QCD Sum-Rule Bounds on the Light Quark Masses

QCD sum-rules are related to an integral of a hadronic spectral function, and hence must satisfy integral inequalities which follow from positivity of the spectral function. Development of these Holder inequalities and their application to the Laplace sum-rule for pions lead to a lower bound on the average of the non-strange 2 GeV light-quark masses in the MS-bar scheme.Comment: latex2e, 8 pages. Write-up of talk presented at MRST 200

Hoelder Inequalities and QCD Sum-Rule Bounds on the Masses of Light Quarks

QCD Laplace Sum-Rules must satisfy a fundamental Hoelder inequality if they are to consistently represent an integrated hadronic spectral function. The Laplace sum-rules of pion currents is shown to violate this inequality unless the $u$ and $d$ quark masses are sufficiently large, placing a lower bound on $m_u+m_d$, the SU(2)-invariant combination of the light-quark masses.Comment: 3 pages, latex, write-up of talk presented at DPF 200

Trailing Edge Unification via an Intermediate Pati-Salam Group

We demonstrate to two-loop order that an intermediate symmetrically embedded Pati-Salam $SU(2)_L \times SU(2)_R \times SU(4)$ level of symmetry is all that is necessary to accommodate empirical values of $\alpha(M_z), \alpha_s(M_z)$ and $\sin^2\theta_w(M_z)$ within a grand unification context but with a high (10^{14} GeV) intermediate mass scale and with a concomitant higher GUT scale.Comment: 7 pages, 4 embedded eps figur

Analysis of Exotic Hybrid eta pion, eta-prime pion Decays

Investigations of the mass and decays of the exotic hybrid are reviewed, including calculation of the pion1 to eta pion, eta-prime pion decay widths within the QCD sum rules technique. In this calculation, the recently-proposed eta, eta-prime quark mixing scheme is employed. The results indicate that the decay width Gamma(pion1 to eta pion) around 250 MeV is large compared with the decay width Gamma(pion1 to eta-prime pion) around 20 MeV. Inspired by these results, some phenomenological approaches are suggested to gain an understanding of the underlying mechanism of eta pion and eta-prime pion hybrid decays.Comment: 4 pages, talk presented at the 10th International Symposium on Meson-Nucleon Physics and the Structure of the Nucleon(MENU2004), Beijing, China, August 29 to September 4, 200

Implications of Hydrocarbon and Helium Gas Analyses of Springs from the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas

One hundred and three ground water samples (predominantly springs) were analyzed for headspace light hydrocarbon gases and helium. Four of the formations (Arkansas Novaculite, Bigfork Chert, Stanley Shale, and Womble) having the highest mean methane values are the only Ouachita Mountain facies to produce petroleum or exhibit marginally commercial production. This observation suggests that the mean methane values are useful as an indication of the relative hydrocarbon content of these formations Anomalous helium values are generally associated with mapped faults