Bottomonia in the Quark-Gluon Plasma and their Production at RHIC and LHC

We study the production of bottomonium states in heavy-ion reactions at collider energies available at RHIC and LHC. We employ an earlier constructed rate equation approach which accounts for both suppression and regeneration mechanisms in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) and hadronization phases of the evolving thermal medium. Our previous predictions utilizing two limiting cases of strong and weak bottomonium binding in the QGP are updated by (i) checking the compatibility of the pertinent spectral functions with lattice-QCD results for euclidean correlators, (ii) adapting the initial conditions of the rate equation by updating bottom-related input cross sections and the charged-particle multiplicity of the fireball, and (iii) converting our calculations into observables as recently measured by the STAR and CMS experiments. Our main findings are a preference for strong $\Upsilon$ binding as well as a significant regeneration component at the LHC.Comment: 12 pages, 25 figure

PHENIX first measurement of the J/psi elliptic flow parameter v2 in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 200 GeV

Recent results indicate that the J/psi suppression pattern differs with rapidity showing a larger suppression at forward rapidity. J/psi suppression mechanisms based on energy density (such as color screening, interaction with co-movers, etc.) predict the opposite trend. On the other hand, it is expected that more c\bar{c} pairs should be available to form quarkonia at mid-rapidity via recombination. Some models provide a way to differentiate J/psi production from initially produced c\bar{c} pairs and final state recombination of uncorrelated pairs, via the rapidity and transverse momentum dependence of the elliptic flow (v2). During 2007 data taking at RHIC, a large sample of Au+Au collisions at sqrt(sNN)=200 GeV was collected. The statistics has been increased compared to previous 2004 data set, thus allowing a more precise measurement of the J/psi production at both mid and forward rapidity. Furthermore, the PHENIX experiment benefited from the addition of a new detector, which improves the reaction plane resolution and allows us to measure the J/psi v2. Comparing this measurement to the positive D-mesons v2 (through non-photonic electron decays) will help constraining the J/psi production mechanisms and getting a more precise picture of the proportion of J/psi coming from direct production or charm quark coalescence. Details on how the J/psi v2 is measured at both rapidities are presented. The J/psi v2 as a function of transverse momentum are compared to existing models.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Quark Matter 2008 proceeding

Heavy quarkonia in a medium as a quantum dissipative system: Master-equation approach

The problem of the evolution of a heavy quarkonium in a medium can be recast as that of a quantum dissipative system. Within the framework of the master-equation approach to open quantum systems, we consider the real-time dynamics of quarkonia. We find that in a plasma at fixed temperature, the populations of the various quarkonium states evolve together, while their momentum distribution satisfies a Fokker-Planck equation.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures. Version 2 matches the published versio

Heavy Quarkonium Physics

This report is the result of the collaboration and research effort of the Quarkonium Working Group over the last three years. It provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in heavy-quarkonium theory and experiment, covering quarkonium spectroscopy, decay, and production, the determination of QCD parameters from quarkonium observables, quarkonia in media, and the effects on quarkonia of physics beyond the Standard Model. An introduction to common theoretical and experimental tools is included. Future opportunities for research in quarkonium physics are also discussed.Comment: xviii + 487 pages, 260 figures. The full text is also available at the Quarkonium Working Group web page: http://www.qwg.to.infn.i

RHIC physics overview

The results from data taken during the last several years at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) will be reviewed in the paper. Several selected topics that further our understanding of constituent quark scaling, jet quenching and color screening effect of heavy quarkonia in the hot dense medium will be presented. Detector upgrades will further probe the properties of Quark Gluon Plasma. Future measurements with upgraded detectors will be presented. The discovery perspectives from future measurements will also be discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, invited review article, published by Frontier of Physics in Chin

Pliocene-Quaternary crustal melting in central and northern Tibet and insights into crustal flow

