Measurement of total cross sections for <Emphasis Type="Italic">pp</Emphasis> interactions at colliders by new methods

It is proposed to extract the total cross section for proton-proton (pp) interaction from the results obtained by measuring the analyzing power for elastic pp scattering in the region of Coulomb-nuclear interference. Contributions to the cross section are estimated that affect the accuracy in determining σ _T (pp) and which originate from various sources, including single-spin-flip interactions. The applicability of the factor of merit to extracting σ _T (pp) from experimental data is briefly discussed. It is concluded that, under some conditions, measurement of the analyzing power A _N (t) may be a good approach to determining σ _T (pp).     

First results of the observation of <Superscript>7</Superscript>Be solar neutrinos with the BOREXINO detector

The results of a direct measurement of the counting rate for solar neutrinos from the electron-capture process on ⁷Be, ⁷Be(e ^?, ν _e )⁷Li(E _ν = 0.862 MeV), with the low-background scintillation detector BOREXINO are presented. This is the first ever real-time observation of a signal from solar neutrinos of energy below 1 MeV. The counting rate for monoenergetic beryllium neutrinos in the BOREXINO detector proved to be 47 ± 7 (stat.) ± 12 (syst.) counts/(day × 100 t), which is in agreement with the predictions of the standard solar model and the hypothesis of neutrino oscillations in matter with parameters in the LMA region.     

On the possibility of detecting solar <Emphasis Type="Italic">pp</Emphasis> neutrino with the large-volume liquid organic scintillator detector

It is shown that a large-volume liquid organic scintillator detector with an energy resolution of 10 keV at 200 keV (1σ) will be sensitive to solar pp neutrinos, if operated at the target radiopurity levels for the Borexino detector or the solar neutrino project of KamLAND.     

EPR study of the spin dynamics of the (La<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript>Pr<Subscript>y</Subscript>)<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>Ca<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> system

The EPR of Mn ions in the (La_1?yPr_y)_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ system has been studied within a broad range of temperatures (4<T<600 K) and Pr concentrations (0≤y≤1), as well as under isotope substitution of ¹⁸O for ¹⁶O. All compositions were shown to undergo transitions to a magnetically ordered state with decreasing temperature. Magnetic phase diagrams were constructed for systems with different oxygen isotopes. The diagrams include paramagnetic, ferromagnetic, and antiferromagnetic regions. In the paramagnetic region, at temperatures not too close to the phase transition points, the Mn ion linewidth ΔH _pp (T) is related to the magnetic susceptibility χ(T) through the relation ΔH _pp (T) = [χ₀/χ(T)]ΔH _pp (∞) + ΔH₀, where ΔH _pp (∞) is the width of the exchange-narrowed line in the high-temperature approximation, χ₀ ∝ 1/T is the susceptibility of noninteracting ions, and ΔH₀ is the residual width originating from the sample porosity and resonance-field scatter in unoriented grains of a powder sample. An analysis of the data on ΔH _pp (∞), ΔH₀, and χ(T) made it possible to estimate the symmetric and antisymmetric exchange interaction of Mn ions and of the noncubic crystal-field component of the oxygen ions. These parameters were found to be independent of the oxygen isotope species to within experimental error.     

Search for sterile neutrinos in the neutrino-4 experiment

An experimental search for sterile neutrinos has been carried out at a neutrino facility based on the SM-3 nuclear reactor in Dimitrovgrad, Russia. The movable detector with passive shielding against the external radiation may be positioned at a distance varying between 6 and 12 m from the center of the reactor. The antineutrino flux has for the first time been measured using a movable detector placed close to the antineutrino source. The accuracy of the measurements is largely restricted by the cosmic background. The results of the measurements performed at small and large distances are analyzed in terms of the sterile-neutrino model parameters Δm ₁₄ ² and sin²2θ₁₄.     

Monte Carlo Glauber wounded nucleon model with meson cloud

We study the effect of the nucleon meson cloud on predictions of the Monte Carlo Glauber wounded nucleon model for AA, pA, and pp collisions. From the analysis of the data on the charged multiplicity density in AA collisions we find that the meson–baryon Fock component reduces the required fraction of binary collisions by a factor of ~2 for Au + Au collisions at √s = 0.2 TeV and ~1.5 for Pb + Pb collisions at √s = 2.76 TeV. For central AA collisions, the meson cloud can increase the multiplicity density by ~16–18%. We give predictions for the midrapidity charged multiplicity density in Pb + Pb collisions at √s = 5.02 TeV for the future LHC run 2. We find that the meson cloud has a weak effect on the centrality dependence of the ellipticity ?₂ in AA collisions. For collisions of the deformed uranium nuclei at √s = 0.2 TeV, we find that the meson cloud may improve somewhat agreement with the data on the dependence of the elliptic flow on the charged multiplicity for very small centralities defined via the ZDCs signals. We find that the meson cloud may lead to a noticeable reduction of ?₂ and the size of the fireball in pA and pp collisions.     

