In-Medium Effects on Charmonium Production in Heavy-Ion Collisions

Charmonium production in heavy-ion collisions is investigated within a kinetic theory framework incorporating in-medium properties of open- and hidden-charm states in line with recent QCD lattice calculations. A continuously decreasing open-charm threshold across the phase boundary of hadronic and quark-gluon matter is found to have important implications for the equilibrium abundance of charmonium states. The survival of $J/\psi$ resonance states above the transition temperature enables their recreation also in the Quark-Gluon Plasma. Including effects of chemical and thermal off-equilibrium, we compare our model results to available experimental data at CERN-SPS and BNL-RHIC energies. In particular, earlier found discrepancies in the $\psi'/\psi$ ratio can be resolved.Comment: 4 pages RevTex including 4 eps-figures. v2: Minor modifications and clarifications, typos corrected, Fig. 4 update

Generation of high energy density by fs-laser-induced confined microexplosion

Confined microexplosion produced by a tightly focused fs-laser pulse inside transparent material proved to be an efficient and inexpensive method for achieving high energy density up to several MJ per cm3 in the laboratory table-top experiments. First studies already confirmed the generation of TPa-range pressure, the formation of novel super-dense material phases and revealed an unexpected phenomenon of spatial separation of ions with different masses in hot non-equilibrium plasma of confined microexplosion. In this paper, we show that the intense focused pulse propagation accompanied by a gradual increase of ionization nonlinearity changes the profile and spectrum of the pulse. We demonstrate that the motion of the ionization front in the direction opposite to the pulse propagation reduces the absorbed energy density. The voids in our experiments with fused silica produced by the microexplosion-generated pressure above Young's modulus indicate, however, that laser fluence up to 50 times above the ionization threshold is effectively absorbed in the bulk of the material. The analysis shows that the ion separation is enhanced in the non-ideal plasma of microexplosion. These findings open new avenues for the studies of high-pressure material transformations and warm dense matter conditions by confined microexplosion produced by intense fs-laser

Japanese multinationals: An evolutionary theory and some global political implications for the 1990's

Large Japanese multinationals producing manufactured goods are the source of much of the political friction Japan has with other countries. It is thus useful to understand these firms' strategic behavior and to predict some of the logical competitive and political economic consequences of the likely continuation, further implementation, and potential success of their strategies. Context is important, so I first examine the possible application of several theories of competitive behavior to the case of large Japanese multinational manufacturing firms. Further, this paper is part of a larger research effort, just beginning, that will examine the competitive dynamics and strategic evolution of these firms

Soft policies and hard competition: Government, industry, and user impacts on the development of Japan's software industry

The paper analyzes the development and structure of the Japan's software industry, focusing particular attention on the failure of government support policies to nurture an internationally competitive industry and the success of foreign software producers in the Japanese market. The research adopts an evolutionary approach to explain Japan's problems in building a competitive software industry except in games, challenging the validity of standard explanations such as cultural disadvantage and failure to adopt best practice. The pattern of development in the Japanese software industry results from strong user preference for customized software over packaged products. Large users develop highly customized software systems that reflect their unique organizational structures and operating advantages. Software is viewed as an input into the production process, rather than an output to be independently marketted. As such, the structure of the software reflects the administrative heritage of major industrial users as much as developments in computer technology. The tendency to emphasize customization favors intra-industry software advances over interindustry expansion. Moreover, high demand for customization combines with large variation in operating systems to fractionalize the industry and frustrate government support policies. Even though the Ministry of International Trade and Industry followed the same industry support model that proved so successful in manufacturing, an independent world class software industry has not developed. The preference for customization has also allowed foreign software producers to successfully pursue a hub and spoke strategy. Foreign producers have been able to expand their user base, thereby lowering unit cost and putting local software developers at a further disadvantage. The research suggests that this situation will continue