Measurement of the τ lifetime

Using the 3-prong decays of τ leptons observed at the CELLO detector at PETRA, the τ lifetime is determined to be 4.7(_?2.9^+3.9)×10^?13s.     

Optical studies of delayed relaxation in Pb<Subscript>0.94</Subscript>Ba<Subscript>0.06</Subscript>Sc<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> (PBSN-6) solid solutions

The temperature dependences of the permittivity, birefringence, optical transmittance, and small-angle light scattering and their variations with time are studied for single crystals of the Pb_0.94Ba_0.06Sc_0.5Nb_0.5O₃ relaxor (PBSN-6) in the heterophase region of coexistence of different phases. It is shown that an electric field induces a phase transition to the ferroelectric state, which manifests itself within some time (delay time τ) after application of the electric field to the crystal. The observed dependence of the temperature of this transition on the heating rate of the sample and the changes in the birefringence and small-angle light scattering intensity with time confirm the kinetic character of the induced transition. Temperature dependences of the delay time τ for different electric fields are constructed. It is revealed that, at low temperatures, the delay time τ decreases with increasing temperature. This agrees with the behavior of τ in classical relaxors. At the Vogel-Fulcher temperature, however, one observes that dτ/dT reverses sign and τ increasing as the temperature continues to increase. This anomalous behavior of τ in the heterophase region is accounted for by the coexistence of the cubic relaxor and rhombohedral macrodomain phases.     

Nuclear magnetic relaxation due to slow molecular reorientation and fast internal rotation interference

The relaxation of the two-proton system longitudinal magnetization M_z(t) is considered theoretically, using the Bloch equations with a diffusion term. The condition dd> τ_c ≥ 1, dd> τ ? 1 is fulfilled here, where dd> is the energy of the proton dipole-dipole interaction, τ is the correlation time of molecular diffusion rotation and τ is the correlation time for the proton rotation relative to the molecule. Unlike the ordinary Bloch equations a two-exponential law for the evolution of M_z(t) is obtained for definite values dd>, τ_c and τ. The results of the present work may be useful for the consideration of the system having mobile proton groups in viscous media.     

Relaxation times in cyclotron resonance in metals

The relation between an effective relaxation time τ in cyclotron resonance, mass anisotropy and magnetic field tipping is studied and a true relaxation time τ₀ is extracted by comparison with measurements. It is found that for copper τ has a maximum value in a slightly tipped magnetic field and that in potassium τ decreases monotonically with increasing tip angle. This is explained in terms of the Fermi surfaces of these metals.     

Systematization of intermediate-mass fragments

We consider the power law dependence of cross-sections of formation of intermediate-mass fragments on the mass number and atomic number, σ (A _f ) ～ A _f ^?τ and σ (Z _f ) ～ Z _f ^?τ . The values of parameter τ are determined for fragments detected by the ΔE ? E and the induced activity methods. It is shown that in “liquid-gas” phase transition τ varies within the limits of 2–3. A conclusion was drawn that at high beam energies parameter τ does not depend on the detection angle of the fragment. At the increase in the energy τ passes through a minimum at E _i ～ 6–7 GeV which is typical “critical behavior” predicted by models.     

“Anomalous” eta production in tau decay

The decay modes of the τ lepton involving η particles in the final state are analyzed. Some of these channels are related to the non-abelian chiral anomaly of QCD. It is found that the τ⁻→ν_τπ⁻ηπ⁰ mode dominates the inclusive production of η mesons in τ decay.     

Study of proton spin echoes in the nematic liquid crystalline phase

We studied spin echoes formed in the nematic crystalline phase using 90°- τ-β pulse sequence, where τ is the time between pulses and β the rotation produced by the second pulse. The decay of the echoes as a function of 2τ is nearly exponentail with a time constant T_E. Both T_E and the echo amplitude at a fixed τ were studied as a function of β in two nematics.     

