An overview of <Emphasis Type="Italic">J</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">ψ</Emphasis> production in heavy ion collisions at PHENIX

This is an overview of the PHENIX J/ψ results in hot nuclear matter from heavy ion collisions. Current results for R _AA and v ₂ in Au+Au collisions, as well as R _AA from Cu+Cu collisions are included and discussed. A comparison is also done to cold nuclear matter effects using R _dAu results.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">J</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">ψ</Emphasis> suppression and <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis></Subscript> spectra in RHIC and LHC energy collisions

In a hydrodynamic model, we have studied J/ψ production in Au+Au/Cu+Cu collisions at RHIC energy, GeV. At the initial time, J/ψ’s are randomly distributed in the fluid. As the fluid evolves in time, the free streaming J/ψ’s are dissolved if the local fluid temperature exceeds a threshold temperature T _J/ψ . Sequential melting of charmonium states (χ _c , ψ ^′ and J/ψ), with melting temperatures , T _J/ψ ≈2T _c and feed-down fraction F≈0.3, explains the PHENIX data on the centrality dependence of J/ψ suppression in Au+Au collisions. J/ψ p _T spectra and the nuclear modification factor in Au+Au collisions are also well explained in the model. The model however overpredicts the centrality dependence of J/ψ suppression in Cu+Cu collisions by 20–30%. The J/ψ p _T spectra are underpredicted by 20–30%. The model predicts that in central Pb+Pb collisions at LHC energy,  GeV, J/ψ’s are suppressed by a factor of ∼10. The model predicted a J/ψ p _T distribution in Pb+Pb collisions at LHC is similar to that in Au+Au collisions at RHIC.     

Process <Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis>*<Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis> → <Emphasis Type="Italic">σ</Emphasis> at large virtuality of <Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis>*

The process γ*γ → σ is investigated in the framework of the SU(2)×SU(2) chiral NJL model. The form factor of the process is derived for arbitrary virtuality of γ* in the Euclidean kinematic domain. The asymptotic behavior of this form factor resembles the asymptotic behavior of the γ*γ → π form factor.     

Duality between different mechanisms of QCD factorization in <Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis><Superscript>*</Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis> collisions

We study the phenomenon of duality in hard exclusive reactions to which QCD factorization applies. Considering “two-photon”-like processes in the scalar φ _E ³ model and also two-hadron (pion) production from the collisions of a real (transversely polarized) and a highly-virtual, longitudinally polarized photon in QCD, we identify two regimes of factorization, each of them associated with a distinct nonperturbative mechanism. One mechanism involves twist-3 Generalized Distribution Amplitudes, whereas the other one employs leading-twist Transition Distribution Amplitudes. In the case of the scalar φ _E ³ model, we find duality in that kinematical region where the two mechanisms overlap. In the QCD case, the appearance of duality is sensitive to the particular nonperturbative model applied and can, therefore, be used as an additional adjudicator.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis>–hadron correlation measurements to study jets fragmentation with ALICE at LHC

The possibility to study the fragmentation function of jets with energies below 50 GeV, which cannot be reconstructed in the heavy-ion environment, is explored. We propose to measure the imbalance distribution between prompt photon and charged hadrons with the ALICE experiment at LHC. In the present article, the case of proton–proton collisions at  TeV is examined with Monte-Carlo simulations. Performances for prompt photon identification and rejection of the π ⁰ decay photons are presented. We find that the measurement in proton–proton is meaningful with respect to statistical and systematic errors for photon energies larger than 20 GeV.     

The cusp effect in <Emphasis Type="Italic">η</Emphasis>′→<Emphasis Type="Italic">η</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">π</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">π</Emphasis> decays

Strong final-state interactions create a pronounced cusp in η′→η π ⁰ π ⁰ decays. We adapt and generalize the non-relativistic effective field theory framework developed for the extraction of π π scattering lengths from K→3π decays to this case. The cusp effect is predicted to have an effect of more than 8% on the decay spectrum below the π ⁺ π ⁻ threshold.     

Hadroproduction of direct <Emphasis Type="Italic">J/ψ</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">ψ</Emphasis>′ mesons in the fragmentation of gluons and <Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis> quarks at high energies

The transverse-momentum spectra of direct J/ψ and ψ′ mesons in pp interactions at the Tevatron collider energy of \(\sqrt s = 1.8\) TeV are calculated on the basis of nonrelativistic QCD, the fragmentation model, the k_T-factorization approach, and the standard parton model. The contribution of gluon fragmentation is shown to exceed the contribution of c-quark fragmentation both within the parton model and within the k_T-factorization approach. Experimental data of the CDF Collaboration agree with the assumption that gluon fragmentation plays a dominant role in the \(Q\bar Q[^3 S_1 ,8]\) octet state, with the nonperturbative matrix element taking approximately equal values in the parton model and in the k_T-factorization approach.     

Elliptic flow of ν ands <Emphasis Type="Italic">π</Emphasis><Superscript>0</Superscript> mesons in heavy-ion collisions at 2 <Emphasis Type="Italic">A</Emphasis> GeVmesons in heavy-ion collisions at 2 <Emphasis Type="Italic">A</Emphasis> GeV

Elliptic flow of ν and π ⁰ mesons emitted at midrapidity are studied in collisions of 1.9 A GeV ⁵⁸Ni+⁵⁸Ni and 2 A GeV ⁴⁰Ca+^natCa. The observed anisotropy corresponds to a negative elliptic flow signal for ν mesons, indicating a preferred emission perpendicular to the reaction plane. In contrast, only small azimuthal anisotropies are observed for π ⁰ mesons. This may indicate that ν mesons freeze out earlier from the central interaction region than pions.     

