Scientific Argumentation as a Foundation for the Design of Inquiry-Based Science Instruction

Despite the attention that inquiry has received in science education research and policy, a coherent means for implementing inquiry in the classroom has been missing [1]. In recent research, scientific argumentation has received increasing attention for its role in science and in science education [2]. In this article, we propose that organizing a unit of instruction around building a scientific argument can bring inquiry practices together in the classroom in a coherent way. We outline a framework for argumentation, focusing on arguments that are central to science—arguments for the best explanation. We then use this framework as the basis for a set of design principles for developing a sequence of inquiry-based learning activities that support students in the construction of a scientific argument. We show that careful analysis of the argument that students are expected to build provides designers with a foundation for selecting resources and designing supports for scientific inquiry. Furthermore, we show that creating multiple opportunities for students to critique and refine their explanations through evidence-based argumentation fosters opportunities for critical thinking, while building science knowledge and knowledge of the nature of science

Charm production in antiproton-nucleus collisions at the J/ψJ/\psi and the ψ′\psi' thresholds

We discuss the production of charmonium states in antiproton-nucleus collisions at the $\psi'$ threshold. It is explained that measurements in $\bar p A$ collisions will allow to get new information about the strengths of the inelastic $J/\psi N, \psi'N$ interaction, on the production of $\Lambda_c$ and $\bar{D}$ in charmonium-nucleon interactions and for the first time about nondiagonal transitions $\psi' N\to J/\psi N$. The inelastic $J/\psi$-nucleon cross section is extracted from the comparison of hadron-nucleus collisions with hadron-nucleon collisions. We extract the total $J/\psi$ nucleon cross section from photon-nucleon collisions by accounting for the color transparency phenomenon within the frame of the GVDM (Generalized Vector meson Dominance Model). We evaluate also within the GVDM the inelastic $\psi'$-nucleon cross section as well as the cross section for the nondiagonal transitions. Predictions for the ratio of $J/\psi$ to $\psi'$ yields in antiproton-nucleus scatterings close to the threshold of $\psi'$ production for different nuclear targets are presented.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, typos corrected, some discussion adde

Application of the Principle of Maximum Conformality to Top-Pair Production

A major contribution to the uncertainty of finite-order perturbative QCD predictions is the perceived ambiguity in setting the renormalization scale $\mu_r$. For example, by using the conventional way of setting $\mu_r \in [m_t/2,2m_t]$, one obtains the total $t \bar{t}$ production cross-section $\sigma_{t \bar{t}}$ with the uncertainty \Delta \sigma_{t \bar{t}}/\sigma_{t \bar{t}}\sim ({}^{+3%}_{-4%}) at the Tevatron and LHC even for the present NNLO level. The Principle of Maximum Conformality (PMC) eliminates the renormalization scale ambiguity in precision tests of Abelian QED and non-Abelian QCD theories. In this paper we apply PMC scale-setting to predict the $t \bar t$ cross-section $\sigma_{t\bar{t}}$ at the Tevatron and LHC colliders. It is found that $\sigma_{t\bar{t}}$ remains almost unchanged by varying $\mu^{\rm init}_r$ within the region of $[m_t/4,4m_t]$. The convergence of the expansion series is greatly improved. For the $(q\bar{q})$-channel, which is dominant at the Tevatron, its NLO PMC scale is much smaller than the top-quark mass in the small $x$-region, and thus its NLO cross-section is increased by about a factor of two. In the case of the $(gg)$-channel, which is dominant at the LHC, its NLO PMC scale slightly increases with the subprocess collision energy $\sqrt{s}$, but it is still smaller than $m_t$ for $\sqrt{s}\lesssim 1$ TeV, and the resulting NLO cross-section is increased by $\sim 20$. As a result, a larger $\sigma_{t\bar{t}}$ is obtained in comparison to the conventional scale-setting method, which agrees well with the present Tevatron and LHC data. More explicitly, by setting $m_t=172.9\pm 1.1$ GeV, we predict $\sigma_{\rm Tevatron,\;1.96\,TeV} = 7.626^{+0.265}_{-0.257}$ pb, $\sigma_{\rm LHC,\;7\,TeV} = 171.8^{+5.8}_{-5.6}$ pb and $\sigma_{\rm LHC,\;14\,TeV} = 941.3^{+28.4}_{-26.5}$ pb. [full abstract can be found in the paper.]Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, 5 tables. Fig.(9) is correcte

Anomaly and Condensate in the Light-Cone Schwinger Model

The axial anomaly and fermion condensate in the light cone Schwinger model are studied following path integral methods. This formalism allows for a simple and direct calculation for these and other vacuum dependent phenomena.Comment: 10pp, Revte

On the dependence of the wave function of a bound nucleon on its momentum and the EMC effect