Majorana neutrinos, <Emphasis Type="Italic">CP</Emphasis> violation,neutrinoless double beta and tritium beta decays

If the present or upcoming searches for neutrinoless double beta ((ββ)_0ν) decay give a positive result, the Majorana nature of massive neutrinos will be established. From the determination of the value of the (ββ)_0ν-decay effective Majorana mass parameter (|〈m〉|), it would be possible to obtain information on the type of neutrino mass spectrum. Assuming 3-ν mixing and massive Majorana neutrinos, we discuss the information that a measurement of, or an upper bound on, |〈m〉| can provide on the value of the lightest neutrino mass m₁. With additional data on the neutrino masses obtained in ³H β-decay experiments, it might be possible to establish whether the CP symmetry is violated in the lepton sector. This would require very high precision measurements. If CP invariance holds, the allowed patterns of the relative CP parities of the massive Majorana neutrinos would be determined.     

Search for solar <Emphasis Type="Italic">pp</Emphasis> neutrinos with an upgrade of CTF detector

The possibility of using ultrapure liquid organic scintillator as a low-energy solar neutrino detector is discussed. The detector with an active volume of 10 t and 4π coverage will count 1.8 pp neutrinos and 5.4 ⁷Be neutrinos per day with an energy threshold of 170 keV for the recoil electrons. The evaluation of the detector sensitivity and backgrounds is based on the results obtained by the Borexino collaboration with the Counting Test Facility (CTF). The detector can be build at the LNGS underground laboratory as an upgrade of the CTF detector using already developed technologies.     

Diffraction enhancement effect and new possibilities of measuring the electric charge of the neutron and its inertial-to-gravitational mass ratio

Diffraction enhancement of small effects affecting a neutron undergoing Laue diffraction at Bragg angles θ _B close to 90° is predicted and experimentally observed. The enhancement is due to the delay of the neutron inside the crystal during diffraction and is proportional to tan² θ _B. As a result, the diffraction enhancement factor may be as large as ～10⁸–10⁹. On this basis, a new method is proposed for searching for the electric charge of the neutron and for measuring the ratio of its inertial mass m _i to the gravitational mass m _G . It is shown that the accuracy of the neutron charge measurement can be improved by more than two orders of magnitude in relation to the present-day accuracy and that the ratio m _i /m _G can be measured to an precision of σ(m _i /m _G ) ～ 10^?6.     

Congratulations to Akusticheskii Zhurnal on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. Vibrations of spherical inclusions in elastic solids

Variational principles are derived for the analysis of dynamical phenomena associated with spherical inclusions embedded in homogeneous isotropic elastic solids. The starting point is Hamilton’s principle, with the material properties assumed to vary only with the radial distance r from the origin. Attention is restricted to disturbances that are symmetric about the polar (z) axis, such that the nonzero displacement components in spherical coordinates, u _r and u_θ, are independent of the polar coordinate φ. The symmetry allows for a decoupling of the polar components, the nth of which is described by U _{r, n} (r, t)P _n (cosθ) and U_{θ, n}(r, t)dP _n /dθ. A variational principle is subsequently derived for the field quantities U _{r, n} and U_{θ, n}. Concepts analogous to those of the theory of matched asymptotic expansions are used to embellish the principle in order to allow for the damping associated with the outward radiation of elastic waves. Examples illustrating the use of the variational principle for formulating plausible lumped-parameter models are given for the cases of n = 0 and n = 1.     

Analytic prediction for planar turbulent boundary layers

Analytic predictions of mean velocity profile(MVP) and streamwise(x) development of related integral quantities are presented for flows in channel and turbulent boundary layer(TBL), based on a symmetry analysis of eddy length and total stress. Specific predictions include the relations for momentum Reynolds number(Reθ) with friction Reτ and streamwise Re_x: Re_θ≈ 3.27Re_τ,and Re_x/Re_θ = 4.94(lnRe_θ + 1.88)~2 + 1; the streamwise development of the friction velocity u_τ: U_e/u_τ≈ 2.22 lnRe_x + 2.86. 3.83ln(lnRe_x), and of the boundary layer thickness δ_e: x/δ_e ≈ 7.27 lnRe_x.5.18.12.52ln(lnRe_x), which are fully validated by recent reliable data.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">B</Emphasis>-meson decays into charmonium states in the ATLAS experiment

The paper presents several recent ATLAS results on the analyses of B-meson decays into charmonium states. These include the measurements of B⁺ mass and the fractions of J/ψ mesons produced in b-hadron decays in pp collisions at \(\sqrt s\) = 13 TeV in the center of mass system. The measured partial widths and polarizations in B _c ⁺ → J/ψD _s ^(*)+ decays and CP-violation parameters in B _s ⁰ → J/ψ? decays in pp collisions at 7 and 8 TeV in the center of mass system are also presented.     

