103 research outputs found
Symmetry-breaking corrections to heavy-to-light B meson form factors at large recoil
Recently it has been shown that symmetries emerging in the heavy quark and
large recoil energy limit impose various relations on form factors that
parametrise the decay of B mesons into light mesons. These symmetries are
broken by perturbative effects. In this paper we discuss the structure of
heavy-to-light form factors including such effects and compute
symmetry-breaking corrections to first order in the strong coupling. As an
application of our results we consider the forward-backward asymmetry zero in
the rare decay B -> V l^+ l^- and the possibility to constrain potential new
physics contributions to the Wilson coefficient C_9.Comment: 30 pages, LaTeX (typos in eq. (44), (46) corrected
Phenomenology of eta-gamma and eta'-gamma transition form factors at large momentum transfer
I discuss the progress in our theoretical understanding of the eta-gamma and
eta'-gamma transition form factors, including the recent data from CLEO and L3
at large momentum transfer, Q^2. The experimental data above Q^2=1 GeV^2 can be
well described by the hard scattering approach if the distribution amplitudes
for eta and eta' mesons are taken close to the asymptotic one. Particular
attention is paid to the interpretation of the data in terms of properly
defined eta-eta' mixing parameters. I also comment on the use and misuse of
interpolation formulas for P-gamma and P-gamma^* transition form factors.Comment: 6 pages + 4 figures (using espcrc2.sty, feynmp.sty); Talk presented
at conference PHOTON'99, Freiburg, May 199
Star and protoplanetary disk properties in Orion's suburbs
(Note: this is a shortened version of the original "structured" A&A format
abstract.) We performed a large optical spectroscopic and photometric survey of
the Lynds~1630N and 1641 clouds. We provide a catalog of 132 confirmed young
stars in L1630N and 267 such objects in L1641. We identify 28 transition disk
systems, 20 of which were previously unknown, as well as 42 new transition disk
candidates for which we have broad-band photometry but no optical spectroscopy.
We estimate mass accretion rates M_acc from the equivalent widths of the
H_alpha, H_beta, and HeI 5876\AA emission lines, and find a dependence on
stellar mass of M_acc propto Mstar^alpha, with alpha~3.1 in the subsolar mass
range that we probe. An investigation of a large literature sample of mass
accretion rate estimates yields a similar slope of alpha~2.8 in the subsolar
regime, but a shallower slope of alpha~2.0 if the whole mass range of 0.04
M_sun-5 Msun is included. Among the transition disk objects, the fraction of
stars that show significant accretion activity is relatively low compared to
stars with still optically thick disks (26\pm11% vs. 57\pm6%, respectively).
However, those transition disks that do show significant accretion have the
same median accretion rate as normal optically thick disks of 3-4*10^{-9}
M_sun/yr. We find that the ages of the transition disks and the WTTSs without
disks are statistically indistinguishable, and both groups are significantly
older than the CTTSs. These results argue against disk-binary interaction or
gravitational instability as mechanisms causing a transition disk appearance.
Our observations indicate that disk lifetimes in the clustered population are
shorter than in the distributed population. We propose refined Halpha
equivalent width criteria to distinguish WTTSs from CTTSs.Comment: 52 pages, 16 tables, 29 figures. Accepted by A&A. Table numbering
error correcte
Optical absorption in the strong coupling limit of Eliashberg theory
We calculate the optical conductivity of superconductors in the
strong-coupling limit. In this anomalous limit the typical energy scale is set
by the coupling energy, and other energy scales such as the energy of the
bosons mediating the attraction are negligibly small. We find a universal
frequency dependence of the optical absorption which is dominated by bound
states and differs significantly from the weak coupling results. A comparison
with absorption spectra of superconductors with enhanced electron-phonon
coupling shows that typical features of the strong-coupling limit are already
present at intermediate coupling.Comment: 10 pages, revtex, 4 uuencoded figure
Timescale of Mass Accretion in Pre-Main-Sequence Stars
We present initial result of a large spectroscopic survey aimed at measuring
the timescale of mass accretion in young, pre-main-sequence stars in the
spectral type range K0 - M5. Using multi-object spectroscopy with VIMOS at the
VLT we identified the fraction of accreting stars in a number of young stellar
clusters and associations of ages between 1 - 50 Myr. The fraction of accreting
stars decreases from ~60% at 1.5 - 2 Myr to ~2% at 10 Myr. No accreting stars
are found after 10 Myr at a sensitivity limit of Msun yr-1. We
compared the fraction of stars showing ongoing accretion (f_acc) to the
fraction of stars with near-to-mid infrared excess (f_IRAC). In most cases we
find f_acc < f_IRAC, i.e., mass accretion appears to cease (or drop below
detectable level) earlier than the dust is dissipated in the inner disk. At 5
Myr, 95% of the stellar population has stopped accreting material at a rate of
> 10^{-11} Msun yr-1, while ~20% of the stars show near-infrared excess
emission. Assuming an exponential decay, we measure a mass accretion timescale
(t_acc) of 2.3 Myr, compared to a near-to-mid infrared excess timescale
(t_IRAC) of 2.9 Myr. Planet formation, and/or migration, in the inner disk
might be a viable mechanism to halt further accretion onto the central star on
such a short timescale.Comment: Accepted for publicatio
The vertex with arbitrary gluon virtualities in the perturbative QCD hard scattering approach
We study the vertex for arbitrary gluon virtualities in
the time-like and space-like regions, using the perturbative QCD hard
scattering approach and an input wave-function of the -meson
consistent with the measured transition form
factor. The contribution of the gluonic content of the -meson is
taken into account, enhancing the form factor over the entire virtuality
considered. However, data on the electromagnetic transition form factor of the
-meson is not sufficient to quantify the gluonic enhancement. We
also study the effect of the transverse momenta of the partons in the
-meson on the vertex, using the modified
hard scattering approach based on Sudakov formalism. Analytic expressions for
the vertex are presented in limiting kinematic regions
and parametrizations are given satisfying the QCD anomaly, for real gluons, and
perturbative QCD behavior for large gluon virtualities, in both the time-like
and space-like regions. Our results have implications for the inclusive decay
and exclusive decays, such as , and in hadronic production processes .Comment: 23 pages, 19 figures (requires revtex4, amssymb, epsf); several typos
corrected, this version now identical to the one accepted for publication in
Phys. Rev.
