Instanton Effects in QCD Sum Rules for the 0++0^{++} Hybrid

In this paper, we study instanton contributions to the correlator of the hybrid current $g\bar q \sigma_{\mu\nu}G^a_{\nu\mu}T^a q$. These contributions are then included in a QCD sum-rule analysis of the isoscalar $0^{++}$ hybrid mass. We find a mass at 1.83 GeV for the $(\bar uug+\bar ddg)/\sqrt{2}$ hybrid. However, for the $\bar ssg$ hybrid, we find the sum rules are unstable. We also study non-zero width effects, which affect the mass prediction. The mixing effects between these two states are studied and we find QCD sum rules support the existence of a flavor singlet hybrid with mass at around 1.9 GeV. Finally, we study the mixing effects between hybrid and glueball currents. The mixing between the $(\bar uug+\bar ddg)/\sqrt{2}$($\bar ssg$) and the glueball causes two states, one in the region 1.4-1.8 GeV(1.4-2.2 GeV), and the other in the range 1.8-2.2 GeV(2.2-2.6 GeV).Comment: 12 pages, revised versio

Design and implementation of wire tension measurement system for MWPCs used in the STAR iTPC upgrade

The STAR experiment at RHIC is planning to upgrade the Time Projection Chamber which lies at the heart of the detector. We have designed an instrument to measure the tension of the wires in the multi-wire proportional chambers (MWPCs) which will be used in the TPC upgrade. The wire tension measurement system causes the wires to vibrate and then it measures the fundamental frequency of the oscillation via a laser based optical platform. The platform can scan the entire wire plane, automatically, in a single run and obtain the wire tension on each wire with high precision. In this paper, the details about the measurement method and the system setup will be described. In addition, the test results for a prototype MWPC to be used in the STAR-iTPC upgrade will be presented.Comment: 6 pages, 10 figues, to appear in NIM

Generation of multiple plasmons in strontium niobates mediated by local field effects

Recently, an anomalous generation of multiple plasmons with large spectral weight transfer in the visible to ultraviolet range (energies below the band gap) has been experimentally observed in the insulating-like phase of oxygen-rich strontium niobium oxides (SrNbO$_{3+\delta}$). Here, we investigate the ground state and dielectric properties of SrNbO$_{3+\delta}$ as a function of $\delta$ by means of extensive first principle calculations. We find that in the random phase approximation by taking into account the local field effects (LFEs), our calculations are able to reproduce both the unconventional multiple generations of plasmons and spectral weight transfers, consistent with experimental data. Interestingly, these unconventional plasmons can be tuned by oxygen stoichiometry as well as microscopic superstructure. This unusual predominance of LFEs in this class of materials is ascribed to the strong electronic inhomogeneity and high polarizability and paves a new path to induce multiple plasmons in the untapped visible to ultraviolet ranges of insulating-like oxides