TeV signatures of compact UHECR accelerators

We numerically study particle acceleration by the electric field induced near the horizon of a rotating supermassive (M ～ 10⁹–10¹⁰M_⊙) black hole embedded in the magnetic field B. We find that acceleration of protons to the energy E ～ 10²⁰ eV is possible only at extreme values of M and B. We also find that the acceleration is very inefficient and is accompanied by a broad-band MeV-TeV radiation whose total power exceeds the total power emitted in ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) at least by a factor of 1000. This implies that if O(10) nearby quasar remnants were sources of proton events with an energy E > 10²⁰ eV, then each quasar remnant would, e.g., overshine the Crab Nebula by more than two orders of magnitude in the TeV energy band. Recent TeV observations exclude this possibility. A model in which O(100) sources are situated at 100–1000 Mpc is not ruled out and can be experimentally tested by present TeV γ-ray telescopes. Such a model can explain the observed UHECR flux at moderate energies E ≈ (4–5) × 10¹⁹ eV.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>(1) eV sterile neutrino in <Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis>(<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>) gravity

We refer [1] to the role of an additional O(1) eV sterile neutrino in modified gravity models. We find parameter constraints in particular f(R) gravity model using following up-to-dated cosmological data: measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy, the CMB lensing potential, the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), the cluster mass function and the Hubble constant. It was obtained for the sterile neutrino mass 0.47 eV < m _ν,sterile < 1 eV (2σ) assuming that the sterile neutrinos are thermalized and the active neutrinos are massless, not significantly larger than in the standard cosmology model within the same data set: 0.45 eV < m _ν,sterile < 0.92 eV (2σ). But, if the mass of sterile neutrino is fixed and equals ≈ 1.5 eV according to various anomalies in neutrino oscillation experiments, f(R) gravity is much more consistent with observation data than the CDM model.     

On the possibility of revealing the transition of a baryon pair state to a six-quark confinement state

Proton-proton collisions are considered to find favourable conditions for searching for the transition of a baryon pair state to a hexa-quark confinement state (3q) + (3q) → (6q)_cnf. It is admitted that central pp collisions in a definite range of the initial energy can lead to creation of an intermediate compound system where the hexa-quark dibaryon can be formed. Criteria for selection of central collision events and for manifestation of the quark-structure dibaryon production are proposed.     

CP Violation in Neutrino Oscillation Due to Planck Scale Effects

We consider non renormalization 1/M _x interaction term as a perturbation of the neutrino mass matrix. We find that for the degenerate neutrino mass spectrum. We assume that the neutrino masses and mixing arise through physics at a scale intermediate between Planck Scale and the electroweak scale. We also assume, above the electroweak breaking scale, neutrino masses are nearly degenerate and their mixing is bimaximal. The perturbation generates a non zero value of θ ₁₃, which is within reach of the high performance neutrino factory. In this paper, we find that the non zero value of θ ₁₃ due to Planck scale effects indicates the possibility of CP violation.     

Angular correlation measurements in the Be9(d,p, γ)Be10 reaction

Thep-γ angular correlations in the Be⁹(d, p, γ)Be¹⁰ reaction have been measured in the reaction plane atE _d =1.3, 1.5, 1.9, 2.3 and 2.45 MeV for proton anglesθ _p =35°, 80° and 120°. The anisotropy of the angular correlations measured forθ _p =35° is independent of deuteron energy. A systematic shift of the symmetry axis from the recoil direction has been observed. The shift is 20.5° at E_d=2.45 MeV. The anisotropy decreases with increasing proton angle and vanishes atθ _p =120°.     

Probing the seesaw mechanism with neutrino data and leptogenesis

We use the current low-energy neutrino data to understand the structure of the neutrino mass matrix. Considering this information and assuming hierarchical neutrino Yukawa couplings, we use the seesaw formula to study the properties of the heavy right-handed neutrinos N_i. We find that successful baryogenesis via leptogenesis requires mass degeneracy and maximal mixing of N₁ and N₂.     

Twin-unified <Emphasis Type="Italic">SU</Emphasis>(5) × <Emphasis Type="Italic">SU</Emphasis>(5)′ GUT and phenomenology

In this article, after a short introduction, grand unified SU(5)×SU(5)^′ model augmented by D₂ parity has been discussed. The latter turns out to be important for phenomenology. Specific pattern of the GUT symmetry breaking causes new strong dynamics at low energies. Consequently, the Standard Model leptons, along with right-handed /sterile neutrinos, come out as composite states. Issues of the gauge coupling unification, generation of the charged fermion and neutrino masses will be presented. Also, various phenomenological implications and constraints will be discussed.     

Will protons become gray at 13 TeV and 100 TeV?

It is shown that the regime of pp-interactions at 7 TeV is a critical one. The LHC data about elastic pp-scattering at 7 and 8 TeV are used to get some information about both elastic and inelastic profiles of pp-collisions. They are discussed in the context of two phenomenological models which intend to describe the high energy pp-data with high accuracy. Some predictions following from these models for an LHC energy of 13 TeV and for an energy of 95 TeV of the newly proposed collider are discussed. It is claimed that the center of the inelastic interaction region will become less dark with an increase of energy albeit very slowly.