Sub-10 fs pulses tunable from 480 to 980 nm from a NOPA pumped by a Yb:KGW source

We describe two noncollinear optical parametric amplifier (NOPA) systems pumped by either the second (515 nm) or the third (343 nm) harmonic of an Yb:KGW amplifier, respectively. Pulse durations as short as 6.8 fs are readily obtained by compression with commercially available chirped mirrors. The availability of both second and third harmonic for NOPA pumping allows for gap-free tuning from 520 to 980 nm. The use of an intermediate NOPA to generate seed light at 780 nm extends the tuning range of the third-harmonic pumped NOPA towards 450 nm

Vibrationally coherent crossing and coupling of electronic states during internal conversion in beta-carotene

Coupling of nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom mediates energy flow in molecules after optical excitation. The associated coherent dynamics in polyatomic systems, however, remain experimentally unexplored. Here, we combined transient absorption spectroscopy with electronic population control to reveal nuclear wavepacket dynamics during the S2-S1 internal conversion in beta-carotene. We show that passage through a conical intersection is vibrationally coherent and thereby provides direct feedback on the role of different vibrational coordinates in the breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation

Entropy production by resonance decays

We investigate entropy production for an expanding system of particles and resonances with isospin symmetry -- in our case pions and $\rho$ mesons -- within the framework of relativistic kinetic theory. A cascade code to simulate the kinetic equations is developed and results for entropy production and particle spectra are presented.Comment: 17 pages, 10 ps-figures included, only change: preprint number adde

A systematic comparison of jet quenching in different fluid-dynamical models

Comparing four different (ideal and viscous) hydrodynamic models for the evolution of the medium created in 200 AGeV Au-Au collisions, combined with two different models for the path length dependence of parton energy loss, we study the effects of jet quenching on the emission-angle dependence of the nuclear suppression factor R_AA(phi) and the away-side per trigger yield I_AA(phi). Each hydrodynamic model was tuned to provide a reasonable description of the single-particle transverse momentum spectra for all collision centralities, and the energy loss models were adjusted to yield the same pion nuclear suppression factor in central Au-Au collisions. We find that the experimentally measured in-plane vs. out-of-plane spread in R_AA(phi) is better reproduced by models that shift the weight of the parton energy loss to later times along its path. Among the models studied here, this is best achieved by energy loss models that suppress energy loss at early times, combined with hydrodynamic models that delay the dilution of the medium density due to hydrodynamic expansion by viscous heating. We were unable to identify a clear tomographic benefit of a measurement of I_AA(phi) over that of R_AA(phi).Comment: 17 pages, 11 figure

Ω−\Omega^- and Ωˉ+\bar\Omega^+ production in Au+Au collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 130 and 200 GeV

Mid-rapidity Omega and anti-Omega production in Au+Au collisions at RHIC is studied with the STAR experiment. We report preliminary results on yields and spectra at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 130 and 200 GeV. Production relative to negatively charged hadrons (h-) as well as thermal freeze-out and collective expansion are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, Contribution to Quark Matter 2002, Nantes, France, July 200

Particle production at very low and intermediate transverse momenta in d+Au and Au+Au collisions

The transverse momentum spectra of identified charged particles have been measured at very low and intermediate transverse momenta in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 62.4 GeV and d+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV using the PHOBOS detector at RHIC. New results on charged particle production at very low p_T in central Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_{NN) = 200 GeV in the centrality intervals 0-6% and 6-15% are presented. A comparison of the PHOBOS low-p_T data with predictions of a recent optical model is shown. The shapes of m_T spectra for d+Au and Au+Au collisions are compared.Comment: Presented at the 18th International Conference on Ultra-Relativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions, Quark Matter 2005, Budapest, Hungary, Aug. 4-9, 200

Direct observation of the coherent nuclear response after the absorption of a photon

How molecules convert light energy to perform a specific transformation is a fundamental question in photophysics. Ultrafast spectroscopy reveals the kinetics associated with electronic energy flow, but little is known about how absorbed photon energy drives nuclear or electronic motion. Here, we used ultrabroadband transient absorption spectroscopy to monitor coherent vibrational energy flow after photoexcitation of the retinal chromophore. In the proton pump bacteriorhodopsin we observed coherent activation of hydrogen wagging and backbone torsional modes that were replaced by unreactive coordinates in the solution environment, concomitant with a deactivation of the reactive relaxation pathway

Results on Identified Hadrons from the PHENIX Experiment at RHIC

Recent results on identified hadrons from the PHENIX experiment in Au+Au collisions at mid-rapidity at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV are presented. The centrality dependence of transverse momentum distributions and particle ratios for identified charged hadrons are studied. The transverse flow velocity and freeze-out temperature are extracted from $p_{T}$ spectra within the framework of a hydrodynamic collective flow model. Two-particle HBT correlations for charged pions are measured in different centrality selections for a broad range of transverse momentum of the pair. Results on elliptic flow measurements with respect to the reaction plane for identified particles are also presented.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures. Talk presented at Quark Matter 2002, Nantes, France, July 18-24, 2002. To appear in the proceedings (Nucl. Phys. A

Rapidity particle spectra in sudden hadronization of QGP

We show that the remaining internal longitudinal flow of colliding quarks in nuclei offers a natural explanation for the diversity of rapidity spectral shapes observed in Pb--Pb 158AGeV nuclear collisions. Thus QGP sudden hadronization reaction picture is a suitable approach to explain the rapidity spectra of hadrons produced.Comment: 3 pages including 2 figure