It is widely discussed in the literature that the wave function of the nucleon bound in a nucleus is modified due to the interaction with the surrounding medium. We argue that the modification should strongly depend on the momentum of the nucleon. We study such an effect in the case of the point-like configuration component of the wave function of a nucleon bound in a nucleus A, considering the case of arbitrary final state of the spectator A-1 system. We show that for non relativistic values of the nucleon momentum, the momentum dependence of the nucleon deformation appears to follow from rather general considerations and discuss the implications of our theoretical observation for two different phenomena: i) the search for medium induced modifications of the nucleon radius of a bound nucleon through the measurement of the electromagnetic nucleon form factors via the A(e,e'p)X process, and ii) the A-dependence of the EMC effect; in this latter case we also present a new method of estimating the fraction of the nucleus light-cone momentum carried by the photons and find that in a heavy nuclei protons loose about 2% of their momentum.Comment: 38 pages, 1 figure; changed references and text in Section I (Introduction

Tetramixing of vector and pseudoscalar mesons: A source of intrinsic quarks

The tetramixing of pseudoscalar mesons $\pi$-$\eta$-$\eta'$-$\eta_c$ and vector mesons $\omega$-$\rho$-$\phi$-$J/\psi$ are studied in the light-cone constituent quark model, and such mixing of four mesons provides a natural source for the intrinsic charm $c\bar{c}$ components of light mesons. By mixing with the light mesons, the charmonium states $J/\psi$ and $\eta_c$ could decay into light mesons more naturally, without introducing gluons or a virtual photon as intermediate states. Thus, the introduction of light quark components into $J/\psi$ is helpful to reproduce the new experimental data of $J/\psi$ decays. The mixing matrices and the $Q^2$ behaviors of the transition form factors are also calculated and compared with experimental data.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures. Version for publication in PR

Vector meson ω\omega-ϕ\phi mixing and their form factors in light-cone quark model

The vector meson $\omega$-$\phi$ mixing is studied in two alternative scenarios with different numbers of mixing angles, i.e., the one-mixing-angle scenario and the two-mixing-angle scenario, in both the octect-singlet mixing scheme and the quark flavor mixing scheme. Concerning the reproduction of experimental data and the $Q^2$ behavior of transition form factors, one-mixing-angle scenario in the quark flavor scheme performs better than that in the octet-singlet scheme, while the two-mixing-angle scenario works well for both mixing schemes. The difference between the two mixing angles in the octet-singlet scheme is bigger than that in the quark flavor scheme.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, final version to appear in PR

High Energy Photon-Photon and Electron-Photon Collisions

The advent of a next linear $e^\pm e^-$ collider and back-scatterd laser beams will allow the study of a vast array of high energy processes of the Standard Model through the fusion of real and virtual photons and other gauge bosons. As examples, I discuss virtual photon scattering $\gamma^* \gamma^* \to X$ in the region dominated by BFKL hard Pomeron exchange and report the predicted cross sections at present and future $e^\pm e^-$ colliders. I also discuss exclusive $\gamma \gamma$ reactions in QCD as a measure of hadron distribution amplitudes and a new method for measuring the anomalous magnetic and quadrupole moments of the $W$ and $Z$ gauge bosons to high precision in polarized electron-photon collisions.Comment: LaTex, 12 page

The running coupling method with next-to-leading order accuracy and pion, kaon elm form factors

The pion and kaon electromagnetic form factors $F_M(Q^2)$ are calculated at the leading order of pQCD using the running coupling constant method. In calculations the leading and next-to-leading order terms in $\alpha_S((1-x)(1-y)Q^2)$ expansion in terms of $\alpha_S(Q^2)$ are taken into account. The resummed expression for $F_M(Q^2)$ is found. Results of numerical calculations for the pion (asymptotic distribution amplitude) are presented.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figur

Structure Functions are not Parton Probabilities

The common view that structure functions measured in deep inelastic lepton scattering are determined by the probability of finding quarks and gluons in the target is not correct in gauge theory. We show that gluon exchange between the fast, outgoing partons and target spectators, which is usually assumed to be an irrelevant gauge artifact, affects the leading twist structure functions in a profound way. This observation removes the apparent contradiction between the projectile (eikonal) and target (parton model) views of diffractive and small x_{Bjorken} phenomena. The diffractive scattering of the fast outgoing quarks on spectators in the target causes shadowing in the DIS cross section. Thus the depletion of the nuclear structure functions is not intrinsic to the wave function of the nucleus, but is a coherent effect arising from the destructive interference of diffractive channels induced by final state interactions. This is consistent with the Glauber-Gribov interpretation of shadowing as a rescattering effect.Comment: 35 pages, 8 figures. Discussion of physical consequences of final state interactions amplified. Material on light-cone gauge choices adde