Anomalous Electric Fields Inside a Dense Plasma of a Current Sheet

For the first time there have been analyzed profiles of electric-field-sensitive n_a spectral lines of the Li-like impurity ions CIV, NV, OVI emitted by a hot dense plasma of a plane current sheet. Theoretical profiles of these lines have been calculated with an allowance for Anomalous Electric Fields (AEF). By comparing the experimental and theoretical profiles of the lines it has been established for the first time that in the plane current sheet there were developed AEF of rms strengths F₀ ≈ (100–120) kV/cm in the time interval from τ = ?0.2 μs to τ = 0 (the time τ was counted from the instant of the maximum intensity of the spectral line OVI 5291 Å). These results have been backed up by a similar analysis of the experimental profiles of the spectral line HeII 4686 Å of the primary gas of the discharge. The AEF reached these strengths at the same instant of time, τ = ?0.2 μs, when electron and ion temperatures reached their maxima: T_e ? 100 eV, T_i ≈ 300 eV. The instant τ = ?0.2 μs corresponds to a transition from the metastable stage to the explosive phase of the current sheet evolution. At this time the ratio of the AEF energy density to the thermal energy density of the plasma was § ≡ F²₀/[8π/N_eT_e + N_iT_i)] ≈ 10^?3, which exceeded a similar ratio for the thermal wave field by three orders of magnitude.     

Oscillator strengths and lifetimes of levels for ions of the rubidium isoelectronic sequence calculated by the Dirac-Fock method

The oscillator strengths f of the resonance transitions are calculated by the Dirac-Fock method for the first ten terms of the rubidium isoelectronic sequence. The variation of f values along the isoelectronic sequence is analyzed. The corresponding transition probabilities and lifetimes τ of the levels 5p ² P _1/2 and 5p ² P _3/2 are calculated. The dependence of τ on the ion charge is approximated by an analytical equation. The obtained values of f and τ are compared with experiment and other calculations.     

Measurement of e+e−→τ+τ− at high energy and properties of the τ lepton

The e⁺e^?→τ⁺τ^? process has been measured using the CELLO detector at a mean total centre of mass energy of 34.2 GeV using essentially all the decay channels of the τ lepton. The measured cross section yields R_τ=1.03±0.05 (stat)±0.07 (syst). Topological branching fraction are given for τ → 1, 3 or 5 charged tracks. The angular distribution shows a clear 1 + cos²θ dependance with a forward-backward asymmetry of -0.103 ± 0.052 corresponding to an axial-vector coupling a_τ of the τ to the weak neutral current given by a_τ=?1.12 ± 0.57.     

Electroweak tests with τ leptons at LEP

We report on two sensitive tests of lepton universality carried out by the 4 LEP experiments at the Z⁰ pole. From measurements of the τ polarization in e⁺ e^?→τ ⁺ τ ^?, the ratios of the vector and axial vector coupling constants of the electron and the tau lepton to the weak neutral current are obtained to beg _{v e} /g _{a e} =0.066±0.015 andg _{V τ} /g _{A τ} =0.070±0.009 respectively. From measurement of the τ lifetime and the τ leptonic branching ratios, the ratio of the coupling constants describing weak leptonic decays of the τ and the μ is measured to beG _τ /G _μ =0.996±0.008.     

Tau neutrino mass from semileptonic decays

The semileptonic three particle decays of the tau provide determinations of the tau neutrino mass. The shift of the maximal energy of the observable final state particles islinear in the neutrino mass. The endpoint energy of the pion and a partially integrated decay rate in τ → πωv _τ and τ → πρV _τ are sensitive to a neutrino mass smaller than 100 MeV. Thus, the present bound on \(m_{v_\tau } \) can significantly be improved.     

Decays τ → (η, η')<Emphasis Type="Italic">K</Emphasis>–ν<Subscript>τ</Subscript> in the extended Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model

The decays τ → (η, η')K–ν_τ are described in the framework of the extended Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model. Both full and differential widths of these decays are calculated. The vector and scalar channels are considered. In the vector channel, the subprocesses with the intermediate K*(892) and K*(1410) mesons play the main role. In the scalar channel, the subprocesses with the intermediate and K₀^*(800) and K₀^*(1430) mesons are taken into account. The scalar channel gives an insignificant contribution to the full width of the decay τ → ηK–ν_τ. The obtained results are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data. The prediction for the width of the process τ → η′K–ν_τ is made.     

