2,520 research outputs found
Results from RHIC with Implications for LHC
Results from the PHENIX experiment at RHIC in p-p and Au+Au collisions are
reviewed from the perspective of measurements in p-p collisions at the CERN-ISR
which serve as a basis for many of the techniques used. Issues such as J/Psi
suppression and hydrodynamical flow in A+A collisions require data from
LHC-Ions for an improved understanding. Suppression of high pT particles in
Au+Au collisions, first observed at RHIC, also has unresolved mysteries such as
the equality of the suppression of inclusive pi0 (from light quarks and gluons)
and direct-single electrons (from the decay of heavy quarks) in the transverse
momentum range 4< pT < 9 GeV/c. This disfavors a radiative explanation of
suppression and leads to a fundamental question of whether the Higgs boson
gives mass to fermions. Observation of an exponential distribution of direct
photons in central Au+Au collisions for 1< pT <2 GeV/c where hard-processes are
negligible and with no similar exponential distribution in p-p collisions
indicates thermal photon emission from the medium at RHIC, making PHENIX at the
moment ``the hottest experiment in Physics''.Comment: Invited lectures at the International School of Subnuclear Physics,
47th Course, "The most unexpected at LHC and the status of High Energy
Frontier'', Erice, Sicily, Italy, August 29-September 7. 2009. 32 pages, 22
figure
Debye screening in strongly coupled N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills plasma
Using the AdS/CFT correspondence, we examine the behavior of correlators of
Polyakov loops and other operators in N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory at
non-zero temperature. The implications for Debye screening in this strongly
coupled non-Abelian plasma, and comparisons with available results for thermal
QCD, are discussed.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures, significantly expanded discussion of Polyakov
loop correlator and static quark-antiquark potentia
A fundamental test of the Higgs Yukawa coupling at RHIC in A+A collisions
Searches for the intermediate boson, , the heavy quantum of the Weak
Interaction, via its semi-leptonic decay, , in the 1970's instead
discovered unexpectedly large hadron production at high , notably ,
which provided a huge background of from internal and external
conversions. Methods developed at the CERN ISR which led to the discovery of
direct-single- in 1974, later determined to be from the semi-leptonic
decay of charm which had not yet been discovered, were used by PHENIX at RHIC
to make precision measurements of heavy quark production in p-p and Au+Au
collisions, leading to the puzzle of apparent equal suppression of light and
heavy quarks in the QGP. If the Higgs mechanism gives mass to gauge bosons but
not to fermions, then a proposal that all 6 quarks are nearly massless in a
QGP, which would resolve the puzzle, can not be excluded. This proposal can be
tested with future measurements of heavy quark correlations in A+A collisionsComment: 12 pages, 16 figures, 26th Winter Workshop on Nuclear Dynamics, Ocho
Rios, Jamaica WI, January 2-9, 2010. Corrected citation of 1974 direct single
lepton discover
Serum Metabolomics in a Helicobacter hepaticus Mouse Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Reveal Important Changes in the Microbiome, Serum Peptides, and Intermediary Metabolism
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disorder of the bowel. The etiology remains unknown, but IBD is immune-driven and multiple factors including genetic, environmental, and microbiological components play a role. Recombinase-activating gene-2-deficient (Rag2–/–) mice infected with Helicobacter hepaticus (H. hepaticus) have been developed as an animal model to imitate naturally occurring inflammatory events and associated key features of chronic inflammatory responses in humans. In this study, we have combined mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and peptidomics to analyze serum samples of Rag2–/– mice infected with H. hepaticus. Metabolomics profiling revealed that H. hepaticus infection dramatically changed numerous metabolite pathways, including tryptophan metabolism, glycerophospholipids, methionine-homocysteine cycle, citrate cycle, fatty acid metabolism and purine metabolism, with the majority of metabolites being down-regulated. In particular, there were notable effects of gut microflora on the blood metabolites in infected animals. In addition, the peptidomics approach identified a number of peptides, originating from proteins, including fibrinogen, complement C4, and alpha-2-macroglobulin, with diverse biological functions with potentially important implications for the progress of IBD. In summary, the strategy of integrating a relevant animal model and sensitive mass spectrometry-based profiling may offer a new perspective to explore biomarkers and provide mechanistic insights into IBD.National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences, NIEHS grant (Grant No. ES002109))Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT-Merck Fellowship
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 and
is found to exhibit a discontinuity around =1.3 GeV/fm. This
suggests a higher degree of chemical equilibrium for
1.3 GeV/fm. It can also be interpreted as reflection of the same
discontinuity, appearing in the chemical freeze out temperature (T) as a
function of . The 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 1.3 GeV/fm.
Assuming that the intermediate mass region (IMR) dimuon enhancement seen by
NA50 is due to open charm (), the following observation can be made:
a) Charm is not equilibrated. b) suppression -unlike
- appears also in S+A collisions, above 1
GeV/fm. c) Both charm and strangeness show a discontinuity near the same
. d) could be formed mainly through 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 1.3 GeV/fm.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
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