Baryon number conservation and the cumulants of the net proton distribution

We discuss the modification of the cumulants of the net baryon and net proton distributions due to the global conservation of baryon number in heavy-ion collisions. Corresponding probability distributions and their cumulants are derived analytically. We show that the conservation of baryon number results in a substantial decrease of higher order cumulants. Based on our studies, we propose an observable that is insensitive to the modifications due to baryon number conservation.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Hierarchical renormalization goup fixed points

Hierarchical renormalization group transformations are related to non-associative algebras. Non-trivial infrared fixed points are shown to be solutions of polynomial equations. At the example of a scalar model in $d(\ge2)$ dimensions some methods for the solution of these algebraic equations are presented.Comment: Contribution to Lat94, 27 Sep -- 1 Oct 1994, Bielefeld, 6 pages, latex, no figure

Equilibrium in Heavy Ion Collisions

We discuss the question of equilibriation in heavy ion collisions and how it can be addressed in experimentComment: Proceedings 19th Winter Workshop on Nuclear Dynamics, Breckenridge, Co, 200

Abundance analysis of a CEMP-no star in the Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy

Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars bear important imprints of the early chemical enrichment of any stellar system. While these stars are known to exist in copious amounts in the Milky Way halo, detailed chemical abundance data from the faint dwarf spheroidal (dSph) satellites are still sparse, although the relative fraction of these stars increases with decreasing metallicity. Here, we report the abundance analysis of a metal-poor ([Fe/H]=$-2.5$ dex), carbon-rich ([C/Fe]=1.4 dex) star, ALW-8, in the Carina dSph using high-resolution spectroscopy obtained with the ESO/UVES instrument. Its spectrum does not indicate any over-enhancements of neutron capture elements. Thus classified as a CEMP-no star, this is the first detection of this kind of star in Carina. Another of our sample stars, ALW-1, is shown to be a CEMP-$s$ star, but its immediate binarity prompted us to discard it from a detailed analysis. The majority of the 18 chemical elements we measured are typical of Carina's field star population and also agree with CEMP stars in other dSph galaxies. Similar to the only known CEMP-no star in the Sculptor dSph and the weak-$r$-process star HD 122563, the lack of any strong barium-enhancement is accompanied by a moderate overabundance in yttrium, indicating a weak $r$-process activity. The overall abundance pattern confirms that, also in Carina, the formation site for CEMP-no stars has been affected by both faint supernovae and by standard core collapse supernovae. Whichever process was responsible for the heavy element production in ALW-8 must be a ubiquitous source to pollute the CEMP-no stars, acting independently of the environment such as in the Galactic halo or in dSphs.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Synaptic Transmission: An Information-Theoretic Perspective

Here we analyze synaptic transmission from an information-theoretic perspective. We derive closed-form expressions for the lower-bounds on the capacity of a simple model of a cortical synapse under two explicit coding paradigms. Under the ``signal estimation'' paradigm, we assume the signal to be encoded in the mean firing rate of a Poisson neuron. The performance of an optimal linear estimator of the signal then provides a lower bound on the capacity for signal estimation. Under the ``signal detection'' paradigm, the presence or absence of the signal has to be detected. Performance of the optimal spike detector allows us to compute a lower bound on the capacity for signal detection. We find that single synapses (for empirically measured parameter values) transmit information poorly but significant improvement can be achieved with a small amount of redundancy.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, NIPS97 proceedings: neuroscience. Originally submitted to the neuro-sys archive which was never publicly announced (was 9809002

Closing a window for massive photons

Working with the assumption of non-zero photon mass and a trajectory that is described by the non geodesic world line of a spinning top we find, by deriving new astrophysical bounds, that this assumption is in contradiction with current experimental results. This yields the conclusion that such photons have to be exactly massless.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur

Spin amplification, reading, and writing in transport through anisotropic magnetic molecules

Inelastic transport through a single magnetic molecule weakly coupled to metallic leads is studied theoretically. We consider dynamical processes that are relevant for writing, storing, and reading spin information in molecular memory devices. Magnetic anisotropy is found to be crucial for slow spin relaxation. In the presence of anisotropy we find giant spin amplification: The spin accumulated in the leads if a bias voltage is applied to a molecule prepared in a spin-polarized state can be made exponentially large in a characteristic energy divided by temperature. For one ferromagnetic and one paramagnetic lead the molecular spin can be reversed by applying a bias voltage even in the absence of a magnetic field. We propose schemes for reading and writing spin information based on our findings.Comment: 5+ pages with 5 figure

Baryon number and strangeness: signals of a deconfined antecedent

The correlation between baryon number and strangeness is used to discern the nature of the deconfined matter produced at vanishing chemical potential in high-energy nuclear collisions at the BNL RHIC. Comparisons of results of various phenomenological models with correlations extracted from lattice QCD calculations suggest that a quasi-particle picture applies. At finite baryon densities, such as those encountered at the CERN SPS, it is demonstrated that the presence of a first-order phase transition and the accompanying development of spinodal decomposition would significantly enhance the number of strangeness carriers and the associated fluctuations.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, latex, to appear in the proceedings of the Workshop on Correlations and Fluctuations in Relativistic Nuclear collisions, (MIT, April 21-23,2005

Recall of Group Tasks as a Function of Group Cohesiveness and Interruption of Tasks

The paper demonstrates that the motivational concepts underlying the Zeigarnik effect pertaining to individuals attempting to achieve their personal goals can be applied to individuals who are working to attain the group goals. However, this is true only for individuals in cohesive groups as opposed to noncohesive groups