Improved Measurement of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa angle alpha using B0(B) --> rho+rho- decays

We present results from an analysis of B(0)B(0)--> rho(+)rho(-) using 232 x 10(6) Gamma (4S) --> BB decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at SLAC. We measure the longitudinal polarization fraction f(L) = 0.978 +/- 0.014(stat) + 0.021 / -0.029(syst) and the CP-violating parameters S(L)= -0.33 +/- 0.24(stat) + 0.08 / -0.14(syst) and C(L)= -0.03 +/- 0.18(stat) +/- 0.09(syst). Using an isospin analysis of B --> rhorho decays, we determine the unitarity triangle parameter alpha. The solution compatible with the standard model is alpha = (100 +/- 13) degrees.     

Measurement of the branching fraction of Gamma(4S) --> B0B0

We report the first measurement of the branching fraction f(00) for Gamma(4S) --> B(0)B(0). The data sample consists of 81.7 fb(-1) collected at the Gamma(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) storage ring. Using partial reconstruction of the decay B(0) --> D(*+) l(-)nu(l) in which only the charged lepton and the soft pion from the decay D(*+) --> D(0)pi(+) are reconstructed, we obtain f(00) = 0.487 +/- 0.010(stat) +/- 0.008(syst). Our result does not depend on the branching fractions of B(0) --> D(*+)l(-)nu(l) and D(*+) --> D(0)pi(+) decays, on the ratio of the charged and neutral B meson lifetimes, nor on the assumption of isospin symmetry.     

Search for the rare leptonic decay B--->tau-nutau

We present a search for the decay B(-)--> tau(-)nu(tau) in a sample of 88.9 x 10(6) BB pairs recorded with the BABAR detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center B factory. One of the two B mesons from the Gamma(4S) is reconstructed in a hadronic or a semileptonic final state, and the decay products of the other B in the event are analyzed for consistency with a B(-) --> tau(-)nu(tau) decay. We find no evidence of a signal and set an upper limit on the branching fraction of B(B(-) --> tau(-) nu(tau)) < 4.2 x 10(-4) at the 90% confidence level.     

Search for lepton flavor violation in the decay tau+/- --> mu+ gamma

A search for the nonconservation of lepton flavor number in the decay tau(+/-) --> mu(+/-) has been performed using 2.07 x 10(8) e(+ )e(-) tau(+) tau(-) events produced at a center-of-mass energy near 10.58 GeV with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II storage ring. We find no evidence for a signal and set an upper limit on the branching ratio of Beta(tau(+/-) --> mu(+/-) gamma) < 6.8 x 10(-8) at 90% confidence level.     

Limit on the B0-->rho0rho0 branching fraction and implications for the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa angle alpha

We search for the decay B0-->rho(0)rho(0) in a data sample of about 227x10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider at SLAC. We find no significant signal and set an upper limit of 1.1x10(-6) at 90% C.L. on the branching fraction. As a result, the uncertainty due to penguin contributions on the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa unitarity angle alpha measured in B-->rhorho decays is decreased to 11 degrees at 68% C.L.     

Frequency-locking phenomena of propagating wave fronts in reaction-diffusion systems

We observe N:(N-1)(N>/=2) frequency-locking phenomena of propagating wave fronts when increasing the light intensity in a spatially extended system. The experiments were carried out using the light-sensitive form of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction with Ru(bpy)(2+)3 as a catalyst. By constructing a mapping function, the characteristic devil's staircase can be reproduced when plotting wave period versus light intensity, in agreement with the experimental data.     

Measurements of the branching fraction and CP-violation asymmetries in B0-->f0(980)K0S

We present measurements of the branching fraction and CP-violating asymmetries in the decay B0-->f0(980)K0S. The results are obtained from a data sample of 123 x 10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB decays. From a time-dependent maximum likelihood fit, we measure the branching fraction B(B0-->f0(980)(-->pi+pi-)K0)=(6.0+/-0.9+/-0.6+/-1.2)x10(-6), the mixing-induced CP violation parameter S=-1.62(+0.56)(-0.51)+/-0.09+/-0.04, and the direct CP violation parameter C=0.27+/-0.36+/-0.10+/-0.07, where the first errors are statistical, the second systematic, and the third due to model uncertainties. We measure the f0(980) mass and width to be mf0(980)=(980.6+/-4.1+/-0.5+/-4.0) MeV/c2 and Gammaf0(980)=(43(+12)(-9)+/-3+/-9) MeV/c2, respectively.     

Wave grouping of a meandering spiral induced by Doppler effects and oscillatory dispersion

A new type of meandering spiral pattern, in which the dense waves form groups while the sparse waves keep evenly spaced, is observed in a spatial open reactor using a ferroin-catalyzed Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. Such a phenomenon is related to both the Doppler effect of a meandering spiral and the oscillatory dispersion relation of the system. Simulation in the two-dimensional Oregonator reaction-diffusion model with an oscillatory dispersion relation gives very similar results.     

Elliptic operators with unbounded drift coefficients and Neumann boundary condition

We study the realization A_N of the operator in L2(Ω,μ) with Neumann boundary condition, where Ω is a possibly unbounded convex open set in , U is a convex unbounded function, DU(x) is the element with minimal norm in the subdifferential of U at x, and is a probability measure, infinitesimally invariant for . We show that A_N is a dissipative self-adjoint operator in L2(Ω,μ). Log-Sobolev and Poincaré inequalities allow then to study smoothing properties and asymptotic behavior of the semigroup generated by A_N.     

Study of high momentum eta' production in B --> eta'Xs

We measure the branching fraction for the charmless semi-inclusive process B --> eta'Xs, where the eta' meson has a momentum in the range 2.0 to 2.7 GeV/c in the upsilon4S center-of-mass frame and Xs represents a system comprising a kaon and zero to four pions. We find B(B --> eta'Xs) = [3.9 +/- 0.8(stat) +/- 0.5(syst) +/- 0.8(model)] x 10(-4). We also obtain the Xs mass spectrum and find that it fits models predicting high masses.