractive dissociation in proton-lead collisions at the LHC is estimated. Based on the current theoretical uncertainties for the single (target) diffactive cross section in hadron-hadron reactions one obtains sigma_SD(5.02 TeV) = 19.67 \pm 5.41 mb and sigma_SD(8.8 TeV) = 18.76 \pm 5.77 mb, respectively. The invariant mass M_X for the reaction pPb -> pX is also analyzed. Discussion is performed on the main theoretical uncertainties associated to the calculations.Comment: 04 pages, 2 figures. Final version to be published in European Physical Journal A - "Hadrons and Nuclei

Organising metabolic networks: cycles in flux distributions

Metabolic networks are among the most widely studied biological systems. The topology and interconnections of metabolic reactions have been well described for many species, but are not sufficient to understand how their activity is regulated in living organisms. The principles directing the dynamic organisation of reaction fluxes remain poorly understood. Cyclic structures are thought to play a central role in the homeostasis of biological systems and in their resilience to a changing environment. In this work, we investigate the role of fluxes of matter cycling in metabolic networks. First, we introduce a methodology for the computation of cyclic and acyclic fluxes in metabolic networks, adapted from an algorithm initially developed to study cyclic fluxes in trophic networks. Subsequently, we apply this methodology to the analysis of three metabolic systems, including the central metabolism of wild type and a deletion mutant of Escherichia coli, erythrocyte metabolism and the central metabolism of the bacterium Methylobacterium extorquens. The role of cycles in driving and maintaining the performance of metabolic functions upon perturbations is unveiled through these examples. This methodology may be used to further investigate the role of cycles in living organisms, their pro-activity and organisational invariance, leading to a better understanding of biological entailment and information processing

Renormalization of electron self-energies via their interaction with spin excitations: A first-principles investigation

Access to magnetic excitation spectra of single atoms deposited on surfaces is nowadays possible by means of low-temperature inelastic scanning tunneling spectroscopy. We present a first-principles method for the calculation of inelastic tunneling spectra utilizing the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green function method combined with time-dependent density functional theory and many-body perturbation theory. The key quantity is the electron self-energy describing the coupling of the electrons to the spin excitation within the adsorbate. By investigating Cr, Mn, Fe and Co adatoms on a Cu(111) substrate, we spin-characterize the spectra and demonstrate that their shapes are altered by the magnetization of the adatoms, of the tip and the orbital decay into vacuum. Our method also predicts spectral features more complex than the steps obtained by simpler models for the adsorbate (e.g., localized spin models)