Results on mixing in the D0 system from BaBar

With 12.3 fb-1 collected by the BaBar experiment in 2001, the mixing parameter y = Delta(Gamma)/(2 Gamma) is determined from the ratio of the D0 lifetimes measured in the D0 --> K- pi+ and in the D0 --> K- K+ decay modes. The preliminary result y = (-1.0 +- 2.2(stat.) +- 1.7(syst.))% is obtained. Also presented is the status of measuring the mixing parameters y and x^2 = [Delta(M)/Gamma]^2 from a simultaneous fit to the time evolution of the decay time distributions of Cabibbo-favored right-sign (D0 --> K- pi+) and doubly Cabibbo-suppressed wrong-sign (D0 --> K+ pi-) decays. The wrong-sign decay rate, R_WS = (# WS decays)/(# RS decays) = (0.38 +- 0.04(stat.) +- 0.02(syst.))% is obtained from the fit to 23 fb-1 of BaBar data taken in 2000.Comment: 9 pages, 3 postscript figures, contribution to the proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Heavy Flavour Physics, September 2001, Pasadena, US

Forward Proton Detectors at High Luminosity at the LHC

We discuss the special challenges posed by measuring diffractive and forward physics at the LHC at high luminosity and the solutions proposed by the FP420 R&D collaboration.Comment: 5 pages, no pictures, contribution to the proceedings of ICHEP0

Forward physics with CMS

Forward physics with CMS at the LHC covers a wide range of physics subjects, including very low-x_Bj QCD, underlying event and multiple interactions characteristics, gamma-mediated processes, shower development at the energy scale of primary cosmic ray interactions with the atmosphere, diffraction in the presence of a hard scale and even MSSM Higgs discovery in central exclusive production. Selected feasibility studies to illustrate the forward physics potential of CMS are presented.Comment: Talk on behalf of CMS presented at 2008 Physics at LHC conference, Split, Croatia, Sept 29 - Oct 4 200

Mixing in the D0 system - Results from collider experiments

Mixing in the D0 system may provide a sensitive probe for new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM) but has so far eluded experimental observation. The SM predictions are typically small (< 10^{-3}) for the mixing parameters x, y which, in the absence of charge-parity (CP) symmetry violation, measure the mass (x= Delta(m)/Gamma) and lifetime (y= Delta(Gamma)/2Gamma) difference of the CP eigenstates in the D0 system. The asymmetric B-factory experiments BABAR and Belle open up the opportunity of measuring x, y with unprecedented statistical precision and sample purities. Results from BABAR and Belle, and from CLEO are reviewed.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figures, typos correcte

Spatial Dependence in Wind and Optimal Wind Power Allocation: A Copula Based Analysis

The investment decision on the placement of wind turbines is, neglecting legal formalities, mainly driven by the aim to maximize the expected annual energy production of single turbines. The result is a concentration of wind farms at locations with high average wind speed. While this strategy may be optimal for single investors maximizing their own return on investment, the resulting overall allocation of wind turbines may be unfavorable for energy suppliers and the economy because of large fluctuations in the overall wind power output. This paper investigates to what extent optimal allocation of wind farms in Germany can reduce these fluctuations. We analyze stochastic dependencies of wind speed for a large data set of German on- and offshore weather stations and find that these dependencies turn out to be highly nonlinear but constant over time. Using copula theory we determine the value at risk of energy production for given allocation sets of wind farms and derive optimal allocation plans. We find that the optimized allocation of wind farms may substantially stabilize the overall wind energy supply on daily as well as hourly frequency.Wind power; Vine copula; Optimal turbine allocation

Sensitivity to interaural time differences in the medial superior olive of a small mammal, the Mexican free-tailed bat

Neurons in the medial superior olive (MSO) are thought to encode interaural time differences (ITDs), the main binaural cues used for localizing low-frequency sounds in the horizontal plane. The underlying mechanism is supposed to rely on a coincidence of excitatory inputs from the two ears that are phase-locked to either the stimulus frequency or the stimulus envelope. Extracellular recordings from MSO neurons in several mammals conform with this theory. However, there are two aspects that remain puzzling. The first concerns the role of the MSO in small mammals that have relatively poor low-frequency hearing and whose heads generate only very small ITDs. The second puzzling aspect of the scenario concerns the role of the prominent binaural inhibitory inputs to MSO neurons. We examined these two unresolved issues by recording from MSO cells in the Mexican free-tailed bat. Using sinusoidally amplitude-modulated tones, we found that the ITD sensitivities of many MSO cells in the bat were remarkably similar to those reported for larger mammals. Our data also indicate an important role for inhibition in sharpening ITD sensitivity and increasing the dynamic range of ITD functions. A simple model of ITD coding based on the timing of multiple inputs is proposed. Additionally, our data suggest that ITD coding is a by-product of a neuronal circuit that processes the temporal structure of sounds. Because of the free-tailed bat's small head size, ITD coding is most likely not the major function of the MSO in this small mammal and probably other small mammals