There is considerable controversy over the nature of geophysically recognized low-velocity-high-conductivity zones (LV-HCZs) within the Tibetan crust, and their role in models for the development of the Tibetan Plateau. Here we report petrological and geochemical data on magmas erupted 4.7-0.3 Myr ago in central and northern Tibet, demonstrating that they were generated by partial melting of crustal rocks at temperatures of 700-1,050°C and pressures of 0.5-1.5 GPa. Thus Pliocene-Quaternary melting of crustal rocks occurred at depths of 15-50 km in areas where the LV-HCZs have been recognized. This provides new petrological evidence that the LV-HCZs are sources of partial melt. It is inferred that crustal melting played a key role in triggering crustal weakening and outward crustal flow in the expansion of the Tibetan Plateau

Modes of Gene Duplication Contribute Differently to Genetic Novelty and Redundancy, but Show Parallels across Divergent Angiosperms

BACKGROUND: Both single gene and whole genome duplications (WGD) have recurred in angiosperm evolution. However, the evolutionary effects of different modes of gene duplication, especially regarding their contributions to genetic novelty or redundancy, have been inadequately explored. RESULTS: In Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa (rice), species that deeply sample botanical diversity and for which expression data are available from a wide range of tissues and physiological conditions, we have compared expression divergence between genes duplicated by six different mechanisms (WGD, tandem, proximal, DNA based transposed, retrotransposed and dispersed), and between positional orthologs. Both neo-functionalization and genetic redundancy appear to contribute to retention of duplicate genes. Genes resulting from WGD and tandem duplications diverge slowest in both coding sequences and gene expression, and contribute most to genetic redundancy, while other duplication modes contribute more to evolutionary novelty. WGD duplicates may more frequently be retained due to dosage amplification, while inferred transposon mediated gene duplications tend to reduce gene expression levels. The extent of expression divergence between duplicates is discernibly related to duplication modes, different WGD events, amino acid divergence, and putatively neutral divergence (time), but the contribution of each factor is heterogeneous among duplication modes. Gene loss may retard inter-species expression divergence. Members of different gene families may have non-random patterns of origin that are similar in Arabidopsis and rice, suggesting the action of pan-taxon principles of molecular evolution. CONCLUSION: Gene duplication modes differ in contribution to genetic novelty and redundancy, but show some parallels in taxa separated by hundreds of millions of years of evolution

Mir-132/212 is required for maturation of binocular matching of orientation preference and depth perception

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to mediate post-transcriptional gene regulation, but their role in postnatal brain development is still poorly explored. We show that the expression of many miRNAs is dramatically regulated during functional maturation of the mouse visual cortex with miR-132/212 family being one of the top upregulated miRNAs. Age-downregulated transcripts are significantly enriched in miR-132/miR-212 putative targets and in genes upregulated in miR-132/212 null mice. At a functional level, miR-132/212 deletion affects development of receptive fields of cortical neurons determining a specific impairment of binocular matching of orientation preference, but leaving orientation and direction selectivity unaltered. This deficit is associated with reduced depth perception in the visual cliff test. Deletion of miR-132/212 from forebrain excitatory neurons replicates the binocular matching deficits. Thus, miR-132/212 family shapes the age-dependent transcriptome of the visual cortex during a specific developmental window resulting in maturation of binocular cortical cells and depth perception

Ultrafast laser micro-nano structuring of transparent materials with high aspect ratio

Ultrafast lasers are ideal tools to process transparent materials because they spatially confine the deposition of laser energy within the material's bulk via nonlinear photoionization processes. Nonlinear propagation and filamentation were initially regarded as deleterious effects. But in the last decade, they turned out to be benefits to control energy deposition over long distances. These effects create very high aspect ratio structures which have found a number of important applications, particularly for glass separation with non-ablative techniques. This chapter reviews the developments of in-volume ultrafast laser processing of transparent materials. We discuss the basic physics of the processes, characterization means, filamentation of Gaussian and Bessel beams and provide an overview of present applications

QCD and strongly coupled gauge theories : challenges and perspectives

We highlight the progress, current status, and open challenges of QCD-driven physics, in theory and in experiment. We discuss how the strong interaction is intimately connected to a broad sweep of physical problems, in settings ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to strongly coupled, complex systems in particle and condensed-matter physics, as well as to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We also discuss how success in describing the strong interaction impacts other fields, and, in turn, how such subjects can impact studies of the strong interaction. In the course of the work we offer a perspective on the many research streams which flow into and out of QCD, as well as a vision for future developments.Peer reviewe