A 3-D Track-Finding Processor for the CMS Level-1 Muon Trigger

We report on the design and test results of a prototype processor for the CMS Level-1 trigger that performs 3-D track reconstruction and measurement from data recorded by the cathode strip chambers of the endcap muon system. The tracking algorithms are written in C++ using a class library we developed that facilitates automatic conversion to Verilog. The code is synthesized into firmware for field-programmable gate-arrays from the Xilinx Virtex-II series. A second-generation prototype has been developed and is currently under test. It performs regional track-finding in a 60 degree azimuthal sector and accepts 3 GB/s of input data synchronously with the 40 MHz beam crossing frequency. The latency of the track-finding algorithms is expected to be 250 ns, including geometrical alignment correction of incoming track segments and a final momentum assignment based on the muon trajectory in the non-uniform magnetic field in the CMS endcaps.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, proceedings for the conference on Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics, March 24-28 2003, La Jolla, Californi

AdS_4 x CP^3 superstring and D=3 N=6 superconformal symmetry

Motivated by the isomorphism between osp(4|6) superalgebra and D=3 N=6 superconformal algebra we consider the superstring action on the AdS_4 x CP^3 background parametrized by D=3 N=6 super-Poincare and CP^3 coordinates supplemented by the coordinates corresponoding to dilatation and superconformal generators. It is also discussed the relation between the degeneracy of fermionic equations of motion and the action kappa-invariance in the framework of the supercoset approach.Comment: revtex, 12 pages. Version accepted to Phys. Rev. D; v4 corrected misprints in Eqs.(65), (71); v5 corrected discussion of Z_4 grading on page

Fast electrochemical membrane actuator:Design, fabrication and preliminary testing

An actuator based on water electrolysis with a fast change of voltage polarity is presented. It demonstrates a new actuation principle allowing significant increase the operation frequency of the device due to fast termination of the produced gas. The actuator consists of a working chamber with metallic electrodes and supplying channels filled with an electrolyte. The chamber is formed in a layer of SU-8 and covered by a flexible polydimethylsiloxane membrane, which deforms as the pressure in the chamber increases. Design, fabrication procedure, and first tests of the actuator are described

Heavy quark potential in lattice QCD at finite temperature

Results of the study of lattice QCD with two flavors of nonperturbatively improved Wilson fermions at finite temperature are presented. The transition temperature for m_{\pi}/m_{\rho} \sim 0.8 and lattice spacing a \sim 0.12 fm is determined. A two-exponent ansatz is successfully applied to describe the heavy quark potential in the confinement phase.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, talk given at the 5th International Conference on Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum, Gargnano, Italy, 10-14 Sep 200