Directional detection of Dark Matter

Among the many experimental techniques available, those providing directional information have the potential of yielding an unambiguous observation of WIMPs even in the presence of insidious backgrounds. A measurement of the distribution of arrival direction of WIMPs can also discriminate between Galactic Dark Matter halo models. In this article, I will discuss the motivation for directional detectors and review the experimental techniques used by the various experiments. I will then describe one of them, the DMTPC detector, in more detail.Comment: 17 pages, 11 postscript figures, mini-review submitted to Modern Physics Letters A (MPLA). Submitted to Modern Physics Letters A (MPLA

Gaseous Dark Matter Detectors

Dark Matter detectors with directional sensitivity have the potential of yielding an unambiguous positive observation of WIMPs as well as discriminating between galactic Dark Matter halo models. In this article, we introduce the motivation for directional detectors, discuss the experimental techniques that make directional detection possible, and review the status of the experimental effort in this field.Comment: 19 pages, review on gaseous directional dark matter detectors submitted to New Journal of Physic

One-dimensional fermionic systems after interaction quenches and their description by bosonic field theories

We show that the dynamics of quenches in one dimension far off equilibrium can be described by power laws, but with exponents differing from the fully renormalized ones at lowest energies. Instead they depend on the initial state and its excitation energy. Furthermore, we found that for quenches to strong interactions unexpected similarities between systems in one and in infinite dimensions occur, indicating the dominance of local processes.Comment: This is a distinctly revised version which is focussed on the description of the dynamics by bosonization technique

Beyond CP violation: hadronic physics at BaBar

I report on recent studies of hadronic physics performed by the BaBar Collaboration. Emphasis is given to the measurement of the properties of newly discovered charmed hadrons and to the searches for light and heavy pentaquarks.Comment: 14 pages, 20 postscript figues, contributed to the Proceedings of the First APS Topical Group Meeting on Hadron Physics, Fermilab, Batavia, IL (October 24-26, 2004