Kinetic Energy, Condensation Energy, Optical Sum Rule and Pairing Mechanism in High-Tc Cuprates
The mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity is investigated with interests on
the microscopic aspects of the condensation energy. The theoretical analysis is
performed on the basis of the FLEX approximation which is a microscopic
description of the spin-fluctuation-induced-superconductivity. Most of phase
transitions in strongly correlated electron system arise from the correlation
energy which is copmetitive to the kinetic energy. However, we show that the
kinetic energy cooperatively induces the superconductivity in the underdoped
region. This unusual decrease of kinetic energy below T_c is induced by the
feedback effect. The feedback effect induces the magnetic resonance mode as
well as the kink in the electronic dispersion, and alters the properties of
quasi-particles, such as mass renormalization and lifetime. The crossover from
BCS behavior to this unusual behavior occurs for hole dopings. On the other
hand, the decrease of kinetic energy below T_c does not occur in the
electron-doped region. We discuss the relation to the recent obserbation of the
violation of optical sum rule
Revisiting in vivo staining with alizarin red S - a valuable approach to analyse zebrafish skeletal mineralization during development and regeneration
Background
The correct evaluation of mineralization is fundamental for the study of skeletal development, maintenance, and regeneration. Current methods to visualize mineralized tissue in zebrafish rely on: 1) fixed specimens; 2) radiographic and μCT techniques, that are ultimately limited in resolution; or 3) vital stains with fluorochromes that are indistinguishable from the signal of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labelled cells. Alizarin compounds, either in the form of alizarin red S (ARS) or alizarin complexone (ALC), have long been used to stain the mineralized skeleton in fixed specimens from all vertebrate groups. Recent works have used ARS vital staining in zebrafish and medaka, yet not based on consistent protocols. There is a fundamental concern on whether ARS vital staining, achieved by adding ARS to the water, can affect bone formation in juvenile and adult zebrafish, as ARS has been shown to inhibit skeletal growth and mineralization in mammals.
Results
Here we present a protocol for vital staining of mineralized structures in zebrafish with a low ARS concentration that does not affect bone mineralization, even after repetitive ARS staining events, as confirmed by careful imaging under fluorescent light. Early and late stages of bone development are equally unaffected by this vital staining protocol. From all tested concentrations, 0.01Â % ARS yielded correct detection of bone calcium deposits without inducing additional stress to fish.
Conclusions
The proposed ARS vital staining protocol can be combined with GFP fluorescence associated with skeletal tissues and thus represents a powerful tool for in vivo monitoring of mineralized structures. We provide examples from wild type and transgenic GFP-expressing zebrafish, for endoskeletal development and dermal fin ray regeneration
RNA localization in neurite morphogenesis and synaptic regulation: current evidence and novel approaches
It is now generally accepted that RNA localization in the central nervous system conveys important roles both during development and in the adult brain. Of special interest is protein synthesis located at the synapse, as this potentially confers selective synaptic modification and has been implicated in the establishment of memories. However, the underlying molecular events are largely unknown. In this review, we will first discuss novel findings that highlight the role of RNA localization in neurons. We will focus on the role of RNA localization in neurotrophin signaling, axon outgrowth, dendrite and dendritic spine morphogenesis as well as in synaptic plasticity. Second, we will briefly present recent work on the role of microRNAs in translational control in dendrites and its implications for learning and memory. Finally, we discuss recent approaches to visualize RNAs in living cells and their employment for studying RNA trafficking in neurons
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