Thermostimulated creep in amorphous polyolefins. II

The thermostimulated creep of three amorphous polyolefins having the repeating unit ─(CH₂)_mC(CH₃)(C₂ H₅)─, where m = 1, 2, and 3, was investigated from 77° K to 350° K. A broad relaxation process is observed around the glass transition temperature in each polyolefin. The corresponding TSC peaks have been resolved into elementary components with a relaxation time τ obeying a compensation law τ = τ_c exp {(ΔH/k)[1/T) —(1/T_c)], where T_c and T_c are characteristic of the polyolefin. From the TSC data, we have calculated, the mechanical loss peaks associated with the glass transition and we have compared them with the dielectric loss peaks.     

Saturation Approach in Top Production

The reduced cross section for the top production, in deep inelastic scattering, determined when we use the Kharzeev–Levin–Nardi (KLN) model of the low x gluon distributions. With respect to this model, a compact formula for the ratio R^t(τ) provided that it is approximately independent of τ behavior at low- τ values. For the top production where Q_sr_⊥ ? 1, the model reduced to color transparency.     

Radiative decay of neutrino and primordial nucleosynthesis

Radiative decay of massive unstable neutrinos is examined in detail. Constraints on their mass and lifetime are established by solving the networks of nucleosynthesis and calculating the spectra of high-energy photons produced by massive neutrino decay. It is found that primordial nucleosynthesis sets stringent constraints on the mass and the lifetime of massive unstable neutrinos. According to these constraints together with constraints derived from other cosmological consideration and laboratory experiments, radiative decay of massive τ neutrinos is not allowed except for the case that the mass and the lifetime of the τ neutrino satisfy rather strict constraints; 30 MeV ≲ m_ντ ≲ 70 MeV, 10² s ≲ τ_ντ ≲ 10⁴ s. Constraints on neutrinos in the 4th generation are also derived.     

Time of a semiconductor-metal phase transition induced by an ultrashort light pulse in vanadium dioxide

A relationship is obtained for a time τ of a photoinduced semiconductor-metal phase transition of the Peierls type under exposure to an ultrashort laser pulse. It is demonstrated that (i) the time τ increases as the pulse energy density W decreases, and (ii) the phase transition is initiated when the pulse energy density W exceeds a critical value W _c . The results obtained are compared with the experiment on irradiation of a vanadium dioxide film in a light field.     

Conductivity of Wigner liquid

The conductivity of two-dimensional electron systems with low carrier concentration is considered on the basis of the previously suggested model (Fermi liquid with a soft mode) under the assumption that the equilibrium in each of the (fermion and boson) subsystems is established faster than the impurity relaxation and the relaxation between the subsystems (hydrodynamic approximation). The conductivity of the system depends on three characteristic times: τ₁(τ₂) is determined by the fermion (boson) impurity scattering and τ₁₂ is determined by the friction between the subsystems; the respective temperature dependences are obtained. The conductivity is related to the relaxation time τ in the usual way, and τ obeys the relationship τ^?1=τ ₁ ^?1 +(τ₂+τ₁₂)^?1. It follows from the results obtained that the resistivity of pure samples should increase with temperature and tend towards saturation.     

Modelling of magnetic satellite intensity in the neutron diffraction of an incommensurate helical structure: NiBr2 and Ni0.91Fe0.09Br2

We describe the application of a neutron multidetector diffractometer (D16, I.L.L.) to the study of the incommensurate helical magnetic structure of pure and Fe²⁺-doped single crystals of NiBr₂. Use of the multidetector permits detailed mapping of satellite intensity around 003_M arising from three magnetic domains, from which the magnitude and direction of the helix propagation vector τ are deduced. τ moves from [110] (0.0138(5) Å^?1) in NiBr₂ to [100] (0.0151(5) Å^?1) in Ni_0.91 Fe_0.09Br₂. The measured intensity profiles in (2θ, ω, v space are fitted to model profiles constructed by superimposing profiles measured at 003_M in the collinear phase at 28 K on a ring with radius τ, and optimizing the weighting of intensity around the ring.