Stable quark stars beyond neutran stars : can they account for the missing matter ?

The structure of a spherically symmetric stable dark 'star' is discussed, at zero temperature, containing 1) a core of quarks in the deconfined phase and antileptons 2) a shell of hadrons in particular $n$, $p$, $\Lambda$ and $\Sigma^-$ and leptons or antileptons and 3) a shell of hydrogen in the superfluid phase. If the superfluid hydrogen phase goes over into the electromagnetic plasma phase at densities well below one atom / $(10 fm)^{3}$, as is usually assumed, the hydrogen shell is insignificant for the mass and the radius of the 'star'. These quantities are then determined approximatively : mass = 1.8 solar masses and radius = 9.2 km. On the contrary if densities of the order of one atom / $(10 fm)^{3}$ do form a stable hydrogen superfluid phase, we find a large range of possible masses from 1.8 to 375 solar masses. The radii vary accordingly from 9 to 1200 km.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, contribution to Strange Quark Matter conference, Frankfurt, Germany, Sept. 200

Hadronic centrality dependence in nuclear collisions

The kaon number density in nucleus+nucleus and p+p reactions is investigated for the first time as a function of the initial energy density $\epsilon$ and is found to exhibit a discontinuity around $\epsilon$=1.3 GeV/fm$^3$. This suggests a higher degree of chemical equilibrium for $\epsilon >$ 1.3 GeV/fm$^3$. It can also be interpreted as reflection of the same discontinuity, appearing in the chemical freeze out temperature (T) as a function of $\epsilon$. The $N^{\alpha \sim 1}$ dependence of (u,d,s) hadrons, whith N the number of participating nucleons, also indicates a high degree of chemical equilibrium and T saturation, reached at $\epsilon >$1.3 GeV/fm$^3$. Assuming that the intermediate mass region (IMR) dimuon enhancement seen by NA50 is due to open charm ($D \bar{D}$), the following observation can be made: a) Charm is not equilibrated. b) $J/\Psi/D \bar{D}$ suppression -unlike $J/\Psi/DY$- appears also in S+A collisions, above $\epsilon$ $\sim$1 GeV/fm$^3$. c) Both charm and strangeness show a discontinuity near the same $\epsilon$. d) $J/\Psi$ could be formed mainly through $c \bar{c}$ coalescence. e) The enhancement factors of hadrons with u,d,s,c quarks may be connected in a simple way to the mass gain of these particles if they are produced out of a quark gluon plasma (QGP). We discuss these results as possible evidence for the QCD phase transition occuring near $\epsilon \sim$1.3 GeV/fm$^3$.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, proceedings of Vth International Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter, 20-25 July 2000, Berkeley, California. To appear in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physic

Probing the QGP Phase Boundary with Thermal Properties of ϕ\phi Mesons

A novel attempt has been made to probe the QCD phase boundary by using the experimental data for transverse momenta of {\phi} mesons produced in nuclear collisions at AGS, SPS and RHIC energies. The data are confronted with simple thermodynamic expectations and lattice QCD results. The experimental data indicate a first-order phase transition, with a mixed phase stretching the energy density between \sim1 and 3.2 GeV/fm3 corresponding to SPS energies.Comment: 8-pages, 3-figs, Replaced with the published versio

Charm in nuclear reactions in sqrt(s)=17 and 19 GeV

Consequences resulting from the D Dbar excess derived indirectly by the NA50 experiment in S+U and Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt(s)=19, 17 GeV, relevant for the identification of the QCD phase transition in these collisions, are discussed. The dependence of open and closed charm yields in Pb+Pb collisions on the number of participating nucleons (N) indicates non thermal charm production and J/Psi dissociation, stronger than the absorption seen in any other elementary hadron. The J/Psi in central Pb+Pb collisions could originate dominantly from c cbar pair coalescence out of a hadronizing quark and gluon environment. Furthermore, the J/Psi appears to be suppressed in S+U collisions at sqrt(s)=19 GeV, as opposed to current interpretations. A significant change in the (J/Psi)/D Dbar ratio as well as in the number density of kaons is observed above energy density approx. 1 GeV/fm^3, suggesting a change of phase at this energy density, and underlining the importance of direct open charm measurements.Comment: (23 pages, 7 figures

Jet energy measurement with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The jet energy scale (JES) and its systematic uncertainty are determined for jets measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38 inverse pb. Jets are reconstructed with the anti-kt algorithm with distance parameters R=0.4 or R=0.6. Jet energy and angle corrections are determined from Monte Carlo simulations to calibrate jets with transverse momenta pt > 20 GeV and pseudorapidities eta 50 GeV after a dedicated correction for this effect. The JES is validated for jet transverse momenta up to 1 TeV to the level of a few percent using several in situ techniques by comparing a well-known reference such as the recoiling photon pt, the sum of the transverse momenta of tracks associated to the jet, or a system of low-pt jets recoiling against a high-pt jet. More sophisticated jet calibration schemes are presented based on calorimeter cell energy density weighting or hadronic properties of jets, providing an improved jet energy resolution and a reduced flavour dependence of the jet response. The JES systematic uncertainty determined from a combination of in situ techniques are consistent with the one derived from single hadron response measurements over a wide kinematic range. The nominal corrections and uncertainties are derived for isolated jets in an inclusive sample of high-pt jets

Mapping out the QCD phase transition in multiparticle production

We analyze multiparticle production in a thermal framework for 7 central nucleus nucleus collisions, $e^+$+ $e^-$ annihilation into hadrons on the Z resonance and 4 hadronic reactions (p+p and p+$\bar{p}$ with partial centrality selec tion), with center of mass energies ranging from $\sqrt{s}$= 2.6 GeV (per nucleon pair) to 1.8 TeV. Thermodynamic parameters at chemical freeze-out (temperature and baryon and strangeness fugacities) are obtained from appropriate fits, generally improving in quality for reactions subjected to centrality cuts. All systems with nonvanishing fugacities are extrapolated along trajectories of equal energy density, density and entropy density to zero fugacities. The so obtained temperatures extrapolated to zero fugacities as a function of initial energy density $\epsilon_{in}$ universally show a strong rise followed by a saturating limit of $T_{lim}$ = 155 $\pm$ 6 $\pm$ 20 MeV. We interpret this behaviour as mapping out the boundary between quark gluon plasma and hadronic phases. The ratio of strange antiquarks to light ones as a function of the initial energy density $\epsilon_{in}$ shows the same behaviour as the temperature, saturating at a value of 0.365 $\pm$ 0.033 $\pm$ 0.07. No distinctive feature of 'strangeness enhancement' is seen for heavy ion collisions relative to hadronic and leptonic reactions, when compared at the same initial energy density