Study of in-medium <Emphasis Type="Italic">ω</Emphasis>-meson properties in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ap</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">pA</Emphasis> collisions

The possibility to investigate the in-medium properties of the vector ω mesons at normal nuclear density is considered. The folding model and simulations with the RQMD generator have been used for studying of the ω-resonance production in Ap and pA reactions and its ω → π ⁰ γ → 3γ decay. We show that measurements in the inverse Ap kinematics is an effective way to get information about the ω-meson mass modification especially in not yet explored range of small meson momenta relative to the projectile nuclei where the strength of the effect is expected to be most strong. The traditional pA kinematics appears to be more preferable for the investigation of the in-medium ω-meson width. Using of compact electromagnetic calorimeter provides the possibility to collect large statistics and study the momentum dependencies of both the ω-meson mass and width at the density of normal nuclei.     

Contribution of final-state interaction to the branching ratio of <Emphasis Type="Italic">B</Emphasis>→<Emphasis Type="Italic">J</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">ψ</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis>

To test the validity of perturbative QCD (pQCD) and investigate its range of application, one should look for a suitable process. B→J/ψ D is a promising candidate. The linear momentum of the products is relatively small, so that there may exist a region where exchanged gluons are soft and the perturbative treatment may fail, so that the non-perturbative effect would be significant. We attribute such non-perturbative QCD effects to the long-distance final-state interaction (FSI) which is estimated in this work. We find that the contribution from the FSI to the branching ratio is indeed sizable and may span the rather wide range of 10⁻⁶∼10⁻⁵ and cover a region where the pQCD prediction is of the same order. A more accurate measurement of its branching ratio may provide important information about the application region of pQCD and help to clarify the picture of inelastic rescattering (i.e. FSI), which is generally believed to play an important role in B decays.     

Inclusive <Emphasis Type="Italic">J</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">ψ</Emphasis> photoproduction and polarization at HERA in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis></Subscript>-factorization approach

We investigate the inclusive photoproduction of J/ψ mesons at HERA within the framework of the k _T -factorization QCD approach. Our study is based on the color singlet model supplemented with the relevant off-shell matrix elements and the CCFM and KMR unintegrated gluon densities in a proton and in a photon. Both the direct and resolved photon contributions are taken into account. Our predictions are compared with the recent experimental data taken by the H1 and ZEUS collaborations. Special attention is put on the J/ψ polarization parameters λ and ν, which are sensitive to the production dynamics.     

Probing unparticle theory via lepton-flavor violating process <Emphasis Type="Italic">J</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">ψ</Emphasis>→<Emphasis Type="Italic">ll</Emphasis>′ at BESIII

The lepton-flavor violating process J/ψ→ll′(l≠l′) serves as an ideal place to probe the unparticle theory. Such a process can only occur at loop level in the Standard model (SM), so that should be very suppressed; by contrast, in the unparticle scenario, it happens at tree level and its contribution may be sizable for practical measurement. Moreover, the BESIII will offer the largest database on J/ψ, which makes more accurate measurements possible. Furthermore, for such purely leptonic decays the background is relatively low and the signal would be cleaner. Our work carefully investigates the possibility of observing such processes from both theoretical and experimental aspects.     

Plane Symmetric Vacuum Bianchi Type <Emphasis Type="Italic">III</Emphasis> Cosmology in <Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis>(<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>) Gravity

The main purpose of this paper is to study the exact solution of Bianchi type III spacetime in the context of metric f(R) gravity. The field equations are solved by taking expansion scalar θ proportional to shear scalar σ which gives C=A ⁿ , where A and C are the metric coefficients. The physical behavior of the solution has been discussed using some physical quantities. Also, the function of the Ricci scalar is evaluated.     

Final state interactions in the decays <Emphasis Type="Italic">J</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">ψ</Emphasis>→<Emphasis Type="Italic">VPP</Emphasis>

We investigate the interplay between crossed channel final state interactions and the constraints from two-particle unitarity for the reactions J/ψ→V π π and VK[`(K)]VK\bar{K} , where V is either ω or φ. Using a model where the parameters are largely constrained by other sources, we find that, although small, crossed channel final state interaction can influence the amplitudes considerably, in special areas of phase space. These results cast doubt on the inapplicability of unitarity constraints on production amplitudes as recently claimed in the literature.     

The quest for <Emphasis Type="Italic">μ</Emphasis> → <Emphasis Type="Italic">e</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis>: present and future

The quest for μ → eγ is one of the most important endeavors to search for New Physics beyond the Standard Model. In this talk I will review the current status of the experimental searches by the MEG Collaboration at PSI. I will also present a study of the experimental limiting factors that will define the ultimate performances, and hence the sensitivity, in the search for μ → eγ with continuous muon beams of extremely high rate (one or even two orders of magnitude larger than the present beams), whose construction is under consideration for the next decade.     

Another tetraquark structure in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">π</Emphasis><Superscript>+</Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">χ</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis>1</Subscript> invariant mass distribution

In this article, we assume that there exists a scalar hidden charm tetraquark state in the π ⁺ χ _c1 invariant mass distribution, and we study its mass using the QCD sum rules. The numerical result M _Z =(4.36±0.18) GeV is consistent with the mass of the Z(4250). The Z(4250) may be a tetraquark state, but other possibilities, such as a hadro-charmonium resonance and a molecular state, are not excluded.     

On the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Λ</Emphasis>CDM Universe in <Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis>(<Emphasis Type="Italic">G</Emphasis>) gravity

In the context of the so-called Gauss–Bonnet gravity, where the gravitational action includes function of the Gauss–Bonnet invariant, we study cosmological solutions, especially the well-known ΛCDM model. It is shown that the dark energy contribution and even the inflationary epoch can be explained in the frame of this kind of theories with no need of any other kind of component. Other cosmological solutions are constructed and the rich properties that this kind of theories provide are explored.