Extra dimensions vs. supersymmetric interpretation of missing energy events at a linear collider

The photon plus missing energy signature is a primary handle on two important classes of theories. Theories with large extra dimensions predict the production of photons in association with Kaluza-Klein excitations of the graviton. In supersymmetric theories with superlight gravitinos, photons can be produced in association with gravitino pairs. The signatures for these two theories are compared, and it is found that they can be distinguished by studying the photon energy distributions and scaling of the cross section with center-of-mass energy. Both these methods fail, however, if there are six extra dimensions. In that case, additional phenomena predicted by the theories would be required to narrow down the underlying causes of the photon plus missing energy signal. We also study the ability of these measurements to determine the number of extra dimensions.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Contributed to APS / DPF / DPB Summer Study on the Future of Particle Physics (Snowmass 2001), Snowmass, Colorado, 30 Jun - 21 Jul 200

Survey of vector-like fermion extensions of the Standard Model and their phenomenological implications

With the renewed interest in vector-like fermion extensions of the Standard Model, we present here a study of multiple vector-like theories and their phenomenological implications. Our focus is mostly on minimal flavor conserving theories that couple the vector-like fermions to the SM gauge fields and mix only weakly with SM fermions so as to avoid flavor problems. We present calculations for precision electroweak and vector-like state decays, which are needed to investigate compatibility with currently known data. We investigate the impact of vector-like fermions on Higgs boson production and decay, including loop contributions, in a wide variety of vector-like extensions and their parameter spaces.Comment: 43 pages, 17 figures; v2: text modified to improve readability, references added, journal versio

Coagulation using ecofriendly natural coagulants

Coagulation using ecofriendly natural coagulant

Higgs boson decays to four fermions through an abelian hidden sector

We consider a generic abelian hidden sector that couples to the Standard Model only through gauge-invariant renormalizable operators. This allows the exotic Higgs boson to mix with the Standard Model Higgs boson, and the exotic abelian gauge boson to mix with the Standard Model hypercharge gauge boson. One immediate consequence of spontaneous breaking of the hidden sector gauge group is the possible decay of the lightest Higgs boson into four fermions through intermediate exotic gauge bosons. We study the implications of this decay for Higgs boson phenomenology at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider and the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Our emphasis is on the four lepton final state.We consider a generic abelian hidden sector that couples to the Standard Model only through gauge-invariant renormalizable operators. This allows the exotic Higgs boson to mix with the Standard Model Higgs boson, and the exotic abelian gauge boson to mix with the Standard Model hypercharge gauge boson. One immediate consequence of spontaneous breaking of the hidden sector gauge group is the possible decay of the lightest Higgs boson into four fermions through intermediate exotic gauge bosons. We study the implications of this decay for Higgs boson phenomenology at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider and the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Our emphasis is on the four lepton final state

Nickel cadmium battery operations on-orbit: Trials, tribulations, and success on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), designed, built, integrated, tested, and operated by NASA and Martin Marietta is a low-Earth orbiting, Earth-observing spacecraft which was launched via Space Shuttle Discovery on September 12, 1991 and deployed three days later. The Modular Power Subsystem (MPS) onboard the satellite is equipped with three NASA Standard 50 Ampere-hour (Ah) nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries. McDonnell Douglas Electronics Systems Company fabricated the MPS, and batteries from Gates Aerospace Batteries cells. Nominal battery performance was achieved for the first four months of spacecraft operation. First evidence of anomalous battery performance was observed in January 1992, after the first maximum beta angle (low Depth of Discharge) period. Since then, the Flight Operations Team (FOT), under the direction of Goddard Space Flight Center's UARS Project and Space Power Application Branch, has monitored and managed battery performance by adjusting solar array offset angle, conducting periodic deep discharge, and controlling battery recharge ratio. This paper covers a brief overview of the UARS, the FOT's operational battery management, and the observed spacecraft battery performance

Dark matter and Higgs boson collider implications of fermions in an abelian-gauged hidden sector

We add fermions to an abelian-gauged hidden sector. We show that the lightest can be the dark matter with the right thermal relic abundance, and discovery is within reach of upcoming dark matter detectors. We also show that these fermions change Higgs boson phenomenology at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and in particular could induce a large invisible width to the lightest Higgs boson state. Such an invisibly decaying Higgs boson can be discovered with good significance in the vector boson fusion channel at the LHC.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure

Collider Signature of Bulk Neutrinos in Large Extra Dimensions

We consider the collider signature of right-handed neutrinos propagating in $\delta$ (large) extra dimensions, and interacting with Standard Model fields only through a Yukawa coupling to the left-handed neutrino and the Higgs boson. These theories are attractive as they can explain the smallness of the neutrino mass, as has already been shown. We show that if $\delta$ is bigger than two, it can result in an enhancement in the production rate of the Higgs boson, decaying either invisibly or to a $b$ anti-$b$ quark pair, associated with an isolated high $p_T$ charged lepton and missing transverse energy at future hadron colliders, such as the LHC. The enhancement is due to the large number of Kaluza-Klein neutrinos produced in the final state. The observation of the signal event would provide an opportunity to distinguish between the normal and inverted neutrino mass hierarchies, and to determine the absolute scale of neutrino masses by measuring the asymmetry of the observed event numbers in the electron and muon channels.Comment: 31 pages, 13 figures. v2: Added discussion on PDF uncertainties, added reference

Calcium ion binding to δ- and to β-crystallins. The presence of the "EF-hand" motif in δ-crystallin that aids in calcium ion binding

Abnormal levels of endogenous calcium ions are known to induce eye lens opacity, and a variety of causative factors has been proposed, including calcium-mediated aggregation and precipitation of the lens proteins crystallins. We have specifically looked in some detail at the interaction of Ca2+ with various crystallins and its consequences. Lenses incubated in solutions containing 10 mM Ca2+ or 5 mM Tb3+ opacified. Fluorescence titration of crystallins with TbCl3 revealed that this ion binds to δ- and β-crystallins in solution. Equilibrium dialysis showed that four Ca2+ ions bind to one δ-crystallin tetramer with an affinity of 4.3 × 103 M-1. Analysis of the amino acid sequence of δ-crystallin reveals the presence of a calmodulin-type "helix-loop-helix" or "EF-hand" calcium ion binding conformational motif in the region comprising residues 300-350. This is a novel feature of the molecule not reported so far. No other crystallins appear to have this motif. β-Crystallin also binds four Ca2+ ions/aggregate unit of mass 160 kDa, with an affinity of 2.6 × 103 M-1, presumably in the midregion of the molecule that is rich in anionic and polar residues. Circular dichroism spectroscopy shows that the binding of calcium ion leads to subtle conformational changes in the molecules, notably in the tertiary structure