Spin content of Lambda and its longitudinal polarization in e+e−e^+e^- annihilation at high energies

Longitudinal polarization of Lambda produced in $e^+e^-$ annihilation at LEP energies is calculated in a picture for the spin content of Lambda which is consistent with the polarized deep inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering data and SU(3) flavor symmetry for hyperon decay so that the spin of Lambda is not completely carried by its $s$-valence quark. A comparison with the recent ALEPH data and the results of earlier calculations based on the static quark model in which the spin of Lambda is completely determined by the $s$-quark is given. The result shows that further measurements of such polarization should provide useful information to the question of which picture is more suitable in describing the spin effects in the fragmentation processes.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Single spin asymmetries in inclusive high energy hadron-hadron collision processes

It has been realized for quite a long time that single-spin experiments, in which one of the colliding objects is transversely polarized, can be helpful in studying the properties of strong interaction in general and in testing Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) in particular. Striking effects have been observed in the past few years which deviate drastically from the expectation of the perturbative QCD parton model. These effects have received much attention. New experiments of the similar type are underway and/or planned. Different theoretical attempts have been made to understand these effects. In this review, the special role played by singly polarized high-energy hadron-hadron collisions in High Energy Spin Physics is emphasized. Characteristics of the available data for inclusive hadron productions are briefly summarized. Different theoretical approaches for such processes are reviewed with special attention to a non-perturbative model which explicitly takes the orbital motion of the valence quarks and hadronic surface effects into account. The connection between such asymmetries and hyperon polarization in unpolarized reactions is discussed. An example of the possible application of such experimental results in other processes is given.Comment: 62 pages, 17 ps-figures (Review article to appear in Inter. J. Mod. Phys. A

Spin-polarized states of nuclear matter

The equations of state of spin-polarized nuclear matter and pure neutron matter are studied in the framework of the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock theory including a three-body force. The energy per nucleon $E_A(\delta)$ calculated in the full range of spin polarization ${\delta} = \frac{\rho_{\uparrow}-\rho_{\downarrow}}{\rho}$ for symmetric nuclear matter and pure neutron matter fulfills a parabolic law. In both cases the spin-symmetry energy is calculated as a function of the baryonic density along with the related quantities such as the magnetic susceptibility and the Landau parameter $G_0$. The main effect of the three-body force is to strongly reduce the degenerate Fermi gas magnetic susceptibility even more than the value with only two body force. The EOS is monotonically increasing with the density for all spin-aligned configurations studied here so that no any signature is found for a spontaneous transition to a ferromagnetic state.Comment: Contribution to GISELDA Meeting, 14-18 January, 2002 (Frascati), to appear in World Scientific (Singapore

Ionizing radiation fluctuations and large-scale structure in the Lyman-alpha forest

We investigate the large-scale inhomogeneities of the hydrogen ionizing radiation field in the Universe at redshift z=3. Using a raytracing algorithm, we simulate a model in which quasars are the dominant sources of radiation. We make use of large scale N-body simulations of a LambdaCDM universe, and include such effects as finite quasar lifetimes and output on the lightcone, which affects the shape of quasar light echoes. We create Lya forest spectra that would be generated in the presence of such a fluctuating radiation field, finding that the power spectrum of the Lya forest can be suppressed by as much as 15 % for modes with k=0.05-1 Mpc/h. This relatively small effect may have consequences for high precision measurements of the Lya power spectrum on larger scales than have yet been published. We also investigate another radiation field probe, the cross-correlation of quasar positions and the Lya forest. For both quasar lifetimes which we simulate (10^7 yr and 10^8 yr), we expect to see a strong decrease in the Lya absorption close to other quasars (the ``foreground'' proximity effect). We then use data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey First Data Release to make an observational determination of this statistic. We find no sign of our predicted lack of absorption, but instead increased absorption close to quasars. If the bursts of radiation from quasars last on average < 10^6 yr, then we would not expect to be able to see the foreground effect. However, the strength of the absorption itself seems to be indicative of rare objects, and hence much longer total times of emission per quasar. Variability of quasars in bursts with timescales > 10^4yr and < 10^6 yr could reconcile these two facts.Comment: Submitted to ApJ, 21 pages, 17 postscript figures, emulateapj.st

On the importance of local sources of radiation for quasar absorption line systems

A generic assumption of ionization models of quasar absorption systems is that radiation from local sources is negligible compared with the cosmological background. We test this assumption and find that it is unlikely to hold for absorbers as rare as H I Lyman limit systems. Assuming that the absorption systems are gas clouds centered on sources of radiation, we derive analytic estimates for the cross-section weighted moments of the flux seen by the absorbers, of the impact parameter, and of the luminosity of the central source. In addition, we compute the corresponding medians numerically. For the one class of absorbers for which the flux has been measured: damped Ly-alpha systems at z~3, our prediction is in excellent agreement with the observations if we assume that the absorption arises in clouds centered on Lyman-break galaxies. Finally, we show that if Lyman-break galaxies dominate the UV background at redshift 3, then consistency between observations of the UV background, the UV luminosity density from galaxies, and the number density of Lyman limit systems requires escape fractions of order 10 percent.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 11 pages, 1 figure. Version 2: Added alternative method. Decreased fiducial escape fraction to guarantee consistency between observed luminosity density, mean free path, and UV background. This increased the column density above which